VINE Vale, a small sub-region of the Barossa Valley flats, has become home to the recently opened Edinburgh Distillery founded by 22-year-old Caitlin Curtis.
Officially launched in June last year, the distillery aims to bring a fresh perspective to Barossa spirits, hoping to show other young people how much the region has to offer.
Having grown up surrounded by her family’s love for deep reds and her father’s winery business, Ms Curtis is no stranger to the industry.
“When I got to my mid-teens I would come along with my dad to the different wineries and vineyards with other winemakers. I was exposed to the history here,” she said.
With her dad responsible for the flavour palettes and distillery process, Ms Curtis focuses her efforts on workshopping ideas and marketing.
“I have a passion for design and am currently studying marketing and design at Uni SA, from that I had the opportunity to do something that I thought was missing to the Barossa,” she said.
The Barossa is definitely the type of place that only your parents come to, which is fine, but there’s a viewpoint that is lost from younger generations.”
Despite struggling with people “not taking [her] seriously” given her age, Ms Curtis thinks being so young in the industry is an advantage.
“A lot of people think you’re inexperienced, but if anything, that means I’m not stuck in anyway, I am completely ready to learn and it’s exciting,” she said.
“If you are confident in what you’re doing and know who heartedly that you’ve done your best that’s no different to someone who’s older than you.”
“This vision is all by a 22-year-old and people should respect that.”
And while Ms Curtis acknowledges her advantage having worked with family on the business, she think her father’s tough love has only pushed her to work harder.
“It allows us to channel that brutal energy into doing something important, so we can create products that are truly made with love.”
Focusing on getting other younger people interested in the area, Ms Curtis says she creates no ‘regular drinks’, with her distillery making shiraz-infused gin, black vodka and even colour-changing spirits.
“I like to experiment and be creative,” she said.
How else can you be creative than to have products that allow you to try something new every time you drink it?”
Along with the black vodka, the Barossa Valley shiraz gin is a little different than the average on the market, with wine infused within the spirit itself.
With the products being a perfect mix of traditional Barossa wine and gin, Ms Curtis said she was excited to combine to two flavours.
“When you taste it, it does give you that full experience of having a wine,” she said.
“We pride ourselves on combining the two industries.”
The gin’s label, created entirely by Ms Curtis, represents the deep Lutheran background in the Barossa, with a transparent church window that changes colour depending on the day’s weather.
“It gives that literal perspective of looking through a stained glass window in a church. You look in there and see what the Barossa is,” she said.
Another popular spirit created by the distillery, La Tibelle gin is infused with the colour-changing flower butterfly pea, which turns either baby pink or deep purple deepening on the mix-in.
Ms Curtis said her goal was to make products for younger people as a pathway into something more mature.
“If you like vodka at 18, you’ll have shiraz vodka at 25,” she said.
I want these to be fun, but still appeal to sophistication.”
Ms Curtis hopes to see Edinburgh Distillery as a staple in every locally stocked bar, and wants to eventually finish her degree in time to open her own design agency supporting regional businesses.
However, moving forward as a family business, the Curtis team plans to stay true to their experimental vision.
“If you say ‘I can’t’, the next question is ‘why not?’,” Caitlin quoted her parents.
“If you don’t have a valid reason, why not try it? We tried it and it worked, so it paid off.”
