Kangaroo Island Spirits

The Origins of KIS The KIS story began in 2002, when Jon and Sarah Lark married and set out to establish Australia’s first dedicated gin distillery, where they wanted to do things properly, the traditional way. Early on, Jon and Sarah visited Sipsmith in Hammersmith, London. There in the suburbs they saw that Sipsmith had started making a premium gin in a small shed, using a small still. This gave the Larks the confidence to continue the KIS distilling journey with an even smaller still than they were already using in their own shed on KI. They knew they were on the right track. KIS Core Values and the Personality of KIS Products One of the appealing things about gin is the use of botanicals - there is a lot you can do with them in the gin making process. Jon and Sarah believe that gin should still be predominantly juniper flavoured - it’s a choice (some of the new ones aren’t). But from there on, there's a lot of flexibility and you can almost do or add anything you like. And this is where Jon and Sarah have worked their magic to produce the exquisite uniqueness of KIS gins, which underpins Kangaroo Island Spirits' core values and product personality. Éric Ripert, a French chef based in New York, likened Jon and Sarah to French sauciers, who skilfully balance the flavours going into a pot so that when the sauce - or in their case, gin - is complete and presented correctly, it is well balanced. This is exactly how KIS gins are made, and this is why consistency and balance are critical KIS core values. Another important value is the intention that KIS aims only to master their craft industry. For Jon and Sarah, it is not about the size of the business; it is about achieving the best reputation, and allowing the market to dictate to some extent what it wants from KIS spirits. A huge number of small distilleries have started since KIS was established. Some of these have grown quickly, almost by force and wilful marketing. This is not the KIS model.