Fed up with unsustainable spirits tax increases in Australia, Brookie’s has developed a new on-premise exclusive ‘Excise Strength’ Gin.

Brookie’s Excise Strength Gin is a modern crafted gin of juniper and rainforest botanicals designed for the Australian cocktail bar.

The core botanicals include juniper, pink grapefruit, coriander seed, native raspberry, and macadamia.

Cape Byron Distillery says the gin stands up in a G&T, stirs down in a Negroni and is made for premium pre-batched cocktails.

Co-founder and distiller Eddie Brook said: “The spirit that we have created is sensational. We set out to craft a perfectly balanced gin for the modern Australian cocktail bar and versatile enough to be used from classic cocktails to modern inventive drinks … but this is more than just a great gin.

“Our goal is for Excise Strength Gin to create momentum for change to our unsustainable and archaic excise system. Spirits are unfairly taxed compared to other alcohols in Australia, and the producers and venue owners in our industry feel the brunt of this discriminatory spirit tax.

“If we can inspire conversation in our Industry and with government whilst sipping on a delicious Brookie’s G&T in hand, then we’d be pretty happy with that.”

Spirits producers and lovers faced the grim reality of more than $100 per litre of tax on their products from 1 August, following hikes of 4.1% last year and another 3.7% in February, putting further pressure on Australian spirits manufacturers, who were not expecting taxes to break through the $100 barrier until 2029.

Twice a year, every year, the excise tax on spirits increases in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Not content with just distilling a premium gin, Excise Strength is only available in a bulk format, the first-of-its-kind, a 15L ‘jug in a box’. This innovation reduces the packaging costs and the environmental impact, savings that Brookie’s can pass onto the venue to provide a premium Australian gin at a competitive price point and saving the planet on waste.

The Bcorp-certified distillery is providing an innovative solution for the reduction of packaging waste. Each 15L ‘jug in a box’ reduces the glass bottle waste by 14kg of glass, approximately 22 700ml bottles. And the cardboard box and jug are both 100% kerbside recyclable.

But don’t throw the container out when finished, these jugs are perfect for prebatching bulk cocktails with an easy-to-use screw-on tap system that will minimise leaks and wastage.

According to the distillery, in one year, the average bar using this in their cocktails will save approx. 312 bottles, that’s over 200kg of glass bottle waste from entering our recycling and landfill system.

Cape Byron Distillery Sustainability Manager Alex McManus said: “At Brookie’s Gin, sustainability is at our core, by offering a larger container, we are able to reduce the overall packaging weight from entering the supply chain.

“While the box is still made from virgin HDPE this large format box is over 520 grams lighter than other standard industry containers, that’s over 11 x 2L milk jugs! resulting in a smaller carbon footprint. We believe that businesses now have the option for making a responsible choice, such as opting for the Brookie’s Excise Strength Gin pack, we can collectively contribute to a greener, circular future for our planet.”

Boookie’s Excise Strength Gin, 15L is now available through ALM connect, Paramount and direct through the distillery.