Wild Flower Gin lands deal with James May's gin brand

Queensland-based distillery Wild Flower Gin has entered into a domestic manufacture and distribution deal with James Gin, the gin brand of TV personality James May. Included in the partnership is the UK brand’s entire range of gins, including Asian Parsnip, American Mustard, London Drizzle and Asian Parsnip Navy Strength.

The partnership reportedly came about when Wild Flower’s Founder James Greig ordered some of May’s gin online. Despite enjoying the taste, Greig was put off by how expensive it was to ship from the UK. He then proceeded to reach out to James May who mentioned that other Australian customers had given similar feedback.

“We knew there was a demand for James Gin in Australia but the delivery and excise duty costs were prohibitive,” said Gus Colquhoun, Co-Founder of James Gin.

“We can’t do much to reduce the excise duties (at least immediately) but we can address the delivery costs by working with James Greig and his team.”

James Greig, Founder of Wild Flower, added that “these pressures have forced many craft companies into voluntary administration, with Mighty Craft being the most recent example… However, partnerships like the one we've formed with James May can help us navigate these challenges and continue to thrive.”

“Despite these hurdles, we remain optimistic after an initial batch of James Gin sold out.

Asian Parsnip, American Mustard, and London Drizzle are all bottled at an abv of 40% and retail for $78 per 700ml bottle. Asian Parsnip: Navy Strength has an abv of 57% and retails at $89.

According to James May, who is best-known as a TV presenter on Top Gear and The Grand Tour, “these gins are my ideas. I invent them. I don’t just stick my name on a bottle of generic liquid like some celebrities I could mention.”

The following tasting notes were provided by the distillery:

Asian Parsnip

Sweet | Parsnip | Spicy | 40% ABV

Asian Parsnip celebrates both my homeland and the pleasures I’ve enjoyed over many decades of international travel at other people’s expense. I came up with the idea of blending the flavour of parsnip - because it reminds me of England and its dampness - with Asian spices, because they add excitement. Parsnip, a humble vegetable valued by Romans and hated by schoolchildren - was used historically as a sweetener and has a uniquely nutty profile. Combined with spices of the Far East - ginger and green cardamom - Asian Parsnip is a warming gin with lingering light sweet notes.

Asian Parsnip: Navy Strength

Sweet | Spiced | Intense | 57% ABV
An American customer asked when we were going to make a Navy Strength version of Asian Parsnip. We didn’t know what he meant, so we looked up the history of Navy Strength Gin. With no help at all from the Royal Navy, we created Asian Parsnip at 57% ABV. Every gin needs a good naval counterpart, and Asian parsnip is no exception. The flavour profile is the same as Asian Parsnip, just more intense.

American Mustard

Savoury | Mustard | Warm | 40%
We’ve combined mustard seeds & gherkins to create something really spectacular. American Mustard is blended from fresh mustard seed and dill pickles as the perfect accompaniment to every traditional American fast food recipe, and possibly turkey and brussel sprouts too. We paired it with gherkin to counter balance the heat and add a briny note to the finished product.

London Drizzle

Umami | Beetroot | Majesty | 40% ABV
With London Drizzle we wanted to re-create the sensation of petrichor - the smell of fresh rain. Since most gins are designated London Dry - and London generally isn’t, I came up with the idea of making one that evoked the smell of rain on a hot pavement in Regent’s Park. One of the key components of petrichor is also present in beetroot - so we’ve combined a sweet variety of that with lovage, bay, orange, and ginger to create a gin designed to instantly invoke the majesty of our Sceptered Isle.