Death’s Door Gin – which takes its name from the most treacherous waterway in the Great Lakes, separating Washington Island from the Door County peninsula in northern Wisconsin – is a 47 percent ABV, London Dry style of gin, distilled in the Wisconsin town of Middleton.
“Australia is the leader of quality spirits consumption in the Asia-Pacific region and has long been a priority in our global expansion. Now is the time to build the market and grow the brand with a proper partner,” says Brian Ellison, founder and president of Death’s Door Spirits.
“Vanguard has the team in place to champion our brand vision, and we are very encouraged for our future here.”
Vanguard founder James France adds: “In a very crowded gin market, it is a rare brand indeed that can manage to genuinely stand out. Death’s Door is such a brand.
“Not only is the gin itself exceptional, but so are its story and the people behind it. We can’t wait to get started with Death’s Door Gin in Australia.”
Death’s Door Gin is made up of a surprisingly simple mix of just three botanicals: juniper berries, coriander and fennel seeds. This balanced blend has helped earn its place in significant cocktail bar programs, and in the minds of bartenders, who consider it a soft, versatile gin.
Using a mix of juniper berries that includes the wild juniper of Washington Island with coriander and fennel seeds, Death’s Door Spirits is able to showcase how complementary and complex simple expressions can be.
According to the team at Death’s Door, their gin is big enough to stand up to classic or vintage cocktail treatment, but soft enough to be enjoyed on the rocks or as a dry martini – a true “utility” gin.
Originally conceived as an economic development project in 2005, Death’s Door was founded by Ellison in conjunction with families on Washington Island to offer a sustainable future through agriculture – specifically, the growing and harvesting of organic hard red winter wheat.
What started as five acres under cultivation has grown to 1,200 acres. In addition to wheat, Death’s Door sources wild juniper berries from Washington Island for production in its gin.
Internationally, Death’s Door Spirits has a large presence across all 50 U.S. states, the United Kingdom, across Europe (Germany, Italy, Netherlands) and Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China).