Plants + Alcohol = Gin.
HER NAME
NATALIE
MAKES SIPS AT
TAYLOR & SMITH
Taylor & Smith prove that you can drink with your eyes. Natalie Smith & Ben Taylor are the makers of gin, whisky and bottled cocktails that make you just plain excited. Heart beats faster, pupils dilate... before you even take a sip. But ooooh boy, when you do take that sip, you’ll understand what all the fuss is about.
Natalie and her delicious sips (is there a word for a level above delicious? If so, insert that here) are something to take pretty seriously. When we asked her what Taylor & Smith product would match her personality, she said the Dry Gin. “It’s something you need to take pretty seriously. It has some unusual ingredients; abalone shell and Huon Pine Needles. Both which represent a sense of adventure and a desire to do things your own way.”
And she really does do things her own way. While juggling degrees, a PhD and three kids, her interest in the properties of plants led to gin-making. Hence, plants + alcohol = gin. We were never good at maths but that’s an equation we get behind. That equation led to Natalie & Ben taking the leap together to create something beautiful. And we’re oh so grateful for it.
“It’s kind of culturally Australian to drink a fair amount, but I just think, drink something beautiful. Beautifully made, beautifully thought through and do what it’s intended; to be social, relax, all those sorts of things.”
SIP’ER: What is your key role within the label? Is there anyone else that leads it with you?
NATALIE: I am both a distiller and CEO, I’m in charge of distribution, all new business, exporting, accounting…
SIP’ER: So basically, you do it all!
NATALIE: [laughs] I kind of said it like that because as a startup and small business owner, my partner Ben and I do everything ourselves. We work really hard and I'm quite intimately involved in every aspect of the business.
SIP’ER: How did you start Taylor & Smith?
NATALIE: I had recently finished my PhD in Cultural Geography, and it was just as the university sector was changing so it was harder to get a tenured position. So immediately off the back of the PhD, I did a Certificate 4 in Small Business Management and started putting together some ideas about what I might like to do.
SIP’ER: So you had your hands full before you even started!
NATALIE: Definitely. Ben has a Masters in Fine Art and we were both researching similar things about place and connection. We decided we wanted to work together on the same projects as we were always making things; not just painting and writing, but things like kombucha, kefir and sourdough. Before researching place and connection, I studied environmental science and ecology, and Ben’s a mad keen gardener. So between the two of us we had this real interest in the properties of plants and started experimenting with spirits and botanicals. Making gin basically. Plants + alcohol = gin.
SIP’ER: You just came up with the title for the content piece.
NATALIE: We started giving our friends and lovely neighbours samples of what we were making. We didn't have bottles or anything at this stage, we just used jam jars with some labels and left them on their doorstep on a Friday night.
SIP’ER: Lucky neighbours!
NATALIE: They’d come home from work to this little present and then they’d send their kids back the next day with a bag of kumquats or mandarins, or things that they wanted us to experiment with, like “try this, or try this!”
Then we bought this little property with the sole aim of starting Taylor & Smith. It was a big leap to say “let's make a business of this and see what happens”.
SIP’ER: What’s the best way to consume Taylor & Smith?
NATALIE: Surrounded by friends, but not too many, maybe 4… When you’re about to embark on something together - whether that be a project you’re about to work on together, or to simply enjoy a meal.
SIP’ER: What’s been your career highlight?
NATALIE: When I submitted my PhD. At that point I was working part-time with two children and having my third baby. I was so proud in that moment, knowing that it was finally done. It was just such an incredible feeling.
SIP’ER: What drink would you pair with that moment?
NATALIE: The Gin. It was our first product and when we were designing the bottle, it had to be something that represented us; that was a beautiful object as well as tasting delicious. It is a delicate, light Gin that is fresh and approachable. We took a big leap of faith because there was absolutely nothing like our bottle on the market.
SIP’ER: Do you feel like you and your partner’s backgrounds provided inspiration for the packaging? It looks like art and not just a bottle. You can tell there’s a lot of thought that's gone into it.
NATALIE: Thank you. We chose the colours and shapes of the bottle and the label, but we do work with a designer who’s come on board with us, Megan Perkins. She’s fabulous and has been integral to the process.
SIP’ER: What drink do you crave when you’re at your happiest?
NATALIE: An Army & Navy bottled cocktail! It’s just super citrusy - lemon and almond and bitters...it’s delicious and really approachable. It’s happy!
SIP’ER: What’s the most challenging part of your job that not many people would know about? What drink do you feel like after a day of this?
NATALIE: I just love every single bit of it. It’s made up of so many small, moving parts and every day it’s different. Being out late in the cold is hard though, we’ll often be out late bottling. So probably - what I want to drink is straight from the barrel! [laughs] But our Single Malt Whisky is amazing. I wasn’t so much of a whisky fan prior to making it and now I'm converted. I didn’t realise how incredibly nuanced and delicious it could be. I was tempted to say a Negroni, but really after a hard day, just a Barrel Strength Whisky, sip by sip.
SIP’ER: What’s your favourite beverage you produce?
NATALIE: I have to say our Whisky. We handle and move the grain around by hand and that job is a little bit repetitive but it’s beautiful as well. There’s a breeze blowing and the little husks sort of blow off and it’s rhythmical. You're filling up the mill and you’re just watching the grain all slip down and get cracked open and that’s quite lovely.
SIP’ER: You just described ASMR and we now feel calmer after hearing that.
SIP’ER: If you had to match one of your products with your personality, which would it be and why?
NATALIE: I think the Dry Gin. It’s 46% so it’s a little bit stronger than usual. It’s something you need to take pretty seriously. It has some unusual ingredients; abalone shell and Huon Pine Needles. Both which represent a sense of adventure and a desire to do things your own way.
SIP’ER: It's almost like that question was written for you!
SIP’ER: What do you want people to take away from the experience after consuming Taylor & Smith?
NATALIE: That you don’t have to drink a lot but you have to drink well. It’s kind of culturally Australian to drink a fair amount, but I just think, drink something beautiful. Beautifully made, beautifully thought through and do what it’s intended; to be social, relax, all those sorts of things.