For a long time, Stroud native Kylie Sepos knew she wanted to do something creative, but she wasn't sure what that something was.
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About five years ago, while on a trip to Tasmania, she had an epiphany - to craft gin from the ground up.
"I had always been a lover of food and wine, but when I was in Tassie, I fell in love the craft spirits," Kylie said.
When she returned home, The Farmer's Wife Distillery was born.
A typical country girl, Kylie has a love for fresh produce and a passion for her community, so she looked at building a business that connected all of her passions.
She loved to drink gin, but she didn't know how to make it, so she started researching.
"I read everything I could about distilling," she said.
Kylie found what she needed in books.
As it's an old art form, there is more information in print than online.
But, that only taught her the mechanics, it didn't teach her how make a fine tasting drop.
"Part of research was a lot of tasting, which I didn't mind.
"There are no recipes."
She likens it to cooking, understanding flavour combinations and how to combine them to create the taste you're after.
This creative period took some time, using homegrown ingredients and working in small batches to find the flavour profile she was after.
"It took about two and a half years," she explained.
"I probably could have kept tinkering with it but a wise distiller told me I could tinker with it for years, so to just go for it."
And, she's glad she did, as her Autumn Dry Gin was awarded a silver medal in the London Spirits Competition held in March this year.
It's a pretty prestigious competition in the United Kingdom, open to the world's finest distillers.
Not bad for a small business which officially kicked off late last year, making its first public appearance at the Stroud Rodeo on September 13.
"I'm a believer in community and I wanted the launch to be at a local event," she said.
Since then, she has taken her 'gin cart' to various events, bringing the tasting to the people.
There is a cellar door option at the property by appointment only at this stage, but Kylie has big plans.
She has approval to build a distillery, cellar door, cafe and permaculture garden on The Bucketts Way south at Allworth.
"It'll be a place where we can showcase the amazing produce from the area.
"That's my dream and it getting closer."
In the meantime, she getting ready to make whiskey, another favourite of hers, with plans to start by the end of the year.
As it needs to sit for two years before drinking, it'll be a while before it reaches the market.
For more information about The Farmer's Wife Distillery, visit https://farmerswifedistillery.com.au/