Lemon Myrtle: The Native Star Behind Ink Gin
We talk a lot about Lemon Myrtle. It’s one of those native Australian botanicals that’s not just in our gin - it helps define it.
We recently took a road trip to the place where it all starts: a sprawling farm in Byron, home to around 78,000 lemon myrtle trees.
The farm started out supplying florists. Lemon Myrtle is an evergreen tree that doesn’t just taste good, it smells incredible too - perfect for greenery in bouquets. These days, the trees are mostly grown for tea, essential oils, and as dried culinary leaves. And of course, they’re a key part of our original Ink Gin.
While it grows wild on our farm, we’ve been sourcing our Lemon Myrtle leaves from this farm for over 6 years. About an hour down the road from our distillery, it's a big operation. They hand-weed between rows, grow with minimal intervention, and focus on long-term health over short-term yield. Not only do they do great work, they're lovely people. Cups of tea, homemade sandwiches and good yarns were all part of the visit.
Walking through the grove is something else. The scent is bold but soft - like lemon, but gentler. Cleaner. More green. That smell is called citral - the naturally occurring compound that makes lemon myrtle so good in gin. It brings the bright citrus notes without the bitterness of lemon peel.
In Ink Gin, that means balance. Lemon myrtle lifts the juniper, smooths the palate, and leaves that crisp, refreshing finish that lingers long after the ice has melted. It holds its own next to our butterfly pea flower too - tying the earthy floral and citrus together in a way that just works.
About 80 per cent of the farm’s leaves are dried for tea, with Germany being the biggest export market. But we’re proud to keep a bit of that magic right here at home, distilled into every bottle of Ink.
Lemon myrtle, being native to our farm and surrounds, brings us connection to our local land and the people who grow it. So next time you pour yourself an Ink & tonic, take a moment to notice that clean, lemony lift. It’s native. It’s natural. And it’s a little reminder of the place we're from.
- Love Team Ink
