Imagery: Courtesy of The Natural Distilling Co.

Words: Sarah Tarca // @tarca

Rhys Staley knows a lot about cannabis – but he’s far from being a stoner. As the Co-Founder of the natural spirit company, Natural Distilling Co, a brand that launched with a hemp product line, it’s kind of part of the job description. Not to mention his “day job” as the general manager of a privately owner Australian based medicinal cannabis company.

But back to the liquor for a second. Rhys’ first batch was created three years ago in a Gippsland shed (in a milk vat no less), and the following years were spent learning, refining, tinkering – and losing the milk vat – before it was ready for market. Rhys says, “My interest in hemp arose when I started working in the Australian medicinal cannabis industry. I quickly became aware of the environmental and nutritional benefits and once the use of Cannabis sativa (Hemp) was legalised in November 2017, we applied for a licence to grow on my Dad’s dairy farm and the rest is history.”

Today, the Natural Distilling Co has a Hemp Gin, Hemp Vodka – and soon a Hemp Rum. Intrigued? We were too. So we sat down with Rhys to ask him all about it.

First things first… what does it taste like?

They have flavour profiles from the cannabis terpenes (the aromatic oils that give cannabis varieties their unique profiles) Limonene and Myrcene that we use to distil and flavour the drinks and they are absolutely unique. In fact, as far as I know we offer the only terpene/myrcene distilled vodka in the world.

What sort of career background led you to this?

Having a science background, I have always appreciated the technical aspects and chemistry behind distilling, but it is as much an art as it is science. I began distilling some time ago using salvaged stainless steel and copper to create equipment that would meet my needs.

I spent a few years in Sydney working for a rapid growth health-tech startup which limited my ability to distil on a larger scale. At that point I was experimenting frequently with local or ingredients that were sourced from my Dad’s dairy farm like organic milk, honey and strawberries.

As I mentioned above, I was aware of the environmental and nutritional benefitsof hemp, so after I got the license to grow it in 2017, the business evolved from there.

“Hemp deposits 1.6 tons of carbon back in the ground for every ton harvested minimizing carbon in the atmosphere and slowing down climate change.”

Cannabis in the wellness space is confusing. Can you clear things up for us?

It sure is, it comes back in part to the overlap and stigma traditionally associated with recreational cannabis which is perceived mostly as an illegal drug.

It also has a bad rep because of a few bad eggs are selling mislabeled products labelled as CBD oil when they are really just hemp seed oil that contains a trace amounts of CBD. Some have tried to profit on the confusion by selling hemp seed oil as CBD oil at a high price, effectively taking advantage of customers.

Just to clarify; hemp seed oil is oil obtained by pressing the seed of the Hemp plant and whilst similar, it is not to be confused with CBD Oil. They are from the same cannabis family, but do not offer the same benefits (read about the difference between hemp, cannabis and cbd oil here). Thanks to greenwashing in the industry, they are often confused, but a quick way to tell the difference is by checking the ingredients. Hemp Oil should be listed as Cannabis Sativa Oil, whilst CBD Oil should be listed as Cannabidiol. So, whilst it has no cannabinoids in it, it is typically viewed more as a superfood thanks to its nutritional value. The same goes with hemp milk and hemp protein – they’re widely popular due to the nutritional profile.

Hempcrete has one of the most interesting and topical uses due to the recent bushfire crisis, both for fire resistance and its impact on climate change. Hemp deposits 1.6 tons of carbon back in the ground for every ton harvested minimizing carbon in the atmosphere and slowing down climate change.

What is it about hemp that makes it unique in the distilling process?

Blending in the terpenes during distillation and the flavours it yields makes it quite unique. Terpenes are the essential oils that give hemp and cannabis its distinctive aromatic and flavour qualities.

Have people been resistant to the idea, or concerned that it might taste like marijuana?

I have not heard that yet, it is almost the opposite. Because the plant is so topical, interesting and legal, consumers are excited about the opportunity to combine cannabis with their favorite drinks. Having said that, the drinks do not smell or taste like cannabis, more the terpenes used to provide the flavor (limonene-citrus, orange, mandarin, lime. Myrcene-basil, lemongrass, lavender).

What has been the general reaction to what you’re doing?

The response has been astounding in the general public, on premise bars and clubs as well as bottle shops. I think the positivity is due to the genuine and grassroots origin, unique health and wellness aspects of hemp and the community we are creating through our Founders Club (only our founders club members will have access to our “founders reserve” barrel aged gin mid this year). Our customers are also excited about the fact that for our second batch the Hemp will be cultivated in my hometown in Gippsland, Victoria, to proactively support grassroots business and communities. All of my product development on ingredients came from the farm, vodka made from milk from our dairy, raspberries from my grandfather’s garden and honey from his bees to name a few.

How do you think the attitudes of people have changed toward hemp in the time since you’ve launched?

We are seeing more hemp products come to market in Australia every day and there are also several ASX listed hemp companies IPO-ing. The general public is leading the push for the broader industrial and medicinal use of cannabis which is exciting to see. It’s likely that there are still people out there that are confused by the ingredient, however with more and more brands popping up and wider education, the attitude will continue to change.

If there was one message or myth you’d like to debunk about the cannabis aindustry, what would it be?

That cannabis is a dangerous drug. Observational studies have found that cannabis is less addictive and less harmful than alcohol. Hundreds and thousands of patients all over the world are using it medicinally and reaping the benefits. Thankfully, people are slowly starting to take notice of just how positively powerful cannabis can be in the world of medicine and wellness.

Booze made from hemp. This is a thing now.