Five minutes with Paul Turner, Canberra Distillery

Who are you?

My name is Paul Turner, and I’m the general manager at The Canberra Distillery.

What does your job involve?

My role is running the whole operation – that encompasses the production of the multiple spirits we’ve got on the go, and I handle the release of our special releases.

We also go to markets in Canberra and interstate – places like Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide – for tastings. The last part of my job is maintaining relationships with our wholesalers. Our main focus is to expand that wholesale clientele in the interstate markets.

What does your day-to-day look like?

Most of the production is planned. I’m actually in the process of scheduling and planning for the entire year now. The little things – like visits to bottle shops and things like that – just slot into spaces around that.

I love meeting customers, though – I love sharing my experiences and doing in-store tastings and events.

How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?

I spent about 20 to 25 years in hospitality, working in various bars, restaurants, conference venues and hotels.

I love hospitality and I love working with customers and talking to them, but the hours really got to me – I’ve got five daughters. They’re teenagers now, but I wanted to be able to spend some time with them instead of working every single weekend. When the opportunity for The Canberra Distillery came up, I applied in January ’21 and loved it ever since.

What are Canberra Distillery’s top three products that show what your venue can do?

Just before Christmas, we released spiced rum that is super delicious. It was a limited run, so we don’t have much left – but it was one of my favourite products.

Last year, our production manager created a recipe for a whisky cocktail using our whisky liqueur. That liqueur has some really nice cherry notes, and I enjoy that one.

In the gins, we make a summer gin which is really refreshing. Even though it is labelled ‘summer’, I love drinking it all year round!

What is Canberra’s best-kept food secret?

I haven’t been there in a while, but I used to frequent The Meating Room at Weston Creek when I was living out that way. It was a hidden bar and was fairly quiet, but I really enjoyed it.

What TV show or movie are you watching right now?

I’m more of a sports fanatic. I’m a big fan of the NRL – definitely a Canberra Raiders fan, all the way through – but if there’s a bit of AFL, cricket or boxing on, I’ll watch that. The NFL is on and I’m looking forward to the Super Bowl.

What is your favourite food to cook?

Any really nice pasta dish that has lots of different ingredients, such as olives, chillies, charred peppers and things like that. I love a really good barbecue with a variety of things.

My wife, Janine, also makes a nice lemon coconut slice, and she uses our limoncello.

Where do you dine out for special occasions?

I like going somewhere new wherever possible and trying somewhere I hadn’t before. I’m not one to go out every weekend, so it does take me a while to get around to new places.

For my favourite ones, I’d have to say that I loved Highball and White Rabbit for drinks, and food-wise I enjoyed Akiba, Blu Ginger and Raku.

Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?

The team behind Tiger Lane has done a fantastic job coordinating all the different restaurants there. I take my hat off to them. Every time I go there, I look around and think, ‘There is so much choice and so much going on’.

An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?

I don’t drink coffee – I love the smell, but the taste just doesn’t do it for me. If I meet up with someone, I’ll have water, or I’ll order a hot chocolate in winter.

The Canberra Distillery’s cellar door is located at 70 Dacre Street in Mitchell and is open 8:30 am to 3 pm (Monday to Friday) or 10 am to 4 pm (Saturday). Check out their website for stockists. They also offer delivery through their website.