A LOCAL producer is set to gain global recognition after being chosen to supply world-renowned Danish restaurant Noma during its 10-week tenure in Australia.
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The two Michelin star restaurant's Sydney pop-up opens on Wednesday, and will feature six products from Mendooran's Black Gate Distillery.
The distillery, which only opened to the public in 2012, was one of just nine selected to supply Noma's matured spirits, and husband and wife team Brian and Genise Hollingworth were still reeling.
"It'll be exciting," Mr Hollingworth said.
"They're going to do a lamington with our rum, [and] we got to meet Renee [Redzepi, Noma owner] last year.
"It's all a bit surreal to think about."
It has been a wild ride for the distillery, which was only picked up by a distributor - Nip of Courage - a year ago.
The distillery specialises in whiskey and rum, but also produces a unique quandong liqueur, sourced from locally grown fruit.
But it was the rum that first caught the attention of Nip of Courage owner Kathleen Davies.
"She wanted to distribute for us," Mr Hollingworth said.
"She got wind of Noma setting up in Sydney - they were after non-commercial food and drink that's typically Australian."
Noma's head sommelier Mads Kleppe spent 2015 searching for non-commercial products made authentically in small artisan distilleries across Australia with quality production methods and fine flavours.
Black Gate will supply Noma with two whiskeys, a rum and their quandong liqueur, alongside two bespoke eau de vies from the Mendooran distillery.
The Hollingworths are excited, but also wary, about the increasing interest in their little distillery.
"I don't know what's next. The worst part of it is that we've basically sold out of everything," Mr Hollingworth said, adding they had few whiskey and rum releases left this year.
"We're going to have this extra demand and not enough supply. It's a great situation to be in."
