By Kirrily Schwarz -
Lawyer James Stewart says there’s nothing better than a classic dry gin, with good quality tonic and a hint of citrus. He tells us how his brand, The Splendid Gin, came to be.
There’s nowhere James Stewart is happier than sitting behind the wheel of his ute, with his dog in the back and the cricket on the radio, puttering across his farm in Richmond, Tasmania. The high-profile mergers and acquisitions lawyer spends some of his time in Sydney, where he works as a partner at DLA Piper and sits on the Australian Government’s Takeovers Panel. He spends the rest, however, in the picturesque Coal River region, northeast of Hobart, where he’s building a vineyard and has helped launch a gin label.
The rural lifestyle has come with a steep learning curve. For one thing, Stewart had never driven a tractor until he ordered one and got a five-minute lesson from the delivery guy. But he says he feels like farming has given him a new lease on life.
