Mr sippy: Aussie spirit

The phrase ''Spirit of Australia'' can conjure either an image of angelic choristers warbling at the base of Uluru as a Qantas jet does a fly by or, if you nudge the conversation towards alcohol, snide remarks about Bundaberg rum and less than savoury images of UDL-fuelled B and S Balls.

And while it's true that Australian distilled spirits have had something of a low-rent reputation, the poor hick cousins to their sophisticated foreign counterparts, the reality is now quite different.

In the past few years in particular, an increasing number of boutique distilleries has been popping up around the country producing whisky, gin, vodka and rum of a quality that should swell the breast of any proud Australian barfly.

And with Australia Day approaching, what better time to get all patriotic by sampling the Aussie spirit renaissance.

Tasmania has been the centre of Australian whisky production for some time now and is home to about half the 20 or so boutique whisky distilleries in the country. Places such as Tasmania Distillery (makers of local whisky darling Sullivans Cove), Lark Distillery, Old Hobart and Burnie's Hellyers Road all produce an impressive range of single malts, as do producers such as Victoria's Bakery Hill.

Gin is the Aussie spirit powerhouse at the moment, surfing the general global spike in gin interest, while also taking advantage of local botanicals and scooping up accolades and awards in the process.

Western Australian gin company The West Winds has been raking in gold at international competitions, setting itself apart with the use of native flavours such as wattle seed and bush tomato alongside the more traditional botanicals such as juniper. Yarra Valley-distilled gin Melbourne Gin Company also throws into the mix indigenous flavours including lemon myrtle and macadamia, as does the Lark Distillery, which uses Tasmanian pepperberry in its gin.

Even oft-maligned Bundaberg rum is getting in on the boutique act, releasing a range of small-batch oak barrel-aged rums that occupy a smoother, more layered universe than the one populated by hard partying polar bears.

It seems a perfect time to drink - and drink to - the Spirit of Australia.