Small Batch Atlas
Australia's Best Distilleries
Gin, whisky, and spirits from producers who grow their own botanicals, malt their own grain, or simply refuse to cut corners. The country's most compelling distillery doors.
Central Coast Distilling Co
Unit 21/14 Kam Cl, Morisset NSW 2264, Australia
Wed–Thu 11am–3pm · Fri 12pm–7pm · Sat 12pm–6pm · Sun 12pm–5pm
From a unit in Morisset's industrial fringe, Central Coast Distilling runs grain-to-glass: base spirits mashed and fermented on-site from Australian-grown ingredients before the stills do their work. The range spans a Classic Dry Gin and a Chilli and Fingerlime variant through to Lemon Myrtle Liqueur and, for those paying attention, a Bourbon Project quietly underway. Distillery door open Wednesday to Sunday.
Blackwattle Distilling Co.
Steelworks Courtyard, 26f Mansfield St, Rozelle NSW 2039, Australia
Mon–Fri 10am–5pm · Sat 2pm–6pm
Rozelle's neighbourhood distillery produces a tightly edited range of gins and vodkas — Dry Sydney, O.P., Imperial Dry, and the Australian Grain Vodka among them — built around a local brief. The RTD Gin & Sonic cans suggest they're not precious about format. Pick up a bottle at the door or work through the sampler pack first.
HHH Spirits
90 Walnut Rd, Bickley WA 6076, Australia
Sat–Sun 10am–5pm
Founder Hilton built his own copper stills — then built stills for roughly 80 other Australian distilleries. At his Bickley property he forages botanicals for gin, mills and mashes malted barley for single malt whisky, and hand-assembles the oak barrels it ages in. When he says hand-made every step, he means the vessel too.
Apollo Bay Distillery
23-27 Great Ocean Rd, Apollo Bay VIC 3233, Australia
Mon–Thu 10am–8pm · Fri–Sat 10am–9pm · Sun 10am–8pm
The Great Ocean Road's only gin distillery, housed in one of Apollo Bay's oldest buildings complete with the historic SS Casino anchor on-site. Known for handcrafted gins made with local botanicals and a menu featuring fresh regional produce, offering both gin flights and hearty meals in a relaxed waterfront setting.
The Law Artisan Distillery
Shed 1/34 Duporth Ave, Maroochydore QLD 4558, Australia
Thu 2pm–6pm · Fri–Sat 2pm–7:30pm
Twenty-five square metres in Maroochydore. Inside: a 120-litre pot still, small batches of gin, vodka, amari, and liqueurs, and botanicals sourced from nearby gardens when they're in season. The bar puts you close enough to watch the process. What makes it worth the stop is the specificity — spirits that actually taste like where they come from.
Seabourne Distillery
9 Rene St, Noosaville QLD 4566, Australia
Mon–Thu 11am–4pm · Fri 11am–8pm · Sat 11am–6pm
Noosaville's Seabourne puts native botanicals to work: the Coastal Dry Gin draws on white kunzea flower, sunrise lime, river mint and sea parsley; the After Dark Amaro leans bitter, with fig leaf and warm spice. There's a table to book and a menu to eat from — reason enough to linger longer than the beach.
Naught Distilling
Factory 2/32 Peel St, Eltham VIC 3095, Australia
In the hills east of Melbourne, Naught makes gin in the shadows of the Yarra Valley. Their Australian Dry runs at 41.7% ABV; the standout is a Sangiovese Gin aged nine months in red wine barrels, now sold out. Both speak to a distillery with a clear point of view and the restraint to let the liquid do the talking.
Newy Distillery
U13-14/17 Aluminium Cl, Edgeworth NSW 2285, Australia
Mon–Fri 10am–4pm · Sat 11am–2pm
Small-batch spirits operation running out of an industrial unit in Edgeworth, with over 500,000 bottles sold direct to Australians. The range leans playful — musk vodka, honeycomb vodka, a shimmer gin that turns heads — alongside limoncello and barrel-aged gin. Free tasting sessions run on-site. Worth a detour if novelty flavours are your thing.
Sin Gin Distillery
124 Lennard St, Herne Hill WA 6056, Australia
Mon–Fri 11am–4pm · Sat 10am–5pm · Sun 11am–4pm
Kate Sinfield brought gin-making ideas from England to Australia in the 1980s; now she and Mark run this Swan Valley nano-distillery from Lennard Street, Herne Hill. Perth Pink — made with strawberry gum, lemon myrtle and rosella flowers, no fruit or sweeteners — is the calling card. The Seven Deadly Sins series rounds out a range you can taste, mix or take home in gift sets.
SoHi Spirits
Shop 3b/391-397 Bong Bong St, Bowral NSW 2576, Australia
Thu–Sat 11am–5pm · Sun 11am–3pm
The Southern Highlands supplies the raw materials: volcanic soil for the Potato Crisp Vodka, cold-climate gardens for the Garden Envy Gin, pure local water for both. The Red Pony Negroni comes pre-built. Vermouth and olives are made in-house specifically for martinis. The branding is loud; the logic behind the range is quietly sound.
South Coast Distillery
Unit 8/2 Drummond St, Mount Saint Thomas NSW 2500, Australia
Wollongong's own distillery turns out a tighter range than most: Sublime Gin, an Escarpment Vodka, and the Five Islands Oolong Old Tom. The Driftwood whisky series — wheat malt, available cask strength — marks the barrel-aged chapter. A Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur rounds things out, though it sells out fast. Regional in name, specific in execution.
Little Lon Distilling Co.
17 Casselden Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Tue–Wed 4pm–8pm · Thu–Fri 4pm–9:30pm · Sat 2pm–10pm
A 1877 red brick cottage in Melbourne's CBD, once part of the city's former slum and red-light district, now houses a small-batch gin distillery. The namesake neighbourhood lives on in the bottle lineup: Ginger Mick (fresh ginger, mixed citrus), Miss Yoko (lychee), Proudfoot (rosemary). Gin masterclasses run on site.
