Best Distilleries in Regional Victoria

Four Pillars, the Healesville-headquartered gin giant and poster child of Victorian craft spirit success, rightfully looms large over the regional Victorian distillery landscape. But there are plenty of others, big and small, that are making some really interesting spirits right now.

And there are more than just gins on offer at these places, too. Thanks to gin’s comparatively swift production time relative to many other spirits, almost all of these distilleries started off by making gins. Now that they’ve been around for a few years though, don’t be surprised if some excellent whiskies and other aged spirits start making appearances at these distillery doors.

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Updated on 16 October 2023

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Four Pillars Gin Distillery

Shrouded by a striking copper veil, this award-winning gin distillery is a sight to behold. Find a cellar door, a glowing gin shop, a very green gin garden, multiple events spaces and more at this unmissable Healesville distillery.

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Reed & Co Distillery

This boutique distillery in Bright makes truly one-of-a-kind spirits. Owner Hamish Nugent was a chef before he turned to making spirits, and it shows: Nugent applies a culinary lens to the flavours he mixes and distills.

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Noodledoof Brewing and Distilling

This colourful brewery-slash-distillery is intent on breaking the brewpub mould. You can visit for experimental beer styles, spirits loaded with native botanicals from a nearby volcano, and a spicy menu of Asian-leaning drinking fare.

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Bass & Flinders Distillery

At this Mornington Peninsula distillery, you’ll learn how to make your own gin. Afterwards, you get to enjoy it. But if you’d rather leave it to the experts, there’s a great bar and shop with plenty of gins and liqueurs to explore.

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Hurdle Creek Still

Small-batch gin made by a beer brewer with local barley and hops. Hurdle Creek is one of a few stills that produces its own base spirit, rather than mixing botanicals into spirit bought from elsewhere.

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Jimmy Rum Distillery

A distillery, cocktail bar and rum garden all in one. Classic cocktails are given a rummy twist here, which sees Negroni, Old Fashioned and Espresso Martini reimagined with rum as the hero ingredient.

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Killik Handcrafted Rum

Belgrave is home to Australia’s first hogo rum distillery. Hogo is a wild-fermented style of rum from Jamaica characterised by its tropical, fruit-forward palette. Some say it tastes funky – but in a good way. Try it in a cocktail and you’ll never look back.

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Fossey’s Distillery

A splash of the experimental runs through the hand-crafted spirits at this Mildura bar and distillery. And its lush gin garden is one of the liveliest places in town for a drink. For the city crowd unable to get up to the Mallee, the distillery’s second location in Carlton is the next best place to try the range.

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Apollo Bay Distillery

Visit for gins infused with local botanicals (and folklore), plus woodfired pizza and house-roasted coffee. Find it on the Great Ocean Road inside the old Apollo Bay post office building.

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Echuca Distillery

This distillery’s prescription of “drink less, enjoy more” is one you’d be wise to take up – there’s a serious variety of gins, vodkas and liqueurs to try here. Plus, a satisfying menu of pizzas, tacos, antipasto platters and cheese plates.

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Anther Gin

A handsome gin distillery in North Geelong’s historic Federal Mills Precinct. Each gin features a bouquet of botanicals with an Australian native variety up front. Punchy, floral and inspired by Geelong’s rich distilling history.

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Loch Brewery & Distillery

Loch has the lot: farmhouse beers, native botanical gin, rum, brandy and fantastic single-malt whiskies. Find your favourites through its tasting flights and pints at the cosy weekend-only cellar door, which is set up in Loch’s century-old former bank.

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The Whiskery

Just like its winery neighbours, Bellarine Distillery has a cellar door. Settle in at the sprawling former chicken farm for flights of house-made gin, cocktails and, if you’re lucky, a chance to sample its small-batch Bellarine Peninsula whisky.

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Backwoods Distilling Co

Since its first release in 2020, Backwoods Distilling Co has made a name as one of regional Victoria’s finest micro-distilleries. Visit the lofty tasting room for small-batch whiskies and flavour-packed gins, set among the copper stills.

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Kilderkin Distillery

This family-run distillery blends high-quality small-batch gins in Ballarat. At its distillery door, you can take a flight with its London dry-style, navy-strength, barrel-aged and Australian gins. Plus, snack on boards littered with local cheeses, olives and more.

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Big Tree Distillery

This distillery uses its own rainwater and locally foraged botanicals to craft small-batch gins. At its cellar door, sample them on a deconstructed tasting flight with colourful cheeseboards. And take home a bright bottle decorated with native Australian flora.

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Flowstate Brewers and Distillers, Torquay
Two brothers are behind this Torquay distillery, which makes experimental small-batch gins using a 300-litre still (known to the locals as Bobby). At this breezy warehouse, you can get a taste of its award-winning gins – including a vapour-infused Australian number, and an oak-aged and cold-smoked gin – in a flight or creative cocktail. Food-wise, fill up on the free popcorn from an old-school machine, or order in from a nearby food truck. Your kids and canines are welcome, too.

Animus Distillery, Kyneton
Part cocktail bar, part cellar door, Animus is a gin-lover’s paradise. One end of the spacious, high-ceilinged lounge is the distillery itself, its copper stills and winding pipes lending a laboratory vibe. Settle in at the bar and order a gin-based cocktail or a G&T garnished with red capsicum, ginger or rosemary. You can pair your house Martini (or gin tasting flight) with grazing plates of cheese, charcuterie, terrines, parfait and olives. And if you’re not on the gin sprint, there are local wines, craft beers and a solid selection of whiskies.

Alchemy Distillers, Healesville
This distillery is based in a 120-year-old bakery, where co-owners Evan Kipping and Jannick Zester make award-winning spirits. You can visit its laneway-style cellar door to try a tasting paddle – including citrus vodka and chamomile gin – and graze across its family-friendly menu of American-influenced street food.

Chief’s Son Distillery, Somerville
If you’re into your whisky, this family-owned Mornington Peninsula distillery is a must-try. You can sample its fantastic single-malt whiskies – including cask strength and specialty drops – through tastings and tours. For the full experience, opt for the guided tour with a distiller, which includes a cheese platter and tastings straight from the barrel.

Timboon Railway Shed Distillery, Timboon
A gleaming copper still is the centrepiece at this distillery and cafe, which is set in Timboon’s old railway shed. While it might be the only whisky distillery in the small town – which is right near the Great Ocean Road – it’s not the first. Timboon had an illegal whisky trade in the 1890s. Today, this distillery’s single-malt whiskies pay homage to that black market, along with other Scottish and American drams. You can try its signature range in a tasting, as well as order wine, beer and cocktails from the bar. And if you’re sticking around, there’s a share-friendly menu of small bites. Under the brand ABecketts Creek Whisky Beef, Timboon owner Josh Walker breeds grass-fed Angus cows that also eat leftover barley from the whisky production process. The beef ends up in dishes right across the menu.

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