Bass & Flinders Distillery

Bass & Flinders Distillery has been producing grape-based spirits since 2009 and opened its cellar door in 2015. Run by second-generation distiller Holly Klintworth (who founded it with her father, Wayne), the distillery uses the eau de vie method to distill wine into high-quality gin, brandy and liqueurs.

Grape-based spirits tend to yield a smoother, fuller and richer flavour than their grain-based counterparts. Bass & Flinders' prized creation is Ochre, a premium brandy made from double-distilled chardonnay that’s aged in French oak barrels for five years.

There are eight core gins in the distillery’s range, including one dubbed Angry Ant. The distillery works with Wooleen Station in Western Australia to source native Australian botanicals such as mulla mulla, purple vetch flowers, native lemongrass and even ants to shape the flavour of this gin.

Bass & Flinders also produces limoncello made with local organic lemons, and a pink Cerise gin made with locally harvested cherries. You can taste them all on-site before enjoying a cocktail or gin flight out in the sun, and see the stills where the spirits are made. You can also enjoy something from the tight grazing menu, which might list charcuterie boards and cheese plates alongside heartier options like Reuben sandwiches and meatball subs.

Want to learn more? Book ahead for its two-hour gin masterclass, where you’ll blend your own bottle to take home. Recipes are kept on file, so you can request your favourite botanical medley again.