Five Queensland Distilleries You Can Support with Your Next Cruisy Afternoon Cocktail

Mt Uncle Distillery’s rum has picked up a swag of prizes. Its Botanic Australis Gin nabbed a gold medal at the 2019 Australian Gin Awards. Founded in 2001, it also makes a highly regarded vodka, whisky, cane spirit and marshmallow liqueur too — and this Far North Queensland distillery does so in quite the standout location. Nestled below the mountain that informs its name, Mt Uncle Distillery sits on and sources much of its produce from an Atherton Tablelands farm. Here, you’ll find a banana plantation, plenty of streaming sunshine, and alpacas, donkeys, goats, geese and peacocks, too. That’s not a claim that every distillery can make, and it certainly makes Mt Uncle memorable.

Milton has been home to a giant brewery for decades. In recent years, a variety of small and independent beermakers have also set up shop in the inner west suburb. But, amidst all that yeast and hops — and the strong scent of both that lingers in the air — Milton boasts its own spirits outfit thanks to Milton Rum Distillery. Obviously, rum is on the menu at this family-run operation. The distillery actually nods to an undersung part of the area’s history, with the original rum-producing Milton Distillery springing into action way back in 1871. At this new joint, you can choose between Spanish-inspired tipples, a spiced cane spirit, and a coffee and cane spirit.

When we tell you that Kalki Moon Distilling & Brewing Company is based in the Bundaberg region, we know exactly what pops into your mind. How could it not? But this cane field-filled patch of Queensland isn’t just about rum. In fact, Kalki Moon not only won first prize at the Australian Distilled Spirits Competition for its London-style gin, but became the first Queensland outfit to do so. The tipple in question features ten botanicals, including Bundy ginger, plus lemon and cinnamon myrtle grown in the area. It’s just one of the company’s drops, though, with multiple types of gin, vodka and flavoured liqueurs (including chocolate, choc mint and choc chilli) on offer as well.

Overseeing Brisbane’s Finesse Spirits, James Mylne has more than a decade of experience in the distilling game. He’s also a fan of the small-batch distillation process — and while you’ve heard the term ‘small batch’ many, many times, you probably haven’t ever paused to ponder what it means. Here, it means that Finesse Spirits’ vodka and gin are meticulously made in batches of just 99 bottles at a time. Naturally, the company then moves on to whipping up the next batch — but no two batches are ever 100 percent the same. If you’re a fan of vodka, expect to taste vanilla and honey in each mouthful. For lovers of gin, you’ll be noting juniper berries, coriander seeds and citrus.

Started by four friends who love the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine & Sons makes its drops out of Woombye, which is also home to The Big Pineapple. Life is pretty relaxed there, as you’d expect. The region is known for its sun, surf and sand (and mountains, too), after all. So, as the resident distillery named after the location, Sunshine & Sons takes the area’s calm and cruisy attitude firmly to heart. It makes two types of spirits, a gin and a vodka. Just two, that’s all. It’s very serious about them — including about crafting its juniper tipple from native Australian botanicals — but it also knows there’s an art and a zen to honing your focus in the right direction.