Sydney's Best Distilleries Where You Can Sip Spirits Straight from the Still (or Barrel)
Lift your spirits (and taste a few) at these five top distilleries in NSW.
Sydney's Best Distilleries Where You Can Sip Spirits Straight from the Still (or Barrel)
Lift your spirits (and taste a few) at these five top distilleries in NSW.
Sydney certainly has no shortage of great gins — or bars serving up great gins — but what about distilleries where you can sip spirits straight from the still? Well, we've got those, too.
Leading the charge is Archie Rose, who broke the drought and opened Sydney's first new distillery since 1853, serving up sips of limited-edition gins, vodkas and whiskies. The Rosebery spot is so popular, it's planning to launch a second distillery in 2019.
Since its opening in 2015, the city has gained another gin distillery and bar in the inner west, one infusing spirits with native ingredients (including seaweed) on the northern beaches and one worthy of a road trip to on the Central Coast. For something closer to home, there's also a sparkly new rum distillery in Surry Hills.
Whatever your rum or gin preference, you'll find something you like at these five distilleries.
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Located in Surry Hills, this distillery and bar not only serves booze — it makes it on-site. And it’s the first craft distillery dedicated to rum in Sydney’s inner city in a long time. Rum? Yes, rum. It used to be distilled at the old Pyrmont CSR factory from the 30s till the 80s, but — apart from a limited release batch of Archie Rose virgin cane spirit — isn’t something that’s made widely made locally.
Brix is a working distillery, shop, barrelling room and bar. The venue features a fully working distillery with an Australian-made 1200-litre still, which is overseen by head distiller Shane Casey (previously at Archie Rose). The team has launched with a core range of rums: Brix White, Gold and Spiced, which are, for now, only available at the Surry Hills distillery.
As well as its own haul, Brix has a ‘rum wall’ with over 150 varieties from around the world, and a selection of Australian wines, local spirits and craft beer also available. A cocktail list, designed by bar manager Doug Laming, includes rum heavy-favourites, such as mojitos, piña coladas and daiquiris, and more inventive creations like the Bitter & Twisted, with grapefruit-infused rum and Antica, and the Pash the Distiller, with rhubarb bitters, tepache and Brix Gold.
Images: Dave Wheeler
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Some people are just born with a penchant for spirits. The Australian genius of a distiller behind Mr Black cold drip coffee liqueur has come up with a perfect gin — one he’s calling ‘garden grown’ gin. It’s called Distillery Botanica and, to be honest, drinking it feels like strolling merrily through a summer garden.
There’s a good reason for that. Philip Moore, the brains behind Distillery Botanica, sources all the botanicals from his very own garden in Erina on the Central Coast. To get the most out of the plants, he uses a 1000-year-old technique known as ‘enfleurage’. It involves placing the flowers on a layer of coconut oil, into which their fragrance diffuses over two or three days, creating the purest possible perfume. The heady scent hits you as soon as the glass reaches your hand.
“The hero botanical is marraya,” says Will Miles, Distillery Botanica partner and brand director. “It looks a bit like jasmine, but it’s got slightly wider petals and grows on tall, lush hedges. All the flowers are handpicked at the distillery, in the garden, so the gin really has the essence of the place where it’s made.” In addition to murraya, there’s jasmine, honeysuckle, orange blossom, rose, chamomile, coriander, orris root, sage, angelica and juniper. You can order a bottle of Distillery Botanica online. (The actual bottle, by the way, is one you’ll want to keep for aesthetics alone — five years went into its design.)
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During a time when craft beer was the toast of the town, Archie Rose Distillery went against the grain. When it opened in 2015, it was Sydney’s first new distillery since 1853. Since then, it’s gained a loyal following, pairing the time-honoured tradition of hand-crafted spirits with delicious eats from some of the city’s best producers.
It has an impressive old-world fit-out. The central showpiece is their shiny copper bar, which is surrounded by distilling apparatus, a wall of caged casks and barrel-inspired booth seating. The chatty bartenders will guide you through each drop, detailing the processes involved and some fascinating background info.
The Archie Rose Flight ($20) is the introductory course, which allows you to get acquainted with the three holy spirits: vodka, gin and whisky. Your flight is served in inward-curving Glencairn glasses, and you’re given an eyedropper of distilling-grade filtered water to add to your glass drop by drop to open up the flavours. The Archie Rose Distillery appreciates that not everyone enjoys drinking straight vodka, so they also offer cocktails and mixers that rely on hand-produced sodas and bespoke syrups.
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Since April 2017, Manly Spirits Co. has been bringing handcrafted Australian spirits to the northern beaches and beyond. It’s the brainchild of couple David and Vanessa, who spent 18 months visiting distilleries across the US, the UK and Europe before setting up their own digs in Manly. To sample their creations, swing by the distillery’s tasting bar.
Lined with light timber, splashed with copper and dotted with turquoise-topped bar stools, this cosy spot hits just the right balance of coastal breeziness and pared-back industrial style. Those unfamiliar with Manly Spirits should start with a tasting. There’s a choice of four, including the Distillery Tasting Flight, which lets you sample three drops, and the G&T Flight, which includes premium tonic water, an ice bucket and garnishes, so you can mix and match to suit your tastes.
The Manly Spirits range takes much of its inspiration from Australian natives, especially those available along Sydney’s coastline. The Marine Botanical Vodka, for example, features kelp and sea parsley foraged from local beaches, while the Coastal Citrus Gin is infused with lemon aspen, lemon myrtle, meyer lemon, sea parsley and coriander. There are whiskies and liqueurs, too. Should you get peckish, the snacks menu offers cheese, sardines, jamon andr olives. Alternatively, you’re welcome to order a pizza from nearby Mimmo or Sale Pepe.
Images: Alana Dimou.
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Marrickville’s Poor Toms gin distillery has been turning out one of the best locally made spirits since 2015 — it’s so good, in fact, that they crowdfunded over $25,000 in one day to make the stuff. After three years of operation, owners Griffin Blumer and Jesse Kennedy finally opened their distillery to the inner west masses.
The vibe here has been realised with tons of hanging plants, each in custom-made pots, and a chapel-like archway that towers over the back bar and lights the booze on offer. The bar itself is custom-built and marble-topped, and the tables and chairs were also built from scratch. Neighbour Jack Dunbar teamed up with friend Grant Wallwork on the design and it’s simple, yet inviting.
The drinks, of course, centre on Poor Toms and each gin has its own signature cocktail. As of next week, this list will rotate weekly in an effort to keep locals coming back for more — think negronis with house-made Amaro, strawberry creaming soda with dry gin and Lillet Blanc, or the Stoned Last Words with green chartreuse plum and Vietnamese mint. And, it sells gin hall exclusives for takeaway, too.
Image: Trent van der Jagt
Top image: Manly Spirits, Alana Dimou
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