The Hills Has Welcomed Its First Locally Owned Distillery — with Guided Tours and Friday Dumplings

Whether you're at a brewery, a vineyard or a distillery, it's a true delight tasting your way through a producer's wares right where they made them — often partnered with first-hand knowledge from the team themselves. While residents of Sydney's Hills District still have to travel to taste some wine from the source, they now have their very own local distillery right in their backyard, creating and sampling spirits next door to the area's brewery.

Located just metres away from The Australian Brewery is Hills Distilling Co, a new purveyor of gin and vodka that officially opened on Friday, March 15. The intimate two-storey venue is here with gin tastings, masterclasses, guided tours and dumplings from an acclaimed Sydney chef.

Head inside and you'll find the ground floor gin bar and cellar door, boasting tables for up to 12 guests seated and another ten standing. Head up the stairs and that's where the magic happens, with the mezzanine playing home to the blending tanks and ageing barrels.

If you want to get your hands on a bottle of Hills Distilling Co gin, just drop into the retail space. Or else, there are just two opportunities to experience the distillery each week. It all kicks off on Thursdays, when the crew runs appointment-only guided tours between 3–6pm. These weekday afternoon peeks behind the curtain include a masterclass guiding you through the process of distilling gin, as well as cheese and charcuterie to snack on throughout.

If you'd rather drop in after work on a Friday, you can kick off your weekend at the cellar door, open from 3–6pm one day a week. For these three hours, you can nab a table and enjoy tastings with a selection of mixers and cocktails of your choice. Plus, Friday dinner is sorted thanks to a lineup of dumplings courtesy of Sebastian Tan, the acclaimed Head Chef at the Macquarie Park Cantonese restaurant and yum cha joint JINJA.

The distillery comes from Momento Hospitality, a group of Hills locals that first teamed up to open a Baulkham Hill bottle shop back in 1976. In the nearly five decades since, the team has extended its reach all across Sydney, opening venues such as Hillside Hotel, Bella Vista Hotel, Nags Head Hotel, Fire and Brimstone, and the home of JINJA, The Governor Hotel.

Hills Distilling Co is located at 9/1 Capital Place, Rouse Hill. Head to the distillery's website for more info.

Images: Steven Woodburn