Bass and Flinders Distillery was founded in 2009 on the Mornington Peninsula with a passion for adventure and a desire to create a range of high quality, artisanal gins brandies and liqueurs, that truly reflect our home and heritage.
Proudly the first distillery on the Mornington Peninsula, our original inspiration was drawn from a love of classic brandies produced in France. Using many of the same traditional production techniques, we set out to produce a premium aged spirit, our Ochre brandy, that proves just how good Australian brandy can be. Our location in the wine growing region of the Mornington Peninsula provided the perfect setting to pursue our dream.
Today an award-winning family-owned, Australian distillery. Dedicated to sharing our passion for craft spirits, constantly creating new experiences at our architecturally designed Distillery Door here in our coastal home to ensure fun, interactive taste experiences for all to enjoy.
Following in the footsteps of her founder father Wayne, Holly took over as Head Distiller and Managing director of the distillery in 2016, becoming one of a very select group of second-generation distillers in Australia.
As a family-owned distillery, we focus on quality above all else, distilling in small batches and sourcing local, native botanicals to produce unique, genuinely Australian handcrafted spirits.
Drawing inspiration from our coastal home where the sea meets the wine-growing hinterland, we handcraft our grape-based eau de vie spirit right here at the distillery, using traditional methods from the Charente region of France. Victorian wine specially crafted to our desired flavour profile is double distilled in small batches using a gas-fired alembic pot still - a method designed to celebrate the flavour and viscosity provided by the grapes.
Our spirits are handcrafted from scratch using our ‘Méthode Eau de Vie’ - the art of distilling wine into spirit. This grape-to-glass technique, unique to Bass & Flinders Distillery, delivers a smoother, fuller, richer flavour for your drinking pleasure. This is our definition of quality.
True to our namesake and pioneers in many ways, here at Bass & Flinders Distillery we blend traditional distillation techniques with exciting innovations and uniquely Australian flavours. We are on a constant journey of discovery, developing new styles of gins, brandies and liqueurs. We are always scouting for unique, native botanicals that capture the essence of our local flora and define our true sense of place.
We work closely with local growers to source essential, seasonal ingredients such as locally harvested cherries, and locally foraged botanicals such as saltbush, kelp and samphire, for some of our most-loved gins.
We are the ‘Spirit of the Mornington Peninsula’.
FAQs
To achieve a world-class spirit takes patience. It requires creativity and attention to detail. At Bass and Flinders Distillery we are extremely proud of our unique approach to producing quality, hand crafted, premium Australian spirits. All of our spirits are handcrafted from scratch using our ‘Méthode Eau de Vie’ - the art of distilling wine into spirit. This technique, unique to Bass & Flinders Distillery, delivers a smoother, fuller, richer flavour for your drinking pleasure.
Our Méthode Eau de Vie process starts in the Victorian vineyards. We believe quality starts with the grape, so all of our spirits - from gin and brandy through to liqueurs - have been distilled from wine sourced from a single Victorian vineyard. This allows us to work closely with our winemaker to maintain consistency in acidity, sugar levels and ripeness of fruit in order to control the entire production process from vine to bottle - this is our definition of craft and quality.
At Bass & Flinders Distillery we choose to make our own grape-based eau de vie spirit (French for ‘Water of Life’) which forms the base spirit for our entire product range. This means that rather than source neutral ethanol externally as the base spirit for this product, we choose to go the extra mile and distil our own premium grape-based spirit from scratch, in-house using our unique Méthode Eau de Vie. Our spirits are crafted right here at our Distillery in Dromana, located on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.
So, what makes Bass & Flinders Distillery's spirits stand out? BEYOND ORDINARY SPIRITS:
It’s our dedication to crafting exceptional spirits from the ground up. At Bass & Flinders we believe that true excellence begins with the fundamentals. That’s why our spirits are handcrafted from scratch.
Using traditional methods from the Charente region of France, Victorian wine specially crafted to our
desired flavour profile is double distilled in small batches right here in our distillery using a gas-fired alembic pot still. We monitor every stage of production with unwavering attention to detail.
We call it our ‘Méthode Eau
de Vie’ - the art of distilling wine into spirit.
This is our signature grape-to-glass technique. By controlling the creation of our grape-based spirit we are able to infuse our unique touch into every bottle.
The end result? Spirits that are smoother, richer &
fuller in flavour and texture. Not your average spirit - this is the pinnacle
of craft.
Welcome to next-level craft! You can taste the difference in every sip.
Yes, Bass & Flinders Distillery offer tastings and a wide variety of experiences at our Distillery Door in Dromana, on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula. Craft spirits lovers can sample their favourite gins, brandies and liqueurs. Try one of our famous gin paddles and seasonal cocktails, feast on a local grazing menu or book in for our original Gin Masterclass. Enjoy a Gin High Tea with matching G&T's or sip on one of our award-winning brandies and enjoy the view.
OUR HOME
MORNINGTON PENINSULA
Having relocated in late 2018 from our original home in Red Hill, we are now located at 40 Collins Road, Dromana. This move was to accommodate the growing interest in quality local spirits and epitomises our passion for the distilling craft and our true sense of place on the stunning Mornington Peninsula. Just a stone's throw away from the winery trail, we are looking forward to welcoming you to our Distillery Door.