Located just one hour north of Sydney in Erina on the NSW Central Coast, globally-award winning Distillery Botanica has opened a new has opened a new, 144 square metre cellar door, plus expansive botanicals garden, and launched a range of experiences for visitors – including gin-distilling workshops, cocktail-making, and distillery and garden tours.
Walking through the iron gates from the entry, visitors meander through beautifully tended gardens to arrive at the new cellar door. Entering the new building, which took two years to complete, you see an impressive 2400 litre copper still, which rises some 4 metres high and takes up about a 3-metre corner of floor – specifically created for distiller Phillip Moore and his team to distil all Moore’s gins.
Along the east side of the large room, sixteen individual two-litre copper stills line the wall nestled against long windows looking out onto the herb and citrus garden. This is the area for the gin-distilling workshops, framed by an observation bench where gin-creators can step back, watch, and relax while their personalised gins filter through. Six tall rectangular tables and bar stools provide plenty of space for the new class experiences.
The west side of the room is where the tastings take place, with visitors invited to taste Distillery Botanica’s full range of six gins, two liqueurs, vodka, and new Terrigal rum. A minimal tasting fee of $5 is asked to try the full range, which is redeemable off any purchase. The acclaimed Mr Black, created by Phillip Moore and Tom Baker in 2013 at Distillery Botanica before taking the world by storm and finding a new home at Diageo in September 2022, is also available for tasting and purchase.
Outside, the new botanical garden spans around 760 metres squared and was inspired by the walled citrus gardens of Spain and Persia. An incredible fountain – the exact replica of a martini glass – sits at the top of the garden, spilling out into a water rill which runs the length of the garden before feeding back into a reflection pond and being recycled. Framed by citrus and with rows of garden beds filled with different botanicals throughout, the garden is a beautiful place to explore filling all the senses – and is key to the gin-distilling classes, where participants pick botanicals from the garden to distil into their own gins.
Distillery Botanica first opened its doors in 2007 as the sixteenth commercial small scale gin producer in Australia. Created by distiller Philip Moore, Distillery Botanica produces a range of gins and liqueurs including the acclaimed Moore’s Dry Gin – the first Australian gin to ever win Gold at the prestigious London International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in 2017, Moore’s Blood Orange Gin, Moore’s Distiller’s Cut Juniper Gin, amongst other gin variants, as well as two-time IWSC gold medal winning Lemon Myrtle Liqueur, Raspberry Liqueur, Vodka, and Terrigal Rum. New to the range is Moore’s Pearl Crush Gin.
Among tranquil gardens, visitors can enjoy gin tastings, distillery and garden tours, cocktail-making, and gin-making experiences at Distillery Botanica, and also on-site is Bar Botanica – a cocktail bar and café serving brunch, lunch, and afternoon delights. There’s live jazz in the garden from 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Distillery Botanica’s Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm. (closed Monday and Tuesday).
Experiences:
Gin tasting: Wednesday to Sunday; 30 minutes; $5 per person (redeemable off purchase) – walk-ins welcome.
Flawless Cocktail Making Class: Friday and Saturday; 1.5 hours, $95 per person.
Distil Your Own Gin Workshop: Saturday and Sunday; 2 – 2.5 hours; $180 per person.
Garden & Distillery Tour: available Wednesday to Sunday, 1.5 hours, Price $45 per person.
Exclusive Guided Tour with Master Distiller Phillip Moore: first Sunday each month, 1.5 – 2 hours, $65 per person.
Gift Vouchers are also available.
How to get there:
Distillery Botanica: 25 Portsmouth Rd, Erina NSW 2250
www.distillerybotanica.com
On-site car-parking
From Gosford Station, take Bus Route 67 / 68 (30-minute trip)
From Terrigal, take Bus Route 67 / 68 (30-minute trip)
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