The Swan Valley is renowned for its wonderful wine, but there is so much more to love! Here’s where you can get your fix of gin, vodka and more in the Valley.
Great Northern Distillery
Middle Swan
Set on four acres of vineyards and home of the internationally-acclaimed Canefire Rum, Great Northern Distillery is a rum lover’s delight. Offering guided distillery tours with the opportunity to sample barrel-aged rum, gin, vodka and liqueurs, Great Northern combines local Swan Valley ingredients with over fifteen years’ distilling experience. For those who enjoy a more out-of-the-box drop, the distillery releases a limited-edition batch later in the year that combines Swan Valley fortified wine with rum for a truly unique experience. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm to 5pm.
Old Young’s Distillery
Henley Brook
True to their name, Old Young’s fuses a decade’s worth of tradition with new techniques. Their unique vodkas and gins, which the vibrant staff will acquaint you with, are crafted from locally-sourced ingredients and native Australian botanicals. Step into their Tasting Room on West Swan Road and enjoy some of their fan-favourite drops: we recommend the Pavlova Vodka (which tastes like dessert in a glass) and the Gingin Gin – a percentage of each bottle sold goes to helping communities in Gingin. Just next door is Old Young’s Kitchen: a rustic space to pair the spirits you’ve sampled with a uniquely West Australian menu. Non-alcoholic options and half pours of their award-winning gin are also available, so nobody gets left behind. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.
Sin Gin Distillery
Herne Hill
If you’re looking for a new go-to gin, this is where you’ll find it. Sin Gin outgrew its birthplace at The Murray Hotel in 2019, moving to their current purpose-built distillery in the Swan Settlers Market. Here they offer in-depth tours around the facility where you can witness the production process and meet the distilling team, before a guided tasting. Sample the infamous Seven Sins range (each packed with native and exotic botanicals), the iconic Perth Pink Gin (all the sweetness without added sugar) or Aquavit (from a family recipe passed down by a great-grandfather). Open for Saturdays, Sundays and adjacent public holidays, 9am to 5pm.
The Swan Valley Gin Company Distillery
Baskerville
For an experience with lots of character, the Swan Valley Gin Company is the place to go. Tastings of their full range and any limited release drops are available in their Gintoneria bar, but if you want to be fully immersed, sign up for their hands-on gin-making masterclass. Start off with a tour of the stills and crash course on botanicals (while you enjoy a drink, of course), then a wood-fired pizza for lunch while your gin is being made, before transferring your creation into a bottle with a bespoke label. Have a celebratory stroll around the vineyard with a G&T in hand and go home with plenty left. Open Saturday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm.
AmberChes Spirit Distillery
The Vines
Founded in early 2020, AmberChes is a family-run distillery, known for their floral, fruity and delicately flavoured gins. Their Botanical Gin took home a gold medal at the Gin Masters a mere month after its launch, and two more in the World Spirits Competition and Australian Gin Awards. They are no longer open to facility visits, but you can preview their products on their website, and purchase in-person from their various stockists.
Limeburners and Giniversity In the Valley
Heme Hill
Limeburners was born from founder Cameron Syme’s infatuation with fantastic stories of his Scottish relatives and illegal distillery, as well as his deep love of whiskey. He would go on to start up what is now a leading craft spirit house, best known for their Limeburners Directors Cut Whiskey. Syme’s sixteen years of apprenticeship and research prior to founding Limeburners has paid off – and the distillery now holds the coveted Best International Craft Whisky Award. The original distillery is seated in temperate Albany, but their newly added Swan Valley location is now open for tours. Visitors can enjoy the full Limeburner line of spirits and cocktails, accompanied by the 100% gluten-free menu comprised of bread, olives, seafood and meat grazing boards to larger comfort dishes such as fresh pizzas and burgers to help satisfy the taste buds.
Harris Organic
Baskerville
Located on the Eastern side of the Swan River, Harris Organic is the ideal place to begin a wine tasting/distillery trail and perfect for lovers of both distilled spirits and wine. Home of the only certified organic brandy in WA, Harris Organic is equal parts a distillery and farm. You can learn how organic wine is made with a guided walking tour through the vineyard, underground cellar and winery, and finish with a taste of some of the very best of Duncan`s organic white wine, organic red wine and fortified sweet wines out on the patio or under the old oak tree. Open Thursday to Monday, 11am – 4.30pm.
