ABOUT
One of the most exciting spirit-makers in the Illawarra region, South Coast Distillery. Established just three years ago by two housemates from Wollongong, NSW – who sought to create the perfect gin – South Coast Distillery is already globally-recognised, thanks to its flagship product, Sublime Gin (2019 Champion Australian Small Batch Spirit at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards and Silver Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition).
CELLAR DOOR AND BAR
Cellar Door and Bar every Friday Night from 4pm til late.
Now, founders Luke Harding and Oskar Schwab are adding five new spirits to South Coast’s growing product line and opening their doors for distillery tours and workshops. As always, the duo still stays true to their roots – sourcing all of their ingredients from Illawarra-based producers whenever possible.
Distillery Tours
Come and see how our spirits are made. One of our distillers will show you through the distillery and explain the process from start to finish, followed by a drink to finish (or upgrade to a tasting flight). Available for individuals and groups.
Drop us a line via our contact page to organise a time.
The South Coast Distillery story began in 2011 when two housemates, Luke and Oskar, discovered a mutual appreciation for gin. This began a weekly household tradition known as Martini Thursday, as an excuse to try a variety of gins. Their exploration ranged from just one or two martinis on the balcony, to all night parties, however the goal remained the same – to find the perfect gin to make the ultimate martini.
While Oskar went on to work in some of the top cocktail bars in the UK, he met with distillers to bend their ear on how they started, and began to think that it was possible for him and Luke. Luke on the other hand, was back in Wollongong working on gin recipes and visiting distilleries when he could. By 2017, the two mates had begun putting together a business plan and were on their way to releasing their first gin.
South Coast Distillery was established in early 2017, and operations finally began in December 2018. In April 2019, their first commercial release ‘Batch Zero Gin’ was awarded Gold at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards, and went on to take out Champion Australian Small Batch Spirit. It was also awarded a Silver Medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Batch Zero has been re-released as Sublime Gin and is available now. It has since gone back to back Silver medals in San Francisco, as well as a Silver at London's World Gin Awards.
To see where the story goes from here, follow us on Facebook or Instagram @southcoastdistillery