Distillery Botanica Opens New Cellar Door and Range of Experiences
Located in the beautiful Fragrant Garden at the back of Erina, globally-award winning Distillery Botanica 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 of 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. 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.
An ode to the Central Coast, Moore’s Pearl Crush gin is blended with distilled Akoya saltwater pearls cultivated in the pristine waters of Broken Bay Pearl Farm and infused with pink grapefruit, Valencia orange and blood orange grown in Kulnura, as well as botanicals from Distillery Botanica’s expansive gardens. The result is a delicate, dry ocean-inspired gin with hints of lightly salted rose, citrus and seaweed notes, presented in a luminous bottle worthy of a pearl.
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.
Experiences
1. Gin tasting
Wednesday to Sunday; 15-30 minutes; $5 per person for general tasting at the bar or $15pp for a sit-down tasting experience including the full range – walk-ins welcome. Book here.
2. Flawless Cocktail Making Class
Friday and Saturday; 1.5 hours, $95 per person. Book here.
3. Distil Your Own Gin Workshop
Saturday and Sunday; 2 – 2.5 hours; $180 per person. Book here.
4. Garden & Distillery Tour
Available Wednesday to Sunday, 1.5 hours, Price $45 per person. Book here.
5. Exclusive Guided Tour with Master Distiller Phillip Moore
First Sunday each month, 1.5 – 2 hours, $65 per person. Book here.
Gift Vouchers are also available.
How to get there:
- Distillery Botanica: 25 Portsmouth Rd, Erina NSW 2250
- Opening Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm (closed Monday and Tuesday).
- 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)
Distillery Botanica is a boutique and unique distillery tucked away on the beautiful Central Coast of New South Wales. Since 2007, Distillery Botanica, under the helm of award-winning distiller Phillip Moore, has been creating premium, internationally acclaimed gins and liqueurs The range includes: the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) Gold-medal winning Moore’s Dry Gin, 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. View the full range and shop online here: https://www.distillerybotanica.com/shop
Distillery Botanica’s cellar door is situated in Erina on the NSW Central Coast, open Wednesday to Sunday. Wholesale for liquor retailers, bars and restaurants is also available.
Visit: www.distillerybotanica.com
