Although not known internationally for distilleries like we are for wineries, Perth is full of locally championed distilleries for those inclined to spirits over beer and wine.
The best part about Perth distilleries is their willingness and enthusiasm when it comes to using local ingredients. You’ll find that practically every distillery makes use of native botanicals, WA grain, and locally-grown produce. The flavours produced are unique to our landscape, and the distillery you visit will jump at the chance to let you know about the story behind their spirits, and usually have tours available to let you behind the curtain on their process.
If you’re after a quick stop-in, there are several distilleries found in the CBD itself, or in the Perth metro. Whipper Snapper Distillery has won awards internationally for their corn whiskey, made on-site in East Perth, whereas Swan River Distillery in Vic Park is a young project focused on sustainability, similarly awarded for their gin and vodka. Their new orangecello is a must, made from WA oranges. Spirit of Little Things is based in Subiaco, offering bottomless cocktails on Saturdays and a ‘bush to bottle,’ approach to distilling. The finger lime gin spritz is a gamechanger.
The wine regions contained within the Perth metro are also home to some top-notch distilleries. The Swan Valley is one of the oldest wine regions in Australia, but wine isn’t the only option for those looking for a drink. The Swan Valley Distillery Trail takes you through six award-winning distilleries in a couple hours, including the renowned Old Young’s Distillery, winner of Australia’s Best Distillery in their first year of operation. Dedication to craft is on show in their pavlova vodka, which took a self-admitted 35 attempts to perfect. Sin Gin Distillery is on the trail, their expansion taking them from West Perth to the Valley, although their gins are always available for tasting at the Freo Markets.
Perth Hills also have a few awesome distilleries to check out while you’re visiting their wineries. HHH Spirits, Carmel Distillery and The Packing Shed Distilling Co. are highlights. Carmel Distillery is a newcomer, focusing on sustainability and supporting local—the native ingredients hail from an Indigenous-owned Broome business, lemons and grapes are hand-zested and harvested, solar power is used and water is recirculated. You’ll have to be quick with this one, as the maximum for a batch is 40 bottles!