The Hunter Valley made its name on Semillon and Shiraz, and the wine is rightly what draws most people. But over the last decade, a quiet craft spirits scene has grown up alongside the vineyards, and these days the region is just as worth visiting for its gin as its grapes. Award-winning distilleries, colour-changing cocktails, and small-batch spirits made with native botanicals are all part of the picture now.
If you love a good gin or you’re simply after something different from another day of wine tasting, here’s a guide to the Hunter Valley’s distilleries and craft spirits, and how to make a day of it.
Why the Hunter Valley Is a Craft Spirits Destination
Craft distilling has boomed across Australia, and the Hunter has leaned into it. The same things that make the region good for wine, the climate, the produce, and a culture built around tasting and hospitality, also suit a distillery. Many local makers use native botanicals and locally grown ingredients, giving their gins and vodkas a character that’s distinctly of the area.
The result is a genuine trail of distilleries, most of them clustered around Pokolbin in the heart of the wine country, close enough to fold into a day that mixes wine, spirits, and a good lunch. Here are the ones worth knowing.
The Distilleries Worth Visiting
Hunter Distillery
The region’s best-known distillery, and the one most visitors have heard of. Located in the heart of Pokolbin, Hunter Distillery is locally owned and operated, and it produces a celebrated range of gin, vodka, liqueurs, and schnapps, headlined by the award-winning Copperwave Distilled Gin. It’s also known as one of the region’s organic distillers.
The drawcard is the test-tube tasting experience, where you sample your way through a selection from the full range presented in test tubes. It’s a fun, low-key format that makes it easy to compare flavours, and it’s become something of a Hunter Valley institution.
Pokolbin Distillery
A family-run distillery making everything in-house, right down to their own base spirit, in copper pot stills. Three generations of distillers have refined the process, and the spirits draw on the family’s Polish heritage alongside Australian native botanicals. The space itself is warm and modern, with copper bench tops and timber, set against the vines.
Their standout for the curious is a tropical gin coloured with butterfly pea flower that changes colour depending on the tonic or mixer you add, which is as fun to watch as it is to drink. They also make a range of vodkas and liqueurs.
Hope Estate
Hope Estate is the all-rounder: a winery, brewery, and distillery on one property, framed by vineyards and known for its outdoor amphitheatre. Hope Distillery opened in 2020 as a small-batch producer of premium Australian grain spirits, so you can taste wine, craft beer, and spirits all in one stop. For anyone who wants variety without hopping between venues, it’s an easy choice.
Tamburlaine Organic Wines
Better known as one of Australia’s largest organic wine producers, Tamburlaine has joined the gin movement with its Herding Cats range. Expect creatively infused blends alongside their organic wines, all tasted at the cellar door in the middle of Pokolbin. It’s a good option if you want to combine a serious wine tasting with a side of gin.
Gundog Estate
A boutique cellar door that surprises people: alongside its wines, Gundog Estate produces its own gin and beer. The dry gin is a classic London-style gin infused with the estate’s own Semillon, which is a neat nod to the grape the Hunter is famous for. A nice stop for anyone who likes the idea of a gin with a local wine-country twist.
Kawal Rock Distillery
A little further out in the Fordwich area, Kawal Rock is a picturesque distillery and vineyard crafting bespoke spirits from local ingredients. Its Pink Diamond Gin, made with macerated muscat grapes, is a favourite. If you’re happy to venture slightly beyond the Pokolbin cluster, it rewards the trip with both the spirits and the setting.
What to Expect From a Spirits Tasting
A spirits tasting is a little different from a wine tasting, and that’s part of the appeal. Pours are smaller, the flavours are more intense, and many distilleries serve their gins with a recommended tonic or mixer so you can taste how the spirit is designed to be drunk. Tasting fees are usually modest, often around five to ten dollars per person, and frequently waived or redeemable against a purchase.
Because spirits are stronger than wine, tastings tend to be more measured. A few distilleries across a day, with food and water in between, is plenty. The aim is to appreciate the craft rather than to rush through, and pacing yourself means you actually remember the flavours you liked.
How to Do the Trail in a Day
Most of these distilleries sit within a short drive of each other around Pokolbin, so a day mixing distilleries with a winery or two and a long lunch is very doable. A sensible approach is to pick three or four stops, build in a proper meal, and leave time to enjoy each place rather than racing the clock.
The one real consideration is the same as any day of tasting: someone has to drive, and spirits are stronger than wine, so a designated driver misses out entirely. This is where letting someone else handle the driving turns the day from a logistical juggle into a genuinely relaxing one.
Our Vines & Brews Adventure is built for exactly this kind of day. It’s a private six-hour tour through the Hunter’s boutique winery, breweries, and distillery, so you get a proper mix of wine, beer, and spirits, with a casual lunch stop and someone local doing the driving and the planning. Everyone in the group gets to taste, and you travel in comfort between stops.
Tips for a Great Spirits Day
- Pace yourself. Spirits are stronger than wine, so a few distilleries with food and water in between beats trying to do them all
- Eat well. A proper lunch among the vines is part of the day and helps you enjoy the tastings
- Ask questions. Distillers love talking about their botanicals and process, and it makes the tasting far more interesting
- Buy your favourite on the spot. Many of these spirits are small-batch and hard to find outside the region
- Sort the driving in advance. A tour or a designated driver means everyone can taste and nobody’s watching the clock
Ready to Explore Beyond the Wine?
The Hunter’s craft spirits scene is one of the region’s best-kept secrets, and it pairs beautifully with everything else the valley does well. If you’d like to taste your way through the distilleries without worrying about who drives, take a look at our Vines & Brews Adventure or our wider range of private wine tours, which can be tailored to include the distilleries you most want to visit.
You can also see more of the places we visit across the region, or get in touch on 0456 737 888 to plan a day that goes beyond the wine.
Please enjoy responsibly. Tasting venues and tour operators support the responsible service of alcohol.
