Bellarine Distillery: Crafting coastal spirits with a sense of place

On the eastern edge of Victoria’s coastline, where rolling farmland meets sea air and native birds sweep across open skies, Bellarine Distillery has become one of the state’s most compelling expressions of place. It is a distillery built slowly, by hand, and with the very deliberate ambition to craft spirits that could only come from the Bellarine Peninsula.

A vision inspired abroad, realised at home

The distillery’s beginnings trace back to founders Russ Watson and Lorelle Warren, whose trip to Scotland sparked a fascination with whisky making. Inspired also by Australian trailblazers Bill and Lyn Lark, they returned home to the Bellarine with a conviction that their region, with its calm coastal rhythm and ever-growing visitor appeal, deserved its own spirits.

“Bellarine Distillery was born from a deep love of place and the desire to craft something that reflected the quiet beauty of the Bellarine Peninsula,” says Head Distiller Craig Michael.

Craig joined the project in 2017, originally seeking an escape from a corporate career that no longer felt fulfilling. “For me personally the idea of creating whisky came from a desire to leave a career that had become too corporate, empty and stressful and to embark on something more meaningful, fun and creative.”

When he first visited the property, Russ and Lorelle were knee-deep in renovations, transforming an old chicken farm into what would eventually become The Whiskery, the distillery door.

“Seeing what they were trying to create immediately made me want to become involved in any way possible,” Craig says. His volunteer help soon grew into a full-time production role, and not long after that, he and his wife Nicky bought into the business, cementing a partnership built on passion for the region.

A distilling philosophy led by curiosity

Craig’s background, a mix of scientific thinking, whisky tradition and a personal obsession with flavour, now shapes the distillery’s liquid identity.

“Scientific curiosity, Scottish whisky tradition, Australian creativity and an obsession with flavour, whether through cooking or mixing cocktails all provided the necessary background to become extremely curious about whisky creation and the desire to craft spirits that have exceptional and memorable flavours including outstanding sensory qualities such as texture and mouthfeel.”

His ethos is simple but uncompromising. “We acknowledge tradition but are not afraid to continually experiment with the goal of always improving the flavour, encompassing taste, aroma and mouthfeel - to produce the finest and uniquely Bellarine spirit possible. Science, sensory analysis and experimentation are our constant tools of improvement, we don’t blindly follow recipes.”

Letting the coast shape the spirit

If Bellarine Distillery is known for one thing, it’s a profound sense of place. That identity is not crafted through novelty or flavour shortcuts, but through letting the spirit reflect the environment. Something Craig describes as “quite deliberate, though more by allowing the environment to influence the spirit than by forcing coastal flavours in.”

The maritime climate plays a central role: cool nights, sea breezes and seasonal shifts all affect whisky maturation. Their gins, meanwhile, incorporate botanicals grown on the property itself, from coastal saltbush to rosemary and native plants that bring gentle salinity, herbal depth and a clear connection to the region.

The distillery’s now-famous barrel-naming tradition is also rooted in place. “Our whisky barrels are all individually named after wildlife, flora and fauna that have been spotted on site,” Craig says. Recent limited releases form an expanding avian catalogue, inspired entirely by the birds that fly overhead or flit through the property’s trees.

Even specific tasting notes lean into Bellarine’s coastal character. In discussing their maritime gins, including a new collaboration with Searoad Ferries, Craig says “herbal botanicals such as coastal saltbush provide a gentle salinity and a touch of umami… The flavour and aroma in these gins are reminiscent of the aromas experienced wandering along the Portarlington pier on a warm sunny day.”

A distillery door that feels like Bellarine

Visitors stepping into The Whiskery on the property encounter a space that reflects the true character of the place; relaxed, rustic, and wrapped in native gardens. “A sense of relaxation, not fussy and pretentious, but rustic charm with quality produce” is what Craig hoped guests would feel upon arriving.

Authenticity was the guiding principle. “We kept everything authentic to the property. The Whiskery isn’t themed, it’s an honest expression of where we are.” Original sheds remain, grain silos have been converted into unique tasting spaces, and wildlife is ever-present.

What resonates most, Craig says, is that this feels like a lived-in place. “People connect with authenticity and they appreciate that the place feels lived-in and real, not manufactured.” More than 30,000 visitors a year now pass through the distillery door. “It’s been the heartbeat of our brand,” Craig says.

What comes next

At the core of Bellarine Distillery’s brand are the words printed on every whisky bottle: Savor, Celebrate, Share. These sit alongside values of craftsmanship, honesty, community and a strong sense of place.

Yet building a distillery in Australia remains challenging. “An exorbitantly high excise tax is crippling our business and the industry in general,” Craig notes, also pointing to compliance costs that weigh heavily on family-run producers.

Still, demand for spirits with provenance continues to grow. Bellarine Distillery is investing in its whisky programme, expanding limited releases and developing richer visitor experiences. Upcoming tours will begin with a whisky masterclass and canapés in the newly renovated Silo Bar, before moving through the distillery and finishing with cocktails and food at The Whiskery.

Ultimately, the goal is simple:

“to keep crafting world-class whisky, gin and liqueurs that remains unapologetically Bellarine.”