OUR STORY
We exist to bring friends and family together
Tradition
Innovation
Community
Back in 2015
Those first steps were taken back in 2015 when our founder Rhys Staley started mucking about with his Grandfather’s old dairy vat. With a keen interest in whiskey, his Science Degree from Deakin University came in handy. Never one to do things by halves, Rhys spent six months Googling things, learning processes, making notes and doing distillery tours, over time, creating a unique gin recipe he really liked. It’s not cheap to set up a gin distillery, especially one that distils good gin, so he made do by excavating his Grandfather’s 55-year-old dairy vat out of the shed on the family farm.
After converting it, he discovered a 400 litre copper hot water service behind the wall of a dairy – perfect for DIY gin distilling.
A Grassroots Community Business
It wasn’t long before the wider community of friends and family turned up on the doorstep seeing how they could get involved – they all pitched in to lend a hand. Things began to build momentum as the grassroots aspect of our company came to the fore – doing things together, sharing in success alongside our Founders Club.
The next step was right under our noses all along: natural ingredients from the family’s Gippsland farm. Rhys made plans to move back home from Sydney, where his career had taken him. An unusual outlier was waiting in left-field: cannabis. Now, don’t get us wrong – marijuana and “getting high” is not what the Natural Distilling Co is about, but hemp is one of the most interesting and beneficial crops in the world. With the federal government legalising it in November 2017, the path was clear to put some fresh innovation on the agenda.
Uniquely Australian
The Natural Distilling Co is all about uniquely Australian ingredients with a uniquely Australian spirit.
We focus on supporting grassroots communities through growing locally, distilling locally and employing locally – keeping everything as close to home as we can. A rising tide carries all ships, and we want to see our community around Gippsland and Wilson’s Promontory rise with us. Our loyalty to family and love for the environment has fuelled a passion to create something we can take pride in sharing with you, the best Australian gin. We’re building an independent grassroots business with our bare hands, creating a legacy that our children can be part of.
Our desire to innovate in the relentless pursuit of excellence is reflected in the taste and quality of our spirits – we can’t wait for you to try them
*Natural Distilling Co does not recommend or engage in illicit distilling, and any indication to contrary you might read here ought to be taken as artistic licence. We do not in fact have an artistic licence, but we do have a liquor licence.