Production places
Connections to water sources, peat places, maltings, cooperages, warehouses and maturation sites. Uncertain connections are labelled.
No documented production places are linked to this distillery yet.
The Bellarine Distillery
About the distillery
Bellarine Distillery is located in Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, and is a family-owned, independent distillery that makes both gin and single malt whisky. The site was established in 2015 as the first distillery on the peninsula, and production is closely tied to the property, the surrounding gardens, and the tasting room The Whiskery. It’s a place where small batches, local ingredients, and casks with a clear character are allowed to shape the house style.
History
Bellarine Distillery was established in 2015 by Russ Watson and Lorelle Warren. It was the first distillery on the Bellarine Peninsula and the first in the Geelong region since the 1980s. Russ Watson’s background as a fitter and turner was used very concretely, as he designed and built a custom-made distillery in the landscaped garden property they found in 2014. The property had been used for agriculture for decades and had previously operated as a chicken farm before it became the home of the distillery and later The Whiskery.
In 2017, Nicky and Craig Michael joined, and Craig Michael became Head Distiller with a Bachelor of Science and a Diploma in Distilling. The following year, commercial production of premium gin and single malt whisky got underway. The Whiskery opened to the public on 25 April 2018, and that same year the house began selling its first whisky alongside gin. Since then, the distillery has grown with a focus on small batches, experimentation, and a range of award-winning releases. In 2022, it was named Australian Gin Distillery of the Year, and in 2024, the house’s single malt was marked as Australia’s Best Single Malt Whisky with Kestrel.
Ingredients and production
Production is built around small batches and a very hands-on approach. Bellarine Distillery describes the work itself as being characterized by science, experimentation and innovation, and that approach shows up in both gin and whisky. The whisky’s ingredient profile is single malt, and the distillery calls its first still Ronald. The practical side of production is closely connected to the place: Russ Watson designed and built the distillery himself, and the property also grows botanicals for the house’s gin.
Whisky development appears to be guided by precision in selecting casks and repeated small series rather than large standard releases. The Whiskery and the distillery operate as a combined workshop and visitor destination, where spirits, tastings, and sales are kept close together. That allows the house to work with individual casks, especially particularly selected wine and bourbon casks, and then integrate them into new cask programs, as seen in the documented rare releases.
Maturation and cask types
Maturation is one of the distillery’s most distinctive signatures. Bellarine works with American oak from Shiraz casks, refill bourbon casks, French oak casks, and ex-Pinot Noir barrels, and they don’t use casks as a neutral container, but as an active flavor tool. Crimson Rosella went through an unusual process, where the same cask had previously held Rosey & The Rabbits gin before the whisky was matured and then blended with ex-bourbon matured whisky and returned to refill wine casks for final maturation and integration. This creates a clear experimental line.
Peregrine Falcon was matured in a single 200 liter American Oak Shiraz cask and finished in a refill American Oak Bourbon cask. Willie Wagtail came from a 3rd fill 100L French oak ex-Pinot Noir barrel, which points to a more subtle and already well-used cask profile. Rosey & The Rabbits gin is also laid on ex-Pinot Noir barrels, showing that wine casks and previous spirit maturation stages play a central role in the house’s way of working with flavor and structure.
The Whiskies
The whisky portfolio is small, but clearly divided into distinct expressions. The documented single malts sit within a Rare Series/Rare Flight framework, where each name marks its own cask program and its own style. Peregrine Falcon and Crimson Rosella are the clearest examples of the distillery’s more expressive and experimental side, while Willie Wagtail comes across as a more balanced release, where the cask steps back and lets the spirit take up more space.
At the same time, the website shows that the distillery has also had OAK Single Malt Whisky in its range, but it is now listed as sold out. Overall, it points to a range where whisky isn’t mass-produced in fixed large batches, but released in smaller and often named batches with a clear cask identity. It’s whisky made to be tasted, compared, and shared at the table.
| Whisky | Type / series | Alcohol | Age | Cask and style | Tasting profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Crimson Rosella' Single Malt Whisky | Single Malt Whisky; Rare Series Release | American oak ex-Heathcote Shiraz cask; finish: After maturation, the whisky was blended with 30% ex-bourbon matured whisky and then returned to refill wine casks for final maturation and integration. | Rare Series whisky matured in an American oak cask from Shiraz, where the same cask previously held Rosey & The Rabbits gin, and finished in refill wine casks. It is released in 458 bottles.; Nose: Dried apricots, prune, citrus peel, toasted oak and beeswax.; Taste: Red jelly frogs, custard tart, frangipane and sticky toffee pudding.; Finish: Long, warming, lingering dried fruit and syrupy cake sweetness. | Current; Sold online; 458 bottles | ||
| 'Peregrine Falcon' Single Malt Whisky - | Single Malt Whisky; Rare Series Release | 50 % | 4.5 years | Single 200 litre American Oak Shiraz cask; finish: Finished in a refill American Oak Bourbon cask | Rare Series whisky matured for 4.5 years in a single 200 litre American oak cask from Shiraz and finished in a refill bourbon cask. It was bottled in 288 bottles at 50% ABV.; Nose: Glacé cherries, toasted coconut, hot jam doughnuts and crème de cassis.; Taste: Spiced blueberry compote, sweet vanilla yoghurt and flaky shortcrust pastry, layered with beurre noisette and Jersey caramel.; Finish: Long, rich and buttery, with mouth-filling blueberry yoghurt & vanilla pastry. | Current; Sold online; 288 bottles |
| 'Willie Wagtail' Single Malt Whisky | Single Malt Whisky; Rare Flight collection | 50 % | 3rd Fill 100L French oak ex-Pinot Noir barrel | Single malt whisky matured in a 3rd fill 100L French oak cask from Pinot Noir and bottled at 50% ABV. It is released in 161 bottles and described as the smallest release of the year in 2026.; Nose: Lemon meringue pie, vanilla wafer and Amaretti biscuits.; Taste: Coconut friands, toasted sourdough spread with cashew butter and finished with a drizzle of honey.; Finish: Satin-textured and richly mouth-coating, carrying lingering creaminess and a long malted finish. | Current; Sold online; 161 bottles | |
| 'OAK' Single Malt Whisky | Single Malt Whisky | Discontinued; Sold out |
The style and tasting profile of the whiskies
Bellarine’s whisky profile clearly moves between dark fruit, dessert-like sweetness, and spicy cask notes. In Peregrine Falcon, there are glacé cherries, crème de cassis, spiced blueberry compote and Jersey caramel, while Crimson Rosella leans toward dried apricots, prune, sticky toffee pudding and syrupy cake sweetness. Willie Wagtail leans toward lemon meringue pie, vanilla wafer, Amaretti biscuits, coconut friands and honey. Together, they paint a picture of whiskies with fruit, baked goods, vanilla, and a well-integrated finish as supporting lines.
Visiting the distillery
The Whiskery is open seven days a week and functions as the distillery’s cellar door. Here, guests can book a table for gin and whisky tastings, cocktails and food platters, and long lunch is also served in the property’s historic gardens. Bookings are recommended; the visit is set for 2 hours, and groups are limited to 10 people. The venue is 18+, but dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas. Opening hours are Monday–Tuesday 12–16 and Wednesday–Sunday 11–17.
The stated opening hours are Mon–Tue 12pm–4pm; Wed–Sun 11am–5pm. The Whiskery is open 7 days a week.
See times and book a visit.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
The distillery works with a pronounced independence and describes itself as family owned and fiercely independent. The philosophy is also clearly rooted in craftsmanship and technique: science, experimentation and innovation are part of the actual way of working, and the house botanicals grown on the property are actively used in production. The whisky’s role is not to be big and anonymous, but to be created in small batches, where cask selection and integration carry the expression.
Latest news
Whisky & Fire Night 2026 – 2026-07-17
Evening event at The Whiskery with whisky tastings, live music, food from the kitchen, haggis, live barrel firing, and a specially composed event menu. The Whisky Lovers ticket includes three 20 ml single malt drams: Peregrine Falcon, Crimson Rosella and Willie Wagtail.