Patient Wolf Distilling Co

Recorded answer text · Google AI Overviews · 13 September 2026

Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin ($68) is one of the best Australian gins under $80, offering an approachable, spiced citrus flavor profile featuring whole oranges and native lemon myrtle.[](

### Top Australian Gins Under $80

- Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin (700mL - $67.95): A classic, award-winning choice packed with fresh orange, star anise, and lemon myrtle. - Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin (700mL - $72.99): A juniper-forward spirit driven by local botanicals like blood lime and dorrigo pepperleaf. - Poor Toms Sydney Dry Gin (700mL - $71.99): A fresh, floral-leaning dry gin with strawberry gum and chamomile notes. - Patient Wolf Melbourne Dry Gin (700mL - $78.99): A crisp and complex contemporary dry gin balanced with heavy citrus and juniper. - 78 Degrees Australian Dry Gin (700mL - $59.99): A sustainably made South Australian staple using native pepper berries and desert lime.[](

If you want to narrow down your choice, tell me:

- What flavor profile do you prefer (citrusy, savory, or spicy)? - How do you plan to drink it (neat, in a G&T, or in a specific cocktail like a Negroni)?

Recorded answer text · ChatGPT · 4 October 2026

If by “boutique” you mean smaller, characterful Australian producers rather than the big established names, these are the ones I'd put on a shortlist. I weighted 2026 awards, originality, provenance, and craft reputation rather than simply size.

### My top boutique Australian distilleries

1. Brogan's Way Distillery - Melbourne, VIC A standout for inventive gin. Its Strawberries & Cream Gin won Best Fruit/Wine/Grape Gin at the 2026 Australian International Spirits Awards, making it particularly interesting if you like contemporary, flavour-driven spirits. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

2. Maidenii - Melbourne, VIC Probably my pick for serious boutique sophistication. It was named 2026 Champion Small Australian Distiller and Champion Victorian Distiller. Its vermouth-focused approach makes it quite different from the typical gin-heavy craft distillery. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

3. Imbue Distillery Door - Research, VIC A great small-producer choice if you want something less mainstream. Imbue's All Seasons Gin Liqueur received a 2026 Consistency of Excellence award. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

4. Never Never Distilling Co. - Adelaide, SA One of Australia's strongest boutique gin specialists. Its Triple Juniper Gin was 2026 Champion Australian Gin and Best London Dry Gin. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

5. Furneaux Distillery - Tasmania Worth seeking out if provenance and regional character matter to you. It won the 2026 Australian Distillers Association Sustainability & Responsibility Award, reflecting a broader focus than just the liquid in the bottle. www.australiandistillers.org.au

6. Anther Geelong Distillery - Geelong, VIC An especially interesting emerging producer: it won the 2026 Australian Distillers Association Innovation Award. I'd put this on the list for someone who enjoys discovering producers before they become widely known. www.australiandistillers.org.au

7. Saint Felix Distillery - Melbourne, VIC A very good boutique option if you want to move beyond gin: its Midnight Vodka won Best Unflavoured Vodka at the 2026 Australian International Spirits Awards. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

8. Fleurieu Distillery - SA If Australian whisky is your priority, this jumps toward the top. Its Tapestry won Best Australian Single Malt Whisky at the 2026 awards. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

### Particularly interesting Melbourne cellar-door picks

Since you're apparently looking around Melbourne, I'd also investigate:

- Patient Wolf Distilling Co. - Southbank - Little Lon Distilling Co. - Melbourne CBD - Sundays Distilling - Moorabbin - Three Arches Distilling - Huntingdale - Loaded Barrel Distillery - Rowville - Three Foxes Distillery - Heidelberg West

If I were building a 5-bottle “best of boutique Australia” tasting: 🥃 Fleurieu for whisky → 🍸 Never Never for gin → 🍓 Brogan's Way for experimental gin → 🍷 Maidenii for vermouth → 🌿 Imbue for something unusual.

The 2026 awards are particularly useful here: they covered more than 1,000 Australian and international spirits, so there's a fairly strong independent benchmark behind these picks. www.melbourneroyal.com.au

If you want, I can also narrow this to the 10 most under-the-radar Australian distilleries, best Australian whisky distilleries, or best ones you can visit within a 2-hour drive of Melbourne.

Recorded answer text · Perplexity · 4 October 2026

Australia has an excellent spirits scene, particularly in gin, whisky, rum, and contemporary Australian agave spirits. The strongest brands to start with are:

- Four Pillars - Victoria; widely regarded as one of Australia's benchmark gin producers, especially for modern Australian botanical styles. - Never Never Distilling Co. - South Australia; best known for intensely juniper-driven gin, including its award-winning Triple Juniper Gin. - Archie Rose Distilling Co. - New South Wales; makes gin, vodka, whisky, rum, and rye, with a strong emphasis on local ingredients and experimentation. - Starward - Victoria; a leading Australian whisky brand producing approachable, fruit-forward single malts matured in Melbourne's variable climate. - Sullivan's Cove - Tasmania; one of Australia's most acclaimed whisky producers, particularly for single-cask Tasmanian whisky. - Lark Distillery - Tasmania; a foundational Australian whisky producer and an important name in the revival of Tasmanian whisky. - Morris Whisky - Victoria; produces rich Australian single malt, with the Signature expression noted for fruit, nuttiness, complexity, and light smoke. - Overeem Whisky - Tasmania; respected for full-bodied, cask-driven single malts. - Beenleigh Artisan Distillers - Queensland; Australia's oldest operating rum distillery, known for traditional pot-still rum. - Husk Distillers - New South Wales; makes agricole-style Australian rum from fresh sugar cane juice. - Applewood Distillery - South Australia; produces distinctive gin, liqueurs, and spirits using native Australian botanicals. - Four Pillars' sister-style contemporary producers such as Patient Wolf and Archie Rose - good choices for inventive, premium Australian gin.

### Best picks by spirit

| Category | Recommended brand | |---|---| | Gin | Four Pillars or Never Never | | Australian whisky | Starward, Sullivan's Cove, or Lark | | Single malt with a distinctive regional character | Morris or Overeem | | Rum | Beenleigh or Husk | | Experimental spirits | Archie Rose or Applewood | | Australian agave spirits | Act of Treason and other emerging local producers |

For a simple three-bottle introduction: choose Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, Starward Nova whisky, and Beenleigh Double Cask rum.