A Gin Lovers Guide to the Margaret River Region

A talk and taste tour at The Grove Distillery is a good way to get an insight into what goes on behind the bottle. The copper still is at the heart of the operation, where gin is part of a broader expression of spirits and liqueurs. There’s accommodation on-site if the tastings get too intense, and a café where food is designed to be easy and cocktail friendly. Wilyabrup is in the middle of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste coastline and so makes this an easy stop on the way north, or heading south during a regional exploration. And pizza in the café will keep the kids happy!

491 Metricup Road, Wilyabrup. Open daily for tastings 9am to 5pm.

Plans are afoot for a new joint-venture distillery that will become a Cowaramup township centrepiece, and West Winds Gin is the company behind the tavern construction. Until the building’s completion this summer, the distillery cellar door is open for business at Carbanup, a farm-based community whose close relationship to land speaks directly to West Winds’ strong sense of place: the gin company’s use of the region’s pristine water and natural botanicals – including sea parsley, bush tomatoes and Davidson plums – contributes to a gin named for the breeze that kicks in off the Indian Ocean. Tastings are available alongside After Hours Wines and AVOSH Vodka.

455 North Jindond Road, North Jindong. Open daily from 10am to 4pm.

Just a little north of Cowaramup is Three Lily’s, a cellar door and food emporium that has Metricup as its address but Cowaramup’s quaint small-town vibe at its heart. It’s a fitting association. Three Lily’s is unique in its playful dedication to keeping things sweet, even as its committed to strong regional expression: all of Three Lily’s gins are distilled from wine made at the winery, from Margaret River Region grapes. And the distillery is as serious about fun as it is about quality; five varieties of gin takes their cues from nostalgic reminders of times past, from the Pina Colada Gin and its Caribbean connotations, to the Ginger Gin fashioned after keg ginger beer from the owner’s childhood. There’s a lolly shop for the kids, wines to taste, and local produce designed for DIY picnics.

5 Harmans Mill Road, Metricup. Open daily 10am to 5pm.

Wilyabrup is well-known as the starting place of the Margaret River Region wine story, so it makes sense that the continuation of the regional narrative is there to be experienced at Dune Distilling, a south west gin brand that blends native botanicals with artistic endeavour. A part of Black Brewing Co., the distillery works at the intersection between the rugged isolation of the south west and its delicate floral beauty: each gin is matched to an artist whose works adorns the label. The Yallingup Pink gin with salt bush and lemon myrtle is almost as pretty as a painting in itself.

3517 Caves Road, Wilyabrup. Open daily 11am to 5pm.

Tucked away in the trees a stones throw from the Margaret River itself, the Margaret River Distilling Co embodies the low-key elegance and uniquely environmental spirit of the Margaret River township. Tours here are an incredible way to become familiar with the gin making process: gin blending classes are a highlight, an in-depth explanation of the history of botanicals means a new appreciation for the spirit. The gins themselves are blended to tell the story of quiet forest, striking coastline and the history of our region’s vines. Native botanicals weave in a strong sense of place, and Australia’s first hemp gin speaks to the township’s strong rooting in sustainable practice.

Maxwell Street (off Carters Road near the corner of Bussell Highway). Open Sunday to Thursday 10am to 6pm, and Friday to Saturday 10am to 7pm.