Discover the art of gin making in Melbourne with a hands-on gin masterclass inside a working craft distillery in North Melbourne. Hosted at Here’s Looking at You Kid Distillery, this immersive experience invites you behind the scenes to learn how gin is made, taste premium spirits, and create your own personalized bottle of gin to take home.
Begin with a warm welcome inside the distillery, where you’ll be introduced to the basics of distillation and the different styles of gin. Your host, an experienced distiller and qualified trainer and assessor, will guide you through the role of base spirit, botanicals, and flavor balance, making the session accessible for beginners while still engaging for spirit enthusiasts.
Explore a wide range of botanicals, including traditional gin ingredients and native Australian botanicals. Through guided smelling and tasting, design your own gin recipe based on your personal flavor preferences — whether you enjoy something classic and juniper-forward, citrus-led, floral, or bold and experimental.
Distill your gin using an individual mini still, giving you hands-on involvement in the production process. As your gin is distilled, learn how flavors are extracted, how cuts are made, and how distillers achieve balance and consistency in finished spirits. Throughout the session, enjoy guided tastings of the distillery’s gins and vodkas, gaining insight into different flavor profiles and production techniques.
The atmosphere is relaxed, friendly, and social, with small group sizes to ensure personal attention and a high-quality experience. No prior knowledge is required — everything is explained step by step, making this an enjoyable and informative activity for first-time distillery visitors and seasoned gin lovers alike.
At the end of the experience, your personalized gin is prepared for bottling and labeling. Bottles are completed shortly after the session and made available for collection or delivery, allowing you to take home a unique souvenir of your time in Melbourne — a gin you created yourself.
