Our Off Grid Farm and Distillery Tour starts at our farm gate. We travel to the top of our hill where we introduce you to the history of our farm and where our water and renewable energy comes from. You may even meet a Highland x Texas Longhorn or two.  We then travel back down to the distillery to discover the workings of our wood-fired steam boiler and you learn about the source of our bio dynamic barley and how our spirits are crafted from grain to bottle. We sit down and explore the range of Swiftcrest's spirits. We take you through a sensory experience of some of the botanicals used in our gin, and include a mini G&T along the away. At the end of the tour you are welcome to purchase a bottle or two to take home.

For the Off Grid Farm and Distillery Tour please allow approximately 90 mins.

Our tours are limited to 10 people.  $30.00pp

Some lovely words from one of our visitors...

About 10 minutes from Mansfield, at the bottom of a long steep gravel driveway that weaves and winds through the eucalyptus trees which dominate this stunning, secluded property is what, at first glance, looks like a humble tin shed.

 

 

But soon, surprising details begin to emerge, like the huge, striking logo with a Swift as its centerpiece, one of the many resident birds of this place, hand painted high on a wall by Belle Thierry, daughter of Swiftcrest Distillery owners and makers, Hank and Carrie Thierry.

 

 

There are elegant antique sideboards and shining glass shelves displaying perfectly spaced bottles of their small, lovingly crafted range of Vanilla Bean Vodka, Alpine Spring Gin and their unique and utterly delicious Dutch Apple Pie Moonshine, a nod to Hank’s heritage.

 

The unexpectedly glamorous touches these two - Hank a photographer and Carrie a fine artist - have brought to the off-grid distillery smack in the middle of a small 50 ha organic farm - reveal much about their mutual respect for design and precision craftsmanship.

 

 

There are sparkling chandeliers lighting the long antique table beautifully set with gorgeous, specially commissioned glasses each bearing the signature thumbprint of master glass maker, Andrej Larson. There are perfectly arranged little samples of the locally grown organic botanical's which give Swiftcrest’s gins and vodkas their unique characters offered for crushing and sniffing. Snugly mohair knee rugs are thoughtfully draped over elegant chairs for chillier days in the distillery.

 

Hank begins the tour at the business end of the enterprise - explaining in detail the painstaking processes behind the making of Swiftcrest spirits and the meticulous restoration of equipment he uses. There’s a totally refurbished 130 year-old steam pump and a wood fired steam boiler with century-old valves and fittings also returned to glory and named Reg after Carrie’s father as well as gleaming copper stills in which the high-quality spirits are created, steeped and infused.

 

 

Hank and Carrie’s deep philosophical commitment to sustainability permeates every aspect of this place and the products they craft. They use only organic ingredients and it's the only distillery in the world using bio-dynamic barley, also uniquely grown in Victoria. Dropped timber on their  property is gathered to run the boiler and they proudly produce zero waste. Right at the foot of Mt Buller and the alpine ranges, the spirits are made from the pure water of mountain snow melt that is filtered through granite bedrock from a spring on their property.

 

The Thierry family warmly welcome visitors by appointment to tour the distillery and experience a guided tasting of their excellent artisanal range of spirits.

 

Our tours are limited to 10 people. 

 

Private groups of 6+ can be booked by appointment contact us