That Spirited Lot Distillers began as a wild idea between brothers Jon-Paul (JP) and Chris Willigenburg in 2016. It was a lifelong dream of theirs to work together on a project that captured their love for tastes and flavours and distilling offered a perfect new adventure. Along the way, sisters Sarah and Kate Barton also joined the boys on their crazy ride. The idea rapidly gained momentum and on Christmas Eve of 2018 a 200L copper still named Doris (after the brothers’ late grandmother) arrived in our little warehouse in Seaford.
Specialising in producing high quality pot & column distilled gins & vodkas crafted from Australian grape spirit and are also developing a whiskey program. We spent a few months experimenting and launched our first product Ninch Dry Gin in May 2019, a tribute to the Mornington Peninsula or “Ninch” where the boys grew up.
We are proud to have won many medals locally and internationally for our gins & vodkas. We don’t take any short cuts in our production – we are hands on with every aspect of our production and are constantly tasting our spirit from Doris to ensure our final products are of a high standard. Everything – from peeling the citrus to putting the cork in the bottle and delivering to stores – is currently done by our hands. While we try to stay true to the fundamentals of traditional gin production most of the time, we also aren’t afraid to take risks and experiment with new flavours.
A core focus in our medthod is maintaining an environmentally sustainable production and waste managment . Our building is supported by a large solar grid which powers our still and our waste organics are regularly picked up by local farmers and gardeners. We also produce a range of mixer syrups (Peninsula BLVD.) and tonic syrups (Tonic X Distillers) using leftover fruit and botanic material from producing our spirits so even the most clueless home mixologist can bust out a delicious cocktail.