The award-winning Distillery Botanica on the Central Coast in Erina has just opened a new, 144-square-metre cellar door, plus an expansive botanical garden, as well as launching a new collection of experiences for visitors including gin-distilling workshops, cocktail-making, and tours.

Walking through the iron gates at the venue’s entry, visitors meander through beautifully tended gardens to arrive at the new cellar door.

Entering the new building, which has taken two years to complete, guests are greeted with an impressive 2400-litre copper still, which rises some four metres high and was specifically created for distiller Phillip Moore and his team to distill all Moore’s gins.

Along the east side of the cellar door, sixteen individual two-litre copper stills line the wall nestled against long windows that look out onto the property’s herb and citrus garden. For those taking part in the gin-distilling workshops, this is the area where gin creators can step back, watch, and relax while their personalised gins filter through.

The west side of the space is where tastings will take place, with enthusiasts invited to taste Distillery Botanica’s full range of six gins, two liqueurs, vodka, and its new Terrigal rum.

The acclaimed Mr Black, created by Phillip Moore and Tom Baker in 2013 at Distillery Botanica before taking the world by storm and finding a new home at Diageo in September 2022, is also available for tasting and purchase.

Stepping outside, the new botanical garden spans over 700 square metres and was inspired by the walled citrus gardens found across Spain and Persia. An incredible fountain, the exact replica of a martini glass, sits at the top of the garden.

Framed by citrus and with rows of garden beds filled with different botanicals, the garden is a beautiful place to explore, filling all the senses, and is key to the gin-distilling classes where participants will pick botanicals to distill in their own gins.

Amongst the venue’s gardens and gin tastings, tours, and experiences, cocktail bar Bar Botanica is also onsite serving brunch, lunch, afternoon delights, and features live jazz from 1pm on weekends.