Where to drink locally-made beer and spirits in the Hunter Valley

The Hunter Valley region is renowned and beloved for its wine, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find a host of craft breweries and distilleries making beer and spirits locally too. 

Keen to break up the wine tasting on your next outing? Keep reading for our guide to Hunter Valley breweries and distilleries.

FAR Distilling

FAR Distilling was launched in late 2023 and quickly sold out its first batch of signature gin. With a pop-up tasting location at the Keith Tulloch Wines cellar door, you can taste this initial release gin for yourself next time you’re in Pokolbin.
Where: 989 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin

Gundog Estate

You may have visited Gundog Estate for a wine tasting, but did you know this boutique cellar door also produces a gin and a beer? Gundog Estate’s Hunting Ale is a pale ale with plenty of tropical fruit notes, while the estate’s dry gin is a classic London-style gin infused with Gundog’s very own Semillon.
Where: 101 McDonald’s Rd, Pokolbin

Hope Estate

Hope Estate is widely known as a concert venue and winery, but this popular spot also boasts a brewery and a distillery. There are 30 beers on tap, with $20 four-beer paddles on offer for tasting, while in the spirits department, there’s everything from gin, vodka, and moonshine on offer.
Where: 2213 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

Hunter Distillery

Located in the heart of Hunter Valley in Pokolbin, Hunter Distillery has been making themselves known in the local distillery game since their opening back in 2015. Sample the flavours of their four gins on offer, or try one of their many liqueurs (toasted marshmallow liqueur anyone?) or schnapps.
Where: 1686 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

Hunter Wine Lab

The name promises wine, but you might be surprised to learn that Hunter Wine Lab also makes beer! Brewing under the label Zymurgy, the team makes a pilsner, a pale ale, and even a choccy milk porter. Make sure you ask for a taste next time you stop by.
Where: 433 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin

IronBark Hill Brewing Co

Sitting alongside Peter Drayton Wines and Wildstreak Distillery, IronBark Brewing Co has been a local favourite for beer since 2016. The brewery currently has 12 beers and ciders on tap, all brewed onsite, so there’s plenty of variety. Grab a paddle, order a pizza, and sit out in the sunshine overlooking the vines.
Where: 694 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin

Kawal Rock Distillery

Kawal Rock Distillery is a unique (and very picturesque) distillery and vineyard in the Fordwich region of the Hunter Valley. It crafts bespoke spirits from local ingredients,  – we’re big fans of the Pink Diamond Gin, made with macerated muscat grapes.
Where: 260 Milbrodale Rd, Fordwich

KissOfire

KissOfire is all about liqueurs – specifically butterscotch liqueurs, but in stacks of different flavours. Think blueberry, lychee, cherry, ginger, coffee, and more – it’s a sweet tooth’s dream. Taste them or purchase them at KissOfire's shop in Pokolbin.
Where: Shop 2A, Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village, 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

Millbrook Estate

Millbrook Estate is a boutique winery and distillery in quaint Millfield, offering unique products. When you visit Millbrook Estate, chances are you’ll try a creation you’ve never sampled before.
Where: 1617 Mount View Rd, Millfield

Morpeth Brewery

Conspicuously located within the Commercial Hotel in Morpeth, Morpeth Brewery is a small, independent, artisan brewery that’s been operating since 2012. No additives or preservatives are used in the making of the beer, and the team doesn't filter them either, resulting in a 100% natural, living beer.
Where: 127 Swan St, Morpeth

Night Merchant by Bimbadgen 

You might know Bimbadgen as a winery and concert venue, but did you know it has its very own spirits range called Night Merchant Spirits? Check out the vodka, gin, pink gin, cask gin, agave spirit, and white rum or their two pre-mix packs.
Where: 790 McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin

Pokolbin Cider House

Overlooking the mountain ranges and vineyards on Broke Road is Pokolbin Cider House, a boutique operation offering visitors a small but tasty range of ciders made from apple, pear, and other fruit blends. The ciders here are all fermented in-bottle and range from dry to slightly sweet with no added sugar.
Where: 2342 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

Pokolbin Distillery

Opening in late 2019, Pokolbin Distillery serves up quality products inspired by the family’s Polish heritage alongside Australia’s native botanicals. Taste the Hunter Valley-based distillery’s range which includes gins, vodkas, and liqueurs (the native plum ginger lime gin and honeycomb liqueur are calling our name!) at its Broke Road location.
Where: 2198 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

Small Mouth Vodka

You certainly can’t miss Small Mouth’s vodkas in a lineup – the colourful and shimmery liquids are pretty unmistakable. Perfect for those who like their drinks to look as good as they taste, Small Mouth makes shimmery spirits in a range of flavours like elderflower gin, passionfruit vodka, and watermelon liqueur.
Where: Shop 20, Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village, 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

Sydney Brewery

If you’re a Sydney-sider, chances are you’ve heard of or visited Sydney Brewery’s Surry Hills brewhouse. The Hunter brewery, located within the grounds of the Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, won’t disappoint. The brewery offers a decent range of seasonal craft beers on tap including the popular Lovedale Lager and Sydney Cider.
Where: Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, 430 Wine Country Dr, Lovedale

Tamburlaine Organic Wines

Tamburlaine Organic Wines are renowned for their award-winning organic, vegan-friendly, and low sulphur wines, so it makes sense that the company got into distilling as a happy accident.
Where: 358 McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin

Tempus Two

Started by fourth-generation Hunter Valley winemaker Lisa McGuigan in 1997, Tempus Two has become an iconic Australian wine label. It now makes gin and seltzers alongside its wine offering.
Where: Cnr Broke & McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin

Tower Whiskey Distillery

A short stroll alongside the shiraz vineyards from the iconic Tower Lodge, Tower Whiskey Distillery taps into the rich history of the property, taking up residence in what was once the Tower Estate cellar door. It’s the Hunter Valley’s first dedicated whiskey distillery, making single malt and single cask whiskeys that are aged in former bourbon and wine barrels.
Where: Halls Rd, Pokolbin

The Valley Brewhouse

The Valley Brewhouse offers tasting paddles, guided tastings, and even brewery tours at its Nulkaba brewery. The Valley Brewhouse has a solid range of its own beers on tap at any time, which you can enjoy with a pub-style feed from the bistro.
Where: Wine Country Dr, Nulkaba

Wild Ren Wines

Wild Ren Wines might be known for its delicious wines, but the Hunter Valley winery has also produced its very own gin. It might just have one of our favourite labels on the market – you’ll have to head into Wild Ren Wines’ cellar door to make sure it tastes as good as it looks. Add a gin tasting to your wine tasting for an extra $10 per person.
Where: 1946 Broke Rd, Pokolbin

The businesses featured within this article have not paid to be featured, the content has been curated by the HUNTERhunter editorial team. We only promote businesses we love and think our readers will love too! 

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