Bass & Flinders Distillery

Bass & Flinders on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is primarily a gin distillery, which makes sense given the huge growth in demand for juniper-flavoured spirits over the last 15 years. But the distillery's real passion is brandy. So much so that it makes its own base spirit for its gin – an unaged grape eau de vie. So while the gin supports the brand commercially, its brandies are no joke, and a great example of a modern Australian approach to what may well be the world’s oldest spirit. Its single-varietal aged brandies are made from 100% Mornington chardonnay grapes, an uncommon approach, and are matured in ex-Cognac barrels imported from France. Hand-numbered bottles show a real attention to detail and a truly artisanal approach. If only a brandy producer of this quality existed in every Australian wine region. -FRED SIGGINS