The Distillers

Bass & Flinders Distillery was founded in 2009 as an artisanal distillery producing small batch grape based spirits. Using a traditional alembic pot still and a passion for adventure Bass & Flinders set out to create a range of handcrafted spirits including brandies, gins and liqueurs.

Bass & Flinders is a family owned and run distillery, with father-daughter duo Wayne Klintworth and and Head Distiller Holly Klintworth working side by side in pursuit of their passion and dedication to revive Australia’s love for locally produced quality brandies.

We are very proud to be one of few distilleries making our own base spirit. We handcraft our grape-based eau de vie spirit right here at the distillery from Chardonnay grapes, which is then placed into French oak and matured for a minimum of five years before bottling our fine aged brandy Ochre. Such a dedicated approach to distilling is rarely seen in the industry and results in a premium product with a distinctive texture and flavour profile.

The original inspiration for the business was the classic aged grape spirits of France. Being located in the wine growing region on the Mornington Peninsula provided perfect place for this challenge to be undertaken. A considerable amount of time researching aged spirits took place in 2009 and Bass & Flinders obtained the assistance of a Master Distiller who trained in Cognac. The distillery established a traditional production method based on traditional methods and obtained Cognac barrels for the maturation of their brandy.

Bass & Flinders was one of the earlier established Australian distilleries, and the first distillery on the Mornington Peninsula. The inspiration for founding a distillery surrounded by vineyards was simple – stay true to our region through use of local produce wherever possible, and the distillation of grapes to produce fine spirits.