My friend who lives on the Mornington Peninsula brought me here during my recent trip. She had…read moretaken a gin making class here and thought I would be interested in visiting. She was not wrong. The distillery is hidden and when you arrive, it's a little shed where everything is housed. There are many gins and other things such as limoncello and other spirits that they make on site. I tasted quite a few things and got the chance to chat to Wayne, one of the co-founders of Bass & Flinders. I was super impressed by their selection and found out that their Angry Ant gin won a silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year. I was surprised that it wasn't available in the US even though it won a medal, so I made sure I brought a bottle back! Wayne told me I have the only bottle of Angry Ant in the US. If you're in this area, make sure you visit them. It is one of those stories that you'll find extremely interesting, and the spirits are absolutely world class.

Bass & Flinders is all growed up, and moved out of Mum and Dad's place (aka the winery up the hill)…read moreto it's own cool bungalow (shed) out the back. The quality of the gin luckily has not changed - it's still excellent stuff. Only negative is the $ that will inevitably disappear from your wallet or bank account as you add a new friend to your home bar!

An unusual venue for a distillery but what a find. Once inside you are transported (no pun…read moreintended) away from Essendon airport to a world passionate about the craft of Whisky. Try the tasting flight for a great experience with a group of friends. Not a whisky drinker I can say the experience was fun, educational and friendly. The whisky aficionados amongst us (read: Whisky snobs) were 'unecpectedly impressed".

I've done the majority of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and, man, could the KY distilleries learn a…read morething or two from Starward about presentation! Starward is an easy 30 minute walk from the Yarra Promenade into a warehouse district reminiscent of Lexington, KY. It is set in a very spacious warehouse that allows for guests to see the stills while enjoying a drink at the bar. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays they offer a quick 50 minute tour of the distillery that includes a tasting of the Solera and Wine Cask whiskies for 10 AUD/person. Their whiskies are very unique and do not feel to just be an imitation of the peaty Scottish liquors. If you do not want to tour (or if you are convinced you need to try more drinks post tour), there is a bar with ample seating area. I'd suggest ordering their Tenth Anniversary whisky neat; it is very clean and tasty. Based off you preference from the tastings, you can pick from a good variety of mixed drinks. For Wine Cask fans, I would suggest their Brunswick Fizz which has the Wine Cask, vermouth, lemon, syrup, and egg white. Solera fans should try the Battle for NOLA which is a combination of their Solera, absinthe, and bitters. If you've met your maximum of whisky, they offer gin and some local beer and wine. The employees are all very kind and great conversationalists. If coming in the middle of the day, there are a few little cafes in the area that are open through lunch. Starward does offer some meat and cheese plates. Otherwise, plan to eat before heading over to the area. I cannot wait from them to break into the US market! Until now, stock up on some bottles for your trip home.

We were visiting family in Melbourne and wanted to do a tasting. Elton was hilarious,…read moreknowledgeable, fun, and very kind. I highly recommend Elton.

Excellent gin tasting with delicious cheeses, breads and jam to compliment. Gin Favorites with…read moretonic was apple rhubarb, then Shiraz...

Did the gin masterclass. It was really great! Learned a lot about gin making and the history of the…read morebuilding/Melbourne. I also really enjoyed the drinks.