You’ve heard of handcrafted gin – now meet sound-crafted. Tonalicious Spirit Co., a small but mighty distillery based just off Sturt Street in Adelaide’s CBD, is shaking up the global gin game with a technique so unique, it literally hits the spot different.
Founded by DJ Kerrie Campbell (L’il Miss K – know from around the scene at Garage, Distill, Sugar and Mars Bar) and engineer Frank Buechele, Tonalicious is the only distillery in the world using sonic dissipation with a machine called an acoustic sonicator – a process where sound waves break down botanicals to extract flavour before distillation.
And if that sounds a bit like science fiction, that’s exactly the vibe they’re going for.
As a DJ with a passion for sound and a flavour obsessive with a background in tech, Kerrie wanted to do more than just make gin—she wanted to make noise.
“I drink the gin for a bit and think, what would I want to listen to while I’m drinking this?” she says.
That’s where the signature Spotify barcode comes in. Each batch is bottled with its own soundtrack, letting drinkers scan, sip and sink into the full aural experience.
Lucky 13, their bold, house-forward gin, comes paired with—you guessed it—a punchy house music playlist. Rogue Tom, the richer, maltier Old Tom gin, flows effortlessly alongside acid jazz and early hip-hop. It’s a multisensory moment that turns a simple G&T into an occasion.
After careers in academia and artificial intelligence, the pair found themselves craving something more grounded—and a little more spirited.
“We had a particularly bad day and I said, this is ridiculous. Let’s go make gin,” Kerrie laughs. And that offhand remark became the seed of what’s now one of the most talked-about small-batch distilleries in the world.
The result is a truly boutique spirit. Unlike traditional gin makers who cut, steam or boil their botanicals, Tonalicious uses acoustic energy to draw out the essence of ingredients in a cold process that keeps the flavour vibrant and clean.
“It’s like cold pressing,” Kerrie explains. “We get the flavour out first with sound, then we put it through the distillation process.”
Every bottle is made in limited quantities with a high level of craftsmanship. From hand-zesting citrus to careful sonic infusion, it’s a process that’s as meticulous as it is inventive.
“It’s really handcrafted,” Kerrie says. “We don’t mass produce—it’s small batches, done with care.”
That innovation hasn’t gone unnoticed. In just 18 months of public release, Tonalicious has swept up awards on both sides of the Tasman. Their Rogue Tom won Best Old Tom Gin in New Zealand and a gold medal at the World Gin Awards, while Lucky 13 took out Best South Australian Gin at the Australian Distillers Awards, as well as a gold medal and the title of Best Compound Gin globally.
Tonalicious Spirit Co. is redefining gin in Adelaide with a world-first sonic distillation method that fuses sound, flavour and music into every handcrafted bottle.“It does blow my mind,” Kerrie admits.
Currently, Tonalicious is sold online and in select venues, with plans to expand into independent bottle shops and pubs around South Australia. While there’s no cellar door just yet, the hope is to eventually create a space where curious gin lovers can witness the sonic process for themselves.
Until then, a little warehouse in Adelaide’s west is quietly crafting some of the most forward-thinking spirits in the world—one beat, and one bottle, at a time.
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