“By the time people come up the driveway, they’re like, ‘Where are we? This isn’t Coffin Bay,’ and then they walk in the doors and go, ‘Oh — this is Coffin Bay proper.’“
There’s no sign pointing you there. By the time you reach the end of the gravel road, most visitors are already wondering if they’ve taken a wrong turn. Then the limestone cliffs open to a view over the Coffin Bay National Park, so breathtaking you wonder how there aren’t crowds of people waving their phones in the air. You’ve arrived at one of South Australia’s most elusive distilleries, sitting along five hundred acres of basically untouched coastline. The kind of place you’ll never find by accident, but wish you did.
Coffin Bay Spirits isn’t chasing visitors. Founders and Ben and Caro are natives of the region, but never set out to run a traditional cellar door. In fact, they built their coastal distillery almost by accident.
During the lockdowns, the pair found themselves grounded on their remote property, both out of work from their Indigenous land management roles. Surrounded by bush and ocean, they began experimenting with the botanicals and seaweeds around them, infusing and steeping bathtub style, and sending samples to chefs in Adelaide.
What started as creative curiosity evolved into a single-origin spirits label defined entirely by place. The coastline – its flora, seaweed, and salt air – became the brand’s DNA.
Officially launched in 2021 – the cellar door slowly opening this year – Coffin Bay Spirits has built a quiet reputation among discerning drinkers and bartenders. Without any marketing, its bottles have found a home in some of Adelaide’s most premium venues, including Malt & Juniper.
Unlike sourcing citrus or aromatics to suggest a coastal flavour, Coffin Bay Spirits works with ingredients harvested directly from the shore. The gin isn’t inspired by the ocean, it’s the best bits of it.
The team holds a unique fishing licence, giving them permission to harvest up to eight different species of seaweed from the waters in front of their property. It’s this access that shapes that is the foundation of their spirits and their food pairings. A single seaweed variety, available only to them globally, even infuses the olive oil used for spirit-pairing lunches served onsite.
In an industry often focused on process and equipment, Coffin Bay Spirits takes a different approach. It’s a philosophy closer to winemaking than distilling, where place and provenance tell the story. Here, you can literally walk down the path, taste what’s growing, and understand what’s in the bottle.
The current range includes a Bush Blossom Gin, High Tide Gin, Rare Coastal Gin, and a High Tide Gin and Tonic. Whether it be native juniper (Boobialla), flowered succulent karkalla, or oceanic botanics like the foraged seaweed, the bottles pull from the entire coastline.
The cellar door experience is as unorthodox as the location. There’s no sign-in desk or tourist traffic, no option to book online. Visits are by appointment only, tailored for small groups who want to slow down and immerse themselves in the landscape. Ben explains that the experience – menu, cocktails, vibe – is entirely curated around the group, so no two offerings are the same.
A visit might include a spirit-pairing lunch overlooking the cliffs, with seaweed-infused olive oil paired with sourdough baked on woodfire, and martinis drawn from the same botanicals growing metres away. Another could see guests arriving by boat, swimming with dolphins before landing on the beach for a private tasting.
The drinks are the hero, but beyond that, it’s the sense of place that lingers. The quiet, the expanse, the feeling of being somewhere entirely untouched. The landscape is their weapon. Walk down through a bit of bush and you’ll find yourself standing on the edge of two kilometres of coastal cliff frontage. It’s easy to forget there’s a town just 25 minutes away.
Ben and Caro don’t plan to change that, which is why Coffin Bay Spirits remains one of South Australia’s most elusive hidden gems. They’re not chasing crowds, just putting something delicious in your hand and letting the experience speak for itself. You arrive wondering if you’re lost, and leave certain you’ve stumbled onto something you shouldn’t have found.
Coffin Bay Spirits is open by appointment only, [email protected] to enquire.
For the website, click here.
More News
