Company Story

Creating locally expressive refined wines and spirits is in Michael's DNA. His grandfather, Alan Robb Hickinbotham, was a gifted chemist who in 1936, during the great depression, established Australia's, and one of the world's, first university degrees dedicated to oenology and viticulture at the University of Adelaide Roseworthy Campus.

Hence when establishing Australian Distilling Co., it is perhaps not surprising that Michael looked to an academic approach to create the best possible locally expressive spirits and he naturally sought this at the University of Adelaide. Here he found Dr Graham Jones, renowned throughout Australia for his mix of technical distilling expertise and creativity.

Michael's founding vision is to "create a portfolio of world-class spirits that celebrate and connect with the uniquely Australian way of life." Through championing local ingredients and iconic locales, every bottle says something about the community that inspired it. As Michael says, "Every spirit Australian Distilling Co. produces is a homage to the beautiful cities and regions of Australia."

This vision is achieved by combining Master Distiller, Dr Graham Jones's expertise and ability to craft award-winning recipes with an experienced production team. Each product Australian Distilling Co. creates is distilled locally to harness regional ingredients, personalities and character.

Australian Distilling Co. has stills located in:
- Adelaide, South Australia
- Fremantle, Western Australia
- Geelong, Victoria
- Darwin, Northern Territory
- Bondi, New South Wales
- Melbourne, Victoria
- Brisbane, Queensland.

The folk at Australian Distilling Co. are dedicated to creating spirits that are authentically Australian and produced locally in their namesake locations. They operate or partner with local distilleries to support communities and fulfil their mission to creating spirits that are "Beautifully Crafted and Uniquely Australian."