Travel: Clare Valley Distillery and The Stillhouse
From a gin tasting to a working distillery and then over to contemporary accommodation, the Clare Valley Distillery and The Stillhouse is the whole package.
Rows of rolling grapevines and an expanse of lush green lawn lure us in as we make our way up the gravel driveway towards the new Clare Valley Distillery.
The state-of-the-art gin distillery and tasting room, with its distinctive three-peak design, is nestled into the rural landscape, its wooden beams blending into the backdrop of soaring gum trees.
The distillery is the brainchild of local lawyer-turned-gin-maker Katherine Nugent, as well as co-owners Di Mayfield, Katherine’s aunt and long-time collaborator, and Guy Parkinson, a respected Clare chef who is also currently the general manager at Skillogalee Estate.
Katherine is the face of the business and greets us on arrival as we settle in for our gin flight of small-batch gins made on the premises – the Home Gin, with hints of aniseed, black pepper and citrus, the Trailside Gin served with fresh mint and lime, the Celebration Gin (my favourite) and the Melva Gin, made in collaboration with local winemaker Kerri Thompson and her Wines by KT label.
The fresh garnishes picked from local gardens, including Katherine’s, add colour and flavour including slivers of orange, strawberry, lime and borage, and we sip away as we explore the gin offerings, topped up with mixers of elderflower tonic or soda and chunks of ice.
Co-owner Guy came to the business with gin knowhow, having owned Seed Winehouse + Kitchen in Clare which brought gin tasting to the region. He and Katherine had often discussed the gap in the market for a locally made gin.
“A lot of people in Clare, especially tourists, kept asking about a local gin,” Katherine says. “There just wasn’t one so we said, ‘Let’s do it’.
“Ultimately, we wanted to do for Clare what Four Pillars did for Healesville in regional Victoria (Yarra Valley). We wanted to extend Clare’s profile as a serene, beautiful destination where people could come to relax and enjoy sumptuous offerings when it comes to food and wine, walking and recreation, but we wanted to add gin to the mix.
“We also wanted to show off the surroundings, the spectacular gum trees and ridgelines; Ngadjuri Country.”
Finding the right location was central to the success of the venture, and the business secured the large property in 2021. Back then, the only structure on the land was an historic railway cottage which had been in the same family for 60 years and backed directly onto the Riesling Trail.
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That run down cottage has now been extensively renovated and extended to create a new high-end accommodation on site, The Stillhouse, which is adjacent the distillery.
The Stillhouse showcases luxe interiors throughout, created by One Rundle’s Josephine Marshall. Two queen suites in the original cottage offer views to the vines beyond, while the two queen bedrooms in the new extension look out directly to the Riesling Trail, where we see riders whizzing past our window, adding to the authentic appeal of this experience.
The vision for the venture is that guests can enjoy their gin tasting experience at the distillery and linger in the contemporary, beautiful space, then walk a few steps over to The Stillhouse for a night of luxury.
The house boasts a fully-equipped kitchen, gas heater and luxury furnishings which make for a perfect night in, as we opted for, sipping our complimentary gin and cooking up a hearty pasta meal.
When SALIFE visits, Katherine explains she has done a full still run the day before, under the guidance of their gin consultant Darin Kinzie, who hails from California.
“It does feel like something out of Dr Seuss, having the still going and all the bubbling and pops and squeaks, especially with our giant 70-year-old cactus out the front,” she laughs.
“But I love the process and today I pulled out the big cheesecloth sack of botanicals from the still and I will use them to bake my salmon tonight,” she says.
Katherine is hands-on four days a week with all aspects of the business – we discover she’s created all the floral arrangements in the soaring-but-serene tasting room, curated the smooth playlist we are listening to, as well as baked the gin cookies in The Stillhouse.
It is this personalised, boutique approach that epitomises what The Stillhouse and Clare Vallery Distillery are all about – local people who are passionate about creating an authentic experience to be shared in their much-loved corner of Clare.
This article first appeared in the December 2025 issue of SALIFE magazine.
