Have you ever sipped handcrafted butterscotch schnapps? Or felt the nostalgia of lemon myrtle liqueur infused with honey? Pouring handcrafted gins, rums, and liqueurs with creativity and just a hint of mischief, Baker Williams Distillery is one tasting stop you simply can’t miss.
In a region synonymous with wine, it’s easy to fill your visit with vineyard-hopping around our rolling hills. But did you know that Mudgee has its very own distillery?
Sharing a spacious, sun-kissed garden with Vinifera Wines, Baker Williams Distillery is a small-batch micro-distillery that has been pushing boundaries since 2012. The team’s creative enthusiasm is apparent in their award-winning handcrafted gins, rums and liqueurs. And not to mention their pours. This fun bunch turns what could be an ordinary tasting into an occasion that’ll no doubt top your cellar door experience list. Team member Maria hasn’t been dubbed ‘resident cocktail creative’ and ‘defence against the dark arts master’ for nothing.
Expect to leave Baker Williams with a big smile on your face and a few bottles of their famous Butterscotch Schnapps under your arm.
While many Australian beverage connoisseurs have drawn on the USA’s craft beer scene, husband and wife duo Nathan and Helen Williams looked in a different direction during their time in Denver.
“Helen and I had been living in Denver and had seen the growth of the craft industry over there in the early 2000s,” says Nathan. “After returning to Sydney, we saw that while Australia’s craft beer industry was growing, the spirits side seemed very small. Funnily enough, it was the whisky that had my heart, but Helen’s Butterscotch Schnapps quickly became the thing we’re known for.”
The couple eventually traded Sydney’s fast pace for Mudgee’s slower lifestyle. “I kind of dragged Helen back to Mudgee,” Nathan admits. “What’s not to love? Great food, great wine, fabulous community, and quite a cosmopolitan feel for a small country town.”
“We love getting hands-on with what we make,” says Nathan. “We don’t use essences or flavourings, preferring real ingredients from local suppliers as much as possible”.
Baker Williams prides itself on doing things the hard way – because it’s the right way. “We love getting hands-on with what we make,” says Nathan. “We don’t use essences or flavourings, preferring real ingredients from local suppliers as much as possible.”
“We use Goree Park’s oranges in our gin and Orancello. After zesting the oranges, the rest goes to businesses like Hello Lovelies for cordial or Robert Stein Winery’s pig farm, which then supplies Pipeclay Pumphouse,” Nathan explains. “Our community is a great one, and one of our greatest strengths has been working with locals to ensure visitors get a great experience wherever they go.”
The distillery’s range has grown from a humble start. “We began with just a couple of liqueurs,” says Nathan. “Now we’ve got a lineup that includes gins, Orancello, Lemon Myrtle Liqueur, Café Liqueur, and, of course, our Butterscotch Schnapps.”
But that’s not all. Expect to taste barrel-aged gins and soon-to-be-released rum during a tasting. “We’re working with molasses from the Harwood refinery on the NSW North Coast,” Nathan shares.
“We like to think of ourselves as a fun, unstuffy venue,” says Nathan. “If you’ve tasted a bunch of great things and had a good laugh, then we’ve done our job.
At Baker Williams, you’ll find top spirits both in bottles and in vibe. “We like to think of ourselves as a fun, unstuffy venue,” says Nathan. “If you’ve tasted a bunch of great things and had a good laugh, then we’ve done our job.”
From unique flavours to the scents wafting from the one-site distillery, and the friendly ambience of the laid-back lawns and tasting room, expect every sense to be treated at Baker Williams Distillery.
