Just 45 minutes from Maryborough, located in the quiet hamlet of Glenpatrick, Mrs Baker’s Still House is a must visit for all lovers of gin and liqueurs.
Surrounded by stunning views of the Pyrenees Ranges, the small batch distillery and cellar door is situated on 600 glorious acres. Visitors to the property are met by the resident flock of sheep and Tuesday, the welcoming kelpie.
The distillery itself is sustainably powered with a large onsite solar farm. Many of the ingredients used in the production process are grown in the gardens and orchard on site. Others not found on the property are foraged from the surrounding hills or local farms.
Mrs Baker’s Still House is a family affair, with the operation led by a mother-daughters team. Jane and daughters Elizabeth and Georgette and a team of locals.
Jane originally trained as a botanist and is bursting with knowledge about the gin making processes. Jane came from an IT background and made the full-time tree change from Melbourne in the 2000s. Jane and her husband planted out the vineyard on the property in 2001 and Mrs Baker’s Still House opened in 2016.
“We do a distillation through those plants which give a lot of different flavours,” Jane said.
Mrs Baker’s Still House holds regular gin making masterclasses, titled “A Botanist’s Journey to Gin.” During the three-hour hands-on class, participants get more than a normal tour experience.
“We talk about the plants we grow and use in our botanicals,” Jane said.
“We then go and look at the distillery, I do the chemistry lesson and then they make their own gin before enjoying lunch with their own signature blend.”
Guests also receive a 200mL bottle of their creation to take home, with a personalised label and a record of the gin components.
Mrs Baker’s Still House recently started taking the masterclass on the road and regularly runs classes in Melbourne and Horsham, as well as festivals throughout the region.
You can also find Mrs Baker’s Still House at plenty of events, local and further afield. They attend the Talbot Farmers Market, Pyrenees Unearthed Wine and Food, Grampians Grape Escape, as well as various gin festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart.
Mrs Baker’s Still House attracts visitors from neighbouring farms as well as throughout Victoria as far as Europe, even America.
The range is available to taste and buy at the cellar door, at selected Melbourne and Western Victoria wine bars and outlets as well as online on their website.
