Adelaide Hills Distillery was founded in 2014 by winemaker Sacha La Forgia. After completing his degree, Sacha left Australia to work 13 vintages in famed wine-making regions across the globe. During his final stop in Frulia Italy, Sacha spent time at a Grappa distillery where he met a distiller who recognised his ability and passion and encouraged him to return to Australia and start his own distillery.
78° is the boiling point of alcohol, water boils at 100° so 78° is the magic number that let's us distil. For our Gin all of our botanicals are extracted at 78° which is much lower than other distilleries.
Sacha hand crafted a copper still and in 2015 launched 78˚ Classic Gin, a product that quickly gained a reputation as a high quality small batch gin showing unique Australian characteristics.
In 2016, Steve Dorman and Toby Kline of The Hills Cider Company joined Sacha and together they embarked upon the next stage of Adelaide Hills Distillery – expanding the product range and increasing production capabilities.
In December 2018, Adelaide Hills Distillery moved into its new home, shared with Mismatch Brewing Co, The Hills Cider Company, Vinteloper & Ashton Valley Fresh. The Lot 100 site is home to the state of the art distillery and restaurant, with ample space to grow and utilise the land around it.
“I saw the briefest window for creating a small batch gin here in Adelaide, so I had to move fast.”
As head distiller, Sacha continues to experiment, research and utilise uniquely Australian botanicals and the range has expanded to include an exciting collection of gins, vermouths, aperitifs and Australian Whiskey.
With an enviable number of awards and accolades, Adelaide Hills Distillery continues to push traditional boundaries and raise the benchmark of craft spirits, all with a uniquely Australian signature.
