History

Headlands Distilling Co. was founded in 2015 by four friends and started as Wollongong's first distillery. Originally they produced spirits for whisky, and in 2016 the spirit was barreled to age whisky—a task that later led to Seaclift Vodka and a range of gins and specialty products. Their supply chain tracks the grain all the way from the farm in the Riverina region to the distillery in Wollongong, and they maintain close contact with farmers to trace the origin of the ingredients right from the paddock.

In 2019 the Spirit of the Illawarra Plum (Spirit of Illawarra Plum) was launched, a nine-month oak-aged liqueur-like spirit featuring Illawarra Plum. In 2020 we saw the release of their first Single Malt Whisky, finished in casks that previously held Seppeltsfield Rare Rich Apera and Rare Muscat. They also have plans for the world's first Illawarra Plum cask whisky – aged in ex-Illawarra Plum casks.

Production / Manufacturing

Headlands follows a Grain-to-Glass philosophy: everything is produced in-house—from milling grain, mashing, fermentation, distillation, filtration, bottling and label printing. They use locally grown barley and follow the entire process from field to glass to ensure purity and control at every step. Their barley comes directly from the farm to the distillery in Wollongong, where they malt, mash, distill and bottle.

They welcome visitors with free tours and tastings every Friday from 16:00–18:00 and Sunday from 12:00–16:00, no advance booking. During the tours you can sample botanical ingredients and meet the founders.

An important part of the range is the Spanish Sherry-finished whisky collection, consisting of three single-cask whiskies (Oloroso, Palo Cortado and Pedro Ximénez). The whisky started in ex-Bourbon barrels for four years and was finished in authentic sherry casks from Jerez for about three years.

Spirit of the Illawarra Plum is a special section in their range: a spirit based solely on Illawarra Plum and aged in oak for 9 months, with the entire process tuned to express the plum's unique character.

Products / Whisky Series

• Spanish Sherry Cask Whisky Collection: three first-release single-cask whiskies, finished in authentic Spanish sherry casks (Oloroso, Palo Cortado, Pedro Ximénez). The whiskies were first aged in ex-Bourbon casks for four years and finished in sherry casks for three years.
• Single Malt Whisky – Illawarra Plum Single Cask: a unique Australian single malt at 46% ABV, originally distilled in 2016 and bottled in 2023. It has undergone four years in ex-Bourbon cask and a further three years in an Illawarra Plum cask, giving a plum-forward complexity with notes of bush-tucker plums, vanilla and caramel.
• Muscat Cask, Apera Cask and Pedro Ximenez Cask as well as Oloroso Cask and Palo Cortado Cask: these are also single-cask whiskies within Headlands’ range, where the casks provide different layers of sweetness and nutty/roasted notes.
• Headlands Resin – Single Malt Whisky in Resin Brewing 8 Shades Stout Cask: a variant that combines stout-cask aging with Headlands’ single malt.
• World First Illawarra Plum Cask Whisky (pre-release descriptions): plans for the world's first Illawarra Plum cask whisky – aged in ex-Illawarra Plum casks and mentioned as upcoming releases.

Visits / Experiences

• Distillery tours and free tastings every Friday and Sunday: 4–6 pm (Friday) and 12–4 pm (Sunday). No booking required.
• Tours cover distillery equipment used in aging and production from grain to glass, and provide the opportunity to meet the founders and gain insight into the production process and the native botanicals used in the gin range, including Boobialla and Illawarra Plum.

Philosophy

• Grain to Glass: a core philosophy at Headlands, where all steps from milling to bottling are performed in-house to ensure purity and control at every stage.
• Each Headlands product is made from wholly Australian ingredients and produced in-house by their own team.
• The company emphasizes that they build on provenance stories and farms close to the source of ingredients, from soil to glass.