Tiny Bear Distillery
About the distillery
Tiny Bear Distillery is located in Knoxfield in Victoria and is a Melbourne-based distillery with a clear love for gin, local ingredients, and in-house tastings. Here, you’ll find both classic gin expressions and more playful variations featuring Australian botanicals, and the venue is set up for guests who want to taste, learn, and take a bottle home.
History
Established as a Melbourne distillery with a global outlook
Tiny Bear Distillery tells the story of a beginning driven by the desire to craft spirits that reflect Melbourne’s diverse and innovative character. The distillery describes itself as rooted locally in Melbourne, but with ambitions to reach out to new markets, and it mentions both export activities and contact with distributors, agents, and contract distillers. Over the past 12 months, Tiny Bear has taken the brand to China and India as part of this development.
Ingredients and production
Tiny Bear works with in-house distillation and places great emphasis on botanicals. In gin production, the process begins with a kale wine, made from kale, water, sugar, and yeast. Kale is used to feed the fermentation before the liquid is further distilled into a neutral spirit, which later gets its character from botanicals and gin blends. The distillery also says that in masterclasses, guests get to work through the entire process: fermentation, distillation, vapour infusing, dilution, finishing, bottling, and labelling. This points to a production where guest and product meet closely, and where the craft is made visible throughout—from raw ingredient to finished bottle.
Maturation and barrel types
Aging plays a particularly important role in Christmas Gin - Barrel Aged, which is barrel aged for 6 months. That kind of aging allows the distillery to create a more rounded and distinctive gin, where the barrel becomes part of the expression. In addition, Tiny Bear talks about special blends and infusion processes, including in Limoncello, where the aromatic oils are drawn out over 3 months. It’s a house that uses time as an asset—both in the barrel and through slow extraction.
Whiskies
The core range revolves around gin in multiple directions: London Dry, London Dry in navy strength, Harvest Gin, Sailor Gin, Spiced Gin, Australian Summer Gin, Passionfruit Gin, WIILD SPRING GIN, Lemon Honey & Ginger Gin, YOLO Gin, Christmas Gin, and a barrel aged version. In addition, there are a Coffee Liqueur and Limoncello. The range spans from dry, juniper-dominant gins to more fruity, spiced, and playfully botanical expressions. The common thread is a distinct gin identity, where cocktails, serving suggestions, and seasonal editions are very prominent.
General tasting profile
Visit the distillery
Tiny Bear can be visited in Knoxfield, where guests can book tastings, gin and cheese boards, and masterclasses. A cellar door tasting experience for two people is available, with five tastings and a cheese board, and there is also an option for a tasting paddle with a bottle of your choice. The Gin 101 Masterclass gives participants the chance to be involved in the production itself and ends with a take-home bottle. For larger groups, you’re encouraged to call or email, and booking is handled directly in connection with the experience.
See times and book a visit.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
Tiny Bear builds its identity on the idea that there is a small but brave force in every person. That concept is tied to an ambition to make spirits with quality, care, and personality. The distillery highlights both innovation and tradition, local ingredients, and a strong sense of community around the venue in Melbourne. At the same time, quality and craftsmanship are an underlying principle, supported by carefully selected botanicals and production on site.