Cape Byron Distillery

What Cape Byron Distillery does

Cape Byron Distillery Pty Ltd is a privately held, family-owned Australian craft distillery headquartered on a 95-acre regenerated subtropical rainforest farm at 80 St Helena Road, McLeods Shoot, in the Byron Bay hinterland. The company operates two principal brand families: Brookie's Gin (including Byron Dry Gin distilled with 25 botanicals of which 17 are native to the Northern Rivers, plus Slow Gin, Shirl the Pearl Cumquat Gin, Mac. Liqueur, and ready-to-drink lines) and Cape Byron Whisky (a single malt programme established in 2019 by Master Distiller Jim McEwan, featuring The Original expression and a series of limited cask releases). Production uses copper pot stills named George and Micko, with whisky aged in American oak ex-bourbon and wine casks in a coastal rainforest environment that accelerates maturation.

The business generates revenue through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store shipping Australia-wide, an on-site cellar door with guided tours and tastings, private events and venue hire, a subscription programme offering 10% savings, the Private Whisky Cask Programme for cask ownership, wholesale through Australian liquor retailers, and co-manufacturing services. Product pricing ranges from $25 (vodka) through $67–$85 (gins and liqueurs) to $129.99–$200 for limited whisky releases. The company holds B-Corp Certification, sources malted barley from Stone & Wood, and has been recognised with over 20 international awards including Australia's Highest Awarded Single Malt Whisky (2023) and consecutive World's Best Nut Liqueur honours for Mac. Liqueur.

The company is bootstrapped and family-controlled by the Brook family, with Eddie Brook as co-founder and Jim McEwan (formerly Master Distiller at Bowmore and Bruichladdich) as co-founder and Master Distiller. Operations are restricted to Australia-only shipping, representing both the current focus and the principal unrealised expansion vector. Recent strategic activity has centred on category expansion (vodka, aperitivo, non-alcoholic), limited cask releases, and whisky programme maturation.

Name

Cape Byron Distillery

Legal name

Cape Byron Distillery Pty Ltd

Website

https://capebyrondistillery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cape Byron Distillery is a family-owned Australian craft distillery operating Brookie's Gin and Cape Byron Whisky brands from a 95-acre rainforest farm in Byron Bay. It sells premium spirits direct-to-consumer via e-commerce, cellar door, venue hire, and private cask ownership across Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distilled Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140), Distilleries (31214), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF), Spirits Retail & Whiskey Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAD)

Keywords

• Craft spirits production
• Australian single malt whisky
• Botanical gin distillery
• Distillery tours tastings
• Ready-to-drink cocktails

Headquarters

HQ city

Coopers Shoot

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Spirits Sales (Direct-to-Consumer): Direct sales of gin, whisky, liqueurs, vodka, and ready-to-drink products through the company's e-commerce website and cellar door. Products include Brookie's Dry Gin, Slow Gin, Mac. Liqueur, Shirl the Pearl Gin, Cape Byron Single Malt Whiskies, and RTD spritzes.
2. Whisky Cask Programme: Private cask sales where customers purchase whisky casks that mature on the distillery property. Cask owners receive annual samples, exclusive club benefits, early access to limited releases, and eventually bottled whisky from their cask. Options include 100L and 200L casks.
3. Cellar Door Experiences: Revenue from guided tasting sessions, distillery tours (Brookie's Rainforest & Gin Tasting Tour, Whisky Tour), cocktail experiences, and venue hire for private events including weddings, corporate functions, and celebrations.
4. Distillery Tour Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for distillery tours, providing another revenue stream and customer acquisition channel.
5. Co-Manufacturing Services: The company offers co-manufacturing services as indicated by the 'Co-Manufacturing' page link in the navigation, suggesting they produce spirits for other brands.
6. Subscription Model: Monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly subscription delivery of products with 10% savings after first order, free shipping included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Cape Byron Distillery manufactures and sells premium Australian craft spirits, primarily Brookie's Gin (dry gin, slow gin, cumquat gin, limited editions, ready-to-drink cocktails, non-alcoholic spritzes, macadamia liqueur, aperitivo and vodka) and Cape Byron Single Malt Whisky (signature and limited cask releases). The distillery also runs cellar door experiences including rainforest gin tastings, whisky tours, guided tastings, cocktail service and venue hire, plus a Private Whisky Cask ownership programme.

Product overview

Cape Byron Distillery is an Australian spirits producer operating two primary brands: Brookie's Gin and Cape Byron Whisky. The Brookie's Range features multiple gin expressions including Byron Dry Gin (distilled with 25 botanicals, 17 native), Slow Gin (Davidson Plum-based), Shirl the Pearl Cumquat Gin, and Turkish Delight Gin, alongside ready-to-drink products (Negroni, Blood Orange Spritz, Gin & Tonic), the Mac. Liqueur (macadamia and wattleseed), Sundrift Aperitivo, and non-alcoholic Free Spirited options. The Cape Byron Whisky Range includes The Original Single Malt, limited cask releases (Chardonnay, Viognier, Stone Beer, Tawny Cask, French Oak Cask, Serendipity Peated, and Mac. Liqueur Cask), plus a Private Cask Programme for personalized whisky ownership. The company also offers distillery experiences including rainforest tours, whisky tours, guided tastings, and venue hire services. Sustainability-focused with B-Corp certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brookie's Byron Dry Gin Modern Australian gin distilled with 25 botanicals including 17 native Northern Rivers species, bottled at 43% ABV. Sold to adult consumers for cocktails and gifting, awarded multiple international golds.
• Brookie's Byron Slow Gin Rare sloe-style gin made from Davidson Plum, bottled at 26% ABV with rose, watermelon and bright plum flavours, sold to premium spirit enthusiasts.
• Brookie's Shirl the Pearl Cumquat Gin Locally grown cumquat-infused gin balanced with Mount Warning spring water, bottled at 37.7% ABV with citrus and orange blossom notes for craft gin buyers.
• Brookie's Turkish Delight Gin Limited edition gin infused with rose, orange blossom, Meyer lemon and sweetness, produced in collaboration with The Smoking Camel and targeted at gin enthusiasts.
• Mac. Liqueur by Brookie's Premium roasted macadamia and wattleseed liqueur using Northern Rivers macadamias, multiple World's Best Nut Liqueur winner, sold to spirit and liqueur enthusiasts.
• Brookie's Barrel Aged Mac. Liqueur Limited release barrel-aged Macadamia liqueur with only 69 bottles produced, targeted at collectors and liqueur enthusiasts.
• Brookie's Sundrift Aperitivo Australian aperitivo crafted with native citrus and Davidson Plum at 15% ABV, sold for spritz-style serves to adult consumers.
• Brookie's Pure Vodka 700mL Premium 700mL vodka at $25.00, sold to adult consumers for home cocktails.
• Brookie's Byron Negroni Ready-to-drink Negroni cocktail made with Brookie's Dry Gin, sold to consumers for convenient at-home serving.
• Brookie's Blood Orange Spritz (Alcoholic) Alcoholic blood orange spritz available in 4-pack and 24-pack formats for at-home serving.
• Brookie's Free Spirited Blood Orange Spritz (Non-Alcoholic) Non-alcoholic blood orange spritz in the Free Spirited range, available in 4-pack and 24-pack formats for non-drinkers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Crowned Australia's Highest Awarded Single Malt Whisky
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stone & Wood BrewingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStone & Wood supplies Australian malted barley for Cape Byron Whisky production. The mash is mixed with water at Stone & Wood, who separate solids from the sweet malty water (wort). This wort is transported to Cape Byron Distillery for fermentation into wash and subsequent distillation into whisky spirit.
• BrookfarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrookfarm hand-roasts the macadamias used in Mac. Liqueur production. All macadamias in the liqueur are sourced from the Northern Rivers region and hand-roasted at Brookfarm.
• Big Scrub ConservancyminorOthersCape Byron Distillery actively supports the Big Scrub Conservancy, an organization dedicated to saving Australia's critically endangered lowland subtropical rainforest and its threatened species from extinction.
• Wild BnBminorOthersAn initiative supported on the Cape Byron family farm. Wild BnB designs, installs, and monitors hollow habitat for wildlife, focusing on threatened species and working with the community to establish habitat in natural, agricultural, and urban environments.
• The Smoking CamelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with The Smoking Camel to create Turkish Delight Gin, infused with rose, orange blossom, meyer lemon, and sweetness, celebrating the friendship between Brookie's Gin and The Smoking Camel.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Sullivan's Cove: Award-winning Tasmanian single malt whisky producer. Direct peer in premium Australian single malt with globally recognised bottlings and similar cask-finishing innovation strategy.
• Four Pillars Gin: Australia's leading craft gin distillery based in Healesville, Victoria. Closest direct competitor in the premium Australian craft gin category with native botanicals, strong awards pedigree, and similar DTC + cellar door + wholesale model.
• Lark Distillery: Tasmanian single malt whisky pioneer and listed Australian craft distillery. Direct peer in Australian premium single malt, with comparable limited release and cask-finishing strategies.
• Archie Rose Distilling Co. Sydney-based Australian craft distillery producing gin, whisky, vodka, and rum. Direct competitor across multi-category craft spirits with overlapping DTC, cellar door, and subscription model.
• Starward Whisky: Australian craft single malt whisky producer based in Melbourne. Direct competitor in Australian single malt with award-winning portfolio, global distribution presence, and overlapping target customer in premium whisky enthusiasts.

Broad incumbents

• Hendrick's Gin: Global premium craft gin brand known for unusual botanicals (rose, cucumber). Comparable positioning in premium/unusual botanical gin category and reference point for craft gin pricing.
• Tanqueray: Established global gin brand. Sets the premium-and-above pricing benchmark and competitive benchmark for craft gin brands like Brookie's in on-premise and retail channels.
• Bruichladdich Distillery: Islay-based progressive Scottish single malt producer where co-founder Jim McEwan served as Master Distiller. Comparable craft single malt innovation, terroir-driven approach, and cask experimentation ethos.

Others

• Stone & Wood Brewing: Northern Rivers craft brewery that supplies Australian malted barley for Cape Byron's whisky and whose Stone Beer casks are used for a limited release whisky. Strategic supplier/partner rather than competitor.

Emerging players

• New World Distillery: Smaller Australian craft distillery producing gin and other spirits with native Australian botanicals. Emerging peer in the same craft + native ingredient category with partial overlap on target customer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brookiesgin
• Instagraminstagram.com/brookiesgin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cape-byron-distillery

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cape Byron Distillery