Coastal Moon Distillery is a small-batch artisan distillery dreamt up by local mates Wes Kolka, Brandon Moon and Harley Anderson. The trio have been pals longer than they care to remember and have, over the years, shared countless celebrations, drowned collective sorrows and commemorated some of life’s big moments, all with a drink in hand. Fond of the occasional tipple, the mates contemplated how great it would be to be part of every celebration, every good time – in spirit. This was the genesis of Coastal Moon Distillery. Armed with a small custom-built still housed in a garden shed and a truck-load of ambition, Wes, Brandon and Harley have spent the last two years tinkering and tasting countless combinations and revising recipes.

Coastal Moon Distillery’s first tangible creation is a smooth single-malt whisky, which is currently maturing in barrels. What you may not know is that Australian law states that whisky must be aged for a minimum of two years. Thankfully (for our taste buds), the gents became pretty impatient waiting for their whisky and branched out to something a little quicker to produce – vodka. An ode to the wonderful women in their life, the vodka is reflective of the trio’s ambition to balance tradition and innovation and pay homage to old-school spirits while adding a contemporary twist. Coastal Moon Distillery has crafted four uniquely flavoured vodkas that align with each of the four astrological elements – fire, earth, water and air. The recently released Zodiac Vodka range features a beautifully vibrant bubblegum vodka for the water signs (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces), while Gemini, Libra and Aquarius star signs are represented with a punchy passionfruit vodka. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius star signs may be drawn to a sweet-but-fiery strawberry sip and last, but by no means least, a refreshing watermelon vodka for Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Beyond pretty colours, Coastal Moon’s vodka is triple distilled and ten-times carbon filtered in small batches using Australian-grown, GMO-free wheat. The team has grand plans to expand the range to include gin, liqueurs and more whisky.

Keen to give it a sip? Shop Coastal Moon Distillery’s range online.