Distilleries of the Northern Rivers NSW
The Northern Rivers stretches across the far north-east corner of New South Wales, taking in the Tweed, Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Kyogle areas. It’s a diverse part of Australia, where subtropical coastline, rainforest, river valleys and fertile farmland sit surprisingly close together.
That landscape has also helped shape a strong local food and drinks scene. Sugarcane, native botanicals and other locally grown ingredients are finding their way into spirits produced across the region, while a growing number of distilleries have opened cellar doors where visitors can meet the makers, tour the facilities and taste what is being produced locally. The Tweed in particular now promotes its paddock-to-bottle distilleries as part of the region’s food and drink experience.
Having lived in the Northern Rivers for many years, we’ve visited these distilleries ourselves. Rather than trying to list every producer in the region, this guide focuses on the places we’ve experienced first-hand — what each is known for, what we enjoyed, whether you can eat there, tours and tastings, standout award-winning spirits and the practicalities of getting from one to the next.
Northern Rivers Distilleries at a Glance
Husk Farm Distillery – North Tumbulgum
Best for Australian rum, Ink Gin, lunch and a relaxed afternoon. Husk has a public cellar door, full dining at Planter’s Kitchen, more casual food on the Lawn, tastings and distillery tours.
Cape Byron Distillery – McLeods Shoot
Best known for Brookie’s Gin, native botanicals and its regenerated rainforest setting. There’s a public cellar door, grazing-style food, guided tastings, rainforest gin tours and whisky experiences.
Lord Byron Distillery – Byron Bay
A good choice for rum, cocktails and more hands-on experiences. The cellar door offers tastings and food, with distillery tours, cocktail classes, distil-your-own-gin experiences and the LBD Cask Program.
Winding Road Distilling Co. – Tintenbar
A small-batch producer making rum, gin, whiskey and other spirits. We’ve tried their Hinterland Single Malt Whiskey, but this isn’t currently a regular public cellar-door stop, so check directly before planning a visit.
Cut Snake Distillery – Burringbar
A small local producer making Australian Dry Gin, Cane Cutters White and Timber Spice Cane Spirit. Cut Snake doesn’t operate a public cellar door and is primarily an online business, so include it on your Northern Rivers spirits shopping list rather than your distillery road trip.
Husk Farm Distillery – North Tumbulgum
Husk Farm Distillery is one of our favourite local places and, because we live nearby, somewhere we’ve visited many times over the years. We’ve watched it grow from its early days in a tiny farm shed into the architecturally impressive distillery, cellar door and dining destination it is today.
We’ve been here for tours and tastings, long lunches, happy hour, live music and private events in the Barrel Room. Sometimes we’ve simply dropped in with friends for a cocktail on the lawn. That’s what we particularly like about Husk — it doesn’t have to be a formal distillery visit.
Husk is best known for Ink Gin and its Australian rum. The colour-changing Ink Gin helped put the distillery on the map, while rum was the original passion behind the business. Today, Husk produces Australian Cultivated Rum using fresh cane juice grown on the property.
Spirit award highlight: Husk Rare Blend was awarded Gold and the trophy for Best Rum at the 2025 Australian International Spirits Awards. Husk Pure Cane also has an impressive awards record, including Gold and Best of Class at the American Distilling Institute Awards.
Food: Husk is one of the distilleries where we’d allow time to eat. Planter’s Kitchen is designed for relaxed long lunches using seasonal, locally sourced and home-grown produce. The Lawn is the more casual option for food and drinks, while the Cellar Door offers tasting flights, cocktails and bar snacks.
Tours at Husk Farm Distillery
If you’d like to learn more about how Husk’s spirits are made, there are a couple of experiences worth considering.
The Farm to Bottle Rum Tour & Tasting takes you behind the scenes to learn how Husk produces its Australian rum from freshly crushed sugarcane grown on the farm.
Gin lovers can instead book the Ink Gin Experience, which focuses on the distillery’s best-known gin.
Our pick: For a first visit, we’d combine one of the experiences with lunch and allow a few hours to enjoy the property. If you’ve already done a tour, Husk is equally good for simply settling in with a cocktail and something to eat.
Read our full Husk Farm Distillery Tumbulgum: A Local’s Guide to Visiting for more about Ink Gin, Husk Rum, food and what we’ve learnt from visiting regularly over the years.
Getting Around the Northern Rivers Distilleries
The distilleries in this guide are spread across the Northern Rivers, so having a little transport planning in place makes a big difference — particularly if you intend to join tastings along the way.
Which Airport Is Best?
Gold Coast Airport is the most convenient starting point for the northern end of the route. Husk Farm Distillery is around 20 minutes from the airport, making it an easy first or last stop when exploring the Tweed Valley.
For Byron Bay and the southern end of the route, Ballina Byron Gateway Airport is another convenient option. Ballina is around 30 minutes by road from Byron Bay, while Gold Coast Airport is roughly an hour from Ballina.
Car Hire or Private Transfer?
Hiring a car gives you the most flexibility, particularly if you’re combining the distilleries with places such as Tumbulgum, Burringbar, Byron Bay and the hinterland.
However, there’s an obvious catch with a distillery road trip: someone has to drive. If everyone in your group wants to participate in the tastings, we’d choose a private driver, transfer or organised tour instead.
We’ve used private drivers in our travels many times and, for a small group, I particularly like the flexibility of being able to decide how long you spend at each stop rather than following a fixed tour schedule.
Both Husk Farm Distillery and Cape Byron Distillery list private transfer and tour options for visitors who don’t want to drive. Cape Byron is only around 10 minutes from central Byron Bay, so a taxi or rideshare can also work well for a single distillery visit.
Don’t Try to Visit Them All in One Day
I wouldn’t turn this into a race from cellar door to cellar door.
For us, part of the appeal is combining a distillery with somewhere else nearby — as we did with our early morning Cape Byron Lighthouse walk, some shopping in Byron Bay and then Cape Byron Distillery later in the day.
I’d divide the region into Tweed Valley and Byron Bay/hinterland, particularly if you want time for a tour, food and a couple of drinks rather than simply ticking off distilleries.
💡 Progressive Traveller Tip
If you’re hiring a car, use it to explore the region but nominate a driver on distillery days. If everyone wants to taste, book a private transfer or organised distillery tour instead.
Distillery Tours & Private Transfers
If everyone in your group wants to enjoy the tastings, an organised tour or private transfer makes much more sense than nominating a driver.
One option we’ve found for the Byron Bay end of the Northern Rivers is Behind the Barrel, which runs small-group tours combining local breweries and distilleries. Pick-up and drop-off is available from Byron Bay, Lennox Head and Ballina.
Half-Day Byron Bay Brewery & Distillery Tour
Short on time? The Byron Bay Afternoon Brewery & Distillery Tour runs for around four hours and visits three venues, combining local breweries and a distillery.
Tastings are included and venues vary depending on the day’s itinerary, with distillery stops potentially including Lord Byron Distillery or Cape Byron Distillery. Food isn’t included but can be purchased along the way.
Full-Day Brewery & Distillery Tour with Lunch
If you’d prefer to make a day of it, the Byron Bay Brewery & Distillery Day Tour runs for around six hours and visits four venues — generally three breweries and a distillery or two breweries and two distilleries.
Around 15–20 tastings are included throughout the day, along with lunch and transport. The GetYourGuide itinerary currently lists Lord Byron Distillery or Cape Byron Distillery as potential distillery stops, although venues can vary.
Check availability for the Full-Day Brewery & Distillery Tour
Northern Rivers Rail Trail E-Bike & Husk Distillery Tour
This one caught my attention because it combines two of the Tweed Valley’s highlights in one day — the Northern Rivers Rail Trail and Husk Farm Distillery.
The seven-hour Rail Trail E-Bike Ride & Husk Distillery Tour starts with a two-hour self-guided e-bike ride through the hinterland and rainforest towards Burringbar. Afterwards, you’re transferred to Husk for a guided behind-the-scenes distillery tour, welcome drink and seven-spirit tasting, followed by a three-course lunch at Planter’s Kitchen.
Return transfers are available from selected Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Tweed Coast areas, so there’s no need to worry about driving after the tasting.
Check availability for the Rail Trail E-Bike & Husk Distillery Tour
Private Tours & Transfers
If you’re more interested in distilleries than breweries, a private tour or driver may suit you better. Behind the Barrel also offers private tours, which can provide more flexibility for groups.
For the Tweed Valley, Husk works with several local transfer and tour operators, with services available from the Tweed Coast, Gold Coast and Byron Bay. There’s also a local shuttle service from areas including Kingscliff, Casuarina, Cabarita, Pottsville, Tweed Heads and Murwillumbah, although bookings and minimum passenger numbers apply.
Cape Byron Distillery also lists taxis, private transfers, minibuses and organised tours as options if you’d rather leave the car behind.
💡 Progressive Traveller Tip
For two people visiting just one distillery, a taxi or transfer may be the simplest option. If you’re staying in Byron Bay and want to visit several venues, an organised tour takes care of the transport and means everyone can participate in the tastings.
For a group wanting more control over which distilleries you visit and how long you stay, we’d compare the cost of a private driver or customised tour instead.
Which Northern Rivers Distillery Should You Visit?
The Northern Rivers has developed an impressive distilling scene, but I wouldn’t try to squeeze all these places into one trip.
For a long lunch, cocktails and a relaxed afternoon, Husk Farm Distillery would be our pick. Cape Byron Distillery stands out for its rainforest setting and native botanicals, while Lord Byron Distillery is a good choice if you want something more hands-on, such as a cocktail class or making your own gin.
Smaller producers including Winding Road and Cut Snake show another side of the region’s distilling industry, while Yamba Distilling Co. and Bunker Distillery are firmly on our list for future visits.
Having lived in the Northern Rivers for many years, what I particularly like is how closely these distilleries are connected to the region around them — sugarcane, native botanicals, local produce and the people behind the spirits. Take your time, choose one or two distilleries and combine them with exploring the surrounding towns, villages and countryside.
Continue Exploring the Northern Rivers NSW
There’s much more to the Northern Rivers than its distilleries. If you’re spending a few days exploring the region, these first-hand guides will help you plan what to see and do:
- Husk Farm Distillery Tumbulgum: A Local’s Guide to Visiting – Our detailed guide to Husk, including tours, tastings, food and what to expect when you visit.
- Things to Do in Tumbulgum NSW – Discover this small Tweed Valley village on the banks of the Tweed River.
- Where to Eat in Tumbulgum NSW + Nearby Local Favourites – Our local picks for eating and drinking around Tumbulgum.
- Burringbar NSW & Northern Rivers Rail Trail Guide – Explore Burringbar and one of the most popular sections of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.
- Murwillumbah Travel Guide – What to see, where to eat and how to explore this Tweed Valley town.
- Condong Sugar Mill – Learn more about the sugarcane industry that has shaped this part of the Northern Rivers.
- Things to Know About Weipa Australia – One of our Australian regional travel guides for travellers interested in exploring further afield.
