BY.ARTISANS

The hype around gin may have died down, but Brisbane’s love of the spirit certainly hasn’t—and we think the buzz might just peak again now that West End’s new distillery and bar has landed. New to Jane Street, BY.ARTISANS is home to tasting rooms, a bar, a café, event spaces and retail, with stunning interiors that look nothing like what you’d expect from a gin distillery.

This bright, open warehouse space feels almost like a day spa, with gleaming silver distillery tanks in one corner, all white furnishings and plenty of lush greenery—but you won’t be drinking health elixirs here. Focusing on sustainability and doing things a little differently, the team are offering up a carefully crafted menu of specialty sips and classic cocktails. If we had to pick one concoction to try, it would be the Keep It Simple—a deceptively simple-looking twist on the classic Piña Colada that uses a clarification process and their platino cane spirit to make a beautifully smooth, yet creamy sip. When you get peckish, order up a little something from their menu of snacks and small bites, like gildas, crispy ham and provolone toasties or cheese and charcuterie platters. 

One thing that really sets BY.ARTISANS aside from the rest is their approach to the art of distilling. Not only do they create everything from scratch right there in the venue using exclusively Queensland ingredients and products, but they also incorporate and repurpose all waste into something new. Their first batch of gin (which you can buy by the bottle at the venue), utilises unwanted eucalyptus sourced from Lone Pine, which is also distilled into oil, while other leftover products are turned into exfoliating soaps. 

While for now you can head in for a cocktail, a bottle of gin and a few snacks, in the months coming, the team will have perfected a range of gins, vodkas and rums, which you’ll be able to sample in tasting sessions. And if that’s not enough to get you in the doors, BY.ARTISANS will also soon host exclusive candle and soap making classes, as well as gin blending classes so you can get hands-on and create something extra special.  

Image credit: Supplied | Florian Groehn