Sunshine & Sons is about love, friendship, caring, listening, togetherness, warmth, and of course sunshine.
Sunshine & Sons is everything you love about our part of the world and everything we love about premium spirits. It’s the feeling of escape. Of what it’s like to get away. To be free.
To share lazy, laid-back sub-tropical days and nights on any one of the coast’s incredible ocean beaches and long walks through rainforest cared for by the traditional custodians of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi people, for over 60,000 years.
When you know you really in the best place on earth and in the place you are meant to be with the people you love creating shared memories that will last a lifetime and shape you to be the very best version of your self.
We call it THE COAST SPIRIT.
As well as being passionate about producing beautiful premium spirits, we focus on preserving the beautiful environment in which we have the privilege to live and work in. Absolutely no harm to our people and our planet.
Our home and Distillery is located in lush Sunshine Coast hinterland rainforest, neighbouring and just a short drive from Queensland’s iconic and much loved Big Pineapple. It is here that we create and share our Sunshine & Sons Premium Spirits, pot-distilled with a carefully curated mix of local and traditional botanicals.
Maria and Sarah, our gleaming 6,000 and 2,500 litre pot stills were hand-made in Tasmanian and commissioned in January 2020 to Head Distiller, Adam Chapman‘s proprietary design and specifications. Made from the finest German copper, they‘ve been meticulously designed to create stunning and complex flavour profiles – an integral element of our vision to let The Coast Spirit shine.
It’s both tradition and good luck to name stills in much the same way naming ships started over a thousand years ago, when sailors named vessels after gods, goddesses or saints hoping to bring good fortune to their travels.
Sarah, our 2,500 litre spirit still, is named in homage to the beautiful wife of James Costar who was the licensee of Woombye’s first pub, aptly named Nil Desperandum which gives its name to our sister brand, the maker of Australia’s Finest Rum.
Maria, our imposing and elegant 6,000 litre wash still is a sight to see as you enter our Distillery Door.
Amongst the very largest pot stills on mainland Australia her dimensions and scale are seemingly at odds with the exquisite and delicate nature of the low wines she produces.
A state of the art steam heat exchanger ensures sustainable energy efficient heating of the fermented wash as our vision of distilling spirits to equal the world’s best takes shape, with a consequent noise and hum that is hypnotic.
Named in honour of Maria Amour, the mother of James Costar, after many months of shaping and construction Maria travelled by ship across Bass Strait in December 2019. A fitting link to the pre-eminent mode of transport during Maria’s lifetime.
Our distillery has been identified as a 2024 Best of Queensland Experience!
The Best of Queensland Experiences Program recognises businesses that deliver exceptional transformational experiences, bring the Queensland story to life and consistently deliver an exceptional customer experience.
From coastline to farmland, the Sunshine Coast’s unique geographic location within a UNESCO Biosphere corridor creates a recipe for success.
Queensland’s Sunshine Pantry stars certified organic farms, bucket list experiences, and local food and drink that’s been inspired by the best that our region has to offer. Read about our feature or watch the video below.
Sunshine & Sons has proudly joined the prestigious Queensland Distillery Trail, a collaborative venture led by the Queensland Distillers’ Association Inc. and its esteemed members.
Embark on a captivating journey of flavour, craftsmanship, and culture with our trail offering more than just distilleries – it’s an immersive experience into the world of spirits. Join us and 24 other remarkable distilleries on this incredible trail! View the Trail Map »
Head Distiller Adam is at the very centre of our shared vision to produce fine spirits that surprise and delight. With an extensive 35 year International career and qualifications in wine making and spirits production & education Adam’s approach to the creation of beautiful drinks combines centuries old traditions with modern science.
* Excludes selected product lines - Noosa Festival of Surfing, Kherson Liberation Gin, Patron’s Peace Vodka, The Generals Gin, Greenslander Gin & Woodfordia Dry Gin
