McLaren Vale distillery, Never Never Distilling Co, is expanding its horizons with the launch of its Signature Vodka – its first permanent product beyond gin. The company says the result is the “ultimate expression of smooth.”
Starting out in 2017, Never Never was acquired by Asahi Beverages in May 2024. From humble beginnings in a 16‐square‐metre shed in South Australia, the distillery has grown to international acclaim through its bold flavour combinations and pioneering triple‐juniper gin. Never Never also recently completed a brand refresh, with redesigned labels and a move from 500ml to 700ml bottles.
Distilled from Australian wheat spirit, Signature Vodka is enriched with distilled olive, coconut and avocado oils, an unconventional approach designed to create texture. It is then filtered through activated carbon for 16 hours and blended with McLaren Vale water adjusted with natural salts to enhance pH and mouthfeel.
Never Never co-founder, Sean Baxter, said the company built a textural vodka using the techniques learned over eight years of making some of Australia’s best gins.
“This isn’t a departure – it’s an extension of what we already do well, and it gives us the chance to bring something genuinely new to a category that has long been defined by sameness,” said Baxter.
“Creating an authentic premium vodka in Australia is challenging – we don’t have Russian winter wheat or Icelandic glacier water. What we do have is a strong understanding of how to innovate with process and ingredients, and Signature Vodka reflects that.”
The frosted bottle, metallic label and clean design reflect cues from the premium vodka category, while also providing bartenders with practical features such as grip, batching gradients and a textured base for pouring.
Never Never Signature Vodka is now available at the distillery door in McLaren Vale and online at neverneverdistilling.com.au, with distribution through retailers and bars to follow.
