Bakehouse Distillery is Evoking Tasmania

Evoke spirit from Bakehouse Distillery courtesy Bakehouse Distillery

In the sleepy seaside town of Dover, Tasmania, Bakehouse Distillery is rewriting the rulebook on spirits. 

Housed in a century-old bakehouse, a small distillery is turning out bottles of magic that taste like the wild heart of the island itself. Welcome to Bakehouse Distillery, where history, craftsmanship, and a healthy dose of sass come together in the form of Evoke, a botanical spirit with a story as rich as its flavor.

The Bakehouse Reimagined

Martin Wohlgemuth of Bakehouse Distillery photo credit Liam Neal_Tourism Tasmania

Built in the late 1800s on Lyllequonny country, the distillery site started as a cozy cottage before morphing into a bakery in the 1920s, complete with a wood-fired oven and a proving room that perfumed the neighborhood with fresh dough. Fast-forward to the 1960s, and industrial food production elbowed it out of business. For decades, the building sat abandoned, quietly collecting cobwebs—until Martin Wohlgemuth arrived in 2008, hammer in one hand and a dream in the other.

"Restoring it was a labor of love—and a crash course in patience," says Wohlgemuth. Between navigating local council red tape and coaxing life back into the neglected structure, the journey wasn't exactly a walk in the park. But tucked inside that old proving room, something extraordinary began—a deep dive into the art of distilling. Today, Bakehouse Distillery operates out of a purpose-built facility on the same site, proving that even old bakehouses can rise again—pun fully intended.

Tasmania's Native Bounty

Bakehouse Distillery spirit pour photo credit Liam Neal_Tourism Tasmania

When Wohlgemuth decided to bottle the essence of Tasmania, he wanted sassafras to take center stage. "Gin has juniper, but I thought, why not let sassafras lead the charge?" he explains. 

Wohlgemuth's fascination with sassafras began in his teenage years when he first encountered the aromatic scent of its leaves while making billy tea over a campfire in the rainforest. "Later, I heard stories about old-timers brewing ales with oils extracted from the tree's bark, and tales of Aboriginal use of the plant," he explains. "Of course, there's also the history of sassafras in American root beer—it's a fascinating thread that connects so many cultures and traditions."

For Evoke, he took advice from Australian distilling legend Bill Lark and sourced his alcohol from Australian-grown sugar cane, adding a splash of cherry juice, a pinch of native pepper, and a kiss of citrus from his garden. The result? A spirit as nuanced and charming as its birthplace.

"It's subtle but memorable, like a Tasmanian rainforest at dawn," Wohlgemuth says. Best served neat or in cocktails, Evoke is a love letter to the island.

According to Wohlgemuth, sassafras isn't just a quirky ingredient; it's a delicate one, too. That's why he keeps his harvesting minimal—just three leaves per bottle—and grows his own sassafras trees alongside native pepper bushes. "It's not easy, but neither is anything worth doing."

Tasmania in Every Sip

Bakehouse Distillery is a celebration of Tasmania itself—a place where small-scale production meets bold creativity. Wohlgemuth is adamant about maintaining this balance.

"In a world of mass markets, we have the opportunity to offer something different, as long as we remain true to this place and resist the pressure to grow for the sake of profit."

Visitors can book a tasting and tour via email or phone to experience the world's first sassafras-inspired spirit.