Spirit Thief are a Tasmanian based, gypsy whisky distilling company. Originally begun as a very small-scale experiment between a few friends, with an eye to exploring red wine cask matured Australian whisky, it soon evolved into an independent bottler and not long after as an extension of their vision, a gypsy distilling operation.

Gypsy distilling is not super common in Australia but does seem to be growing in popularity. Gypsy distilling allows people who want to make spirits to have full control over the way the spirit is produced (in addition to how and where it is matured which is more typical in an independent bottling business) without needing to manage and maintain a dedicated distilling facility full time, instead utilising an existing facility that has excess capacity. This can be a win for the distillery as well, as it can produce extra cash flow to help cover (the often substantial) setup and running costs.