Successful Australian craft whisky producer, Starward distillery, is moving to a larger facitlity just 10 mintues from the Melbourne CBD.
The brand, which is currently housed in an aircraft hangar in Essendon Fields, has found a new home in a vintage industrial warehouse that is twice the size and located in Port Melbourne.
The refurbishment of the warehouse is underway, with Starward confirming to bars&clubs that its new Italian-made stills will “be in” today, 26 October. The brand new stills are five times the capacity of the original Starward still – which will be decommissioned – allowing the company to double its production output with plenty of space for future expansion.
The brand new Italian copper still is also accompanied by a new one-tonne mash tun, and purpose built fermenters that are five times the size of their predecessors. The new facility also affords greater capacity for barrel storage to facilitate future growth.
Company founder David Vitale says that the new site allows Starward distillery to be closer to the heart of Melbourne as the team makes and ages more uniquely Australian whisky to share with the world.
“The last 12 months have been full of amazing achievements for the team and there is still even more exciting news to come over the next few months,” he says.
“I can’t think of a better way to manifest all that we have achieved that our new home in Port Melbourne, which again re-states and doubles down on our ambition to become an iconic Australian whisky.”
The 3500 square metre warehouse facility will also include an “immense” whisky bar that will feature the aforementioned decommissioned still at its centre. There will also be a retail space that will feature Starward’s food and craft collaborations alongside its whisky.
The new facility will be opening to the public for the first time on 26 November with a big event that will see food trucks, distillery tours, “fill your own mini bottle of whisky” opportunities, and “a ‘salad bar’ buffet table of cocktail garnishes”.