Glasses raised for distillery door

ONE of the Ballarat’s most celebrated distilleries has marked the opening of a new location.

Kilderkin Distillery co-owners Chris Pratt and Rebecca Mathews invited state officials, business reps and local politicians to the Mount Pleasant site last week.

Having soft-launched the venue located at former Sunnyside Woollen Mill warehouse recently, Mr Pratt said the building has opened up a range of options for the local company.

“We’ve got a much bigger cellar door, it’s well-insulated, we have a wider range of drinks now, and people are able to lounge around and really spend some time here,” he said.

“At our previous place, the cellar door was mixed in with the production space and was very hard to make warm and welcoming.

“This is a bigger, more centralised, more welcoming space for us, and the demand of our gin is just increasing so we’re able to match that with this building.”

Established in 2016, Kilderkin Distillery was previously based in Alfredton before the team moved into their Mount Pleasant space in 2020.

The venue is able to hold up to 60 people, compared to 20 at their previous space, and plans are underway to develop a masterclass room and outdoor area.

Ms Mathews said the venue has allowed the team to expand beyond gin to include liqueurs, whiskey and mix them into cocktails.

“Since we’ve been here, we’ve introduced the gin liqueurs. We’ve also expanded on creating different gins like the Sly Grog and the Begonia Gin,” she said.

Among the guests was Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas alongside Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, and Member for Wendouree, Juliana Addison.

Mr Pallas said the distillery’s expansion will benefit Ballarat’s other offerings.

“It’s about how they connect with their community. They’re looking at using artisan products from cheesemakers to candlemakers getting the offcuts of their products,” he said.

“It’s pretty impressive that they see this as something they can give back to their community as much as running a good business.”