New Zealand spirits brand Scapegrace has unveiled its new distillery, which it says is the largest distillery in the country. Scapegrace was founded in 2014 and makes spirits including gin, vodka, and single malt whisky.
Scapegrace Distillery has been built on the banks of Lake Dunstan in Central Otago, New Zealand, on a 36-hectare property. Distillation of whisky and gin began at the site in August.
The new distillery was a NZ$30 million project which took place over eight years, and stands at 3,000 square metres. As well as the distillery itself, a head office, bottling facility, warehousing, and barrel hall have all been constructed onsite. The distillery was designed by Nat Cheshire, Ascinda Stark, and Emily Doll of Cheshire Architects.
Scapegrace says that the new distillery will allow it to increase production to 160,000 cases of single malt whisky per annum. The distillery's whisky production facilities are equipped with a 5,000-litre wash still and a 3,500-litre spirits still from Scotland's Speyside Copperworks.
Co-founder Daniel McLaughlin commented: "Throughout our distillery design, there has been no corner cut and no stone unturned to ensure that we are following authentic and traditional methods, while also showcasing the very best of our distinct Scapegrace portfolio."
"We began our journey in a small Grey Lynn office in Auckland 2014, and it's been an incredible adventure since, where this new facility is an end product of our commitment towards the future."
Scapegrace says that sustainability has been a chief concern throughout the construction of the new distillery. Native bushes have been planted on the Scapegrace site to offset carbon emissions and enhance biodiversity. The distillery will also use hydro electricity to power its boiler, to reduce its carbon footprint. Renewable fuel sources are a growing focus for spirits producers.
For McLaughlin, the unveiling of the Scapegrace distillery is a milestone in New Zealand spirits production as a whole as well as for the brand. "Our aim is to elevate New Zealand’s global profile as a producer of world-class spirits, he stated. "Over the past 40 years we’ve seen New Zealand’s wine industry experience huge growth and that’s what we’re working to create for our spirits industry."
Development continues at the distillery on its hospitality offering; public tours are expected to be available at Scapegrace from late 2025. According to McLaughlin, a decade in, "the Scapegrace journey is only just beginning".
For more information, visit scapegracedistillery.com.
