Housed in the heritage-listed 160-year-old Ballarat Goods Shed, Itinerant Spirits distillery has opened its doors in Ballarat.
Itinerant Spirits is an independent, family-friendly multi-spirit experience and pays homage to the historical roots of the Ballarat region.
Itinerant, meaning to travel from place to place, encapsulated the story of Itinerant Spirits Founders Brad Wilson (advertising creative and Little Lon Distilling Co. Founder) and Craig Ryan (Ex-Quest Apartment Hotels Chief Commercial Officer), each having travelled extensively, working and living across all corners of the globe.
Brad and Craig joined forces in 2020 to begin their biggest and most rewarding journey to date – launching a locally-minded, sustainable Ballarat-based distillery with a vision to produce gin, vodka and whiskey that stands tall amongst the best in the world.
A Goods Shed turned visually impressive cocktail bar
The vast yet cosy space, nooks and crannies are nestled in charming bluestone walls and high ceilings of the retained Ballarat Goods Shed shell.
An impressive cocktail bar is adorned by an on-display, world-class distilling operation, ready for the large-scale production of Itinerant Spirits’ Gallivanter Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Wayfarer Whiskey, all produced using locally grown grains, botanicals and natural volcanic spring water.
In addition to Itinerant Spirits’ own range of spirits and cocktails, the 140-seat venue also offers an extended curation of spirits, distillery door, pizza menu, cheese and charcuterie boards, sharing plates from the neighbouring Atlantic Group restaurants, Nolan’s and Boomtime dumplings, as well as regular ticketed masterclasses.
The new regional venue has the capacity to produce 1.2 million bottles per year; decked out with a 3000 litre vodka and whiskey-producing German Kothe still, 650 litre gin still and 24,000 litre on-grain brewhouse. All spent grain from production is reused for local animal farm feed.
Gallivanter Gin and Vansetter Vodka both launched alongside the Itinerant Spirits distillery and venue, while the Wayfarer Whiskey matures in ex-bourbon barrels awaiting release.
Ex-Four Pillars distiller is Itinerant Head Distiller
Ex-Four Pillars distilling guru James Fairlie joins Brad and Craig as Itinerant Spirits’ Head Distiller. James comes with history and knowledge in spirits. He grew up in a family of whisky distillers who revived the Scottish Glenturret Whisky distillery in 1957 and ran the business for almost 25 years.
“The heart of Itinerant Spirits is in Ballarat, and both Craig and I are honoured to be part of this community. It’s a place where independence, optimism and character run deep, which speaks to the core of why we started out on this journey in the first place.
“We’re proud to be providing a valuable addition to the Ballarat region’s already amazing offering of must-visit destinations and are looking forward to being a part of Western Victoria’s esteemed tourism industry,” said Brad Wilson.
“We can’t wait for people to visit Itinerant Spirits and have adventurers, travellers and spirits enthusiasts experience Gallivanter Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Wayfarer Whiskey over conversations of travel and global experiences,” said Craig Ryan.
Itinerant Spirits opens 7 days a week.
