Diageo Funds Local Whisky Distillery

Producer of Starward whisky, New World Whisky Distillery, has received $10 million to expand production at its Melbourne site from a number of local and international investors, including Diageo.

Diageo decided to invest in the distillery earlier this year through its Distill Ventures scheme; a scheme that supports the development of new spirits brands. As a result, Diageo now has a minority stake in the business, but the distillery will still remain as an independent entity.

A statement from the company said: “The deal forms part of Diageo’s broader strategy of building an outstanding portfolio of whisky brands as the category develops globally and new distilleries come on stream outside of the traditional whisky heartlands.

“Having evaluated hundreds of new spirits companies over the past year, Starward was selected for investment due to its outstanding team committed to creating a distinctive modern Australian whisky.”

“Starward is exactly the type of entrepreneur-led brand we love working with,” Frank Lampen, co-founder of Distill Ventures added. “The team’s commitment to innovation stands out, even in the fast-evolving new world whisky category.”

Since launching in 2009, Starward has pioneered the use of Australian red wine barrels, Australian grain and Melbourne’s dynamic climate to create a line of approachable and distinctive whiskies, as well as a highly-coveted offering of small batch projects.

The expansion will now enable the distillery to distribute its whisky to parts of South East Asia and then the US.

“This tops off an incredible year for us, with the successful launch of our Wine Cask edition, and now an investment from a partner who fully supports our vision of making a modern Australian whisky and taking that across Australia and to new markets overseas”, David Vitale founder of the distillery said.

“The team are thrilled that we can keep doing what we do best – innovating in whisky production, and introducing more and more people to what we do.”

Print PDF