Award-winning small WA distillery Old Young’s has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $5 million to help build a “cathedral of gin” in the Swan Valley. Designed by Tasmanian architecture firm Cumulus Studio, the ambitious 500-capacity venue featuring a distillery, tasting room, restaurant, secret bar and accommodation will cost around $30m to build. Old Young’s founder and chief executive James Young said the Swan Valley hospitality venue which will be located on a 45,000sqm property and employ more than 150 staff, would be a tourism magnet.
Mr Young compared the potential Swan Valley landmark to The d’Arenberg Cube in South Australia, which boosted tourism to the McLaren Vale wine region from 130,00 visitors per year in 2015 to 351,000. He expects visitors to Old Young’s new facility to balloon by 40,000 per year between the restaurant and tasting room to “north of 200,000”. An average of 4.
25 million people visit the Swan Valley and spend $426m each year, according to City of Swan figures. “We want it to be that iconic place that every visitor to the valley comes to,” Mr Young said. In 2016, when Mr Young started distilling gin in a 36sqm shed in the Swan Valley, there were only a handful of distilleries nationally — now there’s close to 900 all competing for around five per cent of the Australian spirits market.
Mr Young said there is huge potential for growth for the Australian distilling industry. “The opportunity is the same as the one th.