• LOCATION: Kangaroo Island
• CLIENT: Mighty Craft

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

Expansion of the existing KIS distillery and new tasting room, making it a world-class distillery, and a must-see destination for locals and tourists alike.

• Construction of a new distillery, with a third still added to increase production capacity of the award-winning Kangaroo Island Spirits gin, vodka, and soon to be released single malt whiskey.
• A spirit tasting room and education space, envisioned to overlook production.
• A future commercial kitchen, and a potential plan for accommodation to cater for those staying the night.

“Kangaroo Island is internationally famous for its wilderness, wildlife, and world-class food and beverage industry,” says Mighty Craft CEO Mark Haysman.

“The development of KID will give visitors an immersive experience that will be truly something special and ensure we continue to meet strong local and global demand we are seeing for premium gin and spirit products.”

CHALLENGES:

Building on KI – As an island, construction of a large distilling facility presented an immediate challenge. By designing within shipping limitations on size and weight, and creative space layout, we were able to maximise internal space and create a dynamic interior for the tasting space, directly overlooking the distilling space.

Business as Usual – KIS’s tiny heart of the business is the existing cellar door, built out of a chook shed and some shipping containers was a ‘must stay’. Surrounded by the native gin garden where visitors can pull a chair up to the open fire, the existing business needs to continue to run without interruption throughout the new construction. Our solution was to create a meandering wonderland, where crossing a creek and discovering a playground are all part of the experience of moving from the existing cellar door into the new distillery.

OPPORTUNITIES:

Kangaroo Island Spirits with Jon and Sarah Lark at the helm had a strong artistic character. The rugged, unpretentious, balanced but creative nature of the place had us desiging a tasting experience that is interactive, tactile, inspiring and intimate. We wanted to create a space that was like walking into an artists’ collective, where everyone is involved in creating something crafted and artisan, and there is a strong story behind each item. We responded with

• A variety of bold textures and colours but purposefully chosen. A feature of raw materials laid out in a balanced way.
• A relaxed environment, but there is always something happening.
• Light and clear atmosphere with touches of bright colour.
• Exhibition and display that inspire people to understand the skill and mastery of the product and brand by literally showing people what they do and how they do it. Like an open workshop, with tools of the trade touchable and tangible. The best products – the awarded and those that are most masterful efforts displayed for optimal beauty. Evidence of new ideas partially completed.
• Display of the wild base ingredients to compare with the crafted product, refined into something beautiful.
• Entrance: Detailed pathway, artworks in the garden, crafted doors.
• Tasting bench: An artist’s bench – recycled timber marked and gnarled from a lifetime of use.

OUTCOMES:

“This will enable us to offer more educational and interactive experiences, people will be able to have the opportunity to learn the art of gin making and creating cocktails from our KIS range in the new space,” says Sarah Lark.

The project has achieved grants of $500,000 from the South Australian Government.

The project has created 20 jobs during construction, and 25 ongoing jobs for locals once completed.

Photography: Studio S2 Architects