After five years of dedication, experimentation, and quiet ambition, a bold new distillery and cellar door is opening its doors in Nairne, and it’s unlike anything South Australia has seen before. 

The man behind it, Stuart MacKenzie, didn’t start in spirits and for 30 years, he worked to bring TV shows and films to life. But behind the scenes, he was dreaming of a distillery, a place where creativity, science, and flavour could collide.

Now, that same spirit is being poured into bricks and mortar with an incredible vision.

The new Nairne site will house a soaring two-storey distillation atrium with a viewing platform, a cellar door, a gin school, cocktail lab, kitchen, events space, and private whiskey room. It’s built not just for production, but for connection. 

The venue will run Friday to Sunday for visitors, with distilling operations seven days a week. 

Designed with flexibility in mind, it will host events, tastings, and limited-release cocktail batches for loyal subscribers. Every inch of the space reflects Stuart’s love of design, science, and storytelling.

“Before COVID, we were out, talking, connecting. I want this space to bring that back. I want it to be somewhere people can sit, learn, share a drink, and have fun,” Mr MacKenzie said. 

His dream started to take shape just as COVID hit but nevertheless, Stuart threw himself into building a new future. 

“I didn’t have the money for a distillery, but I had the passion,” Mr MacKenzie said. 

Within seven days of applying for a license, his license was approved. He fought for council permissions, secured a site, designed a custom still, and began crafting spirits using laboratory techniques few in the industry attempt. 

Instead of traditional distillation, he invested in a rotary evaporator, a piece of lab equipment that distills without heat, preserving delicate botanicals and capturing flavours rarely tasted in spirits.

The results spoke for themselves and his very first gin won gold in London and San Francisco. Before long, Adelaide’s Marcus Hains & Co became the first to stock it, and boutique bottle shops followed

Since then, Stuart has released award-winning seasonal gins, rare plum gin, limoncello, and coffee liqueur, all crafted with his signature focus on flavour and finesse.

There’s no doubt that the same love and care he has for his gin will be transferred to this world class cellar door.