Coming Soon: Hickson House Distilling Co, a New Distillery in a Warehouse in The Rocks

Sydney is getting a new inner-city distillery from the crack team behind well-respected CBD bars The Barber Shop and The Duke of Clarence. Mikey Enright and Julian Train will buddy up with ex- Manly Spirits Co distiller Tim Stones to launch Hickson House Distilling Co in June this year, in a warehouse in The Rocks.

Hickson House Distilling Co will kick off its range with gin, followed by aperitifs, whiskies and other specialist spirits. That first gin is “culinary-inspired” the team says, and all spirits will be distilled using ingredients from nearby, including native botanicals from The Loch farm in Berrima in the southern highlands.

“The Barber Shop houses over 700 gins and we have been lucky enough to have seven years of immersive sampling, cocktail and spirit creation, distillery research, and even gin judging under our belts,” the team tells Broadsheet. “The Duke of Clarence is known for its food, cask ales and cracking whisky collection. It was a logical and almost obvious next step for us to create our own spirits and in Tim Stones we found an incredibly talented distiller to complete the picture.”

The trio has been refining its gin recipes for more than a year – with plenty of that time spent doing tastings via Zoom. Every drop of spirit sold by Hickson House Distilling Co will be produced in The Rocks location – advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi’s former garage (and home to some pretty wild parties back in the day).

The distillery will be open to the public, with immersive tours and tastings, a spirit store and a private-dining element. But there will also be a bar with a mezzanine lounge for guests to enjoy cocktails and food. “Our hospitality and tasting space is definitely a core part of our distillery experience, but it’s also a fully stocked bar offering a wide range of beverages, complemented by an incredible share-focused food menu,” says the team. “We wanted the bar to be as much of a destination for people as the distillery and for it to stand on its own feet as a really highly regarded cocktail-focused bar.”

New York-style warehouse bars will inspire the distillery’s fit-out, which will be overseen by Sydney’s Steel & Stitch (Franca, Sunday, Toppi) and UK-based interior stylist Sara Mathers.

Hickson House Distilling Co is slated to open in June 2021.