From tin shed to ‘Cathedral of Gin’ – Old Young’s unveils wild new designs for Henley Brook move
From the little West Aussie distillery that could to winning two of the world’s most coveted gin awards in 2023, Old Young’s Distillery in the Swan Valley have much bigger ambitions moving ahead.
Dubbed the ‘Cathedral of Gin’, Old Young’s is hoping the architectural wonder will become a tourism drawcard to rival South Australia’s famed d’Arenberg Cube.
It would continue the distillery’s rapid rise since James Young launched the distillery in a tiny tin shed in 2016, and in recent years the popular Old Young’s Kitchen – a Swan Valley must-visit.
Designed by Cumulus Studio, the the $30million structure is an artistic tribute to that original tin shed, unfurling like a lemon peel twisting toward the sky, while inside guests will find state-of-the-art, sustainable distillery with accommodation, dining and tasting rooms, and even a secret bar.
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“We’ve designed Old Young’s new distillery to be an architectural triumph that inspires gin lovers to make pilgrimages from around the world,” said founder and CEO James Young. “We don’t believe in doing things half-arsed, and building history means being ambitious and dare we say, audacious. So, we went out to some of the world’s best architects, from Hamburg to Hobart and the design from Cumulus just took our breath away.”
Young hopes the stucture will have a similar effect on Swan Valley tourism as the d’Arenberg Cube has in South Australia, “which saw the number of day trippers to McLaren Vale rise from 130,000 in 2015 to 351,000 in a year… The d’Arenberg winery itself ballooned from 50,000 visitors per year before the Cube opened to a whopping 250,000 people per year after – that’s a 500 per cent increase.”
The unveiling of the designs link up with Old Young’s launching an expression of interest via crowdfunding platform Birchal, offering Old Young’s fans a chance to become part owners in the business: “Just imagine having a drink with us in our new home and saying, ‘Yeah, I helped build this.’ How often do you get a chance to say that?”
The new Old Young’s location will be in Henley Brook, located on a 45,000sqm block on the banks of the Swan River, designed to cater for 500 visitors each day and be home to 10 luxury accommodation suites.
Old Young’s: Website / Birchal