Award-winning spirits, hyper-local ingredients and modern techniques are what’s at the core of Noosa’s newest distillery and bar.
The team at Seabourne Distillery is poised to push the limits of what’s possible in creating a cocktail when it officially opens this weekend.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing to finally open the doors.
Long-time Noosa local and co-owner Hayden Weir said that after nearly two years of dealing with Noosa Council, the team was excited to finally get the green light to trade as a bar.
“It wasn’t easy and we do have some hefty restrictions” he said.
“I think every business owner has some issues with the council, but it was great to eventually have them on our side.
“It was amazing to finally have the support of mayor Clare Stewart, Leo Jensen and the Noosa councillors. I think it was the fact they realised we’d be great for the tourism industry, they were willing to work with us.”
Seabourne has already made waves in the industry, taking out international awards for its gin, made in its distillery which opened nearly two years ago at the same location.
Following the steps of his “bootlegging” grandfather, Mr Weir said he always wanted to get into the distilling industry, but he wanted to do it correctly.
“My goal was to create a world-award-winning distillery that highlighted exceptional spirits, attention to detail and my long love of the craft,” he said.
“I believe in quality over quantity, and the whole team shares that ethos.”
Master distiller Thiago Lopes, formerly from Manly Spirits, has created Seabourne’s spirits, which have already won them gold at the San Fransisco World Gin Awards and gold at the Singapore World Awards.
“For us to get gold at the San Fran awards was crazy,” Mr Weir said.
“You don’t usually get those awards in your first year that’s for sure, but we knew we’d do well having Thiago on board – he’s no amateur in the industry.”
Offering a premium range of distilled gins, aperitifs and limited releases, the bar will be run by well-known Noosa bartenders Dylan and Duncan Campbell.
“They are friends of the family so it’s really great to be able to work together,” Mr Weir said.
He described Seabourne as Noosa in a bottle – gin distilled with local native botanicals including native river mint, blood lime and sea parsley, creating flavours that add a coastal sea-spray vibe.
He said the team’s main goal was to create quality and unique cocktails with known and exclusive spirits created by their master distiller.
“We have a lot of experience in this distillery,” he said.
“We are able to make high-craft spirit in the back of house and then bring it forward to the bar, that’s something your average bars can’t do.
“Our venue has the ability to push the limitations of what’s possible in a cocktail. Our master distiller’s creation of barrel-aged and wattle-seed espresso martinis is incredible, as well as our single-distilled river mint, creating our native river mint and citrus blend Southside cocktail.
“We can offer certain cocktails that the average bar and restaurant can’t … it’s about offering a different experience where people can come into a distillery and be served cocktails.”
While they started building during COVID, Mr Weir said the pandemic was a bit of a “blessing in disguise” as it let them perfect their craft and product before hitting the market.
In terms of future plans, he said they wanted to get the distillery bar off the ground first, then go back to the council to see what they can and can’t do.
“We want to collaborate with local producers like Grub Farms, as well as start working with the smaller boutique businesses who are trying to stay afloat,” he said.
While it has been a challenging journey to open the doors of Seabourne, he said they wouldn’t be where they were without the support of the local community.
“Even prior to opening up as a cellar door nearly two years ago, the support from the local community has excellent,” he said.
“Thank you to everyone for helping us get there.”
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