After two years of delays because of the pandemic and getting all the final government clearances and approvals, groundbreaking took place last year on the Artiste in Residence distillery project (AiR) on Tupper Street in Hawkesbury’s industrial park. Now the girders for the frame of the first building in the eight-phase project are going up to achieve AiR founder and owner Pierre Manthas’ goal of having his new distillery project ready to start producing his signature line of gin, whiskey, and vodka before the end of this year.
The Hawkesbury facility will be the first addition to Manthas’ Québec-based distillery operation and represents an investment for the company of between $20 million and $25 million.
The plan is to have the Phase One distillery operation producing the company’s primary lineup of gin, whiskey, and vodka. The follow-up phases will see construction of seven buildings linked with the main distillery to produce the complete lineup of all current AiR spirits and liqueurs. The ultimate goal of the Hawkesbury distillery is to produce 3 million bottles and 30 million cans of the various liquors and liqueurs as well as 10,000 barrels of whiskey per year.
Once the entire project is completed, the distillery could employ from 60 to 75 people.
