The Story
It’s not widely known that the original home of VB (Victoria Bitter) once housed a substantial whisky distillery.
The story starts with Thomas Aitken, who arrived in Melbourne in 1842. Back home in Scotland, Aitken had acquired skills as a brewer, and after establishing himself in Victoria, he founded the Corio Brewery in Geelong in 1851 and the Union Brewery on Little Lonsdale Street in Melbourne a year later.
Aitken then shifted to a much larger premise in 1854 to establish Victoria Parade Brewery in East Melbourne, which quickly became one of the state’s largest. After the Distillation Act of 1862 was passed, Aitken then opened Victoria Distillery on the same premise in Januart 1863 (no doubt drawing on his Scottish heritage), and set out to produce a quality malt whisky.
The original distillery was extended upon at Northumberland Street in Collingwood, and from the 1870s, production of whisky, brandy and rum steadily increased as a plethora of other distilleries and breweries opened nearby. But whisky production was the primary focus, and the size and sophistication of Victoria Distillery would still exceed many current Australian whisky operations today.
Detailed records describing the mashing and distillation process at the site have survived. Three large pot stills were used to produce a triple distilled malt whisky, although unmalted grains may also have been added in the Irish pure pot still style. The records are so extensive that it’s possible to imagine what the whisky might’ve tasted like. The majority of the malt used was Victorian, all three stills had external worm tub condensers, and quarter casks from the distillery’s onsite cooperage were used to mature the spirit.
Victoria Distillery whisky fared well in competitions at the time. It received praise for measuring up favourably to the popular Dunville’s Irish whiskey brand, but regularly placed second to the lauded Warrenheip ‘pure malt whisky’ from Ballarat. Eventually, with the success of Victoria Brewery’s ales and lagers, and the growing strength of dedicated whisky and spirits distilleries in Melbourne, the whisky side of the operation started to slowly recede from view.
Distilling at the site is thought to have ceased around the time of the formation of CUB (Carlton & United Breweries) – the amalgamation of Victoria Brewery Pty Ltd and Melbourne’s five other largest breweries in 1907.
Around 1910, the Victoria Distillery building was taken over by Samuel Burston & Co. Ltd. and turned into a maltings – the descendant company of which is Barrett Burston Malting.
The site continued to be used as a malting facility throughout the 20th century but was eventually converted to apartments.
Victoria Distillery, present-day site