Two years… honestly, how did that happen?!
Last Saturday, we celebrated two years of Hang 10 Distillery’s bar, taproom & cellar door alongside our mates at Half-Pace Brewing Company, and what a night it was. Seeing the distillery packed with familiar faces, locals, friends, regulars and first-timers reminded us exactly why we started this whole thing in the first place.
A huge thank you to everyone who came down to celebrate with us. It genuinely meant the world.
Big shoutout as well to Dhara, Coolangatta and Dope Fusion for bringing the energy, the music and the incredible food. And of course, to our amazing team who held everything together behind the scenes and gave me and Deon the rare chance to actually step back and soak it all in for a moment.
Looking Back on Year Two
It’s wild to think about how much has happened over the past year.
What started as an idea to make sustainable spirits from surplus bread has continued to grow into something far bigger than we ever imagined. The bar has truly taken on a life of its own and while it’s definitely pulled us away from production (and sometimes our own lives) more than expected, we’re slowly finding the balance again.
The goal has always stayed the same though:
great spirits, great beers, and great weekends at the distillery.
Over the last 12 months, we’ve been incredibly proud to:
- Win a Gold Medal at the Sydney Royal Distilled Spirits Awards for our Surfer’s Signature Gin
- Receive a Highly Commended Sustainability Award at the Northern Beaches Local Business Awards
- Launch two brand new products: our Coffee Liqueur and Limoncello
- Collaborate with the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles on the limited-edition Silvertails Gin (which sold out!)
- Expand our menu with new pizzas, desserts, cocktails and drinks
- Launch our Gin Tasting Flights at the cellar door
- Start hosting Gin Glass Painting Workshops
- Grow our live music and event calendar more than ever before
- Continue building both Hang 10 and Half-Pace side by side
We also quietly hit a point this year where the distillery started feeling less like a “new venue” and more like a real part of the local community, and that’s probably the thing we’re most proud of.
What’s Next for Year Three?
Year three is already shaping up to be a fun one.
We’ve recently expanded our opening hours and are now open:
- Thursday: 4pm – 9pm
- Friday: 12pm – Late
- Saturday: 12pm – Late
- Sunday: 12pm – 6pm
We’re leaning further into events, live music, tastings, workshops and community nights, while continuing to grow our food and drinks offering at the bar.
There are also more exciting collaborations in the works, more experimental releases we can’t wait to share… and yes, more whisky is definitely coming.
We’re also continuing to grow our tours, tasting experiences and events, while trying to make the distillery an even better place to spend a long afternoon or weekend with friends.
Thank You
Running a small independent distillery and brewery definitely isn’t easy, especially heading into quieter winter months, but every visit, every bottle, every booking and every recommendation genuinely makes a difference.
Whether you’ve been supporting us since the early online-only days, or only discovered us recently, thank you for being part of the journey.
Here’s to another year of Hang 10 & Half-Pace.
We’re only just getting started!
Cheers,
Marine, Deon & the Hang 10 Team 🍸🍻
Wanna say hi? Book a table here!