Sydney Rum Distillery outlines global ambitions

Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

We’re joined this episode by Steve Magarry and Jonny Croft of Sydney Rum Distillery, which has just unveiled its new home in the former Oak milk factory in Muswellbrook.

Now, that is of course a few hours north of Sydney, in the Upper Hunter Valley to be precise. In fact, the historic Oak site was most recently utilised as a winery.

But the selection of the Oak factory follows an exhaustive search across Sydney for a site that could accommodate the company’s ambitious plans to create a globally scaled rum and brandy business.

As you’ll hear in a moment, Sydney Rum Distillery is a holding company that in the first instance will produce bulk cane spirit and rum for export markets.

But there are also plans to create its own brand portfolio in addition to Cargo Cult, the south pacific rum brand that Johnny founded in 2014.

I caught up with Steve and Jonny at the distillery in Muswellbrook following a briefing and tour the company held for the local community, media and potential investors in March 2025.