From Fire to Spirit: The Dave Willing Story
- Monica Bugno
- Jun 16
- 1 min read
In this episode of Local Territory Flavour, Bri and I sat down with Dave Willing from Willing Distillery and we explore the journey behind Willing Distillery.
How does someone go from leaving a Northern Territory Government job at 50 years of age to producing internationally award-winning spirits?
In this episode of Local Territory Flavour, Monica and Briant sit down with Dave Willing, founder of Willing Distillery, to hear the story behind Darwin's pioneering craft distillery.
We chat about the challenges of establishing a distillery in the Top End, the science and artistry behind spirit making, why whisky was always the end goal, and how Willing Distillery has gone on to win medals on the national and international stage.
Along the way, Dave shares stories about family, business, branding, and the inspiration behind some of Willing's most celebrated spirits.
In this episode:
Dave's journey from emergency services to distilling
Building one of Darwin's first craft distilleries
The story behind the Willing Distillery name and logo
Award-winning gins and the move into whisky
Lessons in business, risk-taking and reinvention
Pour yourself a drink and join us for a conversation about passion, persistence and premium spirits made right here in the Territory.
Thank you to the NTG and Arts NT Mentoring Grants for supporting us to make this podcast a reality. And, a massive shout out to Brent Watkinson: Entertainment and events consultant, Comedian, MC, Radio & Podcast host, Owner operator of Sounds Familiar NT and Fruit Bat Entertainment Integrated Account Manager at kwpx - for mentoring me.
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