Beginning next year, Central Standard Craft Distillery will relocate its main distillery operations to a reimagined section of the historic Harley-Davidson campus in Milwaukee’s Near West Side neighborhood. 

Central Standard’s purchase of the refurbished 73,000-square-foot space will offer full distillery production, a tasting room, distillery tours, private events and new job opportunities. Harley-Davidson will continue to operate on the site as they have done for more than 120 years. A formal groundbreaking is slated for late summer 2025, with the aim to open the new distillery to the public in late spring 2026.

Central Standard has previously invested in archival buildings, such as the sites for its Downtown Milwaukee Crafthouse & Kitchen and its current distillery in the Near West Side, while Harley-Davidson has shaped Milwaukee’s economic and tourism landscape through institutions like the Harley-Davidson Museum and the annual Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival.

In partnership with the Near West Side neighborhood and the City of Milwaukee, Harley-Davidson was committed to finding the right partner for the available space, and Central Standard’s continued investment in historic properties and the Near West Side made the distillery a perfect fit for the iconic site. With the surge of activity that the revived campus is expected to bring to the area, Central Standard is also projecting that its headcount will double to staff the new distillery. 

“We started Central Standard Craft Distillery to be a part of Milwaukee and grow with it. This partnership and expansion continue to affirm that mission,” Central Standard’s co-founder and president, Pat McQuillan, said in a news release. “With this purchase, we’re excited to deepen our roots in the city we love, and to show our commitment and investment in the Milwaukee community.”

Distillery Production to Grow by ‘20 Times’

The new space will give visitors an opportunity to get an inside look into Central Standard’s distilling process in ways that have never been publicly available before — including production, R&D, barrel aging, distilling while showcasing Harley-Davidson history. The expansion will also allow Central Standard to bring everything under one roof, as operations are currently spread across three facilities in the Milwaukee area, and to grow its bottling and barreling capacity to 20 times that of its current distillery space. That building, which was purchased in 2017, will be marketed and sold by Central Standard’s real estate partner, Colliers International.

“With the success of our Crafthouse & Kitchen, as well as the regional growth of our spirits and RTD products, this expansion presents the perfect timing and opportunity for continued strategic growth,” Central Standard’s co-founder and CEO, Evan Hughes, said. “We’re well-positioned to exponentially grow our production capacity, to continue to meet consumer demand for our offerings, and to engage with the Milwaukee community in new and exciting ways.”

The project’s architect of record is Minnesota-based firm HGA, who will also participate in the selection process for the rest of the construction team. HGA was also instrumental in designing Central Standard’s iconic Crafthouse & Kitchen and Davidson Park, also located at the historic headquarters site. 

A Toast to Milwaukee History

Harley-Davidson continues to operate on the site and recently unveiled Davidson Park, a 4.8-acre public park envisioned to be a hub of community activity and ongoing revitalization, reflecting Harley-Davidson’s commitment to enhancing its legacy by enriching the local community and its surroundings. Additionally, as part of its commitment to invest into Juneau Avenue, Harley-Davidson recently started refurbishment of the wider campus footprint.

“There is no brand more synonymous with Milwaukee than Harley-Davidson – with more than 120 years of continuous operations in the city, we could not be more proud to be investing in Juneau Avenue,” Tori Termaat, Chief Human Resources Officer, Harley-Davidson and President of the Harley-Davidson Foundation, said. “Building on the great work spearheaded by the Harley-Davidson Foundation to rejuvenate the Juneau campus, we’re looking forward to it entering its next chapter. And as we enter our next phase of investment at Juneau Avenue, we’re excited to be welcoming Central Standard to the campus.”

Read more: Central Standard, Leinenkugel’s Launch North Brandy Old Fashioned RTD

About Central Standard Craft Distillery

Central Standard Craft Distillery, a small batch, craft distillery in Milwaukee and the fastest-growing top-10 Wisconsin-based distiller, handcrafts award-winning bourbon, whiskey, vodka and gin from locally sourced ingredients, including cherries grown in Door County and honey harvested in Germantown. Founded in 2014, Central Standard Craft Distillery has won 40 medals across multiple craft distilling categories. Learn more at https://thecentralstandard.com/.