Mighty Craft, Mismatch taking over Sparkke at the Whitmore

The new owners say they are looking forward to settling in to the award-winning venue.

Mismatch Brewing is taking over Sparkke at the Whitmore.

Sparkke at the Whitmore, the female-founded and led brew hotel that turned traditional pub culture on its head, is closing three years after setting up in the CBD’s southwest.

The premises will be taken over by Mighty Craft Limited, the parent company of successful Adelaide craft beer outfit Mismatch.

A statement issued by Mighty Craft said Mismatch would take over the leasehold of the old Whitmore Hotel from October 4 and that “in return, the company has agreed to forgive any liability owed to it under the convertible notes in Sparkke, with a total face value of $1.5 million, and cancel its shareholding in Sparkke”.

Mighty Craft said it believed “the venue will be able to return to pre‐Covid levels, and further strengthen and support the growth of the Mismatch brand in Adelaide”.

“Importantly for Mighty Craft and Mismatch, we now have the opportunity to take over an award‐winning brewpub,” Mighty Craft chief executive Mark Haysman said.

“We look forward to Adelaide’s favourite craft brand settling into The Whitmore”.

Sparkke’s director and co-founder Rose Kentish said the Covid pandemic and its associated trading restrictions and lockdowns had created a difficult environment for hospitality operators.

“We’re proud that we developed and launched an incredibly successful, award‐winning venue that gained local acclaim and national attention,” Ms Kentish said.

“The harsh impacts of 2020 continue to be felt in Adelaide’s current trading environment. In keeping with our commitment to shareholder value, the community in which we operate, and our pub staff, the decision to put our beautiful venue in to the hands of a significantly better resourced operator is the right one.”

In a letter to patrons, Sparkke’s management said; “While we are devastated to be leaving you, we take great comfort in knowing that Sparkke at the Whitmore is the physical embodiment of our company’s DNA and it will continue to serve you long after we have left the building.

“And we’re not really gone. We’re still brewing and distilling premium, delicious beverages and we’ll continue to be in bars, restaurants, bottle shops and pop ups around Australia.”

Sparkke will throw a thank you party for patrons on October 1.