The owners of Vapiano Australia plan to open Nosferatu Distillery in Bowen Hills

A renowned restaurant team has spent nearly $3m on an office building in an inner Brisbane suburb with plans to convert it into a gin distillery and bar.

A restaurant group has banked on Australians growing interest in quality liquor with plans to open a gin distillery in an inner Brisbane suburb.

The owners of Vapiano Australia — which has Italian-inspired restaurants in Melbourne, Sydney and South-East Queensland — have relocated their corporate office from the CBD to 26 Jeays St, Bowen Hills, and plan to open Nosferatu Distillery on the ground floor of the two-level building by June.

The Vapiano Australia brand has been operating for over a decade and they also operate Corbett & Claude, Comuna Cantina and Tetto Rooftop Bar at Everton Park.

Vapiano Australia managing director Will Cooke said the move into the gin distillery business came when he and his partners decided to purchase an office instead of leasing.

“At the same time we were also talking with Rory Smith about doing something together,” he said.

“He started the Nosferatu Gin brand in Melbourne and he wanted to come up here so 26 Jeays St ticked the boxes for a corporate office and also a distillery component,

“We plan to initially have a bar attached to the distillery and then later create a venue around it.”

The name Nosferatu is linked to vampires and in turn Dracula. It has been popularised in literature and cinema including the classic 1920s horror film Nosferatu.

Mr Cooke and his Vapiano Australia partners Steve Fleming and Greg Dunn have bought a share in Nosferatu and with Mr Smith have a 25 per cent share in the freehold of the building at 26 Jeays St which they bought for $2.95m in a deal struck by Your Commercial’s Chris McLeod.

Vapiano Australia co-owners Steve Fleming, Will Cooke and Greg Dunn at the Nosferatu Distillery in Bowen Hills that is scheduled to open in June.

Mr Cooke said Australians drinking habits were changing.

“If you speak to the people in the liquor industry we are drinking less but drinking better quality,” he said.

“People are prepared to spend money on a nice bottle of gin, a great craft beer or a nice bottle of wine.”

Mr McLeod has dominated the sales in Jeays St selling at small office/warehouse at 19 Jeays St for $1.5m while the sale of properties at 23 Jeays St and 30 Jeays St will settle in few weeks.

The two-level building at 26 Jeays St has 603sq m of net lettable area and will also feature Shadow House Gallery, a new art, event and tattoo space.

Your Commercial’s Kyle Britto, who struck the Shadow House Gallery deal, said there has been “a lot of action” on Jeays St.

“It’s changing from light industry and is becoming a more high-end destination,” he said.