Scapegrace Distillery, developed by Breen Construction, won the Supreme Under $10 million Award at the 2025 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards last month.

Run by Master Builders, the awards celebrate innovation, craftsmanship and collaboration in commercial construction. They remain the only competition in New Zealand to honour the entire project team – not just the building.

“It’s a really good reward for all the folks who worked on this job,” says Peter Breen, Breen Construction’s executive director. “And that’s for all stakeholders – whether they’re carpenters, electricians, plumbers, architects or structural engineers.”

Beautiful + Functional

The new distillery, located on the banks of Lake Dunstan in Central Otago, stood out for its meticulous blend of architectural impact with precision-engineered processing facilities.

The Breen Construction team worked closely with Cheshire Architects, who led the project’s design. Since architectural appeal and industrial function don’t typically go hand in hand, Breen is proud of the collaboration that brought design quality into a practical manufacturing setting.

Built using laminated timber and powered by electric boilers, the structure reflects green thinking by minimising the use of steel and diesel. It also includes future-ready infrastructure for retail and hospitality.

“There’s a wider vision for Scapegrace,” says Breen. “It’s not just about brewing or distilling liquor and getting it out the door – they want to create an experience on site as well.”

There’s a plan to add more features further down the line, including a cellar door or a restaurant where visitors can get food, sample products and take tours, he adds.

Harsh weather for top whisky

Daniel McLaughlin, managing director at Scapegrace Distillery, says the development’s precise location on the 45th parallel was strategically chosen to support a premium distilling process. Straddling the line between the Equator and the South Pole, the site’s extreme temperature variations create ideal conditions for ageing whisky.

The judges praised Breen Construction for their ability to deliver high standards despite harsh weather. “The strong wind and winter fog created some pressure,” says Breen. “I mean the wind is almost as certain as the sun coming up – but we were able to reprioritise critical path elements and still deliver on program.”

McLaughlin adds: “Their calm, solutions-first approach under pressure made a huge difference in delivering a project of this complexity.”

A team culture that thrives

Receiving an award that honours teamwork also highlights the strong collaboration and dedication behind this project.

“The culture set by Scapegrace was pretty cool,” says Breen. “We took pride in what we did. Everyone challenged each other, and no one got offended. We just worked together to come up with the answers to the problems.

“I think the biggest thing is that the client really trusted Breen, the architects and the other consultants to deliver what they wanted. At times, that might’ve felt a bit challenging, but everyone was quite honest, and we got there through good discussions,” he adds.

McLaughlin says, “Breen were more than builders. They were strategic partners who shared our long-term vision from day one. They embraced the sustainability brief, helping us implement future-forward systems without compromising design.”