SBC to expand distillery into The Cellar space

Springfield Brewing Co. is planning to expand its distillery into the space that currently houses its live music venue, The Cellar.

Ty Iechyd Da Distillery, pronounced “Tea-Yah-Key-Da" and now located between The Cellar and SBC, is taking over the 507 W. Walnut St. music venue building and adding a tasting room with an opening date scheduled in 2023, according to a news release. The Cellar and SBC buildings are immediately adjacent to each other at the back of the Walnut Street building.

"The production teams at Ty Iechyd Da Distillery and Springfield Brewing Company are excited to expand in 2023, and to do so, the distillery – and the future tasting-room experience – will be absorbing the space currently held by SBC’s The Cellar," officials said in the release.

The last live music show at The Cellar is scheduled on New Year's Eve. SBC officials say current staff at the music venue have been offered employment opportunities at SBC after the distillery expansion is complete. The Cellar’s website lists acts this month such as Domino Kings & PopSkull Rebels, Howie & the Hillcats and Papa Green Shoes.

While The Cellar is going away, the release indicated live music acts would perform in the tasting room, along with shows continuing inside the brewpub.

A public opening date for the Ty Iechyd Da Distillery expansion is slated to be announced in 2023, according to the release.

Ty Iechyd Da Distillery and The Cellar were established after SBC purchased the former Missouri Spirits building on Walnut Street in 2020, according to past reporting.

Since launching in 2021, Ty Iechyd Da Distillery has produced roughly 16,000 bottles of spirits for SBC on-site consumption and takeaway bottle sales, along with 5,000 bottles for distribution, according to the release. The distillery has created 24 varieties of spirits, and it makes a private-label gin in partnership with The Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

The cost of the expansion and the additional production capacity were not stated in the release, and SBC officials did not return a request for comment by deadline.