Historic Polish vodka distillery heads to auction with £53m redevelopment potential
One of Poland’s oldest distilleries is heading to auction, offering buyers a rare combination of heritage spirits assets, extensive aged inventory and large-scale redevelopment opportunities in the historic city of Szczecin. The site behind the Starka vodka brand has attracted growing attention from both developers and drinks companies as experiential spirits tourism continues to expand across Europe.
A rare opportunity to acquire one of Poland’s oldest distilleries is drawing growing interest from developers and spirits producers alike, as the historic home of aged rye vodka Starka prepares to head to auction.
SFW Starka, whose origins trace back more than five centuries, is being positioned as far more than a conventional production asset. Rather, the site combines premium aged inventory, authentic European spirits heritage and restored distillery assets with significant destination development potential.
Located in Szczecin, Poland’s Baltic port city often referred to as the “Paris of the north”, the distillery occupies a site with more than 180 years of industrial history.
Following substantial investment during the 2010s, the complex today comprises fully restored heritage buildings, underground maturation cellars and surplus land capable of supporting major mixed-use redevelopment. While the site retains its distilling infrastructure, the production line would require refurbishment before operations could resume.
Redevelopment potential fuels interest
According to figures associated with the sale, the property’s estimated value prior to redevelopment stood at approximately £13.4 million as of 13 May 2026.
However, if a purchaser were to complete the previously approved redevelopment project, including five multi-family residential buildings containing 316 apartments, 584 square metres of commercial space and 322 parking spaces, the estimated value could rise to approximately £53.5m.
Projected capital expenditure for the redevelopment is estimated at £22.7m, with anticipated investor upside of roughly £17.4m.
The sale includes the Starka brand itself, intellectual property, distillery infrastructure, ageing inventory and development rights across portions of the site. While the historic complex has been extensively restored, production facilities would require refurbishment before recommencing operations.
According to parties familiar with the process, developers have already expressed strong interest, particularly where redevelopment could be combined with a strategic spirits partner capable of leading the tourism and hospitality components of the project.
Spirits tourism continues to grow
The distillery’s positioning reflects broader trends within the global drinks industry, where experiential tourism continues to become increasingly important for premium spirits brands.
At its peak, the distillery welcomed more than 10,000 visitors annually. Current stakeholders believe the site could once again become a major tourism destination through the addition of visitor experiences, tasting rooms, event spaces, destination dining and branded hospitality concepts.
The location further strengthens that potential.
The distillery sits just 260 metres from a station on a developing high-speed rail corridor connecting Szczecin with Berlin, Warsaw and other major European cities. Its proximity to public transport links and the Pogoń Szczecin Municipal Stadium also increases long-term commercial appeal.
Observers have compared the opportunity to successful European industrial regeneration projects such as Stary Browar in Poznań, the former brewery redeveloped into a premium mixed-use retail, hospitality and cultural destination.
A spirit that defies categories
Starka itself occupies an unusual place within the spirits world.
Often described as the “queen of vodkas”, the oak-aged rye spirit differs sharply from traditional clear vodka due to extended barrel maturation periods ranging from 10 years to more than 50 years.
Produced using rye distillate alongside botanical infusions, the spirit develops an amber colour and flavour profile sitting somewhere between vodka and whisky, with dried fruit, herbal and oak characteristics increasingly aligned with global consumer interest in premium aged spirits.
What particularly distinguishes the site is the scale of its existing inventory.
The underground maturation cellars reportedly contain more than 50,000 litres of spirit aged over 33 years, alongside rare casks dating back to 1947. In total, the inventory is said to equate to roughly one million 700ml bottles of aged Starka, ranging from 20 to 75 years old.
Industry observers note that such inventory would take decades for competitors to recreate.
Bids close in June
The combination of restored distillery assets, irreplaceable aged inventory, tourism potential, strategic connectivity and large-scale redevelopment capacity creates one of the more unusual acquisition opportunities currently available within the European spirits sector.
Interested parties have until 1 June 2026 to submit bids, with a potential auction scheduled for 12 June 2026.
For further information or developer introductions, interested parties may contact David Lesperance at [email protected] or Michel Lemoine de Martigny at [email protected].
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