Two Boston-area entrepreneurs are looking to open a whiskey distillery in Worcester that could add at least a half-dozen jobs to the city, if they can find a final investor for their project.
Business partners Curtis McMillan and Randall Bird have already secured a $2.3-million loan from the Small Business Administration and are looking to raise up to $1.5 million in additional capital to open the McMillan Distillery in Worcester.
The pair have a Worcester property under agreement, but declined to name the address until the purchase is finalized.
A former nightclub owner in Boston, McMillan said he hopes the distillery will be a community hub and tourist attraction, offering tours to the public and hosting community events in addition to distilling a variety of alcohols.
McMillan said a couple of other investors have signed on to the project, but the duo needs one more substantial investor to get the project off the ground.
If McMillan can secure a final investor in the coming weeks, he hopes the distillery could open by winter.
Instead of focusing on a single whiskey product, the distillery will allow Bird, who will be the head distiller, to build “lots of very different and unique products.”
“I want to open a whiskey Wonka factory,” McMillan said.
