More Than a Distillery
Built on family history, regional roots and a story still being written.
Coffin Rock Distillery began with a simple idea and is being built by a family.
Located on Ashworth Road near York in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt, Coffin Rock Distillery is being developed on land that has supported generations of farming for more than 130 years.
The property has been shaped by hard work, seasons, stock movement, machinery, family weekends and the realities of life on the land.
Coffin Rock Distillery is planned as a destination where visitors can experience grain, place and process together through spirits, guided tastings, tours and experiences that connect people to the region and the story behind every bottle.
Dave Newman
Co-Founder | Distiller
Dave's connection to this property started long before Coffin Rock Distillery was ever an idea.
Growing up, weekends, school holidays and plenty of afternoons were spent on the farm helping out, or more often getting in the way while the adults were trying to get things done. Life revolved around sheds, sheep, machinery, fencing jobs and learning that everything takes twice as long as you think it should.
Like most kids, he probably spent more time whinging about the jobs than appreciating what they were teaching him. Looking back now, those years quietly built an appreciation for hard work, problem solving and making the most of what you have.
Outside the farm, life was a mix of York Swimming Club, country pennants, bikes out to the old motocross track, work at the local butcher, school at York District High School and probably giving his Principle Mr Wagner a few more grey hairs than he deserved.
As life moved on, Dave eventually settled in Midland and started a family. He then spent more than 15 years working with Australia Post as a Postal Delivery Officer, travelling throughout Western Australia and gaining a deeper appreciation for the people, communities and landscapes that make regional Australia unique.
Along the way, an interest hobby slowly turned into an obsession with distilling.
What started as curiosity about how things were made became a passion for understanding the science, history and craftsmanship behind great spirits. Eventually he stepped away to pursue that passion, leading to formal study through the Chartered Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
Distilling became the opportunity to bring together practical experience, technical knowledge and a desire to create something that reflects the region it comes from.
Tammy Ambrosius
Co-Founder | Manager
Behind every big idea is someone saying, "That's a crazy idea"... while supporting you every step of the way.
Tammy grew up in Eneabba, in the heart of Western Australia's Wildflower Country.
Growing up surrounded by open landscapes and a small regional mining community helped shape the values she still carries today. Patience, practicality, resilience and an appreciation for the people who make country towns what they are.
Eventually life took her to South Lake and later Waikiki, where she finished school before beginning what would become a long career working with numbers, systems and business operations.
Over the years she worked across multinational companies and alongside some of the biggest names in the mining industry, building experience in finance, administration and the countless moving parts that keep businesses running behind the scenes.
After taking time out to start a family, Tammy returned to the workforce bringing with her more than twenty years of experience across accounting, payroll, invoicing, financial administration and business management.
At Coffin Rock Distillery she is the person helping keep ambitious ideas connected to budgets, timelines and reality. Part encourager, part reality check, she plays a key role in turning plans into action while making sure the project remains sustainable and achievable.
Whether it is reviewing budgets, planning the next stage of development or quietly keeping things moving behind the scenes, Tammy's influence can be found throughout the project.
The Next Generation
Sometimes the best things are not planned.
What started as a chance meeting eventually brought together two families from different parts of Western Australia and became part of the story behind Coffin Rock Distillery. Over time, that story has grown into something bigger than a distillery project. It has become a family journey, shaped by shared weekends, long conversations, site visits, problem solving and the occasional reminder that big ideas usually come with plenty of work attached.
While alcohol production is not a place for children and safety always comes first, the family has been part of the journey from the beginning. Each brings something different to the project, helping with clean-up days, preparing the block, sorting through Grandad's old collection of nuts and bolts in the shed and slowly seeing the property take shape again.
For them, York has many more connections than just being the place where the distillery is being built. From attending swimming lessons as children to now returning to teach lessons of their own, special trips out to the old motorcycle track with mates, school holiday farm stays with their Poppy and all the mates they made along the way.
