Meet the founders - Dean Buchanan

This is Dean Buchanan...

Dean grew up in Melbourne, and has lived in Perth since 2014. Contrary to the two Matts, Dean did a 2 year stint in the UK prior to moving to Perth. This is where Dean first learnt the trade of a bartender working in English pubs and bars committing classic cocktails to memory. With these foundations behind him he moved to Perth and let his passion for innovative food and alcohol guide his new found creative force. Dean quickly started making a name for himself working at the Green House on St. George's Terrace and then opened David Thompson's Long Chim: the first of it's kind outside of Asia. Here Dean's carefully curated drinks program won Long Chim WA's Best Bar 2019 and Dean Top 3 Bartenders Australia. Since then Dean has become a household name in the WA bar scene by being an instrumental part of birthing Fremantle's Old Synagogue, Melissa Palinka's Young George/Ethos Deli and the reopening of the beloved Highgate small bar, Clarence's. 

When not in the distillery conducting R&D Dean loves golf, exercise, high end fashion, photography, West Ham United and cooking.

Dean's role at the distillery is creating our spirits and cocktails, researching new ideas and ensuring you have the best possible drinking experience. Alongside this Dean also oversees all social media, whilst managing marketing and packaging with Matt Gardiner.

We asked him a few questions to find out who he really is...

Whats your favourite part about running Haiver?
Favourite part about running haiver is obviously the creative freedom that part owning a business gives me but also being apart of something with a couple of great mates . 

Whats your favourite Haiver drink/cocktail/product?
Passionfruit liqueur is currently my favourite product, the story of up cycling our distillation waste and turning it into a delicious drink is very satisfying.

Whats your favourite Haiver drink/cocktail/product?
Heaps Normal low alc beer. Insane flavour, they're going places!

If your pet could talk whats the first thing they'd say about you?
"Slim Shady dat you?"

If you could have one song playing every time you walked into a room what would it be?
Heat waves, Glass Animals

What's the most expensive thing you've ever broken?
My driver for golf, I snapped it in half after shanking it into the water then threw it into the water.

What would you do if you found a penguin in the freezer?
Make him my sidekick.