The distillery was developed to include a blending hall, bottling plant, warehouse and administration facilities, as well as a bar and restaurant.

It commenced operations in 1884 and was the legal successor to a floating moonshine still, the SS Walrus, which drifted between cane plantations and evading police in the early 19th century.

The original proprietor, James Stewart, sold the boat's still to local entrepreneurs who used it to start the Beenleigh Rum Distillery.

[2] Between 1981 and 2005 a museum featuring displays on the history of sugar and rum production in the Beenleigh area was open at the distillery.

Inner Circle was the exclusive preserve of Australia's Colonial Sugar Refining Company's board of directors and a handful of its prized clients, and even they were only entitled to the occasional bottle.