Wanaka woman Desiree Whitaker - pictured with Queenstown-based site foreman Matt Burgess of Amalgamated Builders Ltd - is behind the project.
''It's really exciting. It's been a long time coming,'' she said.
The complex will consist of a distillery building, a bond store for the finished product, and a museum, shop and tasting room.
Construction is expected to take about six months.
''It would be nice to be open by the ski season,'' Mrs Whitaker said.
Two traditional copper pot stills, manufactured by fourth-generation coppersmiths Forsyths in Scotland, are scheduled to arrive in Port Chalmers by ship later this month.
The distillery's main product will be whisky, but it will also produce vodka, fruit liqueurs and rose oil, and host daily tastings and tours.
