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Showing posts with label Distillery. Show all posts

Canberra's Local Spirit Tour

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Canberra's Local Spirit Tour

I began 2017 by moving from easily the most distillery dense state in Australia, Tasmania, to easily the most public servant dense, the Australian Capital Territory. Canberra and the ACT in general is highly regarded for wine production with some of Australia’s best wineries are located nearby, but what about distilled spirits? I enlisted the help of local entrepreneur and founder of Local Spirit tours, Ben Osborne to take me and my friends on one of his Luxury Distillery Tours.

We met at Grease Monkey, not a distillery, but a great place to grab a tasty burger on the north side of Canberra. From there, bellies appropriately primed with food, we climbed into Ben’s van and travelled to Plonk, a highly regarded bottle shop at the Fyshwick Fresh Food Market.

 Our tour took us here to meet Tim Reardon, owner/operator of The Canberra Distillery who just so happened to be conducting a tasting that day. On offer from The Canberra Distillery included their Classic and Winter Gins, Canberra Fog, Coffee Liquor, Blood Orange Gin, Negroni and Limoncello. The Classic Gin as the name suggests is a classic London Dry style vapour-infused gin with a commonly Australian citrus bias, whereas the Winter Gin is more of a robust local creation with a familiar juniper nose but with strong refreshing notes of basil and a spicy cinnamon finish – perfect for a cold Canberra winter.

Keeping with the cold Canberra theme was the Canberra Fog (notorious to anyone who has tried to catch an early morning flight into or out of Canberra in the winter) which is an aniseed-based liquor made from distilled Murrumbateman Shiraz. If you enjoy the flavour of the Greek classic, Ouzo, you will likely enjoy this creation which tastes like liquid black jellybeans. The Blood Orange Gin tastes as is suggested by the label, drawing on the local provenance of small growers and produces. The Negroni is a pre-mixed cocktail of gin, vermouth and bitters, barrel-aged in heavily charred ex-red wine casks from the local Canberra region. The Coffee Liqueur would be perfect for an Espresso Martini or a boozy coffee, but I found it to be very sweet for my tastes; nothing some extra vodka couldn’t fix. Finally, the Limoncello cleansed the palate with a refreshing, yet still very sweet, lemon infused spirit.

 As you can see, the Canberra Distillery produce a large range of spirits and liquors that draw from or directly showcase local ingredients. I am very keen to sample some of the other products Tim has planned for the near future.

Underground Spirits Head Distiller, Ross McQuinn

Next stop was Underground Spirits in Kambah where we were greeted by Head Distiller, Ross McQuinn. Underground Spirits’ point of difference is the use of a patented sub-zero, sub-micron filtration system adapted from technology used to filter impurities from blood. When producing their products, Underground Spirits begin by filtering neutral spirit with common carbon micron filtration followed by their own patented method. When testing their sub-zero, sub-micron filtration system, they confused the Australian National University test equipment by producing a spirit of higher purity than the pure control sample! There is no doubting that Underground Spirits make their products using the purest neutral spirit available.

Underground Spirits produce a traditionally juniper-forward barrel-aged gin using a triple infusion method of maceration, vapour infusion and botanical tinctures. They also produce a range of flavoured vodka including a vanilla, caramel and hazelnut version. Now I’m not a flavoured vodka kind-of-guy, but I actually purchased a bottle of the hazelnut variety which smelt and tasted too good to pass up; I can see it making its way into a variety of boozy deserts. Underground Spirits are currently experimenting with options to produce whisky in the future and I will be following their progress closely.

Baldwin Whiskey Company's Premix Whiskey & Cola and Premium Whiskey

 Last distillery visit of the day was to Baldwin Distilling Company in Mitchell, who produce a spirit with a bourbon-style 51% corn mash bill and age it in medium-toasted, heavily-charred virgin American oak barrels. Baldwin have positioned themselves to capitalise on premium whisky (or whiskey with an ‘e’ to reflect their bourbon-style) market, rather than the small batch single malt route that most Australian craft distilleries follow. This puts Baldwin in direct competition to some of the biggest names on the mass produced whisky market and as such they have produced their own premix premium whiskey & cola ustilising their own in-house cola which has approximately one-fifth the sugar as Coca-Cola.

Baldwin owner/operator Anthony Baldwin and I share the opinion that you should be free to drink your whisky however you damn please without suffering the criticism of whisky snobs. I personally do not drink whisky with sweet mixers, but I quite liked the taste of the Baldwin premixed whisky & cola and I strongly encourage you to give it a try if bourbon & cola premixes are your thing. In my opinion, it tastes infinitely better than Jim Beam & Coke premix and supports a local Australian business rather than a massive multi-national.

I had the opportunity to sample the Baldwin ‘Premium Whiskey’ on its own, which is also sold by the bottle and to be honest it was a little too rough to drink neat. It seemed to have gained little from its time in the cask and I suspect it would benefit from aging longer or even aging in a different location with more atmospheric and temperature variations to force the spirit in and out of the cask wood. To be fair, it is intended to be drunk with a mixer and I would definitely recommend this approach with the current entry-level Baldwin premium whiskey.

Next in the range is the unfortunately named ‘Caramel Whiskey’ which from the name you no doubt assumed is a flavoured whisky. This is not the case as it is made using ‘Caramalt’ malt, rather than having any flavouring added. Caramalt is a variety of malted barley with a slight toffee flavour and the resultant whisky, in Baldwin’s case, is an improvement over their base whiskey. Next in the range is a US 100 Proof (50% ABV) Rye whiskey. This was my favourite Baldwin whiskey and one that I am quite happy to drink neat. Go here, for my detailed thoughts. In addition to their whiskies, Baldwin also produce a variety of US-style Moonshine including, unflavoured, Apple Pie, Honey and Peach.

After leaving Baldwin Distilling Company, we finished the day at the White Rabbit bar in central Canberra where we eventually bid farewell to our host Ben and went on our merry ways with a new knowledge and appreciation of the local Canberra distilling scene. I really should have explored my new local distilling scene sooner, but it’s good to know that people like Ben exist who can guide you around not only the local distilleries but breweries and wineries as well.

If you live locally or are visiting the Canberra region, go to www.localspirit.com.au/ for details of what alcohol-centric tours are available.
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Cooper King Distillery: Making the Old World, New Again

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Cooper King Distillery: Making the Old World, New Again

Inside a disused stable block just north of the historic English city of York, is a space reserved for a shiny copper still unlike any other within 17,000km. Designed and constructed in Tasmania, Australia, this still will soon travel from the opposite side of the world to become an integral piece in Abbie Neilson and Chris Jaume’s Cooper King Distillery; an extraordinary endeavour to undertake considering the amount of copper still manufacturing experience to be found in the UK. So why source a copper still from somewhere that wasn’t even settled by British explorers at the time the first whisky distilleries began to appear in Scotland? Well, to understand that, you need to retrace the steps of not the first settlers but those of Abbie and Chris, who set out for Van Diemen’s Land some 111 years later.

In 2014, Abbie and Chris, a successful scientist and an architect, set out across the seas in search of adventure and a break from the stresses of professional life.
Abbie and Chis on Tasmania's Overland Track.
Their journey led them to the island of Tasmania at the southern tip of Australia, where they visited each of the state’s whisky distilleries at the behest of a whisky blogging friend. At that time, Tasmanian Whisky was just emerging onto the world stage with relatively unknown Sullivan’s Cove Distillery having recently taken out the World’s Best Whisky for their French Oak Cask single malt at the prestigious World Whiskies Awards. The Tasmanian whisky industry was abuzz at the prospect that whisky from their little island could beat the traditional whisky producers at their own game. Who then wouldn’t be caught up in this excitement and think they could perhaps take something of this new world back to the old one?
We fell in love with Tasmania instantly,” says Abbie, “the welcoming people, the rugged landscape and of course the phenomenal food and drink we tasted thanks to the state’s many small-scale producers. 
Our visits to the whisky distilleries in particular, blew us away,” Chris adds, “we were meeting folk with incredible passion, relatively little industry experience, and an infectious Tassie ‘can-do’ attitude. They were approaching the challenge of producing whisky from all angles: we saw all manner of distillery buildings, stills, grains etc being used, and the end results were stunning. We came away from each distillery with a ton of questions which the next distiller would then answer. Though the more we found out, the more we wanted to know. We began to realise that to start a distillery you didn’t necessarily have to have Scottish roots or a £10million bank balance; it could be done on a small scale, on a limited budget, without compromise of flavour. The hands-on production techniques used by these guys, coupled with the limited volumes produced, was yielding some of the best whisky we had ever tasted. 
The seed was sown!” Abbie continues, “we had been whisky fans ever since our first trip to Edinburgh, we both enjoyed a challenge and we loved the thought of working together to craft a delicious spirit for us and others to enjoy. Over the next 18 months while away from home, we undertook training with Dean Jackson and Bill Lark of Redlands and Lark Distillery fame, visited countless other distilleries and tasting events, and wrote up our business plan. We were ready to hit the ground running when we returned to England late 2015. 
Tasmanians are a proud lot, island folk, fiercely independent of the ‘mainland’ but at the same time exceptionally accommodating.

There are few secrets in the Tasmanian whisky industry and everyone knows everyone; often not just on a professional level, but also on a personal one. Being a ‘local’ goes a long way when looking for help to start your own distillery, but that doesn’t mean you can’t become an honorary local if you show the same drive and passion for whisky as the local producers. Bill Lark, affectionately referred to as the Godfather of Tasmanian whisky, recognised the drive and passion in Abbie and Chris and took them under his wing, helping to impart his own knowledge and experience of which they would need plenty when they got back home.
Bill Lark and others in the Tasmanian whisky industry taught us a lot,” Chris revealed. “We learnt never to compromise on flavour, to not be afraid to challenge tradition and to go with our gut instinct. We also learnt the importance of provenance. People want a genuine story to get behind, and being able to visit the distillery, meet the makers, see the casks maturing and taste the whisky in the place where it’s made makes that bottle so much more than just a well-designed, well-marketed product. 
Bill Lark gave us lots of sterling advice,” adds Abbie, “especially around the business model and how we could potentially grow. He said to follow our instinct and that’s stuck in my mind ever since. Mark Nicholson, Dean Jackson, Peter Bignell, Casey and Jane Overeem, William McHenry, David MacLennan… All these fine fellows helped shape our distillery, offering at the time (and continuing to do so) fantastic advice and guidance. 
That was nearly 18 months ago and construction work at Cooper King Distillery is now underway.
Chris with Belgrove Distillery's Peter Bignell.
The copper still may be destined to become an integral and highly visible Tasmanian influence on this fledgling distillery but Abbie and Chris intend to implement much more of what they learned from their Colonial teachers. Tasmanian distillers are acutely aware of the ecological strengths of their beautiful island and they aim to both utilise the pristine natural resources and protect the environment that produces it. Tasmanian distillery Belgrove sets a benchmark for sustainable craft distilling. Founder Peter Bignell grows his own rye, made his own copper still from scratch, collects rainwater from the roofs of his sheds, heats it with biodiesel that he makes himself from waste oil (which also powers his tractors, forklift and truck), feeds his livestock used whisky mash and recycles waste water for irrigation. This focus on sustainability was not lost on Abbie and Chris as Chris explains:
We’ve sourced local barley (some of which we are hoping to have grown in the field next to us), partnered with the country’s last master cooper whose workshop is a 30-minute drive away, and are self-building the distillery. Much like the Tassie distilleries we visited, we want to produce a craft spirit with genuine provenance, in a space that we’ve designed. We’ve also been on a steep learning curve regarding the funding and running of a business. We’ve successfully applied for an innovation grant, a tree-planting grant, and for another to research into how we can reduce and reuse our distillery waste. We’ve also been pitching to investors and bought on a select few to part-fund the build. All of this has been completely new to us, incredibly challenging, all-consuming, but ultimately very rewarding! 
Comradery is something we have been trying to foster amongst the emerging English whisky distilleries,” adds Abbie, “inspired by the Tassie scene back in 2014. We produced an English whisky map to help inform the public of the fledgling industry and have been on a couple of 1000mile road trips around the country in our tiny Renault Clio, purposefully to visit as many of the other distilleries as we can and strike up a friendship. There’s still a few more to visit yet, and I hope our visits will lead to some exciting collaborations. 
Cooper King Distillery launched their Founders’ Club in May.

The Founders' Club is designed to provide the last piece of the funding puzzle which will allow Abbie and Chris to fire up the stills and get spirit flowing by autumn/winter this year. Members will be rewarded with first-release products, rare bottlings, distillery merchandise and lifetime membership. Abbie had this to say about the Founders’ Club:
We can't wait to welcome other fine fellows into the Cooper King family to share in the exciting times ahead. Our Founders make this whole project worthwhile; they will be the first to reap the rewards when the stills start flowing with our unique English spirit. 
Cooper King Distillery will be offering numerous Founders’ Club reward tiers ranging from £30 upwards, which will make great gifts for whisky and gin lovers. Memberships are limited and are on a first come, first served basis, so those who want a piece of the action are encouraged to act quickly. You can sign up to the mailing list here for more information and be informed of future developments.

The student becomes the master.

Australian distilling would not be where it is today without the influence, expertise and investment of early settlers and immigrants, but the local industry Down Under has matured into something much more than a mere clone of its European ancestors. It is now at the stage where unique Australian lessons and successes are being exported back to the UK and in a serendipitous turn of events are making the Old World, new again. There are certainly exciting times ahead and I look forward to visiting Abbie and Chris at Cooper King Distillery next year when I travel to the UK.
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Interview with Heather Swart

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Interview with Heather Swart

Photo © Anne Gigney

Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Heather; would you kindly begin by introducing yourself and your current position and duties at Sullivan’s Cove Distillery?
Hi Shane, thank you for having me along. I am a distiller at Sullivans Cove. The average week for me would include running the still through wash and spirit runs, ensuring new make spirit is diluted accurately prior to maturation, preparing and filling a bunch of barrels, sniffing and/or tasting the various liquids throughout the wash-to-bottle process, rolling many barrels, determining spirit cuts, a whole lot of liquid transferring, sharing a cuppa and a yarn with the bloke who delivers our wash, diluting matured spirits to their determined bottling strengths, monitoring the flocc settling process of our whiskies just prior to bottling, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, being the whisky fairy who makes sure the bottling line always have something to do, speak lovingly to Myrtle our still, patting the barrels, and of course a whole heap of tests and data entry to document the lot (sans the sweet nothings to Myrtle and the barrel patting). I’m also responsible for quality control in the distillery, which is a new role and one that I am really enjoying at the moment.

Where does your interest in whisky come from and when did you know you wanted a career in distilling? 
Hubby and I moved to Tasmania, and wondering what all the fuss about whisky here was, figured ‘when in Rome.’ Sullivans was the first stop, and after one sniff I quickly realised that my presuppositions about whisky needed drastically re-thinking. An existential crisis swiftly ensued and the only resolution was one that included stills, barrels, and fine spirits.

Tasmania is blessed with many distilleries, but most are small family-owned and run operations with few staff. Did you find it difficult finding work in a distillery?
Funnily enough, no! I was chatting with Rex at Nonesuch Distillery one morning about wanting to explore the industry, over his sloe gin naturally, and in a classic Tassie move, he posted on Facebook that I had good wine industry experience and desired to go into distilling. A scurry of phone calls followed, and the next day Pat Meguire at Sullivans phoned and offered me work. Still pinching myself over that one.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Sullivan’s Cove?
Aside from loving the product (especially our American Oak expression), everyone is valued for what they give the company. We are a small team but are from really diverse backgrounds and so we all bring a quirk and flare to the table. If you had to picture a quintessential distillery crew, we’re certainly not that! If what we sing while at work is any indication of the mix, if you spend a little time at the distillery you could hear fantastically terrible renditions of Sadie the Cleaning Lady, Besame Mucho, freestyle rap and everything in-between. It’s good fun!


What kinds of jobs are available in a typical distillery and how do the education requirements vary? Would you recommend any kinds of courses, formal education or industry experience for anyone hoping to secure work in a distillery?
The textbook roles include back of house operations (distiller, bond store management, production management, malting and brewing in distilleries that do these processes themselves, etc.), blending, front of house and hospitality roles, administrative and finance roles, marketing and sales. 

Australia has become an off-centre poster child for the world whisky scene in the space of a few years and a couple of breaths, voila! We have a knack, we do indeed! This is where we need to work through our identity crisis, find who we are, embody who we are, protect our essence, and strive to just be better all the time. Education is so part of that. The balance will be maintaining the romance and quirk with developing technical knowledge and industry growth. 

Obviously many of the administrative roles have formal education foundations, however, there isn’t a huge scope of education options for distilling roles. In fact, the vast majority of distillers have no related education; it’s all on-the-job based and handed down learning. I totally love this, it’s romantic! But as any industry grows, there comes a point where education must come to the forefront to ensure it is both preserved and held to the right standards of quality and practice through its growth. Right now, we are at that point. Australia has become an off-centre poster child for the world whisky scene in the space of a few years and a couple of breaths, voila! We have a knack, we do indeed! This is where we need to work through our identity crisis, find who we are, embody who we are, protect our essence, and strive to just be better all the time. Education is so part of that. The balance will be maintaining the romance and quirk with developing technical knowledge and industry growth. 

And there are education options that strive keep that balance - the Tasmanian Whisky Academy offers courses that introduce interested people to the business and technical aspects of starting up and running a distillery. The Academy is a great place to start for industry insight and guidance. 

The Institute of Brewing and Distilling (based in the UK, but with an ever-growing presence in Australia) offer accessible distance courses for those after technical grit. They are partnering with the Tas Whisky Academy to provide intensive face-to-face courses around Australia, so keep both eyes peeled on the Academy social media for these. A number of distilleries are also offering courses and on the ground experiences for those who want to dip their toes in, i.e. Redlands and Nonesuch here in Tasmania, who show the nitty-gritty “how do you do that?”, getting the hands dirty kind of stuff. 

What did you know about whisky before you began working at a distillery and how steep has the on-the-job learning curve been?
Only that I liked the good stuff, the rest I have learned since. I guess the steepness of the learning curve depends on one’s approach to learning. I have no end of passion and geek-driven fascination for the field, so continually reading, asking questions and going deeper is a joy; being a curious cat helps.

How has your whisky education changed the way you enjoy whisky?
Drinking whisky isn’t boring anymore, it’s a little intense now, in fact! When I drink I want to see the overall personality of the whisky, to pick apart the components that make it up, and then put them back together in the palate’s mind to see how they hold in balance. Pre-spirits industry I enjoyed thinking about what I could taste and smell, but now ask why can I taste and smell these things? What did the narrative of this whisky’s life look like to give this result? When you find a whisky that has been crafted lovingly and with artistic intention at every point of the process, you can taste it. It’s as if every flavour and aroma introduces itself to you… and gives you a glimpse into their journey. 

I want to taste the ferment style, the worm tub, the hard-and-fast or the low-and-slow distillation techniques, all those sexy bends and curves of the still, how the spirit was cut, the provenance of the oak, the maturation environment and the way all of these work together. 

I love oak characteristics, but more so chase whiskies that possess a harmony between the oak and the distillery character. I want to taste the ferment style, the worm tub, the hard-and-fast or the low-and-slow distillation techniques, all those sexy bends and curves of the still, how the spirit was cut, the provenance of the oak, the maturation environment and the way all of these work together. Unashamedly get kicks from this!

Do you have a favourite whisky and if so, what is it and why is it your dram of choice?
Generally, variety reigns supreme. But that being said… Redbreast 15, Yellow Spot, a Duncan Taylor bottling of Mortlach 1993 18 year old, Yoichi (umami-mia!) and Glencadam 14 year old Oloroso cask will always slow a spinning world.

On an objective level, they’re all multi-faceted with a balanced depth. On a subjective (and admittedly oddball) level, in my mind, every smell and sound have a funny aurora-like colour pattern and the colour patterns of these whiskies strike a chord in me.

Are there any figures in the whisky industry that you take inspiration from or would like to emulate one day and if so, who are they and why do you see them as inspirational?
Many, and not just from the whisky industry! None I want to emulate – we all must express our individuality in our arts – but I find endless wisdom, influence and inspiration from Barry Crockett of Midleton Distillery, Christoph Keller at Stählemühle, Julien Frémont in Calvados, and Hubert Germain-Robin in California. They are colourful personalities, all obsessively passionate about their distilling niches, and all have forged unique styles from their own character. With them it never ends - they see the world through their palate, and their spirits come from the soul. It’s personal. To me, they embody my dream: an eclectic and eccentric blend of art and science, with noses deep in glasses.

Where do you see yourself in ten years and what are your future career goals?
Hopefully, a little wiser and certainly with a lot more still experience. We hope kids will be in the picture. I get that most women don’t see themselves raising kids amongst barrels, copper pots and high proof spirits… But the idea of sharing the passion and appreciation for fine spirits and their creation with a child gives me a buzz. #mumgoals 

Aroma science gives me mega highs, as does the organic chemistry behind the lives of barrel aged spirits from the ground to the bottle. So as far as career goals go, I find myself focussing on these areas with the intention of specialising in them, and also with a growing interest in teaching others the same.


Have you received any odd reactions from family, friends or strangers when you tell them your occupation?
Nothing hilarious to report sadly. Haven’t been burnt at the stake or dubbed a witch (that literally happened to thousands of women distillers in the 1500-1600’s) or anything dramatic yet, just the odd marriage proposal. Really it just takes people back a little- it’s not a garden variety occupation. A great conversation starter! 

Do you think being a woman will be irrelevant, an opportunity or an obstacle to your future in the industry?
Irrelevant in the sense that I’m just a person doing their thing, gender aside. A wonderful opportunity to be able to contribute to the breaking down of perceived societal barriers to career due to gender that is happening currently. This really excites me. 

There have certainly been times in the wider drinks industry where I have felt like a bit of a sideshow, or that it was assumed that after a bit of hard work I’d bail, but when a person - any sex - shows that they are suited to a role and industry and can hoof it like anybody else, then they are accepted as one of the crew. 

An obstacle? Nah. There have certainly been times in the wider drinks industry where I have felt like a bit of a sideshow, or that it was assumed that after a bit of hard work I’d bail, but when a person - any sex - shows that they are suited to a role and industry and can hoof it like anybody else, then they are accepted as one of the crew. I have certainly found this to be true and have experienced very little prejudice within the production side of the industry, and trust that will continue. The distillery folks in Tasmania are a neat bunch, and Sullivans is a cool family.

There have been certain adjustments, though, like learning not to put on eye makeup until after cleaning the still (picture a Gene Simmons’ doppelganger).

Would you like to see more women follow in your footsteps and do you have any advice for women either interested in or unaware of the opportunities in the whisky industry?
You’re darn tootin’ I would! For the vast majority of distillation history, women have been the souls behind spirits; in fact, the invention of the alembic still is generally attributed to a lassie by the name of Mary the Jewess, circa 200CE. Since the Industrial Revolution, distillation (and by default whisky) has become more synonymous with the man’s realm and is no longer on the to-do list of housewives everywhere. Yes, making whisky is often dirty, sweaty, hard work that at many times is not for the faint-hearted (ever spent days on end manoeuvring 250kg barrels?), but hold the phone - why on earth does that mean a woman wouldn’t want to do it or be great at it? 

My advice for women is that it is a wonderful path that offers fulfilling and varied opportunities for the creatives, scientists and those who fall in the middle. It’s endlessly fascinating, a sensory hallucination that becomes your existence. 

Is life class getting predictable? The board room getting you down? Feel like the only sure thing in life right now is the enrapturing aroma of the Tariquet 12 in your glass? Listen to your nose. Go and say hello to your local friendly distiller, hang out with them, and ask about opportunities in the industry. Don’t live near a distiller? Find one online! Asking is daunting sometimes, but questions make the world go round, right?

Calling you out ladies, dive in!


Thank you so much for your time Heather, it has been a pleasure sharing your passion for whisky.

If you have any questions for Heather (with the exception of marriage proposals) please send them to whiskydadblog@gmail.com and I will be sure to pass then on - WhiskyDad.
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Interview with Anne Gigney

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Interview with Anne Gigney



Welcome Anne, please introduce yourself and your role in the Tasmanian Whisky Academy?


Thanks, Shane. I’m the Director of the Tasmanian Whisky Company and primary controller of traffic on course day. I am also the grunt behind the operation, so if something needs doing I better get in and get my hands dirty.

How did the Tasmanian Whisky Academy begin and is it based on any established model?


A couple of years ago the company I was working for was doing some agriculture work on the lovely Redlands Estate where the original Redlands Distillery was based. At the time we got talking to distiller Dean Jackson and our mate Bill Lark and the conversation of how you learn to be a distiller came up.

At the time, in early 2013, there wasn’t much around if you wanted to learn about distilling. The guys here in Tas had been learning on the job, reading up when they wanted to know something or asking other distillers (primarily Bill Lark) if there was something a little bit tricky.

We thought there had to be an easier way for distillers and people who wanted to work in the industry to gain those skills and knowledge; the idea of the Academy was born.

From there, my partner Chris who is passionate about training that works, and I started looking around at ways we could help create a pathway for people interested in getting into the industry and those looking to increase their skills and knowledge in distilling.

We tested the idea with Bill Lark and spoke with Patrick Maguire (Sullivans) to see what they thought and with a positive “yep, reckon it’s a goer” we took off.

The model is loosely based on the Irish Whisky Academy and is based on the premise of connection. Connection to experts. Connection to Tasmanian distilleries. Connecting people who love whisky, with people who know about it. We wanted to create an amazing Tassie experience that also gave students full exposure to the process of whisky making – from idea to market. That course has become the Tasmanian Introduction to Distilling and was first run in November 2016.

Our next goal is to be able to create a better learning pathway for the industry itself so that the people in the industry who have the skills are recognised for these and if they want to learn new skills, there is an avenue for this.

What does the Tasmanian Whisky Academy hope to bring to the Tasmanian and Australian whisky industry?


It would be great to think Tasmania, and by default Australia, can gain a global reputation not just for our amazing product but for our people as well.

In short, we’d like to think that when aspiring distillers from other parts of the world look at honing their craft, that Australia becomes a desirable place for that learning to occur. If we can play a role in progressing that reputation it would be fantastic.

What services, training and support does the Tasmanian Whisky Academy provide and to whom is it available?


Currently, the Academy offers the Tasmanian Introduction to Distilling course. This 1-day course is targeted to people interested in getting into the industry, those who love whisky or want to write about it and anyone trying to work out if distilling or brewing is what they want to do with their career.

We’ve also become a bit of an unofficial go to place for info about Tassie whisky and we’ve created the Tasmanian distilleries map with the view that if people are thinking of coming to Tassie, that they might come and do the Intro course, then stay a while and check out distilleries and tours around the state. We’re super happy to talk to anyone about whisky and what roads they should travel while they’re here.

We also have a few other things up our sleeve for 2017 and we’ll be sharing those soon.

So, if I wanted to start my own distillery, what unique opportunities could the Tasmanian Whisky Academy provide me?


The most relevant thing is the end to end overview. We’ve priced the Intro to Distilling so that if you are thinking about entering the industry, or you’re thinking about opening a distillery, the course will give you enough info that you can then make informed decisions about where to go next. It’s also an awesome fun day.

There are some other avenues around that may help, but the Intro is set out as a structured course, designed to be a great experience and provide a bit of business, info about barley, mashing, fermenting, distilling, bottling and market with pointers that help people on their journey.

The best part is getting out there amongst it at Moo Brew and see the grain and the mashing and Sullivans Cove Distillery to go through the process from receiving wash to bottling. Our mate Rex from Nonesuch Distillery also got to show our students a bit about gin, so that is a pretty cool too.

For people coming from interstate, we’d like to think we can offer them a little part of Tassie that they might otherwise not get to see. And while they’re here look after them, introduce them to people who might be able to help and create a worthwhile connection to the Tassie industry.

What work is being done to provide official accreditation and recognition for Tasmanian Whisky Academy courses and qualifications?


This is still being discussed but we’d like to think that in the future Tassie will be leading a distillers course that will help the industry. But that’s still a ways off and for now, part of the interest is that anyone can enter the industry and be trained on the job.


What was the local whisky industry’s reaction to the Tasmanian Whisky Academy?


Largely the reaction to The Academy has been positive and we’ve had some tremendous supporters, especially Bill Lark and Patrick Maguire who helped us fine tune the idea in the early days, and Rex at Nonesuch who has opened his doors to our students.

Our hope is that we will be able to run our Intro to Distilling in other parts of the state as well and we’ve had quite a few discussions with distillers around the state who are interested in being part of the fun. That will be great for students who want to experience diversity within the distilleries.

Does the Tasmanian Whisky Academy have any partners and if so, who are they and what is their involvement?


Our main partners are Moo Brew and Sullivans Cove who have provided the venue and the knowledge to ensure the students have the most amazing experience possible. These two venues, with support from Dave Magill and Pat Maguire are great Tassie icons and we’re proud and delighted they have been able to join us.

Hadley’s Orient Hotel provide a home for The Academy in Hobart and is a tremendous venue to return to for a whisky or gin at the end of the day. Our host Todd from Destination Cellars brings colour to the story of whisky and Rex at Nonesuch has been a great support offering a complete picture of how distilling can be done. We’ve a heap of other friends and supporters for our journey, the least of which is the Tassie industry as a whole – they are the reason people head down south and for that – 25 thank yous.
Pat Maguire (Sullivans Cove), Dave Magill (Moo Brew) and Anne Gigney (TWA)

What is the vision for the future of the Tasmanian Whisky Academy?


We’d just like to see more people heading south to learn about whisky. Tassie is really where it’s at. You can’t head more that 50kms from any major town in Tassie before stumbling over a distillery. We’d like more people to make our state a destination. Come and do a course, visit a distillery, take a tour and also experience the beer, cider and food that make Tassie great. And yeah, we’d like to play a role in making all that possible.

Are there any similar organisations to the Tasmanian Whisky Academy in other states and could there be an Australian Whisky Academy one day?


We think we’re pretty unique. There are a number of distilleries around Australia delivering unique and amazing whisky experiences but no single place to come for a complete education experience.

An Australian Academy? Not sure! But we think it possible the Tasmanian Whisky Academy will be offering Introduction to Distilling and more formal training to the industry in other parts of Australia in the future.

Thank you very much for your time, Anne. How can anyone interested in the Tasmanian Whisky Academy contact you?


The best place to head is the website www.whiskyacademy.com.au or Facebook www.facebook.com/whiskyacademytasmania.

The website has the links to the booking page for the Introduction to Distilling course and more information about us.

We’re offering two Summer courses in 2017 – 19 January and 16 February for people who are interested. $645 all inclusive with spots filling fast for January.

More Info

For more details on the Introduction to Distilling course, see my three-part feature here:

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Tasmanian Whisky Academy Intro to Distilling – Part Three

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Tasmanian Whisky Academy Intro to Distilling – Part Three


After leaving Moo Brew Brewery, the Intro to Distilling course enjoyed a lunch of beautiful local Tasmanian produce at Frogmore Creek Winery in the Coal River Valley. Just beyond the manicured gardens and fields of grapes sits an unassuming tin shed; many a tourist would sip their wine admiring the view without realising the tin shed is where Bill Lark’s famous award-winning Lark whisky is aged.

It was only a short trip from Frogmore Creek to the Cambridge-based Sullivans Cove Distillery. We were greeted at the distillery by Sullivans Cove Head Distillery, Pat Maguire, who wasted no time showing us where the whisky wash (from either Moo Brew or Cascade breweries in Sullivans Cove’s case) is pumped into the distillery. Sullivans Cove is set up to receive 12,000L of whisky wash at a time, although the distillery only operates a single 2,400L pot still. The whisky wash is transferred to a storage tank on the outside of the distillery to be pumped, when required, to the pot still inside. The distillery is open to the public for tours and cellar door sales throughout the business week and has a viewing platform overlooking the copper pot still, tucked away in a corner of the bond store. From 1996 – 2003, Sullivans Cove distillery occupied the old gas works site in Hobart and employed two people; the distillery was then sold and moved to Cambridge in 2004 where it now employs 12 people.


The distilling setup at Sullivans cove consists of a single 2,400L French designed (originally for brandy distillation) copper pot still, connected to a condenser via a lyne arm with a swan’s neck kink at the still end and six spirit collection tanks. The first step in the distilling process is to create 'low wine', which is what you are left with after the wash run or initial pass through the still. Whisky wash is pumped into the pot still from the wash receiving tank outside. Since Sullivans Cove start with 12,000L of whisky wash and only have a 2,400L still, they need to do five wash runs to process all the whisky wash. The still is filled and heated to 81˚C causing the alcohol to boil off but leaving most of the water behind. The vapour rises up the still and into the lyne arm where it partially condenses. So much of the distilling equipment is made of copper because copper chemically reacts with the condensing vapour. This property of copper was a serendipitous discovery, much like the effects of ageing spirit in wooden barrels. The copper reacts with sulphur in the vapour to form copper sulphate and draws unpleasant compounds and oils out of the spirit.

Next the spirit reaches the vertical column shaped condenser, where as the name suggests, the vapour is cooled and condensed into a liquid. The low wine is collected in the various storage tanks until all the whisky wash has gone through the pot still. At this point, the low wine is at about 25% ABV and is ready for the first of two spirit runs which will eventually become Sullivans Cove’s double-distilled newmake spirit. After the first spirit run, the spirit is transfer back into the still and the process begins again. This time the liquid that leaves the condenser is of a much higher alcohol concentration (around 71% ABV) and the copper strips away more unwanted compounds.

It is not a simple matter of just collecting all the liquid that comes out of the condenser however; more than one type of alcohol is distilled and not all alcohol is safe to consume. The first liquid distilled in a spirit run is mostly methanol, a strong smelling and poisonous alcohol. The distiller must separate this and other unwanted components in order to capture the ‘heart’ of the spirit run which is mostly ethanol. To achieve this, the distilled spirit is diverted at the beginning and end of each spirit run into a separate storage tank. The point when the spirit is diverted is called a cut and the first portion of cut spirit the ‘foreshots’ and the last portion the ‘faints’. The ‘fores & faints’ are not wasted, but rather added to the next spirit run since they still contain a portion of usable alcohol. Cutting the spirit can be an automated process or done manually as is the case at Sullivans Cove. You can smell, taste and sometimes see when the spirit run changes from mostly methanol to ethanol and a distiller uses all these indicators and their own experience to decide when to cut the spirit.

During those two or more years, the spirit and wood undergo an almost magical metamorphosis where the wood releases organic chemical compounds into the spirit that introduce new colour, flavours and aromas. 

The spirit that is produced from the distillation process is not yet whisky. In order to be legally labelled as Whisky, the freshly distilled newmake, must be aged in wooden barrels for a minimum of two years (in Tasmania) or three years (in Scotland). During those two or more years, the spirit and wood undergo an almost magical metamorphosis where the wood releases organic chemical compounds into the spirit that introduce new colour, flavours and aromas. Sullivans Cove do not print age statements on their bottles, but they do list the distillation and bottling dates so you can work out the age of the whisky for yourself; often around 10 years which makes it some of the oldest Tasmanian whisky available.

The final process is to bottle the aged whisky, but once again it is not as simple as syphoning the whisky straight from the barrel and into a bottle. The compounds released by the wood that impart so much flavour and aromas to the whisky have varying solubility depending on alcohol concentration and temperature. This means, that they will tend to solidify and clump together over time. There is nothing wrong with this other than the cosmetic effect of having a cloudy whisky or seeing sediment in the bottom of your bottle. For this reason, most whisky bottled under 46% ABV has undergone some form of filtration. Chill-filtration is a fast, industrialised process where the whisky is chilled to force the wood compounds to solidify so they can be removed from the whisky. This will produce the clearest whisky and is common where whisky is produced on a massive scale. The other method is called flocking. Flock is the name given to the solidified wood compounds that accumulate over time and Sullivans Cove employ the flocking method since they bottle their whisky at 40% ABV and in relatively small quantities; flocking requires a lot of time and space.

The barrelled whisky is poured into plastic containers and filtered water is added to bring the alcohol concentration down to a bottling level of 40% ABV. The diluted whisky is then left to sit for months at a time. As the whisky rests, the heaviest and least soluble wood compounds clump together and settle on the bottom of the containers. The whisky above the flock, is drawn off and placed into another plastic container so that the process can be repeated and the whisky drawn off again. I have been told that the whisky flock is quite delicious and is highly sought after for culinary purposes. Once the distiller is happy with the clarity of the whisky, it is bottled, labelled and ready for sale.

Having followed the whisky making process from malt to bottle, the Intro to Distilling course returned to Hobart. A lucky few who did not have to dash away, were met at Hadley’s Orient Hotel by none other than Bill and Lyn Lark and shared a dram or two with the first-family of Tasmania Whisky.

This concludes the three-part feature on the Introduction to Distilling Course but check back soon for an interview with Anne Gigney, Director of the Tasmanian Whisky Academy.
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Tasmanian Whisky Academy Intro to Distilling – Part Two

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Tasmanian Whisky Academy Intro to Distilling – Part Two


The first excursion on our Introduction to Distilling course, is to Moo Brew Brewery, owned by David Walsh of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) fame. Moo Brew plays an integral part in many of Tasmania’s distilleries but what does a brewery have to do with a distillery? Quite a bit actually. Let’s start with a quick lesson on the whisky making process, which can be broken down into five distinct parts: Malting, Fermenting, Distilling, Ageing and Bottling.

Malting is the process of taking raw grain (barley in this case) and turning it into a product that can be easily fermented called Malt. Barley is harvested and cleaned, then steeped in water to cause the grain to germinate or sprout. Germination is a biological process where the grain prepares itself to grow into a new plant. Inside the grain, hard starches are unlocked and converted into soft starches to become an initial food source for the plant. These soft starches can be converted to sugars by plant enzymes within the grain. 

These sugars are important, because we want to use them to feed Yeast, a micro-organism that converts sugars to carbon dioxide and alcohol. The germination process must be interrupted at the ideal time in order to maximise sugar yields. This is done by heating and drying the malt in a kiln, also referred to a Kilning. This is also the time when a smoky character can be imparted onto the malt by burning aromatic fuel sources such as Peat, to introduce smoke into the kiln. Once dried, the malt is ground into pieces about one third the size of a full grain. The grain needs to be cracked open to access the sugars within, but not milled too much as to clog the machines in the following processes.


The next step is Fermentation, which is what Moo Brew Brewery does and why we visited the brewery. We were greeted at Moo Brew by Head Brewer, Dave Magil who took us into the delivery area first. The smell of cereal hits your nose as soon as you walk in like steam rising from a fresh bowl of warm porridge. Unmalted barley is hard and chewy and has a mild neutral flavour. Malted barley on the other hand is fragrant and crunchy with a sweet cereal flavour; quite tasty really, even in its natural state.

Malted barley is delivered to Moo Brew whole and is milled on site. The milled malt is then passed through into the brewery floor where it enters the Mash Tun and is mixed with hot (76˚C) water. The Mash Tun is simply a large mixer and this is when the plant enzymes convert the remaining soft starches to sugars. The Mash Tun’s job is to turn the milled barley into a sugar solution and the most important factor Dave tells us is to ensure all the malt gets wet.

You know how when you mix Milo with milk and you get those big clumps? If you bite into one, it’s full of dry powdered Milo. Well malt does the same thing and clumps together. Any malt that doesn’t get wet is wasted sugars so it’s important that the malt is mixed well in the Mash Tun to ensure it all comes into contact with the hot water and there are no clumps. 

The contents of the Mash Tun really is like a grainy and cloudy sweet hot porridge, but at this stage that is all it is, a grainy sugar solution. Next, the contents of the Mash Tun are pumped into a Lauder Tun, otherwise known as a Separation Tank. The purpose of this step is to separate the grain husks or Grist, from the sugar solution.
Inside the Lauder Tun, explains Dave, the grist floats on the surface and forms a natural filter bed. A hot water spray or Sparg, runs through the barley grist bed to separate the sugar solution from the grist. If the barley was not milled to the correct size, this natural filtering process would not work properly. 

 The hot sugar solution, called Wort, collects inside the Fermenting Tank and must be cooled to 20˚C before it is ready to become a meal for yeast and undergo fermentation. Yeast is added to the wort and fermentation can take around a week for all the sugars to be converted. The final product after fermentation is a milky solution called Whisky Wash. Beer is made in a similar way, but whisky wash is un-hopped for example. The whisky wash is around 7% ABV and tastes different depending to what malt and yeast is used, but the Moo Brew whisky wash tasted a lot like a wheat beer such as Hoegaarden, although very cloudy in comparison. The finished whisky wash is pumped into large plastic containers ready for pickup by the customer distilleries.

Join me again for Part Three of this Introduction to Distilling feature when we follow the whisky wash to Sullivans Cove Distillery to be taken through the distilling, ageing and bottling processes by non-other than Sullivan’s Cove Head Distiller, Pat Maguire.
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