T
asmania is fast gathering a reputation as a producer of premium single malt whiskies. There are six distilleries and a seventh isn’t far away.
There are about two dozen distilleries across the country, but with a quarter of them based in Tasmania, already some connoisseurs are labelling what used to be called the apple isle - the whisky island.
Tim Duckett is a member of the Tasmanian Whisky Appreciation Society, a group that samples and analyses both local and international drinks.
Mr Duckett firmly believes the state’s climatic conditions, barley and clean water make the colonial product comparable to whiskies from more traditional territory.
“They seem to produce a depth of character that I believe makes us comparable, or I’m going to go out on a limb here and say superior to some of the whiskies that are produced in Scotland,” he said.
“Our industry is only 16 years of age - theirs is 400 and we’re catching up very, very rapidly with the qualities of the whisky that we produce.”
In the central highlands is one of the industry’s newest players, Nant Distillery, based on the old Nant Estate, near Bothwell.
It was set up by Queensland property developer Keith Batt who intends to move down when things warm up later this year.
The distillery bottled its first release in early July, and it’s receiving rave reviews.
One thing that sets this producer apart is the colonial methods still used in the (more…)
or the third consecutive time, Orcadian Highland Park single malt has been awarded top marks by leading US independent whisky expert Paul Pacult in his coveted list of best spirits in the Spirits Journal 2010.
he last few years have seen a meteoric increase in both the popularity and quality of Australian whisky, yet by world standards, the industry is young.