Nant investor tells of expedition to retrieve barrels

AN investor in the Nant whisky barrel investment scheme has told how police were called in when he attempted to retrieve two barrels from the Nant Estate six weeks ago.

Whisky

AN investor in the Nant whisky barrel investment scheme has told how police were called in when he attempted to retrieve two barrels from the Nant Estate six weeks ago.

Several investors have told the Mercury that they have been unable to retrieve their barrels in the months leading to the sale this week of Nant to Australian Whisky Holdings.

The publicly listed company has promised to pay out $5.5 million of debt attached to the business.

Hobart businessman Pieter van der Woude went to the Bothwell property with two mates on the pretence of looking at his two barrels of whisky but was intent on forcibly removing them, he said.

“We heard things weren’t that brilliant, that’s why we went up there,’’ he said.

Mr van der Woude has invested twice in Queensland property developer and declared bankrupt Keith Batt’s whisky investment scheme.

Mr van der Woude reinvested on his first barrel three years ago with another two barrels that he bought for his son. The first barrel matured and he paid for a dozen bottles from that barrel before investing more money into two more.

Mr van der Woude said: “The police had been called but the staff were pretty good and we got out of there before they arrived. They convinced us that we couldn’t take the barrels.

“I could see the error of my ways with the legal issues attached to bond stores.”

He arranged with the Tax Department for a single movement of his barrels to another bond store in Hobart.

Mr van der Woude said the staff at Nant were “really good” during the process.

He said his several phone calls with Mr Batt have “not been so good.”

“I am disappointed that it has come to this.

“But I’m happy that I’ve got my whisky but I’m not sure about the results.”

Originally published as Nant investor tells of expedition to retrieve barrels