Five of the best — Tassie whiskies

OUR whiskies have long held a reputation for being among the best in the world. Here’s our pick of some of the finest drops.

Sullivans Cove whisky has won international awards and is one of Tasmania’s best. Picture: SUPPLIED.

Sullivans Cove

Sullivans Cove was founded in 1995 and since establishment its whisky has become one of the most desired single malt whiskies in the world. In 2014, Sullivans Cove French oak was named the World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards in London. Sullivans Cove single malt whiskies are made using only Tasmanian ingredients, are non-chill-filtered and they bottle each barrel individually. Sullivans Cove recently moved to a brand new distillery at Lamb Place, Cambridge.

Nant distillery at Bothwell make of the state’s best whiskies. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

Nant

The Nant Estate at Bothwell was first settled by Edward Nicholas in 1821 and bought in 2004 by Keith Batt. Water, yeast and barley are the three ingredients used to create Nant Single Malt Whisky. The malted barley is ground in the estate’s old flour mill which was constructed in 1823. The Nant Distillery produces in excess of 650 barrels per year and also hosts 15,000 visitors through the Atrium Restaurant and distillery tours. The Nant Single Malt is complex in character and comprehensively reflects the unique strengths and flavours of the Tasmanian Central Highlands.

Bill Lark established Tasmania’s first distilleries — Lark Distillery. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Lark Distillery

Lark Distillery was the first licensed distillery in Tasmania in 1839. It was established in 1992 to produce Australian malt whisky on Hobart’s waterfront. Today, the Lark Distillery is one of Australia’s leading distilleries. The Distillery runs an 1800 litre copper pot wash still along with a 500 litre spirit still, and produces twelve to fifteen 100 litre barrels per month. The range of distilled products includes the flagship Lark Single Malt Whisky, Hailing Mary Vodka, Godfather Gin, TASI Aromatica Bush Liqueur and the superb Slainte Single Malt Whisky Liqueur.

Redlands Estate Single Malt Whisky is one of the state’s best drops. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE

Redlands Estate

Redlands Distillery has produced Australia’s only paddock-to-bottle single malt whisky.

This means that every ingredient and every step of whisky production is done on-site, from collecting the water and growing the grain, to bottling the finished product. After moving from their original location in the Derwent Valley to Kempton, Redlands sowed their first crop of barley in September and will continue production when their new distillery is built in 2017.

Port Arthur distillery McHenry Distillery produce one of Tasmania’s best whiskies. Picture: TOURISM TASMANIA

William McHenry and Sons

Located at Port Arthur, William McHenry & Sons is Australia’s most southern distillery. The distillery’s position also offers exceptional conditions to create whisky. It’s home to several natural, year-round springs that provide the distillery with pure water. The Port Arthur air has a faint maritime quality, adding a faint iodine note to the whisky.