Mackey whisky weds Poltergeist gin at Tasmania’s Shene Estate

EVERYBODY loves a wedding and so when Tasmanian couple Poltergeist gin and Mackey whisky merge to form Shene Estate Distillery, there is sure to be much letting loose amid liberal libation.

Damian Mackey

EVERYBODY loves a wedding and so when Tasmanian couple Poltergeist gin and Mackey whisky merge to form Shene Estate Distillery, there is sure to be much letting loose amid liberal libation.

Distiller Damian Mackey. Picture: BRAD HARRIS

The April nuptials of the London dry-style girl to this triple-distilled, unpeated Irish boyo has been waiting for the construction of a 300 sq m distillery and bond store at Shene Estate, Pontville, and a new 2000-litre still.

Distiller Damian Mackey will significantly increase production of his Poltergiest filtered and unfiltered gins and his eponymous Irish-style whisky after moving in with the Kernke family at Shene.

The partnership will see two copper stills and a production facility housed in the new custom-built shed linked to a compelling cellar door experience in a converted 18th century hay shed at Shene.

The distillery is another string to the bow at Shene, which is finding a balance with commerce helping fund heritage conservation.

Should anyone object, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.

Poltergeist gin. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

Mackey Irish-style whisky. Picture BRAD HARRIS

AND so friends, to some of Tasmania’s older labels, let me hear a hallelujah for Overeem, Belgrove, Lark, Heartwood and Sullivans Cove, which recently scored “Liquid Gold” ratings (94-97.5/100) in the esteemed Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible (2016).

No whisky in the world scored higher than 97.5 this year’s edition.

“These whiskies, in my view, are the elite: the finest you can currently find on the whisky shelves of the world. Rare and precious, they are liquid gold”.

Geez. Don’t hold back Jimmy.

But wait. The world-class accolades for Tassie whisky didn’t stop there.

Noma’s Head Sommelier Mads Kleppe included five Belgrove expressions on his list of 23 Australian craft spirits at the restaurant’s Sydney pop-up, opened last week.

Tasmania’s McHenry’s Distillery and Old Hobart Distillery (Overeem) are rightfully crowing about four and one expressions, respectively, on the Noma list.

It seems the four-time world’s best restaurant is a soulmate of Bignell’s after Kleppe ‘s visit to Belgrove.

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough” — Mark Twain

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