Tasmanian distilleries

[5 o'clock]

I am taking my family on a holiday to Tasmania next week and want to do some exploring of things that interest me.

If I can manage to convince everyone to let me take an hour or two out of the schedule which distilleries are worth visiting?

We are spending a few days in Hobart then same near Freycinet then 2 days in Launceston and 2 in Cradle mountain. I am thinking that it will be easiest for me to slip away for a bit while in Hobart.

Where should I go?

Thanks,

Richard

[stilltryin]

g`day mate.
lark distillery is very close to constitution dock...where the yachts in the sydney to hobart tie up after they are finished their race, if you get near the waterfront you will find it easy enough...it`s right next to "mawsons hut"...a tourist attraction.

[whiskeyshiner]

I went to the lark bar in salamaca never had time to do the tour of the actual distillery but my friends said its definately worth it :handgestures-thumbupleft: tried to go to sullivans cove but ended up in an industrial arwa that said we are moving so just make sure you check before you go there :handgestures-thumbupleft: theres a big old pot in the bar very nice looking copper porn ill try and dig up a pic

[HoochHound]

Lark do a liqueur from mountain pepper.

http://www.larkdistillery.com.au/products/spirits-liqueurs/tasi-700ml

Get some. Your mouth will thank you.

Don't just stop at Lark. http://taswhiskytrail.com/

[Sam.]

I would be interested in going to Sullivans Cove as I reckon their gear shits all over Hellyers Road and Larks ;-)

Haven't tried the others there but have it on the list

[whiskeyshiner]

I would be interested in going to Sullivans Cove as I reckon their gear shits all over Hellyers Road and Larks ;-)

Haven't tried the others there but have it on the list

Yeah mate my sullivan cove single malt is empty already :laughing-rolling: bloody good gear

[Sam.]

I would be interested in going to Sullivans Cove as I reckon their gear shits all over Hellyers Road and Larks ;-)

Haven't tried the others there but have it on the list

Yeah mate my sullivan cove single malt is empty already :laughing-rolling: bloody good gear

Yeah it's better than the rest there but it still isn't fantastic on the world scale of whisky ;-)

[Brendan]

Wasn't it the Sullivan Cove that won the world whisky of the year earlier this year? I imagine it would be good stuff :mrgreen:

[Sam.]

Wasn't it the Sullivan Cove that won the world whisky of the year earlier this year? I imagine it would be good stuff :mrgreen:

I have a bottle that is still 3/4 full, must read up on the details as to what can be judged for that title as I have many bottles that shit all over it :?

[Brendan]

Tasmanian Whisky Wins World's Best Single Malt

Same one? :think:

[Sam.]

On second look it is less than 3/4 full :?

yea.JPG

[5 o'clock]

So this afternoon I went to the Lark Distillery cellar door shop near constitution dock in Hobart. They no longer distil here due to outgrowing the size of the building but still have a still on display. They have moved their distillery to another location (which can be accessed by a half day tour but I didn't have time).

I got to try their gin, liqueur (?tasmanian pepper berry flavour), whiskey at 2 or the 3 different strengths and the big surprise was the rum. I did not try the vodka or the cask strength whiskey.

Apparently all their whiskies are bottled from a single barrel with a decision being made about at which strength being made for each barrel. They bottle at either 43%, 46 (distillers selection), and 58 (cask strength but not really because they dilute it a bit to get down to 58). I think he said that they get used port casks from Seppelts in South Australia and remanufacture them down to a smaller size.

My thoughts...

I tried the rum first, bottled at 50%. It is aged in barrels which have been used for the whiskies so carries a lot of whiskey flavours and tasted like no rum I have ever tried before. I felt that the peat flavour was stronger than the whiskies maybe due to an interaction with the sweetness from the rum. I liked it and bought a bottle because it was so unique. My only disappointment was finding the same product at a lower price in a bottle shop an hour later.

I then tried the 43% whiskey. It is lightly peated and quite nice, the flavours carried through from the port barrel were pleasant but not too dominant.

The 46% carried a heavier peat flavour and I also liked it but not enough to buy.

I didn't try the 58% whiskey as I wanted to try other products.

The liqueur was very nice, I have no idea what a Tasmanian pepper berry is but it works well in a liqueur. I didn't ask what %alcohol it was. It was pleasantly sweet without having too much sugar added. I could easily drink a lot of this liqueur.

I also liked the flavour of the gin, I'm not usually a gin drinker but the subtle flavours were nice but not overpowering like some gins. I think he said there were pepper berries in it also. I preferred Doc's gin from Eastview estate.

The tastings were very reasonably priced at only $15 and the atmosphere was great with my waiter being very friendly and knowledgable about their products and processes. I went along only really aware of their whiskies but left impressed more by the other products. I really enjoyed what they offered and would thoroughly recommend that you go along and do a Lark tasting if you get a chance. Anytime I get an opportunity to repeat this experience I will but might try to have more to eat beforehand because I desperately needed food by the end.

Cheers,

Richard

[5 o'clock]

After visiting the Lark cellar door I went to the Nant whiskey bar in Salamanca. I'm posting this in a different message because I don't want to tarnish my review of Lark by what I say about Nant. It wasn't easy to find being located up a side alley and for most of the time I was the only customer there.

It was a very different experience. This place takes itself very seriously. My waiter was very nice but not as knowledgable as the guy at Lark. It cost me $40 to try 3 half nips of barrel strength (63%) product. Half way through she was talking about the distillery and being able to do a tour for $15 including a tasting if I was able to get there. I immediately felt like I was being ripped off for what I was tasting if I could get more for less at their actual distillery.

Their products are matured in used barrels, either French oak port, or American oak sherry or Bourbon. They don't peat their malted grain which I felt was good because the flavours coming through from the sherry and port were in my opinion overpowering on their own. The bourbon barrelled whiskey was my preference but I didn't love it. They also do a mixed whiskey combining some of each of the 3 main products which I liked more but didn't love either.

At $160ish for a bottle they won't get me buying any of their product.

I won't recommend anyone go there for a tasting as at the price I paid I would prefer to go back to the Lark tasting 3 times. If I get a chance I might have a look at the actual Nant distillery but I will need to go out of my way to get there. There are some full day bus trips which visit multiple distilleries which I won't be able to go on but I would be interested to be able to compare them that way to see if I am being overly critical of my experience of Nant.

Tomorrow I am going on a bus tour to port Arthur where there is another distillery which the waiter at Lark recommended. I don't know if I will get a chance to stop there but will try to convince the driver.

Richard

[MacStill]

Nice thread 5' 0

Thanks for posting about it in so much detail, a great read mate :D

[5 o'clock]

No worries Mac,

If I can help at least one person save a few dollars by avoiding the Nant whiskey bar in Salamanca it was all worth it!

Richard

[5 o'clock]

I gave Nant another chance and visited their distillery at Bothwell yesterday.

I had a totally different experience compared to their whisky bar in Hobart.

The person I spoke with was very knowledgeable and friendly. I wasn't able to do a tour but she explained a lot of their process and cask selection etc. They have a water wheel on the side of the building which used to drive the flour milling stones but now it is used as a winch to lift bags of barley up to the mash tun area. The tasting room is underneath this and I had the privilege of having grains drop through the floorboards above into (what's left of) my hair!

I did a tasting (for $15 - much better than the $40 I paid a few days ago) and tried some different products and some the same as at the bar. My preference was the American bourbon cask strength but then found out it is $300+ for a 500mL bottle. No wondering why I liked it. The sherry wood @43% was subtle and smooth, very drinkable but nothing really unique. There was a "Homestead blend" (I think this was the name) @43% of some American bourbon oak and some other casks which I would have bought if it was available in a large bottle. It was very nice with a flavour a bit more subtle than but not too different from the cask strength.

Their gardens are fantastic and it would be a great place to go for a long lunch. Unfortunately the cafe is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so my family got to run around hungry outside while I was tasting, which forced me to rush more than I would have preferred. If the keys were in my wife's pocket they would have all left long before I was ready to leave.

So in conclusion about Nant, great products, great distillery just avoid their whisky bars for tastings and go straight to the source.

Richard

[5 o'clock]

Yesterday I also went to Richmond where there is a "Tasting House" which has a large variety of Tasmanian products. This was my chance to try Sullivan's Cove Whisky. The woman working there has no significant individual product knowledge but tried to be helpful, she admitted to not being a whisky drinker at all.

Re Sullivan's Cove, Their products are all aged for 11 years plus which is much longer than the other distilleries but I assume the barrels might be larger rather than the smaller re manufactured barrels used by the others. Unfortunately the gold medal winning product is not available any more but the other two were.

The American oak cask @ 47% had a lot of flavour and was my preference although the double cask (blend of American and French oaks) @40% was also very nice.

I also tried the Strait Tasmanian Sloe Gin. This was really good, sweet like a liqueur and would be a good after dinner drink instead of dessert. Went down easily. Will need to add the Strait distillery to my wish list of places to visit. I've never been a gin drinker before recently but am starting to recognise the extent in the variety of the gin range (which I think is probably bigger than most other spirits) and the ones I have tried in Tasmania have been almost liqueur like and sweet rather than the more sour ones my parents used to drink.

So far everything I have tried in Tasmania has been fantastic quality and nothing has been disappointing at all. I would be happy to have any of these products given to me as a gift!

[MacStill]

I'm loving your write ups mate, I really hope one day I can use my notes from this thread to utilise my time in tassie to it's fullest... thank you so much for going to so much effort to share your experiences.... I appreciate it more than you know. even if my responses are a bit short :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:text-thankyoublue:

[Sam.]

:text-+1: Threads like these are great starters for guys heading to these places. I can't wait to get there myself so I love reading about it too ;-)

[TheMechwarrior]

I'm heading down south in a couple of weeks with some mates to the Bespoke Gin Workshop at McHenry & Sons Distillery.

http://mchenrydistillery.com.au/workshops/
http://www.bespoketasmania.com/tours/

ABC video: ==> http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-21/f ... om/5759018

Looking forward to it and will let you know hoe it all goes.