Modern Business Magazine November 2016 | Page 52

MODERN BUSINESS the progress to date – so are our shareholders! Do you have any plans for other product lines? Apart from our single malts we produce a high-class Whisky Cream Liqueur. This product combines the resources of both sides of our company. The liqueur is made from five year old single malt whisky blended with fresh Tasmanian cream. It’s a lovely, lush post dining tipple that is starting to find strong favour here in Australia thanks to some key distribution arrangements. We also produce cold grain (barley) vodka under the ‘Southern Lights’ brand name. It is available in several flavour options, original, lemon, orange and apple. This product is predominantly sold through our Burnie Visitor Centre and on-line. One of our more exciting projects is a sherry cask matured single malt. In 2014 we filled 120 Spanish sherry casks which are currently in bond. We expect this whisky will be one of our finest and much sought after when it is tipped and released in about seven years from now. As I said earlier, whisky distilling requires a high degree of patience! hoped demand would be strong, it was not. It took two to three years to establish a reasonable domestic distribution footprint and with the quality of our products improving each year, plus the odd accolade here and there, distribution grew and has retained a strong upward spiral ever since. We understand why many boutique distillers struggle to get a return on investment – whisky distilling is a tough gig. Tell us about some of the expectations that you had. Have they been met? We have more than met initial expectations although it seemed an 52 ModernBusiness November 2016 eternity before the business started to become viable. In reality, it was only a decade, which for single malt whisky production is more like a minute. Some of the Scottish brands have been plying their craft for hundreds of years and here we are, a small operation from the bottom of the world, nipping at their heels like a feisty terrier! We still have a long way to go before we can say we have ‘made it’ however a strong component of our business plan is to not only create world-class whisky, but to establish a world-class whisky business. We are still taking baby steps, but are very pleased with The Tasmanian Whisky industry has developed a name for itself internationally. What’s the key to the success of the local industry? Overall, Tasmania’s reputation for producing high quality food and beverage has been a significant factor in the growth of the State’s Whisky industry. Of course this reputation has been realised on the back of a wonderful temperate climate, some of the world’s purest drinking water and some very sound primary production models. Combine these assets with a solid dose of passion and pride and it’s easy to see why Tasmanian whisky is being recognised for its quality on the world stage.