The Guide to the Whiskies of Tasmania July 2015 | Page 10

Welsh Whisky?
Nant was settled by the

Nant Estate, Bothwell
Unlike the other distilleries in Tasmania, Nant is the
brainchild of a non-resident in the person of Keith Batt, a
successful Queensland entrepreneur and property
developer, who was drawn to the magic of the island and
realised what for many would be the dream of a lifetime,
i.e. to build a malt whisky distillery in a remote but
beautiful location and end up with a product that already
commands widespread respect across the whisky
spectrum.

Welsh – not noted for
their whisky distilling skills
– hence the name.
However, the distilling
operation shamelessly
Nant uses traditional methods
to produce their whisky
borrows much from
Scotland and the results
have been exceptional, as
reflected in Jim Murray's
“Whisky Bible” and Jim
himself, a confessed
advocate of the
Tasmanian product,
visited Nant in 2014 and
personally selected the best casks in the process of
maturation. This will be particularly satisfying to many
investors, including the writer, who have taken
advantage of the various barrel investment opportunities
which Nant has made available to the market.

If there is any criticism of Nant, it is that the
commercial end of the operation is still run from far away
Brisbane, but the estate and, within it, the distillery are
distinctively Tasmanian as is the excellent visitors’ centre
where the food is almost as good as the whisky!
Nant Estate
and Atrium
Restaurant

From Paddock to Bar

Nant goes one step further than the paddock to bottle
phenomenon since the Nant mantra is from paddock to
bar, with the objective of replicating the Nant Bar in
Salamanca Place in Hobart in other cities in Australia and
beyond and already there are similar bars in Brisbane
and Melbourne. Nant has invested in additional pot stills
to allow for an increase in production to cater for
growing demand.

1823 Nant Mill refurbished

Building the distillery was a major undertaking and
involved serious investment. That all started in 2004 with
the purchase of the Nant Estate and then the launch of
the distillery itself in 2008. The results have been
impressive not only in terms of the development of the
site, the centrepiece of which is the Nant Mill, which has
been completely refurbished to its original state dating
from 1823 when it was built by convict labour, but also
with regard to the Nant product. Fully operational, it is
worth a visit to Nant just to see the Mill. However, the
real treat is to tour the very neat distillery, breathe in the
spirit-loaded air of the warehouse and sample the whisky
itself where it is created. Very hard to beat in any other
whisky distilling environment.

Nant Ambassador Matt Hayden

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