The Guide to the Whiskies of Tasmania July 2015

Redlands Estate Distillery, Plenty This historic site is being developed along multipurpose lines including a full-scale malt whisky distillery which draws on the estate's own barley fields and does its own malting. Established in 2013 the first bottling is expected to take place in winter, 2015. Informal tasting of the twoyear-old spirit suggests much Preparing a 20 litre barrel promise once it is bottled commercially. Like Belgrove, Redlands also sees itself as a paddock to bottle operation and, indeed, is the only one in Australia making single malt whisky (Belgrove produces rye whisky). King George IV The estate itself dates Caption ??? back to 1819 when the land was granted to a son of King George IV. Many of the farm buildings erected originally by convict labour still stand as evidence of the skills to be found amongst the then colony's early arrivals. Located a convenient drive from Hobart in the stunningly beautiful Derwent Valley near the salmon ponds at New Norfolk, Redlands is destined to become an important tourist attraction. The real test, however, will be the quality of its whisky and given Bill Lark's direct interest, as an investor and no doubt as an advisor, the results will be worth waiting for. One early fruit of Bill Lark's involvement with Peter Hope, the brains behind Redlands, is a joint project with the University of Tasmania to determine the perfect barley for making whisky. They are already testing a number of varieties under different growing conditions. Should the ideal variety be established the intention is to develop it exclusively for the whisky industry and possibly to export it to other whisky producing countries. Head distiller ‘mashing in’ Traditional floor malting Redlands already grows its own barley and malts it on-site using the traditional floor malting process. It is therefore an ideal test-bed for the barley experimental project which, if successful, could have implications for Tasmania’s influence in the wider world of malt whisky distilling. The first spirit was double distilled using a 500 litre copper pot still, but there are plans to supplement this with a much bigger still of 2000 litres. Initially, production will only be 60 barrels yearly but if, like other small production Tasmanian whiskies, its ratings put it in much demand this will clearly be inadequate. A great whisky from Redlands will be a fitting tribute to Peter and Elizabeth Hope who bought the estate some years ago with the objective of returning it to being a full working farm. The success of the distillery may well be what puts it on the map. the Redlands Estate 10

The Guide to the Whiskies of Tasmania July 2015 | Page 12