Membership Report ANTHONY MCCONNON Tasmanian whiskey is now a well sort after product and is winning awards world wide. Recently, Redlands Distillery who in November last year moved their operation to Dysart House in Kempton, became a member of the THA. Last month I had the pleasure of spending some time with Redland’s Emma Alessandrini who gave me an insight into how the business came into existence, their thoughts on the industry and what the future holds. Redlands Distillery started its life on the banks of the river Plenty in November 2012. After many months of planning and with the guidance of none other than Bill Lark, the God Father of Australian Whisky, the first barley was sown onto the fields of Redlands Estate. Being the first single malt distillery to floor malt, onsite, it took a little while to work it all out. The first batch of barley was harvested in February 2013 and was then steeped, malted and kiln dried. After being kiln dried in a custom made kiln (designed and manufactured in Tasmania) the first mash was made in March 2013 by Redlands only staff member at the time – Dean Jackson. Jump forward a few years and Redlands was ready to release, launching their first whisky in August 2015. Shortly after Redlands Estate sold and Redlands Distillery thought this was a great opportunity to find a new home which would Give us a history lesson on Redlands and how the operation ended up at Dysart House.
allow it to expand, as we had outgrown our premises. In November 2015 Redlands Distillery found a new home at Dysart House in Kempton and re-opened the cellar door in June 2016. How important is it to the business that you are a “paddock to bottle operation” The Redlands paddock-to-bottle process is very unique and quite time consuming but we believe that the additional control we have on barley allows us to craft a distinctive and exceptional spirit. We believe that quality products are created using locally sourced ingredients. By growing our own barley we are not only reducing our carbon footprint but we are also supporting local businesses and have the luxury of selecting our preferred barley type to produce our single malt spirit. Is whisky the only product Redlands produce? We make a variety of products at Redlands including Brandy, Apple Liqueur, Apple Schnapps, Lavender Malt and New Malt. Our apple spirits are made by distilling Tasmanian Apple Cider, this gives us a lovely rich, natural apple flavour. Our schnapps is made in a European style and really packs a punch as it is 55% alcohol, but is surprisingly smooth. It is served in a mason jar with an apple – which is delicious finely sliced and served with Tassie blue cheese. Another favourite is our Lavender Malt. We soak handpicked Tasmanian lavender heads in our single malt spirit and sweeten it. The Lavender flavour is surprisingly subtle, by using lavender heads rather than essential oil we avoid the bitterness Lavender can create. How important is it to you to work with other local distillers and share knowledge The Tasmanian whisky industry is built on shared knowledge, we enjoy working with other distilleries
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