Callington Mill Distillery |
Our distillery and visitor centre is currently under construction in the historic sandstone village of Oatlands.
When complete, it will offer one of the most immersive and unique single malt experiences available in Tasmania.
World Renowned Poltergeist Gin Now Distilled in an Exciting New Home. Callington Mill Distillery
Founder, John Ibrahim's journey into whisky started by chance after he purchased Dysart House in Kempton, Tasmania. Dysart House came to be leased to Redlands Distillery, now Old Kempton Distillery, and through this process John met Bill Lark, the Godfather of Tasmanian Whisky.
Callington Mill Distillery in historic Oatlands is aiming to put Tasmanian whiskey on the map.
The days of Tasmania being a comparatively sleepy island at the bottom of the world are long over. It's now in the top three travel destinations for Australians, according to Tourism Australia data.
While there has always been plenty to beckon visitors that far south, the " MONA Effect' ' has certainly played its part.
In the same way David Walsh's vision for the scale of his Museum of Old and New Art put Hobart on the international radar, entrepreneur John Ibrahim is set to do the same thing for the Tasmanian whiskey industry with Callington Mill Distillery in Oatlands, which opens this month.
An hour north of Hobart, this enchanting historic town is an ideal day trip or rest stop if you're taking the Midlands Highway all the way to Launceston. It's one of Tasmania's oldest European settlements, with architecture that remains largely unchanged from when convicts built its Georgian buildings in the early 1800s.
"Oatlands is just a spectacular town," Ibrahim says. "It's got the lake, the golf course, the history. It's just a tourist mecca."
While Ibrahim has made his fortune developing petrol stations, a chance meeting seven years ago with Bill Lark, widely considered the Godfather of the Tasmanian whiskey scene, changed his life.
"It ignited a passion in me," recalls Ibrahim of discovering quality single-malts . "There was something really magical happening with Tasmanian whiskey, so that's why I wanted to build a significant tourist destination where we can showcase all things whiskey."
Which is exactly what he's done. Working with partners, Salim and Danny Nicolas, both recipients of the Order of Australia and owners of building company Dasco, he has created Tasmania's latest tourism hotspot.
"I refer to them as my rock - the strength behind our brand," Ibrahim says of his partners.
Rising above the sandstone streetscape in Oatlands is a Lincolnshire tower mill which dominates the skyline with its majestic windmill.The team has restored Callington Mill to its former glory and developed the surrounding precinct to include a state-ofthe-art turnkey distillery, restaurant, barrel room and visitor centre.
"We have built the Rolls-Royce of whiskey distilleries and are now making Tasmanian single malt with Tasmanian technology," Ibrahim says of Callington Mill Distillery, where fresh highland water from the Blackman River and locally farmed barley craft whiskey on a scale not previously seen on the Apple Isle.
"Callington Mill Distillery offers one of the most immersive and unique single-malt experiences," he says.
The visitor offering tells the story of the local area through audio and video interactions and, for those more interested in the whiskey process, there are guided and unguided tours of the distillery plus a chance to make your own blend.
"There'll be five barrels to taste from and then you blend it to the ratios you like and we will bottle that for you on the spot."
Those who want to combine their love of whiskey with the Tasmanian wilderness and trout fishing , can avail themselves of the Callington Mill Blue Lake Lodge VIP experience. "We will take people up there by helicopter, wine and dine them for a night or two and they'll spend a day fishing with Bill Lark," Ibrahim says.
He sums up the distillery as " a window into the past and a window into the future'' .
❊ Address ❊
⊜ 6 Mill Lane Oatlands 7120 View Map
✆ Telephone: 0482 509 019
❊ Web Links ❊
➼ Callington Mill Distillery
➼ www.callingtonmilldistillery.com
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