Clyde Mill to open at former Nant Distillery site

Nant Estate and Distillery played a formative role in John Ramsay’s life and was a main attraction for his hometown of Bothwell.

His parents bought part of the estate in the 80s, and after it was transformed into a distillery, the Ramsays would regularly visit the café and cellar door.

Nant went into receivership amid controversial circumstances in 2017.

John Ramsay and his family, who have been farming in Bothwell for decades, originally purchased the estate for its historic homestead and potential for sheep grazing.

“It’s 200 acres, there’s water flowing through and it has two houses that we needed for staff,” Mr Ramsay said.

“The distillery was a bit of a bonus because everything was already here and it didn’t take much to get going.”

Clyde Mill Distillery, named after the river that runs through the property, had a soft launch during Tasmanian Whisky Week and is officially opening on September 18.

Mr Ramsay said the café at the site had not been operational since the COVID-19 pandemic and much work was required to restore it, including removing some pesky possums that had made it their home.

“We’ve secured some Nant whisky that was made between 2019 and 2021 that we are now selling as Clyde Mill.

“We put down our first batch of whisky recently and that will take two to three years to mature.”

Clyde Mill has also released its own gin, which Mr Ramsay said they did because it is his and his wife Annie’s favourite spirit.

“We aren’t whisky drinkers but we have always wanted to be.

“Nant used to be more of a whisky bar thing, whereas we feel we want to be more encompassing than that – somewhere you can enjoy a gin, a beer, a coffee and some cake.

“But I’m starting to get more into whisky and the feedback we’ve had for the whiskies has been good.

“The highland climate, the distils and the ingredients all seem to lend to making really good whisky.”

Mr Ramsay said the soft launch had seen healthy and steady numbers of people visiting the distillery.

“In the afternoon, the sun comes in through the glass and it makes it a warm and lovely spot.

“We’ve bought some new chairs and the deck is much bigger than it used to be, but otherwise it is quite similar aesthetically.

“The main difference is that we are offering a wider package by doing coffee and gin.”

Mr Ramsay has other farmland surrounding the Clyde Mill estate, which includes sheep and vegetable crops.

“Farming will always be our main business and enterprise.

“We’re going to try and integrate the farming into the distillery with our own potatoes and lamb on the menu at some stage.”

Mr Ramsay said they are set to finish 10,000 lambs this year, are producing around 5500 tonnes of potatoes and 800 tonnes of grain.