Tasmanian distillery unveils unique new whisky

Oatlands’ Callington Mill has become the first Australian distillery to utilise the amphora technique in the production of whisky.

The method, which involves keeping liquids in ceramic containers, dates back more than 4000 years and was traditionally used to transport and store wine.

Callington Mill Expert Distiller Blair Whitehead said it left a fully-matured whisky in three 350-litre amphoras for two years.

The new spirit is limited to fewer than 1000 bottles and was only available for purchase via a ballot system.

All of the barley used to make whisky at Callington Mill is sourced from Tasmania, with most of it grown in the Midlands or North West and is of the RGT Planet variety.

“It’s a generally low-yielding crop but is known for high esters and oily textures, plus it is GMO-free,” Mr Whitehead said.

“Most of the industry globally uses Firefoxx, which is higher-yield but has less flavour.

“We’re lucky in that RGT Planet produces a spirit that has a lot of flavour even before we impart any flavour from the maturation process in the cast.”

Callington Mill founder John Ibrahim is from Lebanon and arak, a spirit originating from there, is made using the amphora technique.
“John was surrounded by these clay vessels in his childhood and it was something that was rooted in his early years,” Mr Whitehead said.

“He likes to think out of the box a little but and push the boundaries.
“He asked the question ‘what if?’ and given that no one was doing it he thought it would be good to do the experiment.”

Mr Whitehead said the result was a spirit that had more “earthy tones” compared to other Callington Mill whiskies.

“The most distinctive change was in the viscosity of the whisky itself.

“I think having it matured in those amphoras allowed a lot more of the volatilities to permeate through the clay.

“It didn’t have the same heat, burn and kick that you generally associate with drinking whisky.

“It’s still there, but it’s very much dulled down, so it really allows you to dive into the deeper complexities of the whisky itself without having the intrusive burn or heat on the palate.”

The ballot winners for the Callington Mill Amphora were announced on August 11.