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Hellyers Road Distillery sits on the route of the original Hellyers Road, which once ran from the Bass Strait coastline deep into the wild, rugged and remote mountains of north-west Tasmania. Close to the coast, thick mountain forests give way to rich, fertile red soil. It was on this soil in 1956 that a small group of family-owned dairy farms joined to form a cooperative.
The business thrived, and around 1997 they sought to diversify, choosing to respect the world's purest air, purest water and temperate climate of this incredible land. So began Australia’s oldest continuously operating single malt whisky distillery. Still largely owned by the descendants of those dairy farming families, Hellyers Road today brings you an unbroken heritage of the finest single malt whisky, still handcrafted with a restless spirit. Overlooking the rolling hills and farmlands, the distillery offers tastings, a superb bistro and breathtaking views across the Emu Valley. You can take a fully interpreted tour (The Whisky Walk tour), discover the fascinating origins behind Australia’s most unconventional single malt distillery, and indulge in Australia’s rarest whisky experience: pouring, waxing and sealing your very own limited release bottle of Hellyers Road Distiller’s Choice 20-year-old single malt whisky straight from the cask. It comes complete with a certificate of authenticity and entry into the Hellyers Road barrel register. The Tasting Centre received international recognition in 2018, being inducted into the Whisky Hall of Fame as an Icon of Whisky. Whisky Hellyers Road has honed its craft for over 25 years, producing whiskies made with the utmost focus on quality, continually releasing many of the nation’s oldest, rarest and most-awarded single malts. Leading through innovation, the distillery challenged industry convention and developed new approaches to distillation, showcasing their desire to keep striving for perfection. As a result, the whisky style is distinctive, unique and acknowledged around the world. Every whisky released is a testament to the endeavour and perseverance of those who share their passion and patience. New Make Spirit ‘Our New Make is light and fruity with an underlying complexity. This provides many of the building blocks of flavour that form in the cask over time. It is the sum of its parts and is only ever as good as the processes that brought it to light. Our careful attention to detail throughout our processes, from mashing, fermentation and distillation, along with rigorous quality control, means that only the very best spirit is put into cask.’ Fiona Coutts, Head Distiller Hellyer’s people Hellyers Road has a dedicated team of around 20 staff across all aspects of production through to market. They are a showcase of the distillery’s regional and remote origins, with many locally born and bred, including Head Distiller, Fiona Coutts. ‘It’s this recognition of our surroundings – our sense of place – that is inherent in how we showcase our whiskies. Understanding our landscape and climate and the influence they have during maturation is so vital to the whisky we produce,’ says Fiona. In a nod to the distillery’s dairy and farming roots, many distillers past and present have come from a dairy production background, all with a passion to craft award-winning single malt whiskies. Sharing their love for their landscape and how it shapes the single malts is core to the Hellyers Road philosophy – a showcase of the environment and people. 153 Old Surrey Road, Burnie hellyersroaddistillery.com.au (03) 6433 0439 [email protected] Open daily from 4.30pm |