The Story

There’s a well trodden path in Tasmania of revamping historical sites with whisky distilleries. Sullivans Cove, Nant, Redlands and Shene, to name a few, were all originally built on established heritage listed sites. The $14 million Callington Mill Distillery is the latest proponent of this Tasmanian theme, although the design and scale of this new enterprise is a definite progression of the concept.

Oatlands is located roughly halfway between Hobart and Launceston just off the main highway that connects the two cities. Near the centre of town, the white sails of the old Callington Mill come into view, and the size and scale of the sandstone tower, built by publican and free settler John Vincent in 1837, dominates. Across from the mill and the restored heritage buildings, the new distillery rises up in a wave of glass and triangles.

John Ibrahim is the man behind the Callington Mill Distillery project. For over three decades, the Sydney-based Ibrahim has owned and run multiple Caltex service stations throughout New South Wales. He’s also a property developer, and that’s how he originally came into contact with the Tasmanian whisky industry.

When Redlands Distillery needed a new home after the estate owners sold the property in 2015, Dysart House in Kempton, around 40 minutes away, was proposed as an ideal location. Ibrahim had recently purchased Dysart, and when he met Bill Lark, also a Redlands investor, he was eventually convinced to turn Dysart into the new Redlands, now Old Kempton Distillery.

Ibrahim became an investor in Old Kempton as part of the deal. From there, his enthusiasm for whisky, a subject he admits he hadn’t thought much about prior to the investment, rapidly blossomed. Soon he invested heavily in Shene Estate & Distillery which helped to supercharge the estate’s growth and ultimately lead to its sale to Lark Distilling Co in late 2021 for $40 million.

But well before that sale, Ibrahim had already developed a plan to turn the Callington Mill precinct at Oatlands into a new distillery and heritage site. After Ibrahim purchased what was once the colonial-era Lake Frederick Inn that sits next to Callington Mill, a search began for the best distillery design possible.

Eventually, Ibrahim struck up a relationship with Kolmark Engineering based in Tasmania’s north. Kolmark had long specialised in metal fabrication and large-scale equipment for the food and beverage industry. But seeing the explosion in local spirits production, Kolmark pivoted to building stills, and more recently, designing and installing  fitouts under their new company, Stillsmiths.

Kolmark started construction at Callington in early 2020. But behind the scenes, work on the distillery had, in a way, already began in the form of a prototype distillery at a site in Glenorchy, a suburb in Hobart’s north. Kolmark and Ibrahim wanted to fine tune and road test some of their designs and the prototype distillery allowed them to do exactly that. Ibrahim and the team also started filling casks using malt spirit from the prototype stills in early 2019. The Glenorchy site continues to distil and fill casks with spirit today.

By late 2021, Callington Mill Distillery was completed. The first look at the Callington Mill whisky brand was then revealed with the unveiling of the Leap of Faith Series, a whopping eight bottlings – six using spirit sourced from Old Kempton Distillery, the other two starting with triple distilled spirit sourced from Shene Distillery.

Whisky distilled and matured at Callington Mill in Oatlands won’t be ready for a few years yet, but whisky distilled at the Glenorchy site is almost ready to go and will be used in upcoming Callington bottlings.

In terms of production, a 1.5 tonne mash tun feeds eight fermenters with wash, and after a long ferment, wort is pumped into a 9000 litre wash still and 6500 litre spirit still, producing around 420,000 litres of new make per year when fully operational. The award-winning Poltergeist gin has also been purchased and relocated to Callington, and peated whisky using a Kolmark-designed smoking drum is also on the cards.

Callington’s cask program, with maturation taking place at a site located just outside town, is vast. Alongside sourcing sherry and port casks from Spain and Portugal and some Australian fortified wine casks, Callington is also carrying out cask seasoning onsite with bulk imported sherry. A bottling plant and cooperage will eventually be constructed alongside the 18 bond stores that have currently been built (a further six bond stores, at least, are also on the way).

For the town of Oatlands, the importance of the new distillery can’t be understated. Oatlands had been languishing before Ibrahim came along, and was desperate to attract more visitors to the area. The updated Callington Mill precinct will certainly take care of that.

‘I believe we appeal to all,’ says John Ibrahim. ‘Our visitor experience showcases Oatlands’ colonial past. The heritage precinct is brought to life with audio and video activation offering a true historic experience. The windmill is fully restored and its presence is majestic. Our BBQ area and children’s adventure park is world class. Our restaurant boasts Tasmanian produce – honest food on a plate. There is something for the whole family.’

The first entry level Callington Mill whiskies are retailing at $120 for 700ml at 46%, marking a departure from other Tasmanian malts which predominately start at $150+ for 500ml.

This is the next phase of Tasmanian whisky coming to life. A new tier of larger, well capitalised Tasmanian whisky distillery is emerging, and Callington Mill is a glimpse of what’s to come.