Jane Sawford (nee Overeem) is one of the pioneering figures of the Tasmanian whisky industry. When she followed her father Casey into the whisky business and began marketing and selling Overeem in Australia and internationally, she rapidly developed the brand into one of Tasmania’s most successful whisky stories.
When Overeem was sold to Lark Distillery Pty Ltd in 2014 after Casey’s retirement, she continued as marketing manager but then left the company in late 2016 to start a family with her husband Mark Sawford. Since then, they’ve created two separate businesses and forged a new path in whisky with their Sawford Distillery and Jane’s role as sales manager at White Label Distillery. But when the opportunity arose to regain ownership of the Overeem brand from Australian Whisky Holdings, the couple jumped at the chance.
On the eve of the announcement (read here for all the details), Oz Whisky Review was lucky to chat with Jane about her whisky journey so far and the future of Overeem whisky.
When you think back to where your journey in the whisky industry started, that amazing garage distillery in a suburban home, could you imagine in those early days that you’d eventually spearhead multiple whisky projects and become a senior figure in the Tasmanian whisky industry?
No way! I always thought my entire whisky journey would be Overeem, and when we sold Overeem I never expected to be able to get it back, but I think a part of me always wished that we could. But I love the industry so much that I was willing to go right back to the start.
Everything we did in the early years, all the hard work we did to help establish an industry in Australia, and all I did with sales and marketing and developing a loyal following for Overeem, that excited me so much that I wanted to start again, whether we had Overeem or not.
And Mark was with me in those early years of selling Overeem whisky in 2011-2012. He saw how much fun I was having with it and he said, ‘I’d love to get into this one day’. So our vision was to stay in it together, and it sort of all fell in our laps a bit in the last few months with the Overeem acquisition.
Overeem (Old Hobart Distillery) – Oz Whisky Review
Your family’s journey with Overeem whisky was an incredible time. Thinking back now, what were some of the most important things you learnt in developing Overeem into a such a sought-after whisky?
One of the biggest things that I learnt is that it’s so important to get to know your customers personally. We were in a position that we were able to really get to know the people who loved our product and our brand, and to be able to give really good service to the people who want to invest their time in it. And I just found it awesome that customers, and particularly bartenders, would be so passionate about something that they’re consuming and selling.
Everything we did in the early years, all the hard work we did to help establish an industry in Australia, and all I did with sales and marketing and developing a loyal following for Overeem, that excited me so much that I wanted to start again, whether we had Overeem or not.
– Jane Sawford
In the early days, I just thought bartenders would grab something off the shelf, but they were actually one of our biggest ambassadors. I got to know so many bartenders and owners of bars, and even retailers and the staff working for them – they are the ambassadors for your brand, and so to have good relationships with them was one of my big learning curves.
In the time you’ve been in the industry you’ve gone from being one of only a few women in the distilling scene to a senior figure. Dozens of women can now be found throughout the industry at pretty much every level. Do you see yourself as a one of the pioneers in that sense?
I sort of do see myself as a bit of a leader, because back then there were very few women involved in the Australian whisky industry. But I think that’s changing now, and a lot more women are involved. We’ve just put on a distiller here at Sawford, Nicole Harris. She’s awesome, and it feels so normal to have a woman distiller.
Now there’s so many other great women out there distilling. But I would definitely keep encouraging women to get on board, just like I have with Nicki. She actually did say to me, ‘I didn’t ever think that I’d be in a distilling position’. So she’s excited to get in and have the same opportunities that I’ve had.
A number of Tassie single malts share very similar production processes. What it is about Overeem that’s contributed to its consistency and complexity? Maybe the static, underground environment – ‘the bunker’ is it called? – where Overeem was matured?
I reckon the bunker is one of our key factors!
You think that the whisky is in barrel for five years minimum (for us), and so that maturation environment is obviously going to play a huge part.
I really like to think that’s a big difference for us. I still walk in the bond stores now during summer when it’s hot outside and yet it’s still nice and cool down there, and our angel’s share is much lower compared to other Tasmanian distilleries.
You’re not having these 30 degree changes where you’re going to see a lot more interaction with the wood and a lot more evaporation. It’s a much more stable environment, and I think that aids the consistency of the product.
‘The Bunker’ – Oz Whisky Review
The Tasmanian whisky scene has become a lot more complex in recent years. What would you like to see more or less of in future, and what are you most excited about for the industry moving forward?
Firstly, I would love to see more whisky produced in Tasmania, and I’d also like to see the established distilleries continue to produce more, but also at a consistent quality.
I’d love to see more 100 litre barrel releases and I’d love to see more longer-aged whiskies, too.
And less smaller casks – less 20 litre barrels – and more long term maturation of whisky as well.
I’d love to see Tasmanian whisky really get on the map world wide. I don’t even know if we can say it’s scratched the surface yet, it hasn’t really if you think about it. So I’d really love to see Tasmanian or Australian distilleries hit the world stage with a good product that will build the reputation of Australian whisky.
Whether it’s Overeem, Lark or Sullivans Cove, I’d love to see some Tassie and Aussie whisky readily available around the world. That’s what I’m excited about because I think it will happen in the next five to ten years.