The new Lamplighter Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky was recently sent my way, and it’s a noteworthy bottling for what it foreshadows for Tassie whisky moving forward.
Lamplighter is the work of Superdrop, a drinks brand creation business founded by Brisbane-based Ewen Pettit and Lachie Goldsworthy. The company is also behind Delgados Tequila Soda, Idle Hour Vodka and Tequila Soldada, and the team consists of drinks industry veterans who’ve worked with a number of major brands (White Claw, Jack Daniels, Jameson, Balter, Pirate Life) and drinks multinationals (Asahi-CUB, Coca-Cola Amatil).
In creating Lamplighter, Superdrop identified what many have long realised: that Tassie whisky is a bit pricey for the average punter and can be tricky to get your hands on.
Lamplighter is their answer to the problem. Retailing at $120 for a 700ml bottle, it’s basically the cheapest Tassie whisky currently on the market alongside Remnant’s The Golden Fleece ($99 at 500ml). Lamplighter has already secured national distribution through Vintage Cellars and will soon be rolling out across Coles Liquor’s various retailers across the country, so expect to see it in a store near you.
But exactly which Tasmanian distillery, or distilleries, this single malt hails from is a bit of a guessing game. The marketing copy says the team works with Tasmanian ‘farmers, distillers and winemakers’ to make the whisky. In interviews with Drinks Trade, Ewen Pettit says ‘a number of different distilleries in Tasmania’ assist in the creation of Lamplighter.
Considering the profile, I’d guess that some (most?) of the whisky hails from White Label Distillery (there’s a lot of similarities to Spirit Thief’s wine cask malts here), although I’m purely speculating.
This does, however, speak to the growing confusion around what Tasmanian single malt actually stands for. Australia has no formal definition for what constitutes a single malt whisky (as the Lark saga made clear). As a result, our single malts don’t need to originate from a single source, which is, essentially, one of the core tenants of the Scottish definition.
As more White Label whisky comes to maturity and the impressive Greenbanks Distilling Co. whiskies come online, it will be interesting to see how these terms are used and applied in future. (The Australian Distillers Association have tasked a Technical Standards Project Group to develop clearer standards and definitions for aged spirits made here, so stay tuned if this tedious technical stuff is of interest).
However it shakes out, it’s good to see more Tassie whisky making it’s way out into the world, and you can see my thoughts on the liquid below.
