You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
UP AND COMERS.
@grandvewecheeses
Ryan Hartshorn in his
element; the experimental
Whey-Sky; samples (inset);
Hartshorn bottles at the
cellar door; products of
the distilling process.
OPPOSITE: Applewood
Distillery
@hartshorndistillery
HARTSHORN DISTILLERY, TAS
RYAN HARTSHORN
What happens when you achieve your life
goal after just two years in its pursuit?
When Ryan Hartshorn’s Sheep Whey
Vodka won the gong for ‘World’s
Best Vodka’ at the World Vodka Awards
in 2018, the self-taught distiller was,
understandably, a good deal shocked.
The unexpected victory demanded a
new, more formidable ambition. And so
Ryan of Hartshorn Distillery in southern
Tasmania (grandvewe.com.au/hartshorndistillery)
set to work innovating a whey
whisky, again using the bi-product from his
family’s cheesery, Grandvewe.
The first iteration of Whey-Sky was never
intended to reach the palates of
consumers, but Hartshorn decided to
release his elementary attempt. “It started
as an experiment. Batch One sold out in
24 hours,” he says. “I was stunned.”
Seemingly, Hartshorn is on his way to
comprehensively smashing through
another life goal – remarkable for
someone who learnt how to distil from
books and chat forums in an attempt to
save his family’s business from bankruptcy.
“For the first eight months I was learning
how to distil, I was constantly thinking how
I could make this distillery relevant to our
cheesery,” says Hartshorn. Then he read
about whey fermentation. The idea
dovetailed perfectly with his plans for the
distillery and his family’s commitment to
waste reduction and sustainability. “I’m a
firm believer that every business needs to
take their environmental and social impact
seriously,” he says. “It’s our mission to be a
positive disruptor in all that we do.”
The Whey-Sky, although not technically
a whisky, is a step in the right disruption.
The double-distilled whey gives way to
maple aromas laced with citrus spice and
languishes in sherry barrels for a good
three years before bottling, so be
prepared to wait for Batch Two.
delicious.com.au 5
Change language