Skip to main content

A noble marriage of pure water, local barley and a can-do Tassie spirit has delivered some of the world’s finest single-malt whiskies.

Meet the makers and discover the stories behind Tasmania’s “liquid sunshine” on a drive around the island. There are more than 30 distilleries to visit, from international stars such as Hellyers Road in Burnie, Lark Distillery and Sullivans Cove, to small-batch distillers playing with new renditions of a traditional spirit.

Hobart is encircled by a ring of distillers, including Lawrenny Estate and 7K, with special mention to Australia’s oldest whisky distiller, Lark, which kicked off Tasmania’s whisky obsession with its first barrel distilled in 1992.

Proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks, Lark is also Australia’s first carbon-neutral distillery, and is found down by the waterfront in Hobart and at its new cellar door inside a grand 1819 estate in Pontville.

Heading east from Hobart, the whisky hunter is rewarded in Cambridge, where Sullivans Cove Distillery runs tours and tastings, before decisions must be made: head north-east to Spring Bay Distillery at Spring Beach, or south to Port Arthur, where McHenry Distillery sits on slopes high above the old convict settlement.

 Whisky tasting
Whisky tasting
Samuel Shelley
 Tasmanian Whisky Week - Tasmanian Spirit Showcase
Tasmanian Whisky Week - Tasmanian Spirit Showcase
Lusy Productions

Launceston and surrounds provide fertile hunting ground for whisky fans, with distilleries in the city and at nearby Lulworth, Hillwood and Perth. Follow the coastline west to taste some of the island greats in Devonport and Burnie, where the island’s largest distiller, Hellyers Road, is located.

Connoisseurs and the curious should continue to Kempton in the Midlands, where Old Kempton Distillery occupies Dysart House, a noble sandstone homestead built in the 1840s. Whisky wanderers can look forward to tours, tasting flights and local produce in the all-day cafe.

Living on an island off an island hasn’t stopped Tasmania’s distillers. The King Island Distillery handcrafts single-malt whisky using the island’s natural peat and locally grown barley. At the other end of Bass Strait, Furneaux Distillery uses Flinders Island peat for its whisky. Among the many whiskies on offer at the Bruny Island House of Whisky is its own Trapper’s Hut Single Malt.

By creating an account on Discover Tasmania, you agree to the terms of use outlined in our Privacy Statement

Success!

You are now signed in.

Trip Planner

It looks like you're serious about planning a trip to Tasmania.
Sign in, or create a Discover Tasmania account so you can keep adding items to your trip. create multiple trips, and more.
I'll do this later
Continue exploring

Add to Trip Planner

Which trip would you like to add to?

Item added to Trip

Go to Trip Planner

You have nearly reached the Explore Map plot limit of 27 items per itinerary.

Try splitting itineraries, rather than creating one large itinerary.


Manage trips
Please try again in a few moments.