Genesis.
I’ve been tinkering with this idea for years and I wanted my next project to allow me to work with some local distilleries to produce some blended whiskies under an independent label. My first release was always going to involve Launceston and Hobart. Any Tasmanian will know of our parochialism between the northern and southern cities – something that started under colonial times when the state was called Van Diemen’s Land, Launceston was known as Cornwall County and Hobart was known as Buckingham County.
The No Boundaries label represents an inclusive process for people to work with each other from all over the state, the 42nd Parallel component of the brand is a tongue-in-cheek reflection of those times (The 42nd Parallel South demarcation line at Ross which separates the North from the South). I was thrilled that both distilleries were keen to start the project with me and I am truly grateful for their participation.
Creation.
We made several batch samples and settled on two that really stood out as the first releases. Batch One of the whiskies was a more cask driven style – we made a flavour bomb! The backbone of this dram was Launceston’s peated ex-Bourbon cask, married and blended with Hobart’s ex-Bourbon whisky to create a rich, layered and flavoursome whisky. Batch Two is more spirit driven, made in a Scottish style, lending itself to the beautiful ex-Bourbon cask influence of Hobart Whisky, blended with Launceston Distillery’s own ex-Bourbon cask.
Kudos.
I loved having the chance to work with people that I like and respect. This brand is a celebration of the collaborative process, relationships and individual journeys. The distilleries make the magic happen and we capture it in the bottle … It’s called No Boundaries Whisky Tasmania. To be enjoyed wherever you live, work or play!
A massive thank you to the fine folks involved in this process. To Ben James, a very special thank you as unofficial project manager who went the extra yards when I was often called away to my other jobs. It has been wonderful getting to know you over the last couple of years and I really appreciate your input and skill in the whisky making and blending process. To Team Hobart: Rocky, John, & Rach – thank you for allowing me to hang out with you at work so often – Hobart Whisky is a happy place for me. To Chris “Condosaurus” Condon and his wonderful team at Launceston Distillery, thank you so much for your enthusiasm at joining this project during a difficult COVID influenced time. Thank you to David Debattista for sorting our media shoots. Many thanks too to Meng Koach for the fine work on design and labels. Thank you to Tom Holder at Sleeker Media for putting all of the pieces together.
