The Distillery

Tasmania's truly Highland distillery.

At 1044 metres altitude the Winter Gin Company distillery is just over 4.5 metres above full supply level of Great Lake (1039.37 metres). This is Tasmania’s highest distillery. The air is bracing at times, but clean and healthy. Our juniper orchard is perfectly suited to growing in this pristine environment.

Why is the gin 41.989% ABV ?

The Alcohol By Volume (ABV) in spirits is a fickle thing. In general, as alcohol increases, the mouthfeel and viscosity also changes. However, under 37% it can’t be called gin in most places, around 57% it is often called Navy Strength. The Winter Gin Company distillers, along with a few incumbent taste testers, found 42% ABV was just about perfect. Then it was discovered by a stroke of luck the distillery was situated at a latitude of 41.989 degrees south and it was thus settled that this would be the ABV.

The purest spring water

Gin leaves the still at a much higher ABV than is bottled, and is ‘cut’ with water to reach the required percentage. In the Winter Gin Company gins this is 41.989%. The finest and purest highland spring water that percolates from the ancient dolerite landscape is used to do this. Perhaps it even enhances the gin?

Malcolm – the still

All Stills are given a name. Ours is 'Malcolm'. Malcolm Gillies was a former owner of the distillery property. He was of Scottish heritage and a keen and famous fly fisherman. At the end of a good day’s fly fishing Malcolm loved nothing more than to sit with his fishing friends and share a dram or two of good Scotch whisky. He referred to this as sitting about ‘cutting dust’.
Mike, a tradie from times past, handcrafted Malcolm by repurposing copper that came from Malcolm Gillies' old wet back wood stove and a header tank.
Peter and Mike like to think that Malcolm Gillies would highly approve of this reincarnation and the new use of what was once his beloved highland property.
Maybe one-day Whisky will come out of Malcolm instead of going into Malcolm.