By James Atkinson
Whisky fans are finally warming to the idea that there are some Australian-produced whiskies that are worthy of their attention, according to Sullivans Cove master distiller, Patrick Maguire.
Maguire told TheShout that up until recently, when the Australian whisky producers exhibited at trade fairs, "people would take a wide arc around us".
"But now generally wherever we go people come straight to us," he said.
"I think we've broken down a lot of barriers but we need still to create a lot of awareness that there are Australian whiskies available."
Maguire, who is also chairman of the Tasmanian Whisky Producers Association, said Tasmania's eight distilleries have all been started up by individuals who are interested in producing quality whisky rather than bulk whisky.
"I'm confident that into the future when all these whiskies are matured and released onto the market, there's going to be some really good whiskies out there," he said.
Sullivans Cove just missed out on a medal spot at the recent Australasian Whisky Awards, which were dominated by Old Hobart Distillery's Overeem whiskies.
Sullivans Cove took fourth place in the standard single malt category with its Double Cask release. It remains one of the most awarded Tasmanian distilleries, consistently winning Gold at blind tasting competitions including Jim Murray's Liquid Gold Awards, The Spirits Business's Spirits Masters and the World Whisky Awards.
Sullivans Cove currently exports to ten countries across Europe, as well as Singapore and Canada, and is sending its first shipment to the USA this month.
"Tasmanian whisky is really taking off across the world, mainly because of the hard work that the guys have been putting in here at home. We are starting to see a cult following for our whiskies and I am proud that Sullivans Cove is at the forefront of that movement," Maguire said.
"This is great news considering that the whisky category, and single malts in particular, continues to be the fastest growing spirits category globally."