Tower Whiskey Distillery has opened its doors to visitors today, celebrated as the first whiskey distillery in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.
A short stroll alongside the Shiraz vineyards from the luxurious Tower Lodge, Tower Whiskey Distillery is the latest addition to the dining, wine, craft beer and high-end accommodation offering owned and operated by the Hope family.
Open Friday to Monday to make the most of long, relaxed weekends in the Hunter Valley, the state-of-the-art tasting room at Tower Whiskey Distillery now offers visitors and guests at the lodge hosted tasting experiences of its first release Single Cask, Single Malt Whiskeys.
The Tower range of four whiskeys is distilled, aged and bottled onsite at the distillery. Included in the initial release are Bourbon Barrel No. B1, French Malbec Cask No. 7, American Shiraz Cask No. 3 and French Fortified Cask No. 9.
A Whiskey Flight tasting experience is available to book now for $40 per person for advance bookings ($45 for walk-ins, pending availability), and the first four Single Cask, Single Malt Whiskeys are also available for purchase.
Guests at Tower Lodge enjoy a complimentary Whiskey Flight tasting experience included as part of their stay (booking in advance required) and can soon look forward to guided distillery tours for a behind-the-scenes insight to the process of whiskey distilling, as well as private whiskey tastings.
Hope Estate founder Michael Hope said the Tower Whiskey Distillery was an opportunity to bring a unique taste of the Hunter Valley to site-distilled, small batch whiskeys that neatly tied together all aspects of the multi-faceted hospitality business.
“To make whiskey wash (the base of whiskey) we use the Hope Estate Brewery, and the spent grain is then used to feed our Angus cattle that we are breeding here onsite. We also need used wine casks to age our whiskey, which is something we have plenty of, so I have used a combination of casks to age the whiskey,” Mr Hope said.
“So to me, bringing whiskey distilling onboard ties the whole business together in a very ecologically sustainable way; it’s an essential piece in the puzzle,” he said.
“We are lucky to have access to many types of casks here at Hope Estate; fortified casks, casks that have held Shiraz, Malbec and Cabernet, French oak, American oak, tight grain, medium grain, heavily and lightly charred, and different ages. It allows us to create some pleasing combinations and we’re thrilled with the variations in the end product.”
Tower Whiskey Distillery is open from Friday to Monday from 11am – 5pm. For bookings and more information please call (02) 4998 4862 or email info@towerwhiskeydistillery.com.au. Keep up to date via the Tower Whiskey Distillery Website www.towerwhiskeydistillery.com.au and social media pages here: Facebook and Instagram.
