WHISKY-FIRE-FEAST         12:00pm - 4:00pm  Saturday 29th November

Join us for a celebration of everything we love. A culmination of a journey that started 23 years ago when we purchased our 120 acre farm and began a life built on sustainability and a true connection to nature.  It has been a slow burn, each piece of the puzzle built over time, with heart and hand, and an unwavering sense of purpose. Some of the stories you may have heard, some still yet to be revealed. All the while our family of four, husband and wife Hank and Carrie, our daughter Belle and daughter in law Tasha, striving to live our values, knowing it's really hard to do the right thing, but finding joy in small achievements and unforgettable experiences.

WHISKY

Okay, we are not your normal whisky distillery. For us a bottle of whisky has always been a vessel in which you explore aroma, flavour and intensity and link it to memories made with family and friends. For over 18 months (before our distillery even opened), Carrie and I experimented with over 20 different yeasts, searching for the flavours and aromas that we felt represented us and the spirit we aspired to make. From importing fresh yeasts from Portland Oregon, to 500 year old farmhouse yeasts from Belgium, we were on a journey of adventure. We had yeasts that exploded from the top of the fermenters making a mess that took us hours to clean up, and yeasts that let us down dismally with hardly a gurgle, but all the while, providing flavour choices we could make.  We could not have even started the journey without the wonderful barley grown by our biodynamic farmers Steve and Tania Walter. In the early days we would hook up our trailer nicknamed 'The Big Green Monster" and we would drive 5 hours to their farm in the Wimmera region. We were always greeted with a smile and an invite to join them for lunch were we were nourished with freshly baked bread and soups made from their own grains and pulses. We were then loaded up with a one tonne bulka bag of barley that we drove to our maltster in Ballarat, who loaded us up with the batch he had malted form the previous trip. All up it would be a 14 hour round trip that we did consistently for the first 3 years. As I said, its really hard to do the right thing.

We have been ageing our first batch of spirit in four different barrels, for four and a half years. These first four Whisky's bottled at cask strength will be sampled by our "Whisky Collective" members, who will choose which whisky will be released first, on the day of this event. Even we, do not know what will be released first.  All of the barrels we imported ourselves, from the USDA Certified Organic, Journeyman Distillery, located in 3 Oaks Michigan, USA. 

The first two barrels are ex-Feather Bone Bourbon made by the same cooperage, filled and disgorged by Journeyman at the same time and filled by us, at the same time, with the same spirit. They have sat side by side together in the distillery on the same rack...yet they both taste different. Go figure, this is a wonderful odyssey we are on.

The third barrel is an ex-Last Feather Rye, a specialty of Journeyman Distillery.

The fourth barrel is an ex-Not A King Rye, a mix of George Washington's original recipe using Rye, Corn and Barley.

All four barrels were were filled on the same day, with the same, biodynamic barley, new make spirit. We can't wait to share the results. 

FIRE

We have been off-grid now for over 23 years. This has meant that fire has always been a big part of our daily life.  When we built our house we lived in a 10ft caravan for 12 months. Time was spent around the campfire, cooking was nearly always outside, whether it be breakfast lunch or dinner, summer, autumn, spring or winter. The BBQ was our friend, as was the cast steel Jaffle iron that went straight into the fire. It was accompanied by buttery baked potatoes in foil and the occasional banana, in its skin, wedged with pieces of dark chocolate. We did not feel we suffered too greatly.

As one of the only off grid distilleries in the world, we run our stills with a wood-fired steam boiler using wind fallen timber from around the property. Apart from supporting us in being the most sustainable distillery in the world, fire and steam provides us with the greatest control over our stills, allowing us to produce the highest quality spirits.

Our newly commissioned fire kitchen will be launched with this event. With artisan charcoal bbq's lovingly handcrafted by Pig and Pilgrim  and a heavy duty Asado Cross handcrafted by Aussie Campfire Kitchens, we look forward to many years of events cooked over fire.

FEAST

Ross O'Meara has been a chef for thirty-three years, and has lived in the US, UK, France and all over Australia. After several years pig farming on Tasmania's Bruny Island, he relocated to Mansfield, in north-east Victoria, with his wife and three children, to have access to hunting all year round. This is where he wrote Wild Meat the complete book to dressing and cooking all of the Australian game species. He is sought out by chefs across the country as a leading source of local knowledge in the field of game meat harvesting. You may also know Ross as one of three hosts of the long-running SBS television series Gourmet Farmer, with Matthew Evans and Nick Haddow. 

It's funny how life can make unseen connections that evolve over time. As avid watchers of Gourmet Farmer we knew of Ross and were also members of Mathew Evans "Fat Pig Farm" Society of Bacon Believers since 2016. We own copies of both "Wild Meat" and "The Gourmet Farmer - Deli Meat", authored and co-authored by Ross.

Ross has helped us select the fire kitchen equipment and will be our chef for its inaugural cook. We feel humbled and honoured to have, who many consider, to be the godfather of wild meat and cooking over fire here in Australia.

The event will be focused around the fire where Ross will share with us some of the intricacies of cooking over coals. We will sip whisky, we will eat fresh from the flames. Life will be good.

The menu will consist of wild harvested venison from Discovered Foods. Sustainable, local, free range, speckle park beef from Bonkonia Beef.  Grass fed, ethically raised, local lamb from Clear Hills Lamb. Free Range, grass fed, local pork from Grown On Grass.

Transport: Included in your ticket price is a free door to door pick up service in the Mansfield region from Double Black Alpine . They will return you home too! 

Let us welcome you to our little distillery, come share with us in what we love..