FATHER'S DAY – HILLWOOD WHISKY

Father's Day – Hillwood Whisky

A wonderful Tasmanian Family, and an exclusive Tasmanian whisky

Just a short drive north of the Routleys Launceston store is another uniquely Tasmanian family-owned business, Hillwood. Established by master distiller Paul Herron and his three sons; triplets! Daniel, Joel, and Oliver (pictured above with Paul), Hillwood creates limited release whiskies under the banner of Tamar Valley Distillery, whilst stressing the importance of family input and artisan quality, which naturally struck a chord with us at Routleys, especially with Father's Day in sight.

Utilising natural spring water from the Tamar Valley, the Herron family currently use a still developed in-house, with the assistance of local craftsmen. In its current standing, the still has undergone sixteen revisions, ensuring that the distillation process meets their high standards. Having been double distilled, all of Hillwood Whisky’s releases are aged in French oak barrels. These are sourced from Tasmanian vineyards producing Pinot, Merlot and Chardonnay, which not only provide Hillwood’s Whisky with a distinctive flavour and colouring but also further reinforce the commitment of the Herron family to create an exclusively Tasmanian product.

In keeping with this philosophy, the entire process is completed on-site by hand, from the milling of the grain, throughout the distilling process, to the bottling of the final product, using local ingredients at every possible stage. Having brought up his sons in Northern Tasmania, Paul instilled in his three sons a love of quality craftsmanship, the ability and skills to work by hand and a true appreciation for their surroundings. Every member of the family plays a role in each bottle produced, including Paul's brother Brendon, who is the craftsman behind the neat beechwood packaging that each bottle comes in.

Paul and his family are proud of what they have created, namely small batch single malt whisky, using their family ingenuity and the resources of the local area. They are passionate about the task at hand, having no intention of creating mass-produced products or other spirits. Rather, they have succeeded in their endeavour, producing a premium product without compromise. The family at Routleys congratulate Hillwood and the Herron family on their successes and look forward to seeing Hillwood go from strength to strength in the future.

Happy Father's Day from the team at Routleys, Paul; with triplets you certainly deserve it, and what a wonderful job you have all done together.