Hartshorn Distillery

Hartshorn Distillery is a micro distillery at Birchs Bay, about 40 minutes south of Hobart, and it builds almost everything it makes on one unusual base: sheep whey. The whey comes from Grandvewe Cheeses, the sheep cheesery run by the same family on the same land, where it is left over from cheesemaking. Hartshorn states it was the first in the world to make and release spirits distilled from sheep whey rather than grain or grape.

The heart of the range is the original sheep whey vodka, double distilled and left unfiltered. Hartshorn keeps only the best 10 per cent of each distillate, so batches are small, at around 150 bottles. The whey carries through as a creamy texture and a sweet finish. Around it sit a savoury line, with peat smoked, saltbush and American oaked vodkas, and native botanical vodkas made with finger lime and strawberry gum. The Pure Vodka is the exception, filtered to be neutral for mixing. There is also a sheep whey gin, a vanilla whey liqueur and 50ml trios.

For more from Tasmania and the rest of the country, browse our Australian spirits range, compare styles in our vodka collection, or read our guide to what vodka is made from.

History

Hartshorn grew out of a problem on the farm. Like most cheesemakers, Grandvewe was left with excess whey, a by-product that is usually poured away. The family wanted to put it to use, and in the distillery's own telling the first attempts involved a welding rod, an old beer keg and a lot of internet research.

Vodka came first. Once the sheep whey vodka had found its feet, the distillery turned to gin, using the same whey base with native Australian botanicals including lemon myrtle, anise myrtle, wattleseed and Tasmanian pepper leaf alongside juniper. After infusion, the used botanicals go back to Grandvewe to flavour its sheep's milk cheese. A whey liqueur followed.

Awards followed. Hartshorn lists the title of World's Best Vodka at the 2018 World Vodka Awards, Best Varietal Vodka of Australia at the same awards from 2017 to 2021, and Australian Beverage of the Year at the 2017 Food and Beverage Industry Awards.

The waste reduction thinking runs through the rest of the operation too. Hartshorn describes its boxes, labels and tape as compostable and recyclable, designs its bottles to be kept and reused, and packs its gift boxes with wool from the farm's own sheep. Each bottle is hand painted and individually signed.

How to drink it

Each Hartshorn bottling has a job, and the distillery is clear about most of them. The original sheep whey vodka is made to be sipped neat at room temperature in a large aromatic glass, where its creamy texture shows best. It also makes a fine vodka martini with a couple of good green olives. The Pure Vodka is the opposite: neutral by design, for drinks where vodka is the backbone rather than the star.

The savoury line was made with food in mind. Try the peat smoked vodka neat with fresh oysters, salmon gravlax or steak, or in a dirty martini or Bloody Mary. The saltbush vodka suits a savoury main, and poured beside vanilla ice cream it plays the part of salted caramel. Treat the oaked vodka as you would a good bourbon, neat or over ice.

The native botanical vodkas are for long drinks. Finger lime with quality soda and a lime wedge makes a ready vodka, lime and soda, and strawberry gum works served cold with soda and a fresh strawberry.

For the gin, keep the mixer light: a light tonic at one to two, or soda with grapefruit peel. The vanilla whey liqueur goes on the rocks topped with chilled apple juice. New to the range? A 50ml trio lets you taste three side by side before choosing a full bottle.

More from this origin and style:

Nosferatu · Australian Whisky · Vodka