Callington Mill Distillery and other development driving boom for Oatlands according to mayor

The distillery and development of the iconic site is the brainchild of developer John Ibrahim, who moved to Oatlands from Sydney to undertake the mammoth project.

With the sod-turning taking place at the construction site in December 2019, Mr Ibrahim said the development is on track, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

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"We're in the fitout stage at the moment - really COVID hasn't affected us that much as far as the building progress goes, these things take time," he said.

"There's been no delays, it's just the timeframe."

The unique selling point, according to Mr Ibrahim, is that it is uniquely Tasmanian. Mr Ibrahim said he expected the distillery to begin making whisky in April.

"I call this the Ferrari of all distilleries - it's just pure quality," he said.

"When I set about to purchase a turnkey whisky distillery there was no real choice to purchase one in Tasmania, but because of Mark and Tim from Kolmark, they helped me manufacture and engineer a whisky distillery.

"We belong to the Tasmanian brand and that's critical, that's what defines us on the global stage is Tasmania, we're all one team - nobody had really applied a full turnkey distillery solution for Tasmania from barley to barrel until now."

Mr Ibrahim said the town of Oatlands felt reinvigorated since he first stepped foot there.

"I feel an energy I've never felt there before, I'm seeing scaffolding everywhere and people reinventing themselves and their offering," he said.

It's a message echoed by Southern Midlands Council Mayor Alex Green.

"I can't understate the importance of the [Callington Mill Distillery] project," he said.

"It's showed confidence in the town, and other investments since are a validation of everything John is doing, it's a great project for the community."

Mr Green described the mood in the village of Oatlands as positive.

"There's so much going on, and it seems to be attracting others to come and set up new businesses," he said.

"We just had the sod turning for our new pool, a $9 million project which is the single biggest this council has undertaken."

Mr Green said a number of interested parties had sent in proposals to develop a new hotel in the area, which were sought late last year.

"Given COVID and the current circumstances facing hospitality and tourism we couldn't be happier," he said.

"Oatlands seems to suddenly have clicked with people - it's not commercial or glitzy, it's really good, down to earth, fantastic businesses showcasing local produce, art and crafts, which is great."

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