A Northern Tasmanian whisky maker has created the state's first whisky from 100 per cent wheat grain.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fannys Bay owner and distiller Mathew Cooper said he never set out to make Tasmania's first 100 per cent wheat whisky but described its creation as a happy accident.
Mr Cooper said after being sent a mislabeled bag of wheat instead of barley he chose to experiment and distilled a batch of whisky made exclusively from the grain.
"Well if you look at the name it's called a comedy of errors because that was it was," he said.
Two barrels and three years later, Mr Cooper's experiment had reached its conclusion and what was initially a side project born of curiosity has resulted in 80 bottles of the states first 100 per cent wheat whisky.
After distilling whisky for the past eight years, Mr Cooper said he was pleasantly surprised with the taste the unconventional produced.
Tasmanian Whisky and Spirits Association executive officer Kate Akmentins said she had spoken to several distillers in the community and said Mr Cooper's batch was the only pure wheat whisky she knew of in the state.
The commercial response to Mr Cooper's whisky has been beyond what he expected with collectors and whisky aficionados snapping up bottles of the single batch offering.
Others have contacted Mr Cooper to share their thought.
He said feedback from one collector noted the whisky had a rich oily texture and a warm taste that lingered, while also being refreshing to drink.
Despite the success, Mr Cooper had experienced he said he had no intention of distilling a second batch.
"I'm just going to leave it as a once-off otherwise it will spoil it," he said.
"It's called a comedy of errors and I thought if I keep making it, it sort of takes it away from it."
READ MORE: Search resumes for fisherman lost at sea
Despite a healthy level of competition between distillers in the industry Mr Cooper's achievement has been celebrated as another innovation in a relatively young industry.
Nonesuch distillery founder Rex Burdon said Mr Cooper had done something few others would have tried and said his efforts would provide whisky drinkers from Tasmania and abroad something difference to what was already available.
"What he's done from grinding that wheat to fermenting it through to distilling it, that's a major effort. There's so much that can go wrong in there," he said.
"That's why very few distilleries would ever consider giving it a try.
"My understanding is no one in Australia would have done anything with wheat."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
Follow us on Google News: The Examiner