Callington Mill’s latest whisky is a history lesson worth going back to school for
Callington Mill has flicked to the sixth page of Oatlands’ history books and it is inviting you along. In this class there are no mid-year exams, only drams; and teaching is done through taste, not sound. What is the taste of the small Tassie town’s former state school? A single malt aged in Madeira casks, and bottled at natural cask strength.
The 63.4% ABV release proudly displays the heritage building on the front label. This building was built in 1886, and remains a well-preserved example of Victorian-era architecture. The Oatland township itself is home to the largest collection of Georgian Sandstone buildings over 150 years old in the southern hemisphere.
Former State School is the sixth release in the series and follows on from Town Hall, Supreme Courthouse, Holyrood House, Wardour Castle Inn, and Old Gaol. All of these are sold out, but collectively reveal a timeline of the place Callington Mill calls home.
Each label design was directly inspired by handpainted scenes of each building painted by Liudmila Ibrahim, wife of distillery founder John Ibrahim, who took up still life painting later in life and whose works adorn the walls of Callington Mill’s venues, including a portrait of the Godfather of Whisky, Bill Lark.
Explaining the series, distillery founder John Ibrahim said: "Oatlands is the source of Callington Mill’s identity. Everything we do is to platform Tasmanian whisky and centre Oatlands as the whisky capital of Australia. Whisky and history are intrinsically involved; both are carved out by time and enjoyed by enthusiasts.”
The Former State School Single Malt Whisky will be released in a strictly limited run and exclusively direct-to-consumer at an RRP of $195.
