Whisky firm looking for site for new distillery
Date: 31 Jan 2012
The New Zealand Malt Whisky Company expects to decide by the end of the year where to build a $1.7 million distillery - either in Dunedin or Oamaru.
At present Oamaru-based, the company has just signed distribution deals with Woolworths in Australia, and separately with New Zealand duty free outlet JR's, to stock its range of mainly single malt whiskies, one of which officially becomes 25 years old this year.
Tasmanian-based businessman Greg Ramsay, who led an international syndicate of nine investors to purchase the whisky-barrel assets from receivership in October 2010, said aside from land costs, construction of a whisky distillery had been priced at $1.7 million.
"The focus for 2012 is production. Preferably we'd like to go into a character building; Dunedin has so many beautiful old buildings," he said during a visit this week.
Of the original 450 barrels purchased, about 225 were barrels of single malt about 18 to 24 years old, which had been branded Lammerlaw, and the other 225 barrels were the former Wilsons brand, which were at least 12 years old.
Ramsay said about 20 per cent of the original stock had been bottled, with about 360 barrels still left.
"We need to think about production coming in as stocks wind down," he said.
Ideally, barley and malt ingredients would be sourced from around the South Island, Ramsay said.
The single malts include Milford, 1987, (cask strength) 1988 and South Island Single Malt, and blends the Water of Leith and Dunedin DoubleWood.
More at NZ Herald.
