Blend your own single malt whisky and more at Callington Mill Distillery

If you’ve ever suspected you have the skills to become a master blender, you can put them to the test at Callington Mill’s spectacular distillery in Oatlands, Tasmania.

The Serendipity Experience, which takes place in a purpose-built barrel room, allows you to taste your way through five cask-strength whiskies before creating your own personal blend. It’s like a science class for adults, complete with glass beakers, test tubes and everything else you need to formulate your dream dram. 

The Serendipity room.

Once you’ve nailed your ratios – for me, that was equal parts sherry cask and muscadelle cask, with a splash of brandy cask – your recipe is scaled, and you then get to help fill a full-sized bottle direct from the barrels to take home with you. It’s just about the most fun you could have in a distillery, whether you’re a whisky buff or not.

Callington Mill Distillery was founded by businessman and entrepreneur John Ibrahim, who fell into the industry after a chance encounter with Bill Lark in 2015 ignited a passion for Tasmanian whisky. The state-of-the-art distillery gets its name from the ancient windmill, which was originally built in 1837 by a man named John Vincent and used to illegally distil whisky, or “sly grog”. It was this background that drew Ibrahim to the historic site.

The original Callington Mill, built in 1837.

The distillery has been a boon for the quaint but sleepy town of Oatlands, where the previous claim to fame was being home to Australia’s largest collection of sandstone Georgian buildings. As well as the actual distillery, where whisky (and gin) are made in enormous, shiny copper stills (you’re encouraged to take yourself on a tour through the modern facility), and the Serendipity room, Callington Mill offers a separate whisky tasting room as well as a hatted restaurant and bar that is a destination in its own right. Unsurprisingly, the distillery was named Best Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Icons of Whisky Awards in 2024.

The combination of historic buildings, restored to their former glory, and strikingly modern architecture is stunning, more so when you consider how sustainability has been factored in. Every stage of the distilling process, from milling to maturation, happens on site, spent grains are used to feed local livestock, packaging is made from 98 per cent recycled materials, and everything is powered by green energy. 

The hatted restaurant and bar inside the Oatlands distillery.

Although Oatlands is only an hour’s drive north of Hobart (and 75 minutes south of Launnie), you can also have a Callington Mill experience in the city. Earlier this year, Ibrahim took over the waterfront space at MACq01 that was previously Frogmore Lounge, turning it into a whisky-focused restaurant and cellar door.

Visit the Callington Mill Distillery website to learn more.

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