Adams Distillery

Fifteen minutes south of Launceston, where the Tamar Valley's rolling hills give way to the intimate folds of Glen Ireh Estate, two Adams found their calling in copper and flame. Adam Pinkard, accustomed to saving lives as a paramedic, and Adam Saunders, whose builder's hands knew the language of construction, chose this pocket of northern Tasmania for reasons both practical and poetic—the pristine local water that flows from the island's ancient highlands, and the isolation that whisky-making demands.

October 2016 marked the first run through their stills, steam rising into the crisp Tasmanian air. Here, in this corner of the world's cleanest environment, the extremes that define Australian whisky began their work immediately. Tasmania's volatile seasons—scorching summers that drive spirit deep into oak, followed by winters that slow the dance to a whisper—would shape every drop.

By late 2018, their patience yielded fruit. Three ex-apera casks, married together, became their inaugural single malt. The marriage spoke to something distinctly Australian—the willingness to blend Spanish sherry traditions with local innovation, creating something entirely new on the world stage.

Then came February 2021, and fire. The flames that consumed the distillery buildings could have ended the story, but this is Tasmania, where pioneers understand that setbacks are simply chapters, not conclusions. The maturing stocks survived, sleeping safely in their warehouses while Pinkard and Saunders surveyed the ashes.

Professor Berni Einoder saw opportunity where others might see devastation. With over $1.7 million invested, the rebuild became resurrection. New stills, new buildings, but the same Tasmanian water, the same uncompromising climate, the same determination that drives Australia's rapid ascent in the whisky world.

Standing in the rebuilt stillhouse today, steam once again rising into the southern sky, you can feel the weight of that journey. The copper gleams with purpose, the spirit flows with renewed vigor, and 2025 approaches—marking ten years since two Adams first dreamed of capturing Tasmania's essence in a bottle. The fire tested them; the island sustained them; the future calls them forward.