Whiskey and beautiful scenery are two things that I go out of my way to seek. I love taking photos of beautiful landscapes and interesting objects, and whiskey, that speaks for itself. Redlands Estate near Hobart has both. I visited Redlands Estate on a recent trip to Tasmania with my family. We were looking for a whiskey distillery to visit, and Redlands entered our radar via the renowned Lark Distillery's website. Redlands Estate is about a 30 minute drive from North Hobart, nestled amongst some very pretty real estate and farmlands. Whilst at the Estate you can go on a Garden Tour, a Distillery Tour, their own convict Bakery (operational in Summer) and a café (by appointment only). I was primarily there for the whisky of which Redlands Estate is one of only two 'paddock to bottle' single malt whisky distillery's in the world. The other is Kilchoman in Bonnie Scotland. This means that they do everything on site: grow the barley, draw their own water, steep, floor, malt and mash it and bottle it. Redlands started distilling their own whiskey in December 2012 and expect the first batch in a few years. In the meantime, with the assistance of the distiller, Dean, you can tour the old granary building, and learn about making whisky. You can also do a tasting of some local whiskey's including Lark. Speaking of, Dean's mentor is none other than Bill Lark of Lark Distillery. Dean is young, knowledgeable and very friendly. Redlands also produce some jams that are for sale, made from berries and fruits in the area. If you're in Hobart, and looking to visit a 'man in a shed' type establishment where you sample some of the local flavour, and learn something whilst you're at it, Redlands Estate is certainly worth a visit. If you're looking for some pretty scenery and the chance to see a platypus, you may also be so lucky. I can't wait till I can get back to Hobart and go visit Redlands Estate again, and see how the first batch of an exciting new whiskey on the Australian scene is shaping up! read more

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