Shene Estate produce my favourite Tasmanian gin, Poltergeist, so based on that alone they get five stars and my sincere thanks. I was inducted to the Poltergeist cult early on, winning myself a ticket to their launch party, itself steeped in mystery and excitement at a manor house in Hobart--but it was really my first visit to Shene that got all the pieces falling into place.
Ten years ago the Kernkes took up the enormous task of restoring this old estate back to its former glory, and within moments of arriving on site you can tell they've poured their hearts and souls into that task. It's hard to believe that the big beautiful building taking precedence on the site was originally built as a stable for horses--looking at the outside of the building it actually sounds ridiculous. Visiting inside is a different matter, as some of the stables themselves are still standing. The barn next to the stables is the home of the gin bar and has likely already seen countless weddings take place, if not outside on the stones of the courtyard. Behind both these majestic old buildings is a much newer building, home to the distillery. This is where the magic happens! Head distiller Damien Mackey is in charge of both gin and whisky production, producing two gins (well, really it's just one recipe, but sold as both filtered and unfiltered) and Irish-style whiskeys in two copper stills (one roughly ten times as big as the other).
There's also the roadside stall, similar to those you'd encounter driving along country roads with berries or flowers, but this one sells Poltergeist gin. That's my idea of a roadside stall.
Shene can be hired as an event space or you can just drop in to grab a bottle from the roadside stall but no matter what, you'll want to get up close and personal with this beautiful estate and the utterly delightful humans who keep it running in its current state. read more
