Belgrove distillery

Belgrove distillery is a rye focused farm based artisan distillery in Australia. Founded in 2015 on the island state of Tasmania by Peter Bignell. Belgrove is the only distillery in Australia selling paddock to bottle rye whisky. As a small farm distillery Belgrove is growing rye on site.

How is Belgrave whisky Produced?

stainless steel mash tun with a Capacity of 1,000 Liters

The also 1,000 Liter fermentation tank from Waldner im Allgäu (BRD) is a converted cooling container for Milk. Two plastic containers are of the same volume already ordered. Fermentation took 5-7 days, according to Mr. Bignell, and results in a Rye beer with about 7 percent Alcohol. This is then done in a first firing step for low wine with a good 25 percent Alcohol worked up. Each three batches of low wine are then in the pot still together as a spirit run to the finished new make burned So far there have been three such spirit runs that produced us Peter offers to try. The nose has flowery

History of Belgrove distillery

Peter Bignell came to whisky-making by agricultural accident in 2008. Following a bumper crop of rye at his farm in Kempton Peter bought a welder, got some lessons off a friend, built his own 600 liter still and started making whisky.

A reclaimed laundromat tumble dryer is used for malting, cooking oil from the roadhouse next to his farm provides the fuel for distillation. In time the agricultural scientist hopes to follow the Floki example and use sheep manure from under his shearing shed as an alternative to peat.

The maltings are managed on a small 2-3 metre squared space as only 20% of the grain for the Belgrove is malted, the remaining 80% is left unmalted. This is possible due to the high diastatic power of malted barley.

Belgrove factsheet