6 minute read
in good spirits
FOUNDED BY FOUR FRIENDS WITH A COLLECTIVE GOAL TO PRODUCE PREMIUM HANDCRAFTED SPIRITS, WOLLONGONG’S FIRST DISTILLERY, HEADLANDS DISTILLING CO, HAS FAST BECOME AN INDUSTRY-RESPECTED BRAND
Words Olivia Tollardo
Born off the back of genuine friendship and a united goal, the boys behind Headlands Distilling Co saw a gap in the market for ethically-made craft spirits and combined their diverse skillsets to produce nowinternationally recognised alcohol – right here in Wollongong!
Using their individual backgrounds in science-based academics and business analytics, Jared Smith, Dean Martelozzo,Thomas Simnadis, Lachlan Hingely –aka Smithy, Deano, Simmo and Lachie – set out to open Headlands Distilling Co in 2015.
“We were having a few drinks one night and threw it out there as an idea,” Jared laughs.
Jared, Dean andThomas had all been through school together at Wollongong’s Smith's Hill High, and then met Lachie at UOW, where they all completed undergraduate and postgraduate degrees –Thomas and Lachlan gained a PhD in Science, Dean a Master of Business, and Jared became a chemical engineer.
And despite numerous setbacks and unforeseen hurdles, Wollongong’s debut distillery released its first product, Seacliff Vodka, in 2018, to much local fanfare.
“We spent a lot of time learning how to perfect a high-quality product,” Dean told the Illawarra Mercury at the time. “We want to represent Wollongong with our products. Ours is a story of four young local guys who are chasing a dream and taking on the big players in the industry. Each of us has a unique skill set that conveniently matches up to begin a distillery.”
By continually promoting sustainability and quality, Seacliff Vodka put Headlands Distilling Co on the map, with the liquor since taking up residency as a house spirit atThe Illawarra in Wollongong’s CBD, famed as one of the best vodkas “in all the land.”
L to R: Smithy, Lachie, Deano, Simmo
compromise on quality,” Dean added.“We grew up during a time that Wollongong was seen as a steel city but as we matured, we noticed the shift away from manufacturing into more creative and lifestyle-oriented industries. The cultural vibrancy of the city bubbled to the surface and along with it, the demand for high quality, sustainable and local products.”
Drawing on the inspiration of Australian coastlines, Jared, Dean, Lachlan andThomas named their business to represent the familiarity of humble seaside headlands.“So much of the Australian population lives on the coast,” says Jared. “We think the rock feature of a headland provides comfort to where many grew up. We used these same ideas in our packaging, with the artwork, text and style of our bottles an important factor in the representation of the business.”
Crediting their ‘grain to glass’ ethos and unwavering environmental consciousness for their success, Headlands Distilling Co has now become an innovative brand that combines passion with native produce to create specialist gins, liqueurs and single malt whiskies. What sets the distillery apart is their complete transparency around the production process – from ingredient supply chains to industry best practice. Unlike some other commercial producers, the business prides itself on making all their spirits entirely in house, using ingredients that can be traced back to the farmer. For example, the barley, used as the base for Headlands’ spirits is sourced from a single grower in the Riverina region of NSW, and then transferred directly to their distillery.
“We mill, ferment, distill and bottle our handcrafted spirits at the distillery. We have complete oversight of the grain from the time it goes into the ground to the time it goes into a glass,” says Jared. “The process is all carried out on-site, which allows us complete control and certainty over the production process.”
Qualified in chemical process engineering with a special interest in hydrogen and renewable energy, as well as organic chemistry, Jared spends countless hours refining this process in their North Wollongong warehouse.“In the early days, it was super physical, we were shoveling all the
grain and lifting sacks by hand,” he says. “Over the last six years, we’ve slowly improved the process. Now we’ve got a vacuum system for handling the grain without bags, cutting down on waste.”
There are currently three types of gin on offer at Headlands Distilling Co, the fourth temporarily discontinued due to declining supply of a key sweetener – native stingless bee honey.Australian juniper is the hero ingredient of these spirits, the flavour profile distinctly different to the pinelike zest of traditional European juniper. Found exclusively in coastal areas, Australian juniper grows on native boobialla shrubs to produce bush-tucker fruit with a subtle floral flavour. In similar salt-tolerant environments, Headlands Distilling Co. found Illawarra plum fruits.Also referred to as daalgaal, Illawarra plums are an irreplaceable ingredient of their gin and whisky recipes. For this reason, plans are in the pipeline to grow an orchard full of Illawarra plums and Australian juniper on the NSW south coast.
“It’s our 8-10 year plan to have grown our own orchard. Everything will be in the one spot and we’ll have fertilised, pruned and well-watered
Check out Headlands Distilling Co at 12/6-8 Ralph Black Drive North Wollongong or headlands.com.au plants that produce high yields,” says Jared. “The orchard will host daalgaal and boobialla plants in an effort to increase the supply of quality ingredients. We have been in contact with the guy who owns the land we’re interested in near the Kiama Bends.We got an email from the owner, who said come down for a meeting to chat about planting your trees here. He’s employing First Nations workers to tend to the land.”
The production and release of their single malt whisky in 2020 marked a huge milestone in the development of Headlands Distilling Co.What began as an interest in wastage and traceability within Australian grain and barley industries, has turned into a business which values experimental freedom and innovation. Determined to maintain their reputation for creative approaches towards craft spirits, a new category of whisky is also in the works at the distillery.
“It’s inspired by the production methods and process of Japanese sake and shochu,” says Jared. “We are working to create our very own Japanese-style whisky, and are excited to be working with a mould professor to learn more about aspergillus oryzae – the primary ingredient used in traditional Japanese fermentation industries. If we can pull it off, it will be the first of its kind in Australia.”
So where can you get your hands on this locallymade liquor? You can buy directly from the Headlands Distilling Co website or a number of local stockists, or better still visit the distillery and take a tour – they run every Friday (4pm-7pm) or Sunday (12pm-4pm) for free!
“No need to book, just show up and enjoy,” says Jared.“Depending on the season, you can taste locally hand-foraged Illawarra plums, desert raisins, emu apples and other seasonal native produce. Plus, we’ll show you how we make our spirits the ‘grain to glass’ way.” ¡
