Tasmania’s Waubs Harbour distillery is celebrating another sold-out limited release whisky, Kelp Revival.

One of the closest distilleries to the ocean in the world, set on the rocks on the far east coast of Tasmania, Waubs Harbour’s latest whisky was produced in support of the Tasmanian Giant Kelp Restoration Project, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy, The Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies at the University of Hobart and CSIRO.

The ambitious endeavour aims to regenerate the nearly-extinct giant kelp forests throughout Tasmania, including a trial site just a stone’s throw from the distillery.

Launching last night, Kelp Revival sold out within an hour to members of the distillery’s email list.

Waubs Harbour is a Tasmanian family run distillery, founded and owned by husband and wife Tim and Bec Polmear in partnership with Tim’s brother, Rob Polmear. Rob’s previous experience as Head of Production for Lark Distillery and Head Distiller of Overeem Whisky has set the team in good stead.

After purchasing shuttered oyster hatchery and neighbouring old abalone farm buildings for their maritime maturation environment, the whisky distillery now spans across four buildings on the edge of the ocean at the gulch in Bicheno, reminiscent of Scottish maritime distilleries like Talisker and Laphroaig.

Their name, Waubs Harbour, is a nod to the former town name of Bicheno. ‘

“Bicheno was originally named Waubs Harbour, after a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman, Wauba Debar, honoured for her bravery as ‘heroine of the sea’ after swimming out and saving two drowning men who she was enslaved to.” Bec explains. “We’re really proud to be able to tell the tale of the town we get to call home, its people and its history.”

Only 607 bottles were produced in the entire release, with the whisky matured in Apera Sherry casks, finished in a rare 70 year old Tawny Port cask and married with a smidge of coastal peated whisky. It boasts notes of deliciously sweet juicy fruits and rich chocolate coated sultana with a beautifully complex nutty overlay. 

A few whisky venues around Australia have managed to secure a bottle of the new Limited Release ‘Kelp Revival’ whisky (see waubsharbourwhisky.com for a list of stockists) and visitors to their distillery will have the chance to taste the sold-out release.