story

Bringing distilling practices into the 21st century

Our distilling journey began 20 years ago when we experienced the diverse array of tropical rums while sailing our yacht around the many tropical islands of the Caribbean. Most islands had several rum producers. Each distillery showcased different methods of production.

Distilleries ranged from some of the best producers in the world, to an historic distillery in Granada still using the original waterwheel manufactured in Glasgow in the 1800’s to crush the cane. Each distillery produced their own unique flavour profiles and characteristics.

During the year-long sail home, we had plenty of time to plan the next chapter of our story. Paul called on his extensive process engineering experience gained when he designed, manufactured and commissioned over 600 renewable energy projects in 31 countries.

The challenge was to work out a way to bring an old-world distilling practice into the modern age without losing the craft, by employing modern methods to enhance the quality and flavour.

Creating old world spirits using new world technology takes bravery and patience.

We arrived back in Australia, with the idea to ‘have a play’ with different distilling techniques. This often meant our kitchen or BBQ area looked like a scene from “The Nutty Professor” with bespoke distilling equipment testing various theories and covering all available benchtops.

Hundreds of sketches, spreadsheets and trials later, the unique close coupled pot and retort vacuum stills Fatboy and Thumper were born!

Paul and Lynda Williams