History

Westernport Distillery is a small craft distillery located in the coastal village of Blind Bight on Westernport Bay in Victoria, Australia. In 2018 two friends who shared a passion for the outdoors and adventure decided to realise their dream of making their own whisky. They attended a whisky-making course in Tasmania, and along the way built Westernport Single Malt Whisky, a journey that has been seven years in the making. The founders David and Scott worked from start to finish, from brewing to finished product, and they made sacrifices to realise the project – including carrying out all work in the house themselves and handling labels and stoppers. The distillery opened in Blind Bight, and they have made it part of their identity to use almost exclusively Australian materials and to work with antique casks that previously carried fortified wines.

Production / Manufacturing

Recoopering – our process

Westernport focuses on barrel recooping as a central part of flavour development. The process includes disassembly of the cask, scraping of old material, toasting (light, medium or heavy) and then charring. After the smoke- and charcoal processes, they avoid adding water to preserve the char and the wood's natural essence. Thereafter follows maturation of new spirit in casks of different sizes (100, 120, 200, 225, 250 and 300 litres), where they control ABV at around 64–65% during maturation to achieve a balance between power and finesse.

Wood Casks and Climate

The distillery uses antique casks with a rich history that previously carried fortified wines and that now contribute character and depth to the whisky. The age range of these casks spans from three to 70 years, and the distinctive maritime climate of Melbourne makes the casks and wood composition more dynamic through fluctuations in temperature and humidity. They highlight the water source from Thompson Reservoir and emphasise that nearly all ingredients come from Australia. Core and supporting work is performed in-house: brewing, distillation, maturation, recooping and bottle production – even labels and stoppers are hand-stamped. They have even learned coopering to create the right casks.

The whole process in-house

David and Scott handle the entire whisky process from start to finish: brewing, distillation, maturation, recooping and bottling. They also enlisted the help of a local friend to make a branding stamp for stoppers, and they are proud to be able to control quality across the production chain.

Whisky series

Core range

• Muscat Cask: A double-matured whisky, first in an ex-bourbon cask and then in an antique 50-year-old Australian Muscat cask. Final ABV around 46%. Notes include chocolate, caramel, spice and sea air from the coast.
• Port Cask: A single malt in a 100-litre Port cask, around 46% ABV, with fruit notes and a touch of oak plus port-inspired sweetness and depth in the finish.
• Sherry Cask: A single malt in a 100-litre cask with 46% ABV, with notes of cherry, toffee, dried fruits and chocolate, finishing with a relatively deep and sweet finish.

Special releases

• Dutschke Sweet Semillon Cask: A special release, which is a single malt matured in an ex-Dutschke Sweet Semillon cask. Age around 5 years, ABV 48%. Described as a combination of maritime freshness and dessert wine inspiration, with honeyed fruit and a silky mouthfeel.
• Five-Year Seppeltsfield Port Cask Single Malt: A five-year-old single malt, aged in a 100-litre Seppeltsfield Port Cask. This release is highlighted as a special release and is available as Cask Strength at 63% ABV and up to 52% bottle strength, with notes of cherry, fig, cinnamon and port-inspired elements in the profile. The flavour profile is described as deep and long in the finish, with port notes and wood.
• Muscat Cask – Batch 2: A Muscat Cask (Batch 2), ABV around 46%, described as a double-matured whisky, where it first matures in ex-bourbon casks and then in an antique 50-year-old Australian Muscat cask. Notes include chocolate, caramel, cinnamon and sea breeze. There is a gold medal noted from the Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards 2025 for this bottle.
• Port Cask – Batch 2: A Port Cask Batch 2 at around 46% ABV with fruity notes and a clear wood impression.
• Sherry Cask – Batch 2: A Sherry Cask Batch 2 at around 46% ABV, with cherry, toffee and dried fruits as dominant elements in nose and palate.

Economic and packaging options

There is also a 200 ml core range in the core range and several gift-pack options (3 x 200 ml, 2 x 200 ml + 1 Glencairn, 1 x 200 ml + 1 Glencairn, etc.), which provide smaller portions for tasting and gift purposes. Club offers and releases of special limited editions are available via Westernport Whisky Club, which offers benefits such as early access to limited batches and visits to events and whisky festivals.

Awards and recognition

Muscat Cask – Batch 2 is described as a gold-medal whisky at the Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards 2025.

Visits / Experiences

Private Tour and Tasting

Westernport offers private tours and tastings, where you can sample 3 core-range whiskies, plus 1 special-limited release, and receive 10% off bottle purchases on the tour. The distillery is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday – with set times for tastings and tours.

Philosophy

• Antique casks and fortified wines from 20 to 70 years old as part of their flavour profile.
• Nearly all Australian ingredients and water from Thompson Reservoir, which they regard as among the best water in the world for whisky production.
• The entire production is in-house: brewing, distillation, maturation, recooping and bottling – even labels and stoppers are hand-stamped.
• Focus on small batches and unique coastal flavour profiles that reflect the Australian terroir and the maritime climatic influence.
• The vision to be different through the use of antique casks and tightly integrated production, giving a distinct sea- and wood-inspired character in Westernport whisky.