The Small Concern Distillery Cradle Mountain 7 Year Old Single Malt Australian Whisky (700ml)

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. Actual product pictured.

As the name suggests, the "Small Concern" was a mum's and dad's effort from the start. Not surprising when you reflect on the germinal state of the Tasmanian whisky industry during the early '90s. It takes dogged determination, courage and a bit of luck to see any new venture get off its feet. The Small Concern, if only briefly, had all three. When the Tasmanian Agricultural Department developed a new variety of barley named ''Franklin'', a grant was requested to test its viability in whisky production. It was the team at the “Darwin Distillery” (the precursor to the Small Concern) who first proved the grain's worth.

The original group managed to fill two barrels. One barrel went to Hobart, one remained at North Motton, south of Ulverstone, at the site of the distillery. The malt spirit continued to age. In 1993 one of the team, Andrew Morrison, visited Scotland with a barrel sample (then 15 months old). He took it to independent bottlers, William Cadenheads, the marketing arm of Springbank Distillery, to get some perspective on the quality of the young whisky. Springbank was duly impressed and ordered seven barrels. Morrison, who must have been both chuffed and embarrassed, had to explain that they couldn't fulfil the request because the operation had already run out of money and their equipment had been dismantled. Cadenheads, who have always been ahead of the game in sourcing the world's finest spirits, were obviously looking to secure an ongoing supply, possibly even to market an Australian brand in Europe. They obliged by giving Morrision around 25K up front to re-commence production and fill the order. The ''first'' batch was run out in January 1994, and the new spirit continued to flow until November 1997. Once again, Small Concern produced and once again, they ran out of money. It was understandable - they were, in the words of co-founder, David MacLennan, the "first cab off the rank" when it came to commercial whisky production in Tasmania. Investment had been difficult to harness with a 4-5 year (plus) return on a highly speculative venture. Not long after the Small Concern distillery had reached its zenith, it was being dismantled. Meanwhile, a whisky enthusiast by the name of Bill Lark had established his own venture (1992) and was playing around with small quantities of whisky further south. The rest is history...