Heaps Good Spirits founders Marcelle McEwan and Greg Nunan have been quietly exploring a new direction over the past year, and it’s a little different from the gin they’re best known for.
The Hahndorf-based company have recently launched a Tawny Cask Whisky, a whisky-based Barrel Brew coffee liqueur and an Exploration Series of experimental small-batch whiskies.
“The response has been much bigger than we expected, so we wanted to create a space at Hahndorf that gave the whisky its own little home,” Marcelle said.
Enter a moody nine-seat whisky lounge.
Rather than simply adding whisky to their existing Adelaide Hills tasting room, the couple have transformed one of the rooms into an intimate whisky lounge, designed for guests to settle in and take their time.
With space for around nine guests, the lounge offers a different atmosphere from the bright, bustling main tasting room, which is geared towards visitors exploring the popular Heaps Good range.
“Think leather chesterfields, moody lighting, vintage-style artwork, timber, barrels and a much more sit-down-and-settle-in kind of feel.”
The new space is deliberately smaller, moodier and more relaxed, giving whisky lovers the opportunity to sit down, compare different expressions and discover the stories behind them.
“Whereas the whisky room is deliberately smaller, moodier and more relaxed.
“We want people to be able to sit down, take their time and actually explore the whiskies.”
A key part of the experience is the Exploration Series, a collection of carefully selected South Australian whiskies, including some created in partnership with fellow Adelaide Hills distillers Tin Shed Distilling Co.
The series gives Marcelle and Greg room to experiment with blending, different parcels of whisky, oak types, previous cask fills, finishes and smoke profiles. Each release is intentionally small and a little different, allowing the team to develop their own style while drawing on the expertise of highly regarded local whisky producers.
The whiskies vary in age and style depending on the release, with the experimental approach giving guests something new to discover as the range continues to evolve.
The couple first soft-launched their whisky range at Hahndorf in March this year, with deliberately tiny releases designed to test whether their customers were interested in whisky. They quickly discovered that they were.
With many releases selling out, the pair have since decided to invest more heavily in production and maturation, including specialist casks, as they look towards the next chapter of Heaps Good Spirits.
“The plan is for the lounge to evolve alongside the whisky range,” Marcelle said.
“We’d eventually love it to become a place where people can try new and experimental releases, compare different cask finishes and come back regularly to see what we’ve been playing with.”
Walk-ins are welcome, although bookings are recommended, particularly on weekends when the Hahndorf venue is busy with locals and visitors.
Heaps Good Spirits Tasting Room
Where: Shop 2/57 Mount Barker Road, Hahndorf
When: Mon-Thurs 11.30am-4.30pm and Fri-Sun 11.30am,-5pm
For more information, click here.
