There is something wonderfully fitting about making whisky in a place built for travel. Long before copper stills hummed beneath its corrugated iron roof, Hangar 17 at Launceston Airport was a gateway to adventure, a place where passengers boarded flights with pressed collars, polished shoes, and perhaps the promise of a fine whisky waiting at journey’s end.
Today, that same spirit lingers in the air at Launceston Distillery. Tucked inside Tasmania’s oldest surviving aviation building, the distillery has transformed a once-forgotten piece of history into one of the island’s most characterful whisky destinations.
From the outside, Hangar 17 does look every bit its age. The weathered industrial shell gives little away about what’s hiding inside. Step through the doors, however, and the atmosphere changes instantly. Copper gleams against aged timber. Oak barrels line the tasting room walls. The scent of malt, spirit and seasoned casks hangs warmly in the air.
That authenticity sits at the heart of the distillery’s story.
LAUCESTON DISTILLERY FOUNDER CHRIS CONDON
ABOUT THE DISTILLERY
The idea for Launceston Distillery began back in 2010 when founder and distiller Chris Condon started talking with friends and former colleagues about returning home to northern Tasmania to make whisky. At the time, Tasmania’s whisky industry was beginning to gain momentum, but distilleries in Launceston itself remained conspicuously absent from the map. There was a gap in the Whisky Trail, and Chris believed the city deserved a distillery of its own.
Luckily for Chris, he was hardly entering the industry green. Before founding Launceston Distillery, he had worked at some of Tasmania’s best-known brewing and distilling operations, including J. Boag & Son (James Boags) and Nant Distillery. Years spent refining beer and spirit production sharpened both his technical knowledge and his palate, but perhaps more importantly, they reinforced a commitment to quality and a passion for local that still defines the distillery today.
With the support of family, friends and former workmates, a small company was formed, and the search for a home began. That eventually led them to Hangar 17, a 1932 aviation relic that had sat derelict for more than a decade following the collapse of Ansett Airlines in 2001. Restoring the building was no small feat. Over 18 months, the team painstakingly repaired and revived the hangar before the first batches of spirit finally ran through the stills in 2015.
QUEEN ELIZABETH OUTSIDE HANGAR 17, LEAVING LAUNCESTON FEB 1954. IMAGE COURTESY STATE ARCHIVES.
The result was more than just a whisky distillery. It was a resurrection.
History remains woven through the walls of the place. In February 1954, Queen Elizabeth II herself departed from Hangar 17 during a royal visit to Tasmania. In the golden era of Australian aviation, the building represented movement, glamour and possibility. Today, visitors arrive for a different kind of journey... one measured in drams rather than miles!
The team behind the whisky remains intentionally small and hands-on. Chris oversees production as Distillery Manager, supported by assistant distiller Kane Barker, finance manager Craig Boon, sales administrator Elly Stretton, bottling coordinator Kym Condon, Tour Guide Danny Lockhart and website and social media coordinator Tina Boon. It is a family-style operation where everyone seems to wear multiple hats, and that intimacy carries through into the visitor experience.
Tours and tastings at the distillery are refreshingly personal. Rather than a polished tourism machine, they feel more like being welcomed into someone’s workshop. Guests are guided through the production process, from grain to barrel, before exploring how different cask types and grain styles shape flavour in the glass. There is even the opportunity to fill and label your own bottle straight from the cask.
Of course, Tasmania itself plays an enormous role in the whisky’s identity. Tassie’s reputation as a world-class whisky region is no accident. It offers exceptional barley, pristine water, and a climate uniquely suited to slow, balanced maturation. Launceston Distillery draws water from the nearby South Esk River and sources malted barley locally through Joe White Maltings in Devonport. Everything – from mashing and fermentation through to distillation, maturation and bottling – happens under the one roof at Hangar 17.
Naturally, the stills themselves are proudly Tasmanian, too.
Rather than importing equipment, the distillery commissioned renowned Hobart still-maker Peter Bailly to custom-build the copper pot stills. Both feature distinctive reflux balls in their heads, an intentional design choice aimed at creating a cleaner, fruitier and more floral spirit. Clad in Tasmanian oak, the stills embody the same philosophy that defines the broader operation: local craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and patience over shortcuts.
That patience has well and truly paid off. Over the years, Launceston Distillery has quietly built an impressive list of accolades. Recent highlights include Gold Medals at the 2025 Australian Distilled Spirits Awards for both their Peated Release and Cask Strength Bourbon Cask Matured Single Malt, along with Category Winner honours at the World Whisky Awards.
Yet despite the awards steadily filling the cabinet, there is no sense of ego about the distillery. If anything, Launceston Distillery feels defined by restraint and a quiet confidence.
ABOUT THE WHISKY
Behind the scenes, we’ve been following Launceston’s journey for a while and are incredibly excited to be collaborating with them on this release. With it, we are showcasing what might best be described as the purest expression of Launceston Distillery’s house style: a Bourbon Cask Matured Single Malt.
While fortified wine casks often dominate Australian whisky conversations, ex-bourbon maturation allows the distillery’s spirit character to step confidently into the spotlight. And that spirit character is precisely what Chris designed his operation around from the very beginning.
Way back when his stills were being built, Chris was adamant about incorporating reflux balls into not just the spirit still but also the wash still. The goal was clear: create a whisky that leaned elegant rather than aggressive. Fruity rather than heavy. Floral rather than overly dense. Combined with an extended seven-day fermentation using both distillers and brewers yeast, the patient process encourages the formation of esters and delicate flavour compounds that give the whisky its signature lift and brightness.
This whisky began with Tasmanian malted barley before being mashed and fermented entirely on site. Distillation took place in their copper stills at Hangar 17 before the spirit was filled into 100-litre American oak bourbon casks sourced locally through family-run cooperage supplier Transwood, located just ten minutes from the distillery.
Those smaller 100L casks play a vital role in shaping the whisky. After five to seven years of maturation, the spirit gradually developed layers of vanilla, honey and caramel while retaining the fresh orchard fruit and floral notes generated during fermentation and distillation. The fluctuating Tasmanian climate inside the corrugated iron hangar also contributes significantly to the distillery’s maturation process. Summers can climb into the mid-30s, while winter temperatures regularly dip below freezing. The result is a steady, natural interaction between oak and spirit that develops complexity and removes any volatile or harsh flavours.
Importantly, this whisky spent its entire maturation in the same cask. No finishing barrels. No secondary maturation tricks. Just time, oak and spirit working together, patiently.
Bottled at 45% ABV, the whisky lands in a particularly enjoyable sweet spot. There is enough weight to carry texture and flavour, yet it remains approachable and immensely drinkable. It’s exactly the kind of whisky that invites a second pour before you realise the first glass is gone.
In the glass, the whisky opens with bright aromas of lemon custard, vanilla bean and citrus zest drifting gently above soft orchard fruits, pear and fresh-cut apple skin before giving way to banana (the sign of an excellent bourbon cask). There is an elegance to it that feels distinctly Tasmanian – clean, lifted and quietly confident.
The palate follows through beautifully. Honeyed malt and creamy vanilla unfold first, followed by caramelised oak and subtle sweet, creamy, slightly tropical fruit bourbon notes. The texture carries surprising richness for such a bright spirit, and leaves a long lingering finish. Beneath it all sits a gentle thread of spice.
This is, in many ways, a whisky that perfectly reflects the distillery itself and one we are very proud to share.
And perhaps that is the magic of Launceston Distillery. In an era where louder often seems better, they continue to quietly craft whisky with patience, precision and genuine heart, proving that sometimes the finest journeys begin inside an old hangar at the edge of a Tasmanian runway.
