Sullivans Cove began in 1994 at the old Gasworks on Hobart's waterfront, in Tasmania.1,2,3 In 2004 it moved to an industrial park in Cambridge.1,4,5 A Melbourne family business led by Adam Sable has owned it since 2016.6,7,8
Robert Hosken opened it in December 1994 as the Tasmania Distillery, beside the River Derwent at Sullivans Cove.1,2,3 Oz Whisky Review's timeline says Canberra investors Tom Elvin and Neville Parton bought it in 1999 through Highland Holdings.
Fresh spices, lime, green pepper and candied citrus make this a very fresh, modern whisky, and the reviewer calls it a very nice bottle.
Rich coconut cream, pineapple, banana and honey meet fresh oak and citrus, though the palate is slightly over-oaked in the reviewer’s opinion.
Maguire and two other investors bought the distillery and all its stock in 2004, though some sources date the purchase to 2003.1,2,6 He moved it to an industrial park in Cambridge and refined the old pot still, while outside breweries still made its wash, the fermented beer it distils.1,4,5
Maguire's investor group sold it in 2016 to the Sable family business; Adam Sable had been general manager of Bladnoch.6,7,8 In 2021 it announced a plan to build a new distillery at Huon Quays on Hobart's waterfront and restore the site's 100-year-old Drill Hall.4,9,10 Heather Tillott, a trained winemaker, was already head distiller when that plan was announced.4,9,10 In 2022 Maguire left to found Maguire & Co. Bottlers and Distillers, and Tillott took over as distillery manager.6 In 2024, a $14 million refurbishment at Cambridge brought mashing and fermentation on site; outside breweries, mostly Cascade, had made the wash before.11,12,13 Forsyths in Scotland built two new stills, a wash still and a spirit still named Eva and Goldie, which joined Myrtle, the original copper pot still.11,12,13 Andy Gaunt, who had built Fever-Tree's business in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, became chief executive in 2025.11,12,14
It uses 100% locally grown malted barley, and its wash is double distilled.13,15 A 2026 report said it uses extended fermentations and Charantais-style alembic stills, similar to those used for cognac.7,16 Worm tub condensers turn the vapour back into spirit, and the distillery says they add body and character.15,16 A 2024 report described the spirit as rich, robust and oily.6 It ages in full-size casks of 200 to 300 litres without temperature control, so the Tasmanian climate shapes the spirit.15
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