Local Flavour for Porongurup Whisky
Porongurup’s Woodlands Distillery has a big claim to local provenance in its whisky and other spirits.
Directors Kelvin Ridgway and Peter Waters established the distillery on a farm on the southern flanks of the Porongurup Range with the support of a Regional Economic Development Grant through the GSDC.
Whisky, vodka and gin are distilled on-site using grain grown in the surrounding paddocks and water drawn from the runoff from rainfall on the billion-year-old granite slopes. Local native botanicals are incorporated into the distillery’s gin.
Waste products from the distilling process are returned to the farm as stock feed or ‘fertigation’ – nutrient-rich irrigation for pasture.
RED Grant funding supported the purchase of distilling equipment and the provision of toilet facilities at the venue. Kelvin and Peter converted an old shearing shed to a tasting cellar and showroom, taking advantage of the distillery’s location near the foot of the spectacular Devil’s Slide.
Top: Peter Waters (left) and Kelvin Ridgway with the distilling equipment supported by a Regional Economic Development Grant.
Bottom: Kelvin Ridgway and Peter Waters with red wheat grown at the Porongurup farm and destined for wheat whisky production.
