Mentors

Mentors you got to love them.

If I had to identify one important contributing factor to the establishment of my distillery and keeping the dream alive , it would be the importance of my mentors.

I am very fortunate I have Four great mentors and they are a consent source of information, support and guidance for me and they keep me on my journey facing the right way and not being too much of a turkey brain and getting distracted.

Mentor No1 and makes great whisky just down the road a few hours.

My mentors.

Brian Hollingworth – Black Gate Distillery.

Brian was the first one to give me a leg up and allowed me to take over a small corner of his bond store with my first 10 casks. Brian is in my mind a Whisky rock god in Australia and both him and Genise have built up an almost cult like following with their Whisky and now Rum.

Brian offers me a lot of technical and practical support as well kicks my bum when it’s needed.

Mark Burns (Burnsy) – Burns Welding and Fabrication / Aisling Distillery.

Burnsy was my still builder and I remember the day when he said to me “ Crafty get your ass down here and get on my still and we will design your still”.

Burnsy has been a big support in technical guidance and fabrication solutions he is also another bum kicker.

Martin (The Kid) – Riverbourne Distillery.

Martin is a 73-year-old distiller and what a man of inspiration, knowledge and help.

The Kid is the biggest bum kicker and helps me as a sounding board and there is no such thing as a dumb question. Riverbourne Distillery and Craft Works Distillery collaborate on projects , materials and ideas.

Pat McInerney – Willie the Boatman.

Pat or Patman as I like to call him, is a solid supporter of me and my dream , right from a seedling of an idea it was Patman who gave me some solid advice. I also managed to score some equipment from Willie the Boatman and down the track we will do collaboration projects so that will be exciting. Less of a bum kicker more of a free beer type of guy 😉 and what an inspiration as an energetic showman.

So, I love mentors and what they have done and continue to do for me. I hope I make them proud when my first whisky is release, they better like it as they each will get an early release.