MEDIA SPOTLIGHT – ABC
Rye whisky takes off on fish and chip oil
By Flint Duxfield from Hobart , TAS
Thursday, 23/09/2010
You’ve heard of making water into wine, but what about making whisky using old fish and chip oil? That’s a challenge one Tasmanian farmer has taken up by building Australia’s first biodiesel-powered rye whisky still.
Peter Bignell has been growing rye for several years as a windbreak on his strawberry farm at Kempton in southern Tasmania. After spending some time working on a nearby distillery, he decided to start brewing his own rye whisky. After a quick welding lesson from a friend and a plan from a local still maker, Peter built his own still from scratch.
As well as being the only rye whisky still in the country, Peter’s operation will also produce some of the least carbon-intensive whisky in Australia. The still is powered entirely on biodiesel which Peter makes himself from old fish and chip oil he collects from takeaway shops in Hobart.
Click on the video or audio link to hear Peter’s story.
Photo by Flint Duxfield.