Q&A with "Happy Heidi" King Island Distillery Owner and Artisan Distiller

Meet the Maker: Q&A with "Happy Heidi" King Island Distillery founder, owner operator and artisan distiller.

While our distillery at Racecourse Road is temporarily closed to visitors for upgrades, I’ve been missing the daily chats, the shared stories and the clinking of glasses with all of you.

At King Island Distillery, I spend a lot of time talking with visitors about our Native Gin and lots of drinks and things that I make, my custom made pot stills and the lovely island I love to call my home. But I often get asked about the person behind the bottle.

As we celebrate 10+ years of this GINcredible journey, I thought it was the right time to pour a glass, sit down and share a little bit about my story as a Native King Islander and artisan distiller.  Here are some of the questions I am asked at the distillery.

What inspired you to start King Island Distillery over 10 years ago?

Being a Native King Islander, I have always had a deep love for the island I am lucky to call home (I was made on King Island, just don’t ask me exactly where). But more than anything, connecting with people keeps my passion alive and filled with GINspiration. I wanted to create a GINuine, 100% local business that allowed me to share stories with locals and visitors alike.

I love the fact that I have learnt to distil my own King Island ‘dream drams’ and I love drinking them and sharing them with friends too! Starting this distillery was my way of pouring my heart into a sustainable craft and sharing our island’s tasty wild bounty with the world.

You do everything by hand, from distilling to writing the labels. Why is that so important?

I believe creating artisan liquor is a true labour of love. I hand-make, hand-bottle and hand-label every single drop. In a world full of goods produced in bulk by automation, my plan was to always be different with a business strategy to be a micro operation and make the time to do things like handwrite on each label. I feel this creates an extra connection with the person who is going to drink it, because it is not a commodity mass made product.

It’s my Happy Heidi way of making sure that every customer sees, feels and tastes the passion and care that goes into distilling my 60 bottle batch spirits. Since I started this distilling journey in 2014, staying a small distillery owner operator has simply always been my choice, and that is because I care about making quality spirits for us all to sip on and smile.

What is the "secret ingredient" in King Island Distillery spirits?

Without a doubt, it is the fact that everything I release is my own GINvention, people's choice favourite would be the Fun Tail Fantasy Liqueur. So after lots of testing, trials and tasting with friends and customers, another new King Island Distillery product is released (with the exception of the Ruby Grapefruit Vodka, which was supposed to be a liqueur, but that's another story).

I love the creative side of running the distillery myself, and that, I guess, is why I can call myself an artisan. Because everything I do is about being a GINdependent owner operator, embracing and supporting local and because I love chasing it, talking about it, making it and tasting it, that is what makes me happy Heidi :-).

You recently wrote a blog about being an Eco Star rated business. Why is sustainability so important to you?

When you are a 100% locally owned operation on an island as pristine as ours, protecting the environment isn't just a choice; I see it as a responsibility. In my distillery, I have set it up to be a sustainable operation every day in many ways.

I am GINcredibly proud of our TCIT (Tourism Industry Council Tasmania) business accreditations, including our Eco Star rating! We want to ensure that King Island rain and Native botanicals we rely on are here for generations to come.

Customers constantly rave about the King Island Native Gin and the Bella Chella King Island Limoncello. How do you personally enjoy them?

I am a big believer in letting the spirit speak for itself! Our Native Gin is perfect for slow sipping, just pour it over some fresh water ice, add a splash of nice soda, and drop in a pretty flower for garnish.

And if the Roaring Forties are howling outside, a glass of Happy Heidi’s ‘Bella Chella’ Limoncello, just on the rocks, enjoyed with a platter of King Island Dairy Cheese is a way to add extra smiles to any evening!

What is next for King Island Distillery?

For a while now, a lot of my energy is going into updating the distillery, but things in the world keep changing so fast people's needs are changing too and I want to adapt to that as best as I can. I can't reveal all the secrets just yet, but I am working hard to make sure that when we beGIN our next chapter and spirited GINperiences again, everything will be more GINtastic than ever. I want people to truly enjoy my King Island artisan offerings and feel as spirited about them as I am. 

Cheers goes to you, with extra GINspiration, to enjoy everything that you love to do (and drink ;-)). ♡ hh♡ xox