THE south-west’s whiskey-soaked past was showcased as part of a new tourism venture last weekend.
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Whiskey Stills Inc launched its first Tag Along Tour, following the southern part of the south-west whiskey trail on Sunday.
Rather than spending an afternoon sampling the ardent spirit on ice, as could be assumed, participants visited locations where illicit whiskey had been made, stills had been seized or distillers had been buried in the 1800s.
Group president of nine years Alan Hart said the tour was hosted to show members and the public the whiskey trail in its entirety.
“A lot of people have been to individual sites,” he said.
“Not many, if any at all, have actually driven the full trail.”
Participants met outside Cobden’s police station, the site of the first trail plaque.
From there a convoy of six cars travelled to sites at Camperdown, Whiskey Creek and Delaney’s Corner before finishing at the Boggy Creek Pub for lunch.
Mr Hart and Alan Wilson, great-grandson of James Paterson Wilson — who was caught and charged in 1893 for possessing an unlicensed still — shared the speaking at each location.
Whiskey Stills Incorporated was formed in 2003 after Mr Hart came across old records at Cobden police station when he was sergeant.
He said people commonly distilled their own whiskey in the 1800s because it was higher in quality and cheaper than the imported English product, which was taxed. The last still was seized in 1895.
The next tour, which will explore the northern part of the trail, is scheduled for Saturday, April 21.
