The Name
Derwent Distillery name comes from one of the first legalised distilleries in Tasmania, originally set up on the banks of the Hobart Rivulet in Gore St, South Hobart in the early 1820’s. On January 22, 1820, the Hobart Town Gazette reported, ‘The foundations of an extensive brewery were laid in the presence of a number of persons by R. W. Loane’. In December of 1823 the building was operating as the ‘Derwent Distillery’.
Unfortunately the distillery was never given the time to shine and in 1838 their doors shut. The closure of the distillery resulted from a change in colonial government policy. Concern over lost revenue caused by local distilling reducing imported spirits, resulted in Lt Gov Franklin introducing legislation to abolish the local industry in favour of brewing.