Holding Time To Ransom: Heather Tillott & The Sullivans Cove Story Video

"It's shown people that you can actually make beautiful whisky anywhere in the world."

Heather Tillott is one of the Australian whisky industry's most accomplished blenders and distillers. She's also one of our best orators, with a way of speaking about whisky that captures its beauty and complexity while still making it fun and accessible.

That's no small feat, considering her monumental role as director of whisky creation for Tasmania's world-beating Sullivans Cove [https://thefullmeasure.com.au/distillery/sullivans-cove-distillery]. In our chat, recorded during the 2026 Australian Distillers Association Conference in Adelaide, Heather takes us through the Sullivans Cove story, from the distillery's origins with Robert Hosken in Hobart, through the brand's evolution under Patrick Maguire, to its watershed World Whiskies Awards triumph in 2014 – and how that win marked a turning point for lesser-known whisky regions around the world.

We also trace Heather's journey from the NSW South Coast, where she grew up, through her training as a winemaker to her eventual move to Tasmania and Sullivans Cove. Her deep technical and sensory knowledge is on show throughout, but her hilarious Macallan anecdote is a real showstopper too.

We'd love to hear from you too, so if you've got any feedback on the show, have guests you'd love to hear from or topics you'd like us to explore, send us an email at [email protected].

Start of segments: * 0:25 – The Full Measure Distillery Specials [https://thefullmeasure.com.au/directory] * 1:18 – Heather Tillott Part 1 * 24:30 – Heather Tillott Part 2 * 40:15 – CIBD 2027 Registrations [https://cibd2027.com.au/] * 41:16 – Heather Tillott Part 3

To find out more about partnering with The Full Measure, get in touch with [email protected].