At one of the few family-owned cooperages left in Tasmania, the ancient craft of coopering still spans generations, with casks built largely from scratch. Making whisky barrels by hand is painstaking work, and those who do it say the skill behind each cask matters far more than most drinkers ever realise.
The timber is at the heart of it. Some in the trade say you get between 60 and 80 percent of a whisky's flavour from the timber and 100 percent of its colour from the timber. That is why the way the cask is treated is considered so important, with those at the cooperage saying it can quite literally make or break the whisky inside.
Mel is carrying on the family tradition as the only qualified female cooper in Tasmania. She has developed a nose for caramelising the timber, learning the different scents that different ex-spirits give off and what each level of toast produces. That sensory side of the work, she says, is the part she has enjoyed the most out of everything.
The output is substantial for a hands-on operation. The cooperage handles up to 800 barrels a year, which are sent to distilleries across the state. The team can produce handmade barrels to almost any specification a customer wants, and with Dave regarded as a genuine master craftsman, buyers are confident the quality of each barrel will hold up.
The wider industry, though, has slowed. Over the past 12 months many well-established distilleries have paused or scaled back production, in line with other whisky-producing nations, as price-sensitive consumers rein in their spending. With whisky a discretionary purchase, the market has become a little depressed, pushing the cooperage to focus harder on sales.
Even so, the future of the craft here looks secure. The owner says his son, daughter and son-in-law are all now involved in the industry and look set to carry the cooperage on for years to come. For a trade that depends on skills passed down by hand, that succession is the clearest sign the tradition will endure.