Kempton: Whisky Distillery Tour with Tastings and Lunch

Old Kempton Distillery puts its whisky in an old house with a few good stories attached. At Dysart House, you walk through a working craft distillery, inspect barrels in the bond store, and hear how a country coaching inn became home to spirits made from 100% Tasmanian ingredients.

I like the mix of behind-the-scenes access and a proper meal, rather than a quick tasting at a shop counter. I also like the small group size, capped at 10, which gives the guide room to explain the stills and answer questions. The main consideration is timing: the advertised duration is two hours, but the listed tour, tasting, lunch, and coffee segments add up to about 160 minutes.

Key points to know

• Dysart House sets the scene: You begin with the building’s story before entering the distillery.
• Four spirits are included: The guided tasting covers a selection of Old Kempton’s whisky, gin, and liqueurs.
• The bond store is a real working space: Maturing whisky and barrels of different sizes give you a clear look at the waiting game behind whisky.
• Lunch is part of the experience: You receive Tasmanian antipasto and a shared bottle of local red or white wine.
• The group is deliberately small: A maximum of 10 people makes this more personal than a large coach-style tour.
• The Cellar Door adds value: Tea, coffee, products, local food, souvenirs, and a 10 percent purchase discount round out the visit.

A country house with whisky in the walls

Old Kempton Distillery has occupied Dysart House since November 2015. That date matters because this is not simply a historic-house visit with a tasting added on. Dysart House is also an active production site, and the tour connects the building’s past with the spirits being made there today.

You begin at the Cellar Door, where you should arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled start. From there, the guide takes you through Dysart House and gives you a short account of its past, along with an introduction to the distillation process.

I like this opening because it gives the tour a sense of place. You are not tasting whisky in a featureless room. You are learning why this particular building matters, then seeing how it has been adapted for a small distillery.

The house also has ghost stories in its past. The tour does not promise a theatrical ghost show, so keep your expectations modest. Still, the stories add a little character as you move through the old building and into the working areas. Keep your eyes open, as the house’s spooky reputation is part of the fun.

Behind the stills at Old Kempton

The guided distillery visit lasts about 45 minutes. You get an outline of how spirits are made, then go behind the scenes to see the distillery and bond store.

The useful part here is the connection between process and product. Old Kempton makes single malt whisky, gin, and liqueurs on site. The spirits use Tasmanian ingredients, so the guide can explain the production in terms of what is made in this place, not just give you a generic account of distilling.

A working small craft distillery is usually more interesting than a polished museum display because the equipment has a practical job. Each tour can feel a little different depending on what is happening on the day. You might see a quieter production area, or you might catch the site in the middle of its ordinary work. The supplied details do not promise a particular stage of production, so I would not book this expecting a live demonstration at every stop.

The bond store is the atmospheric heart of the visit. It holds maturing whisky and barrels in different shapes and sizes. This helps you understand that whisky is not made in one afternoon. The liquid spends time resting and changing in wood before it is ready to pour.

For anyone who already enjoys whisky, the bond store gives the tasting more context. For a newcomer, it answers a basic question that a bar tasting often skips: what happens between distillation and the bottle? You see the patient part of the work.

Closed-toe shoes are required, and weather-appropriate clothing is sensible. The tour runs rain or shine, so you should dress for the conditions rather than assume the whole experience takes place indoors.

Four spirits in the Cask Lounge

The tasting takes about 45 minutes and includes four Old Kempton spirits. The experience is described as whisky-focused, but the distillery also makes gin and liqueurs, so the four pours may give you a wider picture of the house style than a whisky-only flight.

A guided tasting is useful because it gives each sample a little structure. Instead of simply receiving four glasses, you can learn what you are tasting and compare the spirits as you go. If you are new to whisky, you do not need a vocabulary lesson before arriving. The guide can help you notice the differences without turning the session into an exam.

The setting is the Cask Lounge, inside the grand coaching inn that serves as the Old Kempton Cellar Door. That makes the tasting feel connected to the building rather than bolted on as a separate retail stop.

The practical limit is that a tasting of four premium spirits is still a tasting, not a full evening of drinking. Pace yourself, especially because lunch and wine follow. If you are driving, plan carefully. The package includes alcohol, and transport to Kempton is not included.

The tasting is one of the strongest parts of the visit for people who want guidance and context. The small group limit of 10 should help keep the conversation manageable. The public feedback gives the guide’s manner particular credit, describing the tour leader as well informed, good fun, and personable. No guide name is provided, so do not expect to book a specific individual.

Tasmanian produce for lunch

Lunch is built around a premium antipasto platter made with Tasmanian produce. The package also includes a shared bottle of Tasmanian red or white wine.

This is more than a snack between tastings. The food gives you time to slow down and enjoy the setting, while the wine makes the visit feel like a complete food-and-drink outing rather than a quick factory tour. If you care about local produce, this is a useful part of the price.

The details do not specify the exact meats, cheeses, breads, or seasonal items on the platter. That is normal for a menu based on fresh produce, but it also means you should not book with a particular dish in mind. If you have dietary needs, ask the operator before booking rather than assuming the platter can be altered.

There is also a timing point worth noting. The published schedule lists lunch as one hour, while the overall duration is advertised as two hours. Along with the 45-minute tour, 45-minute tasting, and 10 minutes for coffee, the components total roughly 160 minutes. I would leave extra room in your day and avoid arranging a tight transfer immediately afterward.

Tea, coffee, and the Cellar Door

After the main parts of the visit, you can settle in with freshly brewed tea or coffee. This is a small detail, but it makes the experience feel less rushed, particularly after a tasting and lunch.

You also have time to browse the Cellar Door. It carries Old Kempton Distillery products, locally made produce, and souvenirs connected with Dysart House. The included 10 percent discount applies to Cellar Door purchases made on the day.

That discount is worth considering when judging the $134 per-person price. The fee includes the house and distillery tour, four spirit tastings, the Tasmanian antipasto platter for two, a shared bottle of Tasmanian wine, tea or coffee, and the discount. If you would buy a bottle or a food item afterward, the discount adds a little more practical value. If you are not interested in purchasing anything, it is simply a bonus rather than a reason to book.

The Cellar Door also gives you a chance to buy something you have just tasted. I prefer that to shopping for a bottle before knowing anything about the producer. You can make your choice after hearing the story and comparing the spirits.

Is $134 a fair price?

At $134 per person, this is not a bargain tasting. It is priced as a small-group outing with food, wine, access to a working distillery, and a guided flight of four spirits.

The value is strongest if you want all those pieces in one stop. A simple tasting would cost less in many places, but it would not normally include a historic house tour, the bond store, lunch, a shared bottle of Tasmanian wine, coffee, and a Cellar Door discount.

It is also better value for two people who will share the antipasto platter and wine. The supplied inclusions specifically describe the lunch as an antipasto platter for two and the wine as a shared bottle. If you are booking alone, confirm how the meal and wine arrangements apply to your reservation.

The price makes less sense if your main goal is to sample as much whisky as possible. You receive four spirits, not an unlimited tasting, and a sizeable portion of the visit is given to the house, distillery, lunch, and coffee. Think of it as a compact food, history, and spirits experience, not a serious whisky seminar.

Planning your visit to Kempton

You need to arrange your own transport to Kempton. This matters because the tour includes several alcohol tastings and wine, so you should decide how you will get there and back before booking.

Arrive at Dysart House 10 to 15 minutes early and check in with a team member at the Cellar Door. Bring your booking information and a driver’s license. Closed-toe shoes are required, and weather-appropriate clothing is a smart choice because the tour operates in all weather.

The activity is wheelchair accessible. The tour is conducted in English, and the small group limit is 10 people. That combination suits visitors who want a guided experience without the scale of a large bus group.

Cancellation is flexible up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. You can also reserve now and pay later, which helps if your Tasmania plans are still shifting. These are useful safeguards, but they do not solve the transport question, so sort out the driving plan first.

The age policy needs attention. The practical information says people under 18 may attend free but cannot sample spirits, while another section marks the experience as unsuitable for children under 18. Because those statements do not fully match, contact Old Kempton Distillery before booking with anyone under 18.

Who will enjoy this most?

I would recommend this tour to you if you like places with a strong sense of history but also want to see current production. Dysart House gives you the old building and stories, while the distillery and bond store show what is happening there now.

It suits couples and small groups who want a relaxed half-day-style outing built around Tasmanian food and drink. It also works for whisky newcomers because the guide explains the process and leads the tasting instead of leaving you to guess what each sample is meant to show.

The experience is less suited to someone who wants a fast, highly technical distillery visit. The lunch, wine, house tour, coffee, and Cellar Door browsing take up a large share of the time. It is also not a good choice if you need included transport or if your schedule cannot handle a visit that may run beyond the stated two-hour duration.

The strongest praise in the available feedback focuses on the guide’s informative approach and friendly personality. That fits the shape of the tour: the quality depends partly on how well the guide connects Dysart House, the production process, the barrels, and the tasting. The small group format gives that personal style room to work.

Should you book Old Kempton Distillery?

Book it if you want a complete Tasmanian food and spirits experience, not just four pours. The combination of Dysart House, ghost stories, working production areas, a barrel-filled bond store, local antipasto, wine, and coffee gives you a fuller visit than a standard tasting-room stop.

I would skip it if you are focused only on whisky quantity, need transport included, or have a tight schedule. For everyone else, the $134 price is reasonable when you use the lunch, wine, tasting, and Cellar Door discount, especially as part of a broader visit to Tasmania.

Plan your transport, wear sensible shoes, allow more than two hours, and confirm the age policy if needed. With those points sorted, Old Kempton offers a friendly, grounded look at how Tasmanian spirits are made and enjoyed.

FAQ

Where does the Old Kempton Distillery tour begin?

The tour begins at Dysart House in Kempton. Upon arrival, go to the Cellar Door and show your booking information to a team member.

How long does the experience last?

The advertised duration is two hours. The listed sections include a 45-minute guided tour, a 45-minute tasting, one hour for lunch, and 10 minutes for tea or coffee, so you should allow extra time.

What is included in the price?

The package includes a tour of Dysart House, the distillery, and bond store; a guided tasting of four spirits; an antipasto platter for two; a shared bottle of Tasmanian red or white wine; tea and coffee; and 10 percent off Cellar Door purchases made that day.

Is transport to Kempton included?

No. You need to arrange your own transport to and from Kempton.

How many people are in each group?

The experience is limited to 10 participants.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.

What should I bring?

Bring your booking information, a driver’s license, weather-appropriate clothing, and closed-toe shoes.

Can people under 18 attend?

The information says people under 18 may attend free but cannot sample spirits. It also marks the activity as unsuitable for children under 18, so contact Old Kempton Distillery to confirm the policy before booking.