Republic of Fremantle has welcomed a new Head Distillers, with Tom Hutchings joining the team from Silent Pool Distillers in the United Kingdom.
Tom brings with him a Master of Sciences in Brewing & Distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, plus a wealth of experience from an award-winning distillery.
Tom will take carriage of the state-of-the-art Müller copper still to craft Republic of Fremantle’s Signature
Vodka and Aromatic and Full-Bodied Gins from grape to glass.
“Process wise, distilling is a blend of art and creativity with science and engineering, which suits me well. I have also always loved to cook and experience new flavour combinations. Distilling is essentially cooking with liquids – but the developing of a new concept, and balancing the flavours is the creative side,” Tom said.
“The stills look even more epic actually standing next to them so I can’t wait to fire them up. I love
the ethos of grape to glass – making vodka from scratch will be new for me and I’m really looking
forward to the challenges involved with perfecting the process.
“Republic of Fremantle have an ambitious team with big plans, and I am really looking forward to being an integral part of the growth and development over the coming years, utilising the skills I have acquired producing in the UK.
‘It’s a fun, dynamic company where innovation is encouraged. It’s going to be an exciting time as we open into new markets – there’s nothing better than the feeling of seeing your spirits enjoyed on the world stage.”
Having officially commenced as Head Distiller with Republic of Fremantle in recent weeks, Tom can be found concocting spirit ideas bar-side and sampling the food and beverage menu from Wednesday – Sunday until the still is fired up again in January 2022.
