Jane Sawford

The Climb

Tasmanian whisky work has moved through distilling, brand management and sales in Jane Sawford’s career, and each role sits close to the liquid rather than around it. At Overeem Distillery (2007–2014), as co-founder and distiller, the work was in building depth and balance before a whisky ever reached bottle. At Lark Distillery Pty Ltd (2014–2016), as marketing manager, she brought that production-side knowledge into a commercial context. She is also co-founder of Sawford Distillery and sales manager of White Label Distillery, positions that keep her working across spirit, story and customer without leaving the category behind.

Today

At Sawford Distillery in Kingston, Jane Sawford continues as co-founder and distiller, with the emphasis on continuity rather than reinvention. The return to distilling reads as a continuation of established practice: the same whisky, the same methods of attention, and a line of work that never really disappeared.

Signature

Jane Sawford’s signature wines include Overeem Single Malt Whisky and 20th Anniversary Pedro Ximénez Release. Read together, they point to a style built from familiarity and refinement, with the earlier Overeem work still present in the glass while each release keeps its own place.

In Their Words “No way! I always thought my entire whisky journey would be Overeem, and when we sold Overeem I never expected to be able to get it back, but I think a part of me always wished that we could.” “We never really let it go. It’s still our favourite whisky. It’s what inspired my husband and I to start Sawford Distillery.”

Recognition

The return to Overeem is framed in Sawford’s own words as an unlikely recovery of work she expected to leave behind: “No way! I always thought my entire whisky journey would be Overeem, and when we sold Overeem I never expected to be able to get it back, but I think a part of me always wished that we could.” The line she draws around style is equally direct, and it keeps the focus on spirit rather than dressing: “Dad always said that he wanted his spirit to taste like whisky and not oak.”