New president for Australian Distillers Association

Holly Klintworth of Bass & Flinders Distillery has been voted in as the new President of the Australian Distillers Association.

Klintworth has been running her family's Bass & Flinders Distillery on the Mornington Peninsula since 2016. It was founded by them in 2009. She was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in September and intends to travel to France to learn the art of cognac distillation. She is also an Associate Judge at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards.

She said, "The future is laced with opportunity for our incredible craft spirits industry which is at the frontier of truly incredible growth. As our industry continues to develop and innovate, my focus will be to ensure we gain greater recognition from Government on the contribution distilleries make to the Australian economy.

"With over 350 distilleries nationwide, and with over 65% of these based in the regions, now is the time for Government to provide greater support through a fairer and more equitable taxation system; one that doesn’t further our discrimination as the third highest taxed spirits in the world."

Klintworth has been an active member of the ADA and a member of the Committee of Management for more than five years. Earlier this year she hosted more than 50 Australian distillers, as part of the Mornington Peninsula regional tour, held as part of the 2022 Annual Conference.

Paul McLeay, Chief Executive, Australian Distillers Association said: “I am excited that someone with such experience, optimism and professionalism is leading our membership through the next phase of our growth. Ms Klintworth’s ability to be a strong advocate for our industry will be an invaluable asset in advancing our discussions with government.”

Klintworth takes up the role from Four Pillars' Stu Gregor after his eight years of service to the member organisation. During this time, Gregor grew the the membership of the Association from 30 to over 400 members and Klintworth acknowledged this legacy as well as his advocacy in achieving the increase to the alcohol manufacturer remission scheme from $100,000 to $350,000 at the 2021 Federal Budget. 

Klintworth also paid tribute to Stu Gregor.

She said: “When anyone thinks of Australian Distillers or Four Pillars, they think of the inimitable Stu Gregor. He encouraged Australian Distillers to be forward-thinking and to adopt a growth mindset. He demonstrated that our industry is capable of so much more...

“I look forward to continuing your strong, reliable and committed leadership as we embark on the next chapter of our growth and embrace new opportunities to showcase incredible Australian spirits to an ever-growing and passionate Australian and global consumer base.” 

Cameron Syme remains Vice President of the ADA along with Secretary/ Treasurer, Stephen Parry of Pattex Distillery. New members to the committee are Cameron Mackenzie of Four Pillars (Victoria), George Georgiadis of Never Never Distilling Co (South Australia), Adam Pinkard of Adams Distillery (Tasmania) and Kate Sinfield of Sin Gin Distillery (Western Australia).