'More memorable, the better': The approach for award-winning distillery

With distilleries seemingly popping up in every town, the challenge of breaking out from the pack is as much about delivering industry-leading customer experiences as it is a high-quality product.

It's that reason why Western Tiers has not only signed up to the Tassie Tourism Ambassador Program, but have put every employee through it.

"Everyone from the owners to our casuals," compliance manager Samantha McCullagh confirmed.

For hospitality supervisor Shannon Jenkins, who deals with customers more than most, the program has brought improvement in customer connection.

"For us to be able to know how to share a story so that it's engaging and they feel a part of the story has been really helpful for the staff that maybe aren't as confident in the storytelling side of things," Ms Jenkins said.

She added that it has allowed them to be better business neighbours, with recommendations for and from other competitors creating a unified approach in helping distilleries thrive.

"It makes it a lot more enjoyable," Ms Jenkins said.

"When someone walks in and we know that we are not going to suit their needs, to be able to honestly say, 'look, we're probably not the one for you, but why don't you go see [another distillery]', and they'd do the same for us.

"We all work together and our main priority is making sure that customers are getting exactly what they want and need and not trying to convince them otherwise."

The Westbury venue is also earning a reputation as a result of their development, winning silver at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards last year in the tourism wineries, distilleries and breweries category.

Ms Jenkins said ensuring they continue to get their quality of service - alongside their product - right, would be instrumental to keeping their neck above the competition.

"It helps us to be more memorable, people can make a lot of stops, and if we can be the one stop where people go, 'oh, we went to Westbury', and tell their friends to go there it goes a long way," she said.

As for what their Western Tiers drink of choice was, Ms Jenkins admitted she couldn't go past a port wine, while Ms McCullagh's was sherry.

"But the whisky is obviously the best of the best," Ms Jenkins reiterated.

Located on Westbury's main road, the distillery plans to release a bourbon cask later on this year.