Most Australian whisky producers employ this handcrafted distillation method, including Peter Bignell of Belgrove Distillery. A sixth-generation Tasmanian farmer, Bignell had been growing rye for livestock feed for years. When one season's harvest yielded surplus grain that found no buyers, he decided to distill it into whisky. In 2010, he built a small distillery with a copper pot still in an old farm stable, creating Australia's first rye whisky. He has continued expanding the operation, which now comprises a four-person team.