The 21 Club Illustrations by Inti Callaghan

Founded in 2024, Hellyers Road 21 Club is Australia’s most exclusive whisky club.

The 21 Club offers members access to 21 unique bottlings of Hellyers Road’s oldest and rarest whiskies - each a unique piece of Australian whisky history. So far, we have introduced twelve outstanding whiskies aged 21, 22 and 23 years old as part of the 21 Club. 

Each of our 21 Club releases has featured a Tasmanian endemic rainforest tree, species that are unique, beautiful and brought to life in the drawings of Inti Callaghan on the labels of the 21 Club whiskies.

Hear more about the illustrations from Inti herself:

“Shaped by the wilderness of Tasmania’s West Coast, my work draws on the intricate detail of the region’s native flora and fauna, and the history of those who have lived in this remote corner of the world. Specialising in pencil drawing, I aim to capture the essence of Tasmania’s unique plant life and the ways it has been shaped by the extremes of the island I call home. 

Each illustration begins with research into a plant’s natural habitat and botanical
anatomy, often alongside a personal memory or piece of local history that shapes which plant I choose and what I include.

Hellyers Road Distillery approached me to create a line of 21 whiskies, each represented by a native Tasmanian tree. A sliver of wood from the tree sits in the bottle’s outer casing, paired with a label illustration of that same tree. Their values align closely with mine: the patience and quality behind their whisky, and the influence of the Tasmanian wilderness, particularly Takayna / the Tarkine, on their product mirrors what I aim to capture in my own work.

I want people who receive these bottles to understand how singular these trees are, and how lucky we are to have them. 

Each artwork is biologically accurate but not a scientific illustration; it’s an interpretation, and each piece conveys the individuality of its subject. Negative space, or ‘Ma’, a Japanese art form balancing space and content, is central to every piece, and carries through this series too, letting the colour and composition read clearly at such a small scale.

I work in Derwent Inktense pencils on 300gsm paper, used dry for a rich, oily colour, with a hard-leaded pencil over the top for sharper definition.” – Inti Callaghan

Discover more of Inti's work HERE.