Story by Jono Carr, Story by Jono Carr. Jono is the Director of Bars for the Etymon Group and our Sydney-based Drinks Writer. You can reach Jono at drinks@spantonmedia.com
Australian-made spirits have taken the country and world by storm, with brands selling strongly in global markets leading the way for people far and wide to learn about the quality and unique spirits being made here. In a country full of unique native botanicals, a wide range of weather conditions and a history steeped in booze, it makes sense that we have a world-class spirits industry.
Once, Bundaberg Rum was the only spirit associated with this beautiful sunburnt country until a distilling renaissance, and new brands emerged. Arguably Bill Lark had a lot to do with legitimising the spirits that are made here when he took a fateful fishing trip down in Tasmania, thinking to himself and saying to his buddies something along the lines of, “this looks a lot like Scotland, why aren’t we making whisky here?”
Since then, bastions of the Tassie whiskey scene, Lark and Sullivan’s Cove, have grown to a cult-level following and showed the world the prowess of making an aged Aussie spirit, leading the way for other brands like Lawrenny Estate and Starward in Melbourne. Starward has taken those building blocks and carved a path towards being the most-awarded whiskey distillery in the world last year.
Tassie whisky certainly put Australia on the map as a distilling nation through awards and limited-release bottling, driving prices sky-high on the secondary market. The rise of gin, however, allowed other distillers into the market, being relatively quick to make and not limited to rural areas, with the added benefit of not having to spend years sitting in bonded warehouses before profiting from your wares. Having all those botanicals at your fingertips and a global boom in gin helped the rise of the Aussie gin, nationally and internationally.
Riding the gin wave, a large portion of distilleries started with a native botanical gin and used that as a stepping stone to build a brand before their aged spirits could be released. Others, such as Four Pillars, stuck to their juniper-noted guns and have been incredibly successful in creating a whole category combining wine and gin with its damn delicious Bloody Shiraz Gin, now using more shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley area than the region’s winemakers.
The trio behind Never Never distillery setting up in wine country Adelaide had thoughts about making whiskey originally but instead focused on gin. “We initially looked at making a whisky way back in 2017. It influenced the decisions we made in buying a still with a stripping column in the hope of potentially exploring some experimental whisky styles using beer washes. There were barely any stalks on all our original boxes, even integrated into our logo. In the end, we decided to direct the brand’s revenue into expanding the gin business and building our brand home in McLaren Vale. It was the right decision for us at the time and allowed us to ride through the uncertainty that Covid created in the market,” Sean Baxter, “Juniper Freak”, and a founding member told us.
“Absinthe, aquavit, genever, amaro, ouzo, the list of spirits we have experimented with, goes on and on. These products are usually born out of exciting collaborations and appeal to new demographics of spirit consumers looking for something a little fresh and different.” – Sean Baxter, Never Never Distilling on their Dark Series range
Though gin is the bread and butter, they have released some exciting products in their Dark Series range in collaboration with top venues around the country and abroad. Sean said, “Our Dark Series range was created as an outlet for the experimental spirit we always wanted to explore. I mean, what’s the fun of owning a distillery if you can’t go out and create some unique spirit from time to time? It helps us grow creatively, continue to connect with new and exciting consumers and helps us get better at the main game”.
“Absinthe, aquavit, genever, amaro, ouzo, the list of spirits we have experimented with, goes on and on. These products are usually born out of exciting collaborations and appeal to new demographics of spirit consumers looking for something a little fresh and different. Unfortunately, they are rarely driven by any real opportunity in the market because that isn’t the real purpose for their creation (there isn’t a huge volume of expat Scandinavians banging the door down looking for local aquavit.)”.
Never Never recently released a blend of Aussie whiskies they had purchased back in 2017 called Banded, which sold out swiftly, showing that the brand is trusted in any area of spirits they put the name to.
Another spirit brand collaborating with bartenders is the category challenging Tilde~ Raw Australian Vodka. The result of brewer Jeremy Halse, distiller Valero Jimenez and award-winning bar owner Natalie Ng joining forces to create Australia’s first raw vodka, made using the best quality Australian high-quality craft beer wash and distilled using a low-intervention, minimally filtered process that leaves the liquid natural, textured and intentionally flavour-forward. Brought to us by Vanguard Luxury Brands, the longtime distributor of Four Pillars, as well as a slew of bartender favourite international brands such as Fortaleza Tequila and Flor de Cana Rum.
Archie Rose burst onto the scene in 2014 with a trio of products, a vodka, gin and white rye, with a definite plan to have aged spirits in its catalogue. Now with over 40 releases, including the weird and wonderful Archie Mite, an unaged buttered toast spirit, all the way to Messina collaborations playing on the nostalgia of Neapolitan ice cream.
Archie Rose burst onto the scene in 2014 with a trio of products, a vodka, gin and white rye, with a definite plan to have aged spirits in its catalogue. Now with over 40 releases, including the weird and wonderful Archie Mite, an unaged buttered toast spirit, all the way to Messina collaborations playing on the nostalgia of Neapolitan ice cream.
It outgrew its first distillery space and moved to a vast industrial space in Botany, where it can create the amounts of spirits needed to distribute globally. Well known for its single malt and rye malt whiskies, Archie Rose has also been making waves with some of its smaller runs of experimental spirits like a barrel-aged honey spirit, the second spirit in a two-part honey series and the older sibling to Eau de Bee honey spirit.
Fermented for seven days, cold distilled, and then aged in ex-Moscatel casks, Brand
Advocacy Manager, Nick Baxter says, “Honey Barrel celebrates the splendour of Beechworth blue gum honey and the diligence of the bees that created it. The result is a union of oak and honey with a melody of golden syrup, buttered toast, vanilla pudding and chervil”.
Baxter adds: “These two releases are fantastic expressions of the Australian environment and the creativity of the Archie team, resulting in a complex array of flavours balancing richness and subtlety with the boldness of character.”
Another distillery making interesting spirits is Karu Distillery, operating out of Devils Wilderness, 70km from Sydney. A husband and wife team, Nick and Ally, create spirits in their three stills, affectionately named Ding, Megatron and Calcifer. They have won awards for their gin, including Best Contemporary Gin at the International Wine and Spirits awards for their Navy strength Lighting gin. Not resting on their laurels, they also have a Chipotle Vodka named Morita and an aged rum they are calling Outcask, fermented for 2 weeks from NSW molasses, copper pot distilled and aged in ex-Australian whisky barrels.
While gin and Tassie whiskey may have been the building blocks for the renaissance of Aussie spirits, The future is bright and full of new flavours led by hardworking distillers and showcased in our venues, so buy local and support the Aussie spirit industry so we can enjoy more new and unique products.
Tilde~ End Of Time
Nat Ng, Door Knock
40ml Tilde~ Australian Raw Vodka
10ml Aperol
30ml Watermelon Juice
15ml Honey Water
Dash Mirin & Pinch of Sea salt
Shake and fine strained into a chilled Coupette
Garnish with Frozen Watermelon
Kangaroo
Adapted from Esquire Drink Book, 1956
50ml Vodka
20ml Applewood Unico Pomelo Vermouth
2 dash orange bitters
Stir down and serve up in a frozen martini glass
Lemon twist
Devil’s Hand
Jonothan Carr, Etymon Projects
30ml Karu Outcask Rum
25ml Strawberry Gum infused Australian Red Vermouth
20ml Okar Island Bitter
2 Drops Salted Chocolate Bitters
Stir down over a large ice cube
Garnish with Strawberry Gum leaf
Aussie Tasting Notes
tilde~ Raw Australian Vodka
tilde~ is made using high-quality craft beer wash to create unique depth and character, resulting in a raw vodka with a complex flavour profile. tilde~ is the result of a brewer (Jeremy Halse), a distiller (Valero Jimenez) and a bartender (Natalie Ng) joining forces to create Australia’s first raw vodka. It is made using the best quality Australian ingredients and distilled using a low-intervention, minimally filtered process that leaves the liquid natural, textured and intentionally flavour-forward. Vanguardluxurybrands.com.au
Banded by Never Never Distilling Co.
Blended using six casks produced by different South Australian whisky distilleries, BANDED is a whisky whose components were created by others but banded together by Never Never. The barrels were purchased and filled in 2017 and shared the same production floors and distillery doors as we have, slowly developing into the whisky it has become today. The label refers to the pink limestone sedimentary layers of the Fleurieu where we sourced all the whisky from. Proofandcompany.com
Karu Outcask Rum
Fermented for 2 weeks from sticky sweet NSW molasses and pot distilled in our copper pot still Calcifer, Outcask Rum boasts notes of crisp green apple, mild banana, pineapple, candied brown sugar and hints of creaminess from first nose. The palate follows through with crème brulee, sultana, honey, baked goods and crystallized sugar leaving you wanting more. This rum is non-chill filtered. If cloudiness occurs just know this is a natural process and holds a lot of rich awesome rum flavour. Karudistillery.com.au
Archie Rose Distilling Co. Rye Malt Whisky
To create this truly unique whisky, we selectively sourced rare malted rye and the finest malted barley from progressive malt houses, paired them with virgin American oak casks air-dried for 36 months and let it all mature in the maritime air of coastal Sydney. Our preference for malted rye over the far more commonly used unmalted rye affords this whisky a point of distinction evident upon the very first sip. This layered, aromatic spirit offers notes of spiced custard, ginger, stone fruit and baked apple pie with a fresh herbal finish that lingers on the palate. We invite you to enjoy our Rye Malt Whisky in the spirit it was created: to be savoured in good company and served the way you like. Archierose.com.au
Lark Rum Cask Release IV
The 2022 Lark Rum Cask release is finished in Caribbean Rum casks, from the heart of the world’s most ancient Rum production, Barbados. A first from the House of LARK, these casks were selected from one of the region’s most celebrated Rum distilleries and travelled from the sun-soaked Caribbean islands to our southern island distillery in the Coal Valley, Tasmania. A single malt with all the vivacity of the casks from which they were born, this release is a melting pot of smouldering spices, toasted tobacco, and sumptuous fruits. Larkdistillery.com
The Gospel Solera Rye
The Gospel Solera Rye is our everyday go-to, made for your mouth and not your display cabinet, it’s an essential spirit for every home bar. It embodies classic rye flavours in an approachable soft and smooth way – an accessible rye with more character than you would expect. Shaped by our unique solera maturation system, Solera Rye delivers an American-style rye whiskey with a unique easy-going Australian attitude. thegospelwhisy.com