Australia/New Zealand

Question 1

How many whisky distilleries in Australia (including what’s in the pipeline)?

Answer 1

-250

Question 2

when was there a ban on distilling in Tasmania?

Answer 2

-between 1796 - 1822

Question 3

-When did Distiller’s Company Limited open a distillery in Australia and why?

Answer 3

1929
-due to high import taxes
-distillery was called Corio

Question 4

When did the “new wave” of whisky distilleries start in Tasmania?

Answer 4

-from the late 1980’s ]
-Bill Lark lobbied to permit small-scale distilling

Question 5

who are the pioneers of the new Australian industry?

Answer 5

-Bill Lark (Lark)
-Casey Overeem (Overeem)
-Patrick Maguire (Sullivan’s Cove)
-David Baker (Starward)

Question 6

Lark

Answer 6

-Hobart region of Tasmania
-founded in 1992
-successfully lobbied to get a change in the law permitting small stills
-founded Australian Whisky Holdings (AWH) which became Lark in 2020

Question 7

What whiskies fall under the Lark umbrella?

Answer 7

-Coal River
-Shene Estate

Question 8

Sullivan’s Cove

Answer 8

-Founded in 1994 by Patrick Maguire
-Distiller Heather Tillott
-temperature capped ferments are seven days - with further two days of rest
-Mix of different yeasts
-Cognac style alembic still run low and slow
-Casks are full sized, pre-dominantly ex-Bourbon and ex-Tawny Port

Question 9

Overeem

Answer 9

-founded in 2005 by Casey Overeem in Hobart
-“Long” philosophy for ferments, distillation, and maturation.
-Tasmania temperature fluctuations - whisky aged in purpose built cool-temperature warehouses
-Casks are heavily toasted and charred ex-sherry, ex-port and ex-bourbon from 100-500 litres

Question 10

Belgrove

Answer 10

-fifth generation farmer Peter Vignelli
-one of the world’s most remarkable distilleries and a model for sustainability
-grows rye (and other cereal grains such as oats)
-ferments are with wild yeast
-still is homemade
-burners are fuelled by used cooking oil from a roadhouse accross the road
-Spent mash goes to sheep,
-rainwater for cooling and cleaning waste irrigates his field

Question 11

Hellyers Road

Answer 11

-all of the processes take place on site
-Stills are huge - wash 60,000 litres (spirits 20k)
-On average whisky gets 7-10 years before release
-age statements have reached 15 - 21 years

Question 12

-What is Australia’s first solely femaled owned distillery?

Answer 12

-Killara
-owned by Kristy Lark-Booth
-founded in 2016

Question 13

Other Tasmanian Distilleries

Answer 13

-Killara
-Spring Bay
-Furneaux
-McHenry

Question 14

When did whisky production (blended) begin in Victoria, Aus

Answer 14

-from the 1930s on
-Victoria is the largest

Question 15

Starward

Answer 15

-founded in Melbourne in 2009 by Chris Middleton and Lark alumuns David Vitale
-aging in Apera (fortified wines) casks and ex-red wine cask
-40% ABV whiskies
-injection of capital from Diageo’s Distell ventures - Starward is now globally distributed

Question 16

What are anchors to Australian whiskies according to David Vitale from Starward?

Answer 16

-Local grains
-Local barrels
-wide variety of climate

Question 17

Bakery HIll

Answer 17

-founded by David Baker and son Andrew in 1999
-adapting to local conditions based on process

Question 18

The Gospel

Answer 18

-founders Andrew Fitzgerald and Ben Bowles
-100% Rye whiskies
-Unmalted Rye comes from single farm in the Murray Mallee region
-Fermented on grain
-runs through Self made columns and then finished in pot still
-coming off still at 78% ABV before being barrelled at 58% into heavily toasted and lightly charred American oak

Question 19

Chief’s Son

Answer 19

-Mornington Pennisula
-founded in 2016 by Stuart and Naomi McINtosch
-Single Malt, double distilled in pots
-Malt made to distillery specs by Voyager malts with Scottish peat for some expressions

Question 20

Voyager Malt

Answer 20

-Australia is the second largest exporter of barley in the world
-mostly commodity
-in 2014 4th generation Riverina farmers Stu Whitecross and Brad Woolner spotted gap in market and started Voyager Craft Malt.
-encouraging distillers to meet people growing their grain
-Flexibility in type of grain, batch size, kilning has been built from the start
-in 2020 the firm opened Whitton Malt House for both increased overall capacity and a visitor’s center

Question 21

Other Victoria distilleries

Answer 21

-NED Whisky
-Kinglake distillery

Question 22

Morris

Answer 22

-Rutherglen
-started as winery, now making Whisky (Casella)
-consulting from John McDougall and Jim Swan
-Rutherglen is large cereal growing region
-STR casks (ex Shirz, Cab Sauv, Muscat)

Question 23

Backwoods Distilling

Answer 23

-grain from nearby Riverina region and wineries for casks
-Heritage grain varieties
-three barleys used for single malt, as well as different ranges
-Rye was a forgotten low-yielding strain discovered growing wild in a paddock
-Smoking over red gum hardwood

Question 24

Archie Ross

Answer 24

-Suburbs of Sydney
-built on a grand scale
-exploration with Voyager Malts
-heirloom varieties, lost grains, old ryes, malting techniques
-six malted barleys and three malted ryes are mashed, fermented, and distilled and aged separately - then blended
-then barreled based on best option for that distillate
-gives blenders 15 whiskies to play with

Question 25

Manly Spirits Co.

Answer 25

-Beachside suburb of Sydney fired up stills in 2017. -all production in house and each spirit has its own dedicated still -two pots for whisky, with a boil bulb on the spirit adding reflux

Question 26

Corowa

Answer 26

-Scotch style Australian distillery -Kilchoman way of making Whisky -while making fruitier, sweeter new make character

Question 27

Black Gate Distillery

Answer 27

-Mendoran (pop. 554) -brainchild of Brian and Genise Hollingworth -dry parts of the state with high of 40C + in summer and -5C in winter -production based on the Scottish model

Question 28

Cape Byron

Answer 28

-Pamela and Martin Brook -Jim McEwan consultant

Question 29

Fleurieu

Answer 29

-single malt made from South Australian barley (with some peated barley) -blending is important to create rich, balanced, Whisky -all single Malts are a blend of different casks, sizes and ages

Question 30

Tin Shed

Answer 30

-double distilled in pot Stills and smoked with Local peat or hardwoods -Sustainability is also key -Sustainability is an economic imperative -new site is solar powered - the still electric

Question 31

Limeburners

Answer 31

-Cameron Syme started distilling in Albany in 2007 -now one of three distilleries in Cameron's Great Southern Distilling Company portfolio

Question 32

Whipper Snapper

Answer 32

-Western Australia's Wheatbelt -Jimmy McKeown and Alasdair Malloch in 2014 -process is slightly different than most -mash kettles vs mash tuns -fermenting in open-topped washbacks on-grain -using a warm, short fermentation to get fruity character -distilled in a four plate hybrid still

Question 33

-When were the most recent guidelines from distilled Spirits Aoteraroa passed

Answer 33

-2021 -they are now legally binding

Question 34

Thompson

Answer 34

-Auckland -Matthew Thomson -housed in Riverhead's Hallertau Brewery -both stills are homemade - 1) a repurposed Hoga with conventional neck and cooling tube in the lyne arm 2) a straight sided, flat bottomed mash still with an induction jacket *both are direct fired -use Manuka smoked malt

Question 35

1919 Distilling

Answer 35

-Auckland's tiny 1919 distilling was started by Sorn Crabb in 2017 -new make is estery with almost sugary weight - citrus and a hint of licorice

Question 36

New Zealand Style Smoking

Answer 36

-Two local options for smoking their malt 1) Leptospermum Scaporium - aka the Manuka tree (actually a shrub native to NZ and SE Australia. -noted for it's curative properties of its honey and essential oils -wood has been used for carving tool handles and for smoking food 2) New Zealand Peat is comprised of a Sphagnum moss -part of heather family - ember like , aromatic/resinous and earthy

Question 37

Waiheke Whisky

Answer 37

-Wiheke Island --Geodesic dome made up of 67 square copper sheets welded together -Former winery - new distillery called The Heke has been built -use New Zealand Peat

Question 38

Pokeno

Answer 38

-Founded by Matt Johns and his wife Celine -25 miles south of Auckland -Matt spent two decades in Scotch -Classic and modern distillery - all steel and copper -Stills (two wash and one spirit) from McMillan of Presonpans, Scotland -Very clear wort, 80- hour fermentations, slow distillation -First release in 2023 -Whiskies have a distinctive citric element and a generous mid-palate -New Zealand barley

Question 39

Reefton Distilling Co.

Answer 39

-Founded by Patsy Bass on South Island in 2018 -started as a small gin distillery -producing clearish wort, 96 hour fermentation and slow distillation -small stills to maximize copper conversion -most of the barley is unsmoked, but manuka smoked malt is also being used

Question 40

Scapegrace

Answer 40

-Daniel McLaughlin and Mark Neal are building will become the countries largest producer -there will be two pots making a heavy new make for whisky -also a rectifying column for vodka -early releases made at Workshops Whisky in Christchurch have been in 50 lt and 100 lt virgin French Oak -Manuka smoke is used for Relevant release

Question 41

Cardrona

Answer 41

-In the 1860's the Cardrona Valley was the center of the gold rush -founded in 2015 by Desiree Reid after taking a distilling course at Chicago's Koval distillery -1.5 tonne mash tun and six fermenters give was (made from NZ barley) shared between column still (for gin and vodka) and the whisky side. -Fermentations are 72 hours to 5 days -Double distilled in Forsyth pots -air resting stills between passes refreshes copper -slow distillation maximizes reflux -while Sherry and ex Bourbon casks are used it's the ex-Pinot Noir that gives Cardrona a key signature

Question 42

Aud

Answer 42

-founded in Southland by Robert Aud in 2015 -Aud had been barley farmer -66% of his farm is under crops -Four strains of barley (Laureate, black, red, and purple), wheat, black oats, white oats, rye, triticale and maize

Question 43

New Zealand Whiskey Collection

Answer 43

-after repeal in 1969, the baker family started Dunedin's Willowbank Distillery -it was bought by Seagram's in 1981 and sold to Foster's in 1997 who demolished the site three years later. -The remaining stock was bought in 2010 by Greg Ramsay who began to eke them out as Milford Single Malt under the NZWC label

Question 44

Gladfield Malt

Answer 44

-fundamental to the NZ Whiskey business has been the use of locally grown and barley -in 2004 Doug and Gabi Michael started Gladfield Malt - they own crops as well as work with 150 contracted growers -even if Kiwis are using the same variety as their colleagues in Scotland, their whiskies have a noticeable sweetness and thicker texture -higher levels of fermentable sugar in NZ Barley?