Recently, Drinks Trade published this article exploring what distinguishes Australian whisky from its Scottish predecessors. While a complex picture overall, one of the key takeaways is that Australia’s whisky producing sector is only now starting to shape its own identity, with a few pioneering distilleries leading the charge.
One of these distilleries is Archie Rose Distilling Co., which has reconsidered all aspects of production to embolden their vision of crafting undeniably Australian whiskies. This starts with the base malts used.
Master Distiller Dave Withers said, “I believe that one of the most fundamentally important ingredients in whisky is grain. That seems like such a bland statement, but it is often easy to forget about the grain and focus on rustic casks or shiny stills.”
Over the last ten years Archie Rose has moved to sourcing 100% Australian malts as the foundation for their award winning whiskies. However, it is perhaps the diversity of malts featured in many of the whiskies that best separates Archie Rose from both other Australian and Scottish whisky producers.
Withers said, “We looked at a wide range of different malts, including those treated differently, from various locations and made from different varieties. We discovered a huge diversity of flavours possible with malted grain, both the variety and malt treatment methods made a huge difference to the spirit.
“Eventually, we landed on a mash bill of malts which gave the spirit enormous character. We use varieties of barley and rye that have deep roots in Australian agriculture.”
The Archie Rose distillery is also unique in the respect it shows for the base malts used, separating and processing each component of the mashbill on an individual basis prior to final blending. This is known as an individual malt stream, a process patented by Archie Rose.
“At its best the grain itself determines how it should be mashed, the flavours of fermentation, and the cut points in the still. How a grain is grown, harvested, malted and brewed sets the foundation for every other part of the whisky production process,” said Withers.
“Our individual malt stream process underpins our approach to whisky making: it essentially allows us to see each grain variety malted, mashed, fermented, distilled and matured separately before blending to allow optimal flavour and complexity from each grain.”
According to Dave Withers, Archie Rose’s barley malt and rye malt maturation programs “each yield over two hundred potential blending populations based on various grain and cask styles.” Already, 15 unique malted whisky spirits have been crafted, each featuring a recipe that extracts the ultimate expression of the individual mash bill components: “We have found that this has allowed us to layer complexity and depth, ensuring we’re not constrained by what the process presents,” said Withers.
To put this into context, Archie Rose’s Single Malt Whisky features six different base malts treated in five different ways. Following this, a combination of Australian Apera fortified wine casks, Archie Rose Rye casks, and Bourbon casks are used to age the final product.
Dave Withers said: “To take our Single Malt Whisky, each malt in our six-malt mash bill is milled, brewed, fermented, distilled and matured separately or with a single base malt, allowing our team to tailor every step of the production process, including brewing temperatures, yeast selection, cask type, distillation rates, and maturation conditions to each specific malt, rather than having to settle for standard conditions that suit the whole mash bill collectively.”
In addition to Single Malt, Archie Rose’s core range features Rye Malt Whisky, which attained a Masters medal at the 2024 World Whisky Masters, and Double Malt Whisky, which is crafted with bartenders in mind. Finally, its portfolio boasts a rotating selection of limited edition whisky releases, including its Heritage Red Gum Cask Single Malt Whisky, which also received a Masters Medal at the 2024 World Whisky Masters.
Information concerning the included malts and brewing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation methods of every Archie Rose whisky produced can be found at its Spirits Data webpage. This resource goes so far as to provide details for the dates that every cask containing Archie Rose whisky is filled and emptied, reflecting Archie Rose’s belief that spirits production should remain transparent.
Another way that Archie Rose helps to educate its products to consumers is via its Bar and Cellar Door in Rosebery, Sydney. In addition to traditional tour and tasting options, the venue also offers Blend Your Own Whisky classes, Introduction to Whisky classes, and Australian Whisky Masterclasses.
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Read more about Archie Rose’s use of Australian Malts in this Drinks Trade article, or visit its Spirit Data webpage to delve deeper into the production methods used for each release. In addition to Single Malt Whisky, Rye Malt Whisky, and Double Malt Whisky – all of which are available nationwide through every major wholesaler – the Archie Rose Whisky Collection also includes an extensive portfolio of limited and small-batch releases championing unique grains, casks and processes. The complete Archie Rose Whisky Collection can be viewed here.
