Australian Distillers gather at the largest ever Annual Conference

There was a palpable collegiate atmosphere at the largest-ever 2023 Australian Distillers Annual Conference and Trade Show held at the Timber Yard in Port Melbourne this week.

Distillers from all over the country braved the Melbourne chill and drizzle to network, share information and learn more about how they can better their craft and improve the Australian distilling industry.

The line-up of speakers was diverse and relevant and included informative addresses from  Lisa McLeod from the Black Dog Institute discussing mental health in the workplace to new research on molasses fermentation presented by Krishna Rajiv from Fermentis. A big draw card was the Founder of Starward, Dave Vitale, who spoke to a packed room, on a Sunday, on how to approach the lucrative and complex US market.

The ADA’s first woman president, Holly Klintworth from Bass and Flinders Distillery, gave her first President's Welcome to launch the conference agenda on Monday, which included a full day of addresses from industry experts such as Greg Holland from Spirits and Cocktails and William Lavelle from the Irish Whiskey Association on the crucial topic of Sustainability in the whisky, among others.

At the concluding Gala Dinner at The Glasshouse, two well-deserved new inductees into the Australian Distillers’ Hall of Fame were announced, Lyn Lark, Co-founder of Lark Distillery and Stuart Gregor, Co-Founder of Four Pillars. The first four are Bill Lark, Cameron Syme, Patrick Maguire and posthumously Raymond ‘Spike’ Dessert.

“The day we received notification of the full $350,000 excise rebate in 2021 was a red-letter day as was the appointment of Paul McLeay as our first CEO. Both those things have immeasurably improved the lot of every single distiller in Australia. “And, of course, we owe enormous gratitude to those who went before us and did the hard yards. And it’s pretty cool coming in alongside Lyn,” said Gregor.

The final days saw delegates visit distillers visit local distilleries in Victoria, such as Anther in Geelong, Bellarine Distillery and Top Shelf.

The Australian distilling industry has come a long way since the first ADA conference in 2014 when 16 people gathered for a chat at Starward’s original distillery. This week saw well over 500 delegates break the record for attendance with the shared goal of continuing to build a thriving, exciting and ground-breaking industry.

Conference in pictures.