Four distillers inducted to the Hall of Fame

Raymond "Spike" Dessert The Third, Bill Lark, Patrick Maguire and Cameron Syme were all inducted into the Australian Distillers Association's newly established Hall of Fame last night at a gala dinner in Melbourne attended by more than 400 distillers and spirits industry representatives from across Australia. 

ADA President Stu Gregor, and founder of Four Pillars, said: "The industry is now at a point where we believe it can replicate the remarkable ‘wine boom’ of the 1980s and 90s, when Australian winemakers began to win global acclaim and created an exporting powerhouse.

“So we think it’s time to acknowledge and celebrate the significant contributions of the members who were there at the beginning of this revitalisation, who can take so much credit for what the Australian spirits industry is today.” 

Raymond "Spike" Dessert The Third

The late Raymond "Spike" Dessert The Third was the owner of Hoochery Distillery, which boasts Western Australia’s oldest continuously operating legal still, as well as a founding member of the Australian Distillers Association (now Australian Distillers). His daughter, Kalyn Flethcer, who runs the distillery accepted the award.

Bill Lark

A founding member of the Australian Distillers Association, he is also a founding director of Starward Distillery in Melbourne, a co-founder of Old Kempton Distillery in Tasmania, an internationally sought-after spirits consultant and judge, and the first Australian to be bestowed the honour of being inducted into the World Whisky Awards Hall of Fame in the United Kingdom.

Mr Lark is lauded in the Australian spirits industry as “the Godfather of Australian Craft Distilling”. 

Patrick Maguire

As co-owner, manager and head distiller of Sullivan’s Cove Distillery in Tasmania, MrMaguire took the brand from obscurity to win multiple international awards, including World Whiskies Awards, World’s Best Single Malt in 2014 and World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt in 2018 and 2019.

Another inaugural member of the Australian Distillers Association, Mr Maguire recently left Sullivan’s Cove to embark on a new challenge, launching Maguire and Co Bottlers and Distillers. 

Cameron Syme

Mr Syme is the owner of three of Western Australia’s most internationally acclaimed distilleries: the Great Southern Distilling Company in Albany, Giniversity in Margaret River, and Tiger Snake Distillery in Porongurup. His spirits have been awarded over 150 medals and trophies in international spirit competitions over 14 consecutive years, including the first Gold Medal for an Australian Spirit in the UK’s International Wine & Spirit Competition.  

An inaugural member of the Australian Distillers Association, he was also its founding President, a position he held until 2010, and continues to serve as Australian Distillers’ Vice-President.    

Pictured above: Michael “Wippa” Wipfli (MC); Paul McLeay (Australian Distillers CEO); Patrick Maguire (Maguire and Co Bottlers and Distillers); Cameron Syme (Great Southern Distilling Company); Kalyn Fletcher (Hoochery Distillery, accepting award on behalf of the late Raymond “Spike” Dessert); Bill Lark (Lark Distillery); Hamish Blake (MC); Stuart Gregor (Australian Distillers President).