WA's Limeburners Distillery signs US distribution deal

Western Australia's Limeburners Distillery has bought an old winery in the Porongurup region as part of a massive expansion plan.

Founder Cameron Syme will convert the winery into Limeburners' head office and main distillery as he gears up to increase production by five times.

"This year we've doubled it, next year we'll double it, but within two-years it'll be five-fold from where we are," he told ABC Rural.

Limeburners has been distilling whisky for 10 years. It aims to source local ingredients and is sustainably powered by a wind farm. The label won Australian Distiller of the Year at the 2016 Australian Distilled Spirits Awards (ADSA). Its Single Malt Whisky Heavy Peat M226 was awarded both the Champion Whisky award and the inaugural Small Batch Spirit award.

News of its expansion comes just as the distillery has reached an agreement for a US distribution deal. 

"At this stage we are only aware of two other Australian brands that have gone there and they haven't had the production capacity to be able to supply," Syme said.

As part of the expansion, the distillery will begin signing grain growers to direct contracts, which Syme believes will lead to better prices for producers. 

"At the moment an intermediary buys the grain from the farmer and it goes to Perth," he explained. "They do a lot of value-add in the malting process and then it comes back to us. At the facility in the Porongurups we are going to be able to do some of our own malting there which then means we can source directly from the farmers.

"I grew up on a wheat farm and I'd love to be able to deal directly with the farmer and make sure we deliver that value to them, rather than to an industrial company in Perth who is doing this malting process."