What makes Australian whisky different?

Despite having a history that dates back more than 160 years, Australia’s whisky industry as it is known today only really started to take shape in the 1990s. To date, most Australian whiskies produced are heavily inspired by their Scottish predecessors, featuring a base of malted barley and generally fairly similar approaches to cask sourcing, albeit often downsized to speed up the ageing process. While there are many examples of Australian distillers capitalising on both laxer regulations and on the absence of centuries of tradition dictating style and method, it is only recently that a couple of industry pioneers have taken a step back to consider what it is that makes - and that could make - Australian whisky unique. 

One distillery that has helped to develop this space is Sydney based distillery, Archie Rose.

“When we started producing whisky in 2014, we began with a fairly traditional process, but before long, there was this lingering question that kept cropping up, which was ‘why not use Australian malts to produce whisky?’,” said Dave Withers, Archie Rose’s Head Distiller.

“We want to represent our experience as Australian whisky drinkers and creators in every product we produce, which comes down to the raw materials we use and maturation environment that ultimately reflect the richness and diversity of the Australian terroir.”

In pioneering a distinctly Australian style, Archie Rose has reconsidered every aspect of the production process. This includes its barrel selection - which champions ex-fortified wine and native timber casks - along with its exploration of using native wood to smoke its grain (such as stringybark). The production decision that best distinguishes Archie Rose as a producer of distinctly Australian whiskies is its use of locally-grown grains in place of malted barley. 

“Some of the most spectacular ingredients to make whisky are right on our doorstep: did you know we grow over a third of the world’s malting grain barley in Australia?” said Withers.

“The [Australian] category has grown to be brave enough to embrace those fantastic ingredients which have always been right in front of us. We are just so eager to ensure they get the platform they deserve.”

Another factor differentiating Australia’s whisky production to Scotland is climate, with warmer temperatures allowing whisky to age at a faster rate similar to Caribbean rum. This is especially true for Archie Rose, which has proudly embraced its location in Rosebery, Sydney, allowing the greater diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations to catalyse the maturation process. The warmer Sydney temperatures also bring with them economic benefits when compared with Australia’s cooler climate whisky-producing regions such as Tasmania, where distilleries typically downsize casks to achieve the same effect.

For Archie Rose, the new make spirit is the most important component shaping a whisky’s final style.

“It might be because of my background in wine, but I have always looked at the base grain and how it is treated as the most important part of whisky making,” said Withers. 

“The team is looking forward to offering more whiskies with different grain varieties which showcase a genuine difference in flavour… We have spirit maturing made from varieties that have never been distilled before, and other spirits give alternate histories to Australian whiskies that we cannot wait to share.

“They are a while away yet, but some of the individually distilled grain varieties are just stunning.” 

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, Rye Malt, and Double Malt - 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.