Top Shelf International’s first release of Australian agave spirit will fall under the brand name, Act of Treason, when it reaches market in 2023.
In 2019, TSI purchased a largely uncared-for plantation at a sugar refinery in Ayr, north Queensland where around 2,000 plants had been planted more than a decade earlier as an experimental crop. Agave plants take about six years to mature.
The business now has more than 500K plants in the ground; enough to produce 2.6 million litres of agave spirit. It plans to have more than one million in the ground by the end of 2024. It is the largest agave estate outside of Mexico.
TSl’s President Agave and International Trent Fraser said: “Our mission is to create a stunning, regionally-expressive, Australian terroir driven spirit to the world and we are already feeling a buzz of excitement about creating this new agave spirits category.
“Engagement with key domestic and international retail and major hospitality groups has already begun and we are working on new and innovative ways to engage our trade partners in this trailblazing project.”
During the R&D of the spirit, head distiller Sebastian Reaburn told Drinks Trade that TSI had created a spirit which he described as “honey and lime peel, fresh herbaceous mid pallet with cut grass, then moving into mineral structure and complexity. Clean finish of limestone and lime”.
TSI is inviting retail and hospitality partners to join as partners, securing “their very own Field of Treason” – an exclusive plot of agave in advance of the launch which TSI will grow, nurture and harvest on their behalf under the Act of Treason brand. TSI says there are a number of different fields of varying sizes are available.
For further information on the Field of Treason opportunity, contact:
Off-premise: ben.kutcher@topshelfgroup.com.au
On-premise: rick.maplestone@topshelfgroup.com.au.
