Advance Australia Fair

Quick poll: How many have bought Australian whisky in the last 12 months? Are you a regular purchaser or was this a one-off (a bit of patriotism)? Where do you think Australian whisky sits in comparison with those from Scotland, Ireland or Japan? Do you think they are fair value or over-priced (and if so, are you prepared to pay the extra)? Do you look for aged bottles? Perhaps all of this can be summed up in just one question – has the Australian whisky industry established its own style of whisky or is it still simply an echo of Scotland (not that there would be anything wrong with that)?

Of course, it is far too early to make any definitive statements about styles of Australian whisky. That will come in time. Indeed, there is also the question of whether there are, or will be, significant differences between whiskies from Tasmania to those from the Mainland.

Whatever your thoughts, one thing cannot be ignored. In the last decade or so, local whisky has gone from a rarely encountered curiosity to, perhaps not mainstream but certainly a level once unimaginable by most of us. Of course, if the quality was not there then curiosities they would have stayed. Instead, our whiskies have stunned the world and aficionados around the globe have been keen to sample them.

It is not that dissimilar to what happened in Japan, a few decades earlier, when we saw whiskies from that nation start to make an impact (or at least, those who were around then, did). They were little more than exotic oddities, but have now been elevated to near mythical status in some cases – one example from many: the Ichiro Malt Card series, a limited edition of 54 different malts (two jokers for the pack), which gathered dust on the shelves for years and are now some of the most valuable and sought after bottles on earth – a set going for a million plus!

Look to Sullivan’s Cove. They brought Australian whisky to the attention of the world, winning the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards in 2014, and a lot more bling since then. Heather Tillott, head distiller at Sullivan’s Cove, notes that they are selective in their choice of competitions, not least because with a production under 20,000 bottles last year, they simply don’t have the whisky to enter them all. The awards do provide validation of what they are doing, and also justification for the prices, seen by some as excessive. David Vitale, founder of Melbourne distillery, Starward, sees awards as a way to “help us to showcase our new way of thinking and crafting and our dedication to using quality Australian ingredients, particularly Australian wine barrels, to bring to market a distinctively Australian whisky for everyone.”

It is early days for Aussie whisky, but they are fast headed to that cherished mainstream status. While there will no doubt be plenty of NAS offerings (No Age Statement), economies of scale will mean that competing with the world’s largest whisky producers will be nearly impossible at the everyday, bargain bottle standards. If Australian whisky does not compete at the very highest levels, then curiosities or tourist souvenirs is all it will ever be (eventually, commercial reality dictates that there will have to be larger production). Heather Tillott agrees that the industry is currently “super-premiumised”, and feels that this is not balanced. Commercial necessities will require more mainstream Aussie whiskies in time, but she believes that they will retain their “identity of Australia”. For now, special bottlings are crucial. Jodie Dawe, distiller at Lark Distillery, notes that they “sometimes release as many as 2 or 3 special bottlings a month. Some are born of demand, some are born of collaboration, and some are born out of experimentation and our drive to share our passion and create unforgettable experiences”.

Winning awards, such as those picked up by Sullivan’s Cove and others, have allowed the industry to set the highest standards. This has been aided by what some may see as very lax

Jodie Dawes

David Vitale

regulations, allowing for more innovation than is encountered in most countries (it has been said that, basically, make it from grain and whack it in a barrel for two years and we have something which can be called Aussie whisky). Heather Tillott believes that there will be more boundaries and structure in the industry in time but that Australia will always allow the capability for flexibility and innovation.

Establishing a spirits industry is not easy, given the extensive time needed to mature the material – assuming one is not dabbling with the instant ageing technology gaining some traction, or making spirits such as gin, which can be still to shelf in a month. The costs are such that enormous dedication is necessary. And the pioneers in Tasmania, beginning with Bill Lark, had exactly that.

The general consensus is that most of the whiskies around the world owe not only their origins to Scotland (and here is not the place for a debate on just where whisky did come from), but also their styles (although good luck finding anything that can match that glorious peaty note that seems unique to Islay malts). This is largely because the usual method is pot stills using malted barley and in the early days (not that long ago), Australian whiskies were no different.

Differences have emerged, though probably only really identifiable to serious aficionados – using brewers’ malt rather than the more traditional distillers’ malt (and using local malts from Australian farmers, rather than importing them from Scotland, as happens in many parts of the world). Bill Lark has been quoted as suggesting that this is leading to richer and more oily malts, quite different to those from Scotland.

The team at Sullivan’s Cove have been actively trialing unfiltered and unflocked whiskies (the process of allowing whiskies which have not been chill-filtered to settle, over a number of months at ambient temperature, in order that “the heaviest particulate can fall out of solution and be removed with a simple paper filter”, leaving the whisky in its most natural state), which as they suggest, leaves the good stuff in. The fats and oils remaining contribute to the flavours, depth and texture. Unfiltered and/or unflocked is not unique to Sullivan’s Cove and is used by other Tasmanian/ Australian distilleries, though far less common offshore. This contributes to the Australian style being distinct from whiskies found in other countries.

Then there is the ‘Aussie’ route. The Adelaide Hills Distillery, in their ‘Native Grain Whiskey’, for example, uses wattleseed to access the starch leading to fermentable sugars, rather than the more typical grain. They believe that this leads to more chocolate notes in the final product. The Starward Two-Fold incorporates Australian wheat with their malted barley.

Australia is hardly alone in using barrels which formerly housed wine to age their spirits, but

few places have taken to it quite so extensively – of course, having a thriving wine industry has helped this. A fine example is the Starward “Nova”, aged in barrels which were previously home to Australian Shiraz, Cabernet or Pinot Noir. The barrels are often still wet from the wine when filled. The result is a delicious whisky with red fruit notes, florals and caramel/oak characters. It goes further. Archie Rose incorporates the use of ex-Apera (Aussie sherry) barrels in their award-winning Single Malt Whisky.

Needless to say, this provides for different flavour profiles than from the ex-bourbon barrels used for Scottish malts – more fruity than their vanilla notes. In addition, climatic differences play a role, not least in the speed of maturation – more on this below.

Australia’s love of bourbon – we are one of the biggest importers of that spirit – has also seen attention given to styles with noticeable amounts of rye, wheat and corn. Archie Rose is known for their 100% Rye, a rich, supple, powerful and complex whisky with notes of teak, cinnamon, cocoa, and spices with an utterly seductive texture. It won ‘Best Australian Whisky’ at the IWSC Awards in London 2018.

One area that Australia is addressing is the special bottlings – with such small stocks relative to many nations, this makes sense. Will Edwards, the founder of Archie Rose (better known for their gins but give it time) notes that they “have released in the past, and will continue to release, a number of smaller, unique bottlings under our Trials & Exceptions label – a series reserved for exceptional casks we discover in our bond store and smallbatch trials from our extensive R&D program.”

What of winning awards? As with the wine industry, mixed feelings (often influenced by whether you’ve won them or not). Edwards again – “There are still a small number of highly regarded global awards that we enter each year. While the degree to which winning any individual award “helps” is highly subjective, consistently winning “World’s Best”, or “Australia’s Best” over multiple years does provide validation that we are on the right track and, from a spirits quality standpoint, can absolutely stand alongside the best spirits in the world year on year.” Lark Distilling, a pioneer of Tasmania’s whisky industry, is reaping the rewards of the efforts of founder Bill Lark. Their new Legacy series will offer some exceptional whiskies of an age very rarely seen in this country. The inaugural Legacy release will be as a pair of 19-year-old whiskies – HHF582B and HHF585A (the latter is also a single cask release). Bill Lark has said, “My first reaction to tasting this release was one of sheer joy. To think that we could lay a whisky down 19 years ago, in our infancy in Australia and to come out with a whisky like this that is so drinkable but yet so rich and intense in flavour is a great milestone.”

Despite a price of nearly $2000 a bottle, such has been the demand that sales will take place by ballot. Consider also the speed at which the Sullivan’s Cove releases sell out – often within the hour – and it is obvious that many have no issue with the price of the best Aussie whiskies. David Vitale has a slightly different take on prices, seeing his whiskies as “without a doubt” providing value. His vision is “to democratise access to tasty Australian whisky”. He notes that Starward Two-Fold was crafted to be “an affordable and approachable blend of two quintessential Aussie grains”.

Wherever whisky comes from around the world, there is no debate as to the importance of barrel age. Edwards makes the excellent point that it is not simply a matter of sticking the spirit into a barrel and waiting around. As he says, ageing “is often mischaracterised as simply a waiting game whereby the older the whisky, the better it is. This couldn’t be further from the truth as whisky, like wine, cannot simply remain in cask indefinitely without proper management or it will become critically over-oaked, tannic, and fundamentally flawed. We don’t aim for an age, but rather monitor our spirit and bottle it when we feel it is at its absolute peak