Echuca has the gold spirit

Echuca Distillery, a multi-award winning Distillery and Café, is celebrating yet another award after claiming two gold medals at the 2023 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.

The business, which is the first Australian distillery to win two gold medals, collected first prize with its Chilli Lime Agave Spirit and Smoked Agave Spirit at what is the world’s largest and most prestigious spirits competition.

In addition to the several first-place standings on the podium, Echuca Distillery also won silver for its Silver Agave Spirit and Gold Agave Spirit.

Twin brothers Peter (Head Distiller) and David De Vries (Operations Manager) are the owneroperators of this delectable business with a wide range of technical expertise from years playing with flavours, perfumes and essential oil distillation, which has culminated in the creation of quality artisan spirits.

Head distiller Peter said the accolades were a reward for the Echuca Distillery team’s effort in recent years.

“It is exceptional news,” Peter said.

“It’s a real vindication of the attention to detail that the distillery puts into the production process.

“The previous two years’ work mastering our fermentation, distillation, and flavouring concepts of our agave spirits has paid off.”

Agave Spirit production (including Tequila, Mezcal globally with the twins on a mission to be at the forefront of this industry from both an innovation and quality perspective.

The brothers’ backgrounds in the manufacturing of flavours and fragrances – which is something they believe is in their DNA – has enabled them to research and develop the perfect mix of ingredients which includes 100% Blue Weber Agave Nectar which they import from Mexico.

“Distilling Agave Spirit from the nectar is a little like distilling Rum from molasses,” Peter said.

“The Agave Nectar has a rich, slightly smoky flavour and aroma which we ferment in-house, then twice distill with particular care put into maintaining the flavour and aroma of the Agave Spirit.

“Our process involves taking the Mexican-produced syrup and fermenting the product via our distillery where we convert the sugars into alcohol.

“We produce about 100 litres of the spirit per week and are looking to other sites where greater volumes can be produced.

“The intention would be to retain this distillery as a showcase for patrons of the restaurant and a cellar door to increase awareness and sales.”

The beautifully designed interior at “front of house” has the distillery separated by large glass screens, allowing patrons to enjoy the process of alcohol production on-site.

The twins father David started the business when he moved to Echuca in 2019 after retiring from managing his own business Muskvale.

“Dad (David) started the business in 2019 and we’ve rapidly expanded with Peter joining the business in September 2021 and myself joining in September 2022,” David said.

David said the personal touch has been important in their success and the men are proud of what they have been able to do with the product.

“We’d like to think our product has been made with more love and attention,” he said.

“We are really proud of what we have achieved at Echuca Distillery in a relatively short space of time.

“Peter and I are keen to celebrate and share our passion for what we do with as many people as possible.

“Although we have a small list of stockists, Bar Lee is Echuca Distillery’s exclusive cellar door and is a great place to enjoy some of the awarding winning spirits in a cocktail and on their own.”

Echuca Distillery and Café spirits, who is in partnership with Bar Lee, at 555 High St, Echuca, produce pure alcoholic delights and encourage visitors to drink less and enjoy more.

Crafted and bottled in the legendary river port town of Echuca Moama, their craft spirits are 100% pure thanks to a combination of naturally derived botanicals, the best ingredients they can source and the ancient craft of distilling.

The world has fallen in love with gin and the De Vries twins have created the Distillery to share this love with locals and the thousands of people who visit the Murray River region each year.

The small-scale craft distillery has a big heart, showcasing and demonstrating the distillation craft of spirits including gin, flavoured vodka and liqueurs. So why not visit them today!

“People love coming here to chill out by the river and we aim to play a significant part in this experience – what better way to enjoy your favourite gin, than on the banks of the mighty Murray River!”

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