Australian whisky

History

Distillation was legalised by the governor of New South Wales at the end of 1820, and the first legal distillery opened near Hobart Town in 1822. Van Diemen's Land's whisky industry of the 1820s–30s ended quickly, with no whisky produced on the island between 1838 and 1990. Sydney had two large distilleries between 1825 and 1850 before they shifted to rum.

An estimated 140 million litres of whisky were produced in Australia from 1822 to 1979, but none between 1980 and 1990. The industry is divided into three periods: the colonial malt whisky period (1863–1929), the blended whisky period (1930–1980), and the boutique whisky period (since 1992). Large-scale distillation began in 1863 with John Dunn's Warrenheip distillery near Ballarat, which became Australia's second largest until 1930.

The Federal distillery in Port Melbourne, built in 1888, was the world's third largest at the time, producing over 1.1 million litres of spirit annually by 1894. In 1930, the Distillers Company of Edinburgh opened Corio distillery near Geelong, which merged with Federal Distilleries. After World War II, Gilbey's of London opened a Melbourne distillery and acquired Milne Distillery in Adelaide.

Modern distilleries by state

As of 2020, about 50 distilleries were producing whisky in Australia. Tasmania has the highest concentration, with over 22 whisky distilleries, due to its climate—large diurnal temperature range and seasonal variation—and high-quality water. New South Wales has the second most, with nine whisky distilleries in 2020, including urban ones in Sydney. Notable NSW distilleries: Archie Rose Distillery, founded in 2014, was Sydney's first new distillery since 1853; it began releasing rye malt whisky in 2018 and won world's best rye whisky in 2020.

Manly Spirits, founded in 2017, started whisky production for release in 2020. South Australia has made whisky since the 1890s, using both column and pot stills, often near wine regions. Notable South Australian distilleries: Fleurieu Distillery in Goolwa won best whisky at Tasting Australia in 2021; Adelaide Hills Distillery uses single paddock grains and native weeping grass; Smith's Angaston uses a 1908 copper pot still and South Australian muscat casks; 5Nines, established in 2016, makes single malts with local barley, some peated. Queensland's climate is less suitable for whisky maturation, and only three small distilleries produce whisky there: Mt Uncle Distillery, Wild River Distillery, and 2020 Distillery.

Critical reception and awards

Until the early 1990s, Australian whisky was poorly regarded internationally and domestically, with mass-produced low-quality products dominating. After the craft whisky scene emerged in the 1990s, international critics took notice. In 2013, critic Jim Murray described a Sullivans Cove whisky as “a staggering achievement”. In 2014, Sullivans Cove won world's best single malt at the World Whiskies Awards for its Single Cask French Oak whisky, the first time a distillery outside Scotland or Japan had won that category.

This brought worldwide attention to the Australian industry. Sullivans Cove continued to be awarded world's best single cask single malt in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, Archie Rose Distillery won world's best rye whisky, a category previously dominated by the United States and Canada.

Style and process

Australian whisky uses the same double pot still method widely used for single malt whisky in Scotland. Unlike Scotch, Australia has no deep customs or traditions governing whisky styles, leading to greater variation. Most Australian whisky is matured in ex-bourbon barrels, with the remainder in ex-port barrels; there is no constraint like the US requirement for new oak.

Some distilleries use ex-wine casks from the Australian wine industry, such as Starward's wine cask edition from the Barossa region. Many Australian whiskies use brewing barley instead of traditional distilling barley, which gives a different, stronger flavour. While the majority of Australian whisky is single malt, other styles include rye, wheat, and blended whiskies.

Did You Know?

• Australians consume only an estimated 1% of locally made spirits.
• A standard 700ml bottle of Australian whisky attracts close to $30AUD in excise tax depending on alcohol concentration.