Archie Rose Double Malt

It is an interesting time to be a whisky distiller in Australia.  The excise rate recently tipped over $100 per litre; new distilleries continue to come to market with their debut release; competition for the consumers’ dollar grows; the back bars at the on-premise venues are more crowded than ever…and all against the backdrop of rising interest rates and falling sales in certain price bands.  You’ve thus got to “dip your lid” to the distilleries that are driving onwards and upwards.  Archie Rose is one such distillery, and the new Archie Rose Double Malt is a great example of this….

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Trouble brewing for the Australian whisky industry?

Pour yourself a big dram of your favourite Australian whisky and get comfortable.  It’s a long read…

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Believe it or not, Australian whisky existed prior to 2014.  Australia enjoyed a rich history of whisky distillation from the 19th century into the 1980’s before resting for a few years of silence.  But it was in that fateful year of 2014 that a single cask release of Sullivans Cove won the accolade of World’s Best Single Malt, and Australian whisky suddenly lit up on everyone’s radar.  But whilst Sullivans Cove’s success that year told a story for 2014, it also told a story – for those that cared – about the Australian whisky industry’s previous 20 years.  And, as both producers and consumers jumped on the bandwagon, it also played a role in contributing to a brewing storm and some concerning issues now looming…
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Archie Rose Six Malt New Make – the giant stirs

As the Australian whisky revival and renaissance marches on, there are now countless highlights and spikes on the radar.   Australian whiskies winning awards; new distilleries being established; new releases being launched…the scene now generates its own continuously scrolling newsfeed.

As for the Australian distillers and distilleries themselves, the field has grown to the point where there is a marked split between the craft players and the big guys that now run genuinely industrial and commercial operations.

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