Accompanying Notes: 12pc Australian Whisky Flight (Edition 7.0)

Cape Byron Distillery was founded by Eddie Brook and former master distiller of Bruichladdich Distillery, Jim McEwan. The distillery resides on the Brook family’s very own 96 acre macadamia farm and native rainforest, which they’ve helped regenerate over many decades of careful conservation work. Lovers of premium breakfast cereal will be familiar with the Brookfarm brand, which Eddie's family has owned and operated for the last 30+ years.

Since inception, the distillery has been distilling and ageing single malt whisky. Stone & Wood Brewery, just down the road in Byron Bay, is responsible for fermenting malted barley with spring water into a wash, which is then delivered to the distillery. The wash is twice distilled in a 2000 litre copper pot still before being pumped into American Oak ex-Bourbon casks for ageing.

'The Original' is the signature Cape Byron whisky release and snared a gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). Expect soft vanilla, creme brulee, and biscotti characters, layered over distinct notes of pear, coconut and buttery macadamia.

Backwoods Distilling is a neat little operation in northern Victoria run by husband and wife team Leigh and Bree. They have been diligently crafting their own whisky for around 10 years. Initially this was done in their shed at home (legally, of course) until they outgrew the space and moved into their new premises down the road in the town of Yackandandah. With the help of their still, nicknamed Stillvester, they produce both rye and single malt whiskies.

This whisky is a single malt aged in American White Oak casks previously used to mature Shiraz. The casks themselves were first used to age Bourbon in the US. They were then emptied and sold to a distillery in Scotland, where they were used to age single malt whisky. This is quite common - anyone who's been to tour whisky distilleries in Scotland will have seen the vast mountains of ex-Bourbon casks in the numerous cooperies around Speyside. Eventually these well-worn barrels came to be snapped up by an Aussie winery to be filled with Shiraz, and finally landed in the back of a Backwoods ute.

78 Degrees Distillery, previously known as Adelaide Hills Distillery, was founded in 2014 by winemaker Sacha La Forgia, who worked in wineries around the world before a stint at a grappa distillery in Italy where he was inspired to start his own distillery. Upon returning home, he made his own copper still and launched 78 Degrees Distillery in the Adelaide Hills. The distillery has since changed hands a couple of times, during which it bore the brunt of being in a wider corporate drinks portfolio, which has caused it to lose a little shine in the eyes of bartenders (although this is just our observation)!

78 Degrees' signature whisky, produced many years after their gins went from strength to strength, was always supposed to push the boundaries around affordability while offering a toast to punchy flavour. This whisky is made from 100 % South Australian barley, including unmalted grain and a selection of specialty malts. It's distilled in a unique hybrid pot and column still, then matured in a combination of American and French oak casks, many seasoned with local wine. Expect layers of caramel, honeyed malt, dried fruits, baking spice, and a subtle toasted finish.

For most people who have followed the Australian spirits scene, Archie Rose is a household name. Founded in 2013, this 'no expenses spared' distillery has been pumping out award winning drops ever since. Combined with marketing finesse, their success has seen Archie Rose products stocked in virtually every decent bar in Australia.

It took many years before Archie Rose finally released its first whisky. There had been teasers - their six malt new-make spirit, for example - but in the first few years they became known for being a gin brand. That's changed rapidly.

Double Malt Whisky is an all‑Australian vatting of malted barley and malted rye whiskies. It combines richly aromatic Single Malt Whisky aged in ex-Apera, ex-Bourbon, and virgin American oak casks with award‑winning Rye Malt Whisky aged in virgin oak. Matured via a solera blending approach, it offers a fragrant nose of sticky apricot jam, toasted rye bread, caramel and milk chocolate. The palate reveals pineapple, raisins, gingersnaps, young coconut, caraway seeds and baking spices. A medium‑length finish brings tropical fruits, honey‑roasted macadamias, pawpaw and more spice.

When Adam Saunders, a builder who helped construct Boags Brewery, met Adam Pinkard, a paramedic with a dream to make whisky, the vision for Adams Distillery was set. The path to opening certainly wasn’t smooth sailing though. Construction at their first proposed site was halted by council just as the foundations were laid. Appeals failed, dreams were shattered but the guys held on and pushed ahead with an ambitious new build at a different site. A couple of years later, once they'd impressed the industry with the quality of their new-make spirit, they pushed the button on a multi-million dollar expansion featuring a 5,500L spirit still, a 12,500L wash still, grain silos, a grist mill, a new mash tun and new 8,500L fermenters.

Then, in 2021, the unthinkable happened. While an employee was preparing a distillation, the ethanol caught fire and the ensuing blaze razed the distillery to the ground. The employee sustained major burns but thankfully survived after several skin grafts and an extended stay in hospital. The Adams were battered, emotionally and physically, but eventually decided to rebuild.

Signature Series is Adams Distillery's original foray into creating a premium house style with continuous, consistent supply drawn from their impressive growing 'library' of casks. While their previous releases have been single cask styles, this one is made from a vatting of whisky aged in ex-Bourbon, ex-Port and ex-Pinot Noir casks.

Ironhouse Distillery is an add-on project to Ironhouse Brewery which was founded in 2007 in northeastern Tasmania. Named after an old droving hut named 'Iron House' which stood on the distillery's current grounds, Ironhouse Distillery is where head distiller Michael crafts some of the newest Tasmanian whiskies on the market, sold under the 'Tasman' brand. Utilising a hybrid still, the first Tasman whiskies were laid down in 2015.

Tasman Whisky Sherry Cask is a single malt whisky aged for at least five years in a variety of ex-Sherry casks. Some of these casks come from Australian wineries, while some others have made their way over from France. The result is a nose of nectar and dried fruit followed by raisins, citrus and oak on the palate.

A note on ageing. You'll notice that many Tasmanian whiskies have been aged longer than their mainland counterparts. This is predominantly due to the colder and less variable air temperatures resulting in less spirit movement in and out of the wood over time. In many ways, Tasmanian conditions are closer to that of those in Scotland.

Whipper Snapper Distillery is a tribute to two World War II veterans who flew fighter jets and drank whisky, although presumably not at the same time. Their shared love of the spirit resulted in one of them running a backyard moonshine distilling operation in Perth after the war. Eventually the recipes and distilling know-how were handed down to Al and Jimmy, the masterminds behind the distillery as it is today. They’ve keen to keep the operation a local affair, with all of the ingredients used to make their products sourced from WA.

This plainly named 'Single Malt Whisky' is a premium small‑batch dram, crafted as part of the distillery’s Wheatbelt Series. Made with 100% Spartacus barley grown in Western Australia’s Nyoongar Wheatbelt and malted locally in Perth, it undergoes open fermentation to encourage a rich array of fruity esters. Distillation takes place on Whipper Snapper’s custom hybrid column still, with a precise hearts cut at 30% ABV, producing a spirit that averages 63% before maturation.

Each single‑barrel release is aged for around four years in a warm, Mediterranean‑style Perth climate, which accelerates oak influence while maintaining complexity.

Awarded World Whiskies Awards 2025 Australian Single Malt Winner.

The signature Overeem whisky brand was founded by Casey Overeem as a hobby in their family home. Casey quips, “many people had micro-distilleries in their cellars and I really admired them, so I started experimenting when I got home”. His distillation techniques and equipment were heavily inspired by traditional Scotch production. The result was a brand which became synonymous with world class whisky at a time when Aussie whisky wasn't yet highly regarded.

The brand was sold to Lark Distilling in 2014 but was bought back by the Overeem family in 2020 and is now run by Casey's daughter Jane, who also runs Sawford Distillery and White Label Distillery. To say whisky runs in her blood would be the understatement of the year.

This Sherry Cask is made by maturing the spirit for at least five years in 100L French Oak ex-Sherry casks that have been re-coopered and given a heavy char. It's cut back to the 'distiller's strength' of 43% using water from South Wellington.

Head distiller Jane reckons you should look for dark chocolate, caramel, rum and raisin on the nose. On the palate, more chocolate, dark fruits and a little nuttiness. The finish is nutty with stewed apricots lingering.

Established over 20 years ago, Founded by David Baker, a former food scientist, Bakery Hill is one of the oldest operating distilleries in Australia. All of Bakery Hill's whiskies are single cask expressions and matured for at least six to eight years. That makes them some of Australia's consistently oldest whiskies. After outgrowing their old location in Bayswater, the team relocated to inner Melbourne with a completely revamped cellar door experience.

This particular whisky is one that hasn't yet been released to the public, and given the extremely limited volumes of it, may never end up in the public realm. Luckily, we've got it!

Peated Malt French Oak Cask is made using malted barley that's peated in northern Scotland and exhibits a more Highland style peat, which produces an earthier rounded peat smoke with minimal medicinal/iodine notes. The peating level is kept to a low to medium amount to ensure balance and to encourage the other sweeter flavour profiles to shine through.

Generally Bakery Hill's peated expressions are aged in ex-Bourbon (Jack Daniels) casks. This whisky, however, is drawn from a single 50L French Oak cask, an out-of-the-ordinary experiment that the distillers squirrelled away... until now.

Timboon Railway Shed Distillery is nestled in-between the smashing waves of Port Campbell and the rich farmland of the Colac region of Victoria. Predominantly makers of whisky and liqueurs, the same owners run a cattle farm (whose cattle are fed spent grain from the whisky wash) and a cooperage (who make the casks for the distillery).

In the 1890s, a notorious illegal distiller in the Timboon district was said to have produced 100 gallons of whisky every week. It was called ‘Mountain Dew’ and was even (illegally) emblazoned with a government stamp. Inspired by this whisky-rich history, Timboon Distillery is run by its owner and distiller Josh, quietly producing local spirits in the region once again (legally this time).

Timboon has a very similar ageing climate to that of Kentucky. Hot summers and cold winters allow their whiskies to take on a distinct and robust flavour quickly.

Smoky 1881 is crafted from 100% malted barley gently smoked with a touch of Scottish peat. Aged for around four years in small ex-Tawny 200L American oak casks, the seasoned wood imparts delicate floral and dried fruit notes, while the peat lingers subtly on the palate.

On the nose, expect fragrant tawny florals, apricot, and fruitcake aromas. The palate reveals earthy, savoury tones with light sea-salt and smoke, followed by cinnamon-spiced warmth. The finish is lightly smoky and gently spicy, evoking a classical Scottish-inspired character balanced by local Australian terroir.

Located in the Bass Straitoff the coast of Tasmania, Flinders Island is the largest of the Furneaux Group of islands and now adds whisky distilling to its list of charms. Damien Newton-Brown is the man responsible for bringing whisky to the island. Having spent a number of childhood holidays on the island, he remembered that Flinders has a number of marshes and bogs, and as a big Laphroaig fan, he dreamed up the idea of creating a heavily peated malt whisky on the island.

Furneaux Distillery officially opened in 2019. Spirit was initially acquired from Launceston Distillery and a couple of years later the first peated Furneaux single malt whiskies wholly distilled on Flinders Island were released.

Smoky Wedding is made using a marriage of two types of peat - local coastal peat from Tasmanian native vegetation and classic Scottish sphagnum moss peat. The malted barley is peated in-house then distilled, with the distillers taking a much later 'cut' than usual, meaning that more of the heavier phenols come through into the distillate. The new-make is then aged in small 50L casks for just over three years.

Tin Shed Distilling is one of those places where every step of the whisky making process is hands on and hard work - milling malt, stirring mash, moving barrels, tasting casks, filling bottles, applying labels and packing into shipping cartons. Hardly any of their process is mechanised and that’s exactly the way they like it. A new 2200L copper pot still and their older 600L still perform most of the magic here, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Tin Shed was initially founded as a side hustle between three mates and was known as Southern Coast Distilling at the time. Their products were delicious and well received, but sadly the partnership fell apart years later. Tin Shed is the reincarnation of that operation with two of the original founders on-board.

Named after the small peat bog that the distillery sources their peat from, Talamara is a single malt whisky aged for at least four years in ex-Shiraz casks then finished in a mix of ex-Port and ex-Sherry casks. Most of the casks used are made with American Oak. The spirit itself is very lightly peated and exhibits a sweet finish.