Distillery

Team

• Will Edwards

  Founder

  Archie Rose founder, Will Edwards, always had a passion for spirits, experimenting with homebrew, spirit based infusions and oak maturation whilst reading up on the chemistry and engineering that underpins distillation whilst at Sydney Uni. After an early career in management consulting Will left his corporate job at Deloitte travelling to New York and Tasmania to answer the question that had intrigued him for many years – why weren’t there more distilleries in Australia, specifically in the cities, and could one be established? Fast-forward to March 2015 and Archie Rose Distilling Co. opened its doors in Rosebery, just 5kms from the Sydney CBD and has since become Australia’s most highly awarded distillery, handcrafting whisky, gin, vodka, rum and tailored spirits experiences. Innovative and progressive, Archie Rose also creates an eclectic range of limited editions and special releases, often collaborating with those who share its ethos.

  Since launch Archie Rose has received accolades for Best Australian Whisky, World’s Best Gin & Vodka, won a Global Distillery Masters Medal for Customer Experience and Will himself has won Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the Hospitality & Tourism Category in 2018 and been listed in the Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017. When Will’s not knee deep in running Archie Rose, you’ll find him enjoying an Aviation, Manhattan or a Trinidad Sour at the bar with the Archie Rose team, soaking up great design, travelling and quietly tidying the spaces around him - noise cancelling headphones in place.

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• Dave Withers

  Master Distiller

  As a renowned spirits authority, Dave is the leader of the Archie Rose production team and the driving force behind Archie Rose’s spirits vision. Born into a family of wine makers, Dave showed a keen interest in the field of wine production early in life, however quickly managed to impress his friends and disappoint his father by becoming a distiller. Rebellion can be a great motivator after all.

  Never content with the status quo, Dave is constantly striving to improve the quality of spirit produced at Archie Rose, delving deep into the science of spirits production, and working alongside our Head Distillers to put theory into practice on the floor. In his spare time Dave can be found sipping on a rare malt or obscure rum while reading 400 page books on water chemistry. He is, in our view, the very best yeast-tickler and grain-fondler in the land.

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• Harriet Leigh

  Head of Hospitality

  As head of hospitality for Archie Rose Distilling Co., Harriet Leigh could not be in a more perfect job – spearheading the brand’s experiences and events at its distillery and bar in Sydney’s Rosebery, as well as across the country. She also works closely with the production team to ensure new spirit releases stand up behind the bar and mix well in both classic and contemporary cocktails.

  Born and bred in London, it seems the lure of hospitality came early, when at the age of 4, Harriet’s parents would dress her up in little bow ties and flat caps and ‘allow’ her to make gin and tonics for their parties – and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  After finishing high school in London’s Hammersmith, Harriet started bartending at 18 before moving to Australia in 2000 at the age of 20. She began her Australian hospitality career, bartending at the Hollywood Hotel in Sydney’s Surry Hills before moving to Kings Cross nightclub, Melt.

  A stint back in the UK saw Harriet and her brother open Age & Sons, a restaurant and bar in Ramsgate, before Aussie shores beckoned her back, where she whet the palates of Sydneysiders at the Flinders and Hazy Rose and then moving to Sydney’s acclaimed Open Air Cinema as Food & Beverage Manager.

  It was at the Open Air Cinema where she was approached by Archie Rose founder, Will Edwards to join the team. For Harriet, it was a no brainer to join the first custom-designed, multi-spirit distillery and bar in Sydney in over 160 years, where she says, “I have the best job in the world. I come in everyday, I run a team of 20, I make booze and I help make gin, which is the best thing I’ve ever done. Who gets paid to do that? I get out of bed looking forward to going to work.”

  With 20 years experience in hospitality, Harriet is now recognised as one of the leaders in the industry and a force in promoting and supporting women in hospitality.

  She has scooped up awards including Australia’s Top 25 Bartenders, was the only woman to be shortlisted for Australia’s Top Bar Manager and picked up arguably the most prestigious peer awarded honours for women in hospitality. She contributes to industry publications providing comment on trends and issues and has spoken on stage for International Women’s Day as well as Coleman’s Academy, a not for profit focusing on empowering and inspiring women in hospitality.

  When she’s not quaffing a G&T, a Southside or a Manhattan, you can find Harriet soaking up culture and the arts – “Spending time alone in the National Gallery and in MONA will be two experiences I’ll never forget.”

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• Victoria Tulloch

  Head Of Marketing

  Tori joins Archie Rose following decades of marketing experience in Australia and the UK.

  Born with a glass in hand as part of a fourth generation wine family she’s launched hundreds of products, events, venues and campaigns for consumer brands around the world. She’s now delighted to be head of marketing for Archie Rose along with founder of her own growth marketing business, Kindred.

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• Trevor Hannam

  Head of Sales

  Trevor has spent over half of working life successfully building iconic alcohol brands in Australia and globally.

  Now, after a successful stint with a global coffee house working with Australia’s finest chefs and highly awarded restaurants, Trevor brings his industry experience and love of spirits to Archie Rose.

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• Nick Baxter

  Brand Advocacy Manager

  Born in the UK and emigrating to Perth as a teenager, Nick caught the hospitality bug back home in 2005. More than 9 years at some of Brighton’s best drinks focused venues followed, along with teaching bartenders on ‘how to not set fire to things’ for renowned Jamaican rum company Wray & Nephew.

  Returning to Australia with stints at WA favourites Bar Lafayette, The Dominion League and Lalla Rookh, he joined the opening team at Long Chim (Perth) before setting sail for Melbourne.

  With a passion for travel and boilermakers (the drink rather than the occupation), look out for Nick as he leads our team of Brand Ambassadors and spreads the Archie Rose story far and wide.

  You can talk to Nick here: nick@archierose.com.au

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• Paul Slater

  Ambassador (VIC & TAS)

  Paul Slater brings an abundance of experience from the heart of the Australian spirits industry. Gaining his first hospitality experience whilst studying an applied science degree, Paul’s love of the bar industry flourished and upon completion he shed the world of science to dive into the bar world. A growing knowledge and passion of distilled spirits saw Paul join the Starward distillery team in 2014, helping grow the brand profoundly through his tenure as Ambassador.

  Having spread his wings to represent brands such as Mr Black, 666 Vodka & Adelaide Hills Distillery, Paul has established himself as a key influencer within the Australian Spirits Industry. He has traveled the world spreading the Australian spirits message, sharing the stage with whisky royalty such as Dave Broom, Alex Bruce & Charlie MacLean. In 2018 Paul was awarded World Whisky Ambassador of the Year by the Australian Icons Of Whisky.

  You get in touch with Paul via: paul@archierose.com.au

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• Mitch Gurrin

  Ambassador (WA & SA)

  A Perth boy born and raised, Mitch began his career in hospitality during his time at university where he studied communications majoring in film and video. Hospitality was never meant to end up becoming his life’s focus and beginning in the humble corner pub, he soon moved into hatted restaurants until eventually settling into the burgeoning Perth small bar scene. During this time he was lucky enough to work at some of Perth’s most respected and highly awarded venues including Mechanics Institute and The Dominion League.

  Nominated as ‘Rookie for the Year’ at the Australian Bartender Awards in 2016, he has made multiple state and national cocktail competitions finals, which saw him included in the Drinks World Top 100 bartenders (2018,19) and World Class Top 100 in 2018. His life at Archie Rose began as a casual Ambassador in 2017, before finally coming on board full time in 2019.

  You get in touch with Mitch via: mitch@archierose.com.au

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• Samuel Russ

  Ambassador (QLD/NT)

  Having fallen in love with hospitality in 2015 after 5 years with the Royal Australian Air Force, Samuel quickly moved from the quiet suburban pubs of Ipswich into the booming Brisbane cocktail scene. Working at venues such as Canvas Club, Cobbler and The Parlour earnt him spots in several state and national cocktail competitions such as World Class Top 100 and The Perfect Blend.

  With this experience, he brings a wealth of booze knowledge along with a passion for hospitality, spirits, and mixed drinks. When he’s not sampling the best bars and restaurants Brisbane and surrounds have to offer, you can find him hitting the open road on his motorbike or watching his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs.

  You can reach out to Samuel on samuel@archierose.com.au

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• Nina Schultz

  Events & Partnerships Manager

  Hailing from a family passionate about wine and the arts, Nina spent her youth playing in orchestras, wandering art galleries & rummaging through her family’s cellar, eventually converting her wine obsession into a day job as a wine (and vermouth) maker in Australia and Europe. In recent years she switched her love to hospitality heading up events at some of Sydney’s top venues including Art Gallery of NSW, Hubert and Chin Chin before a happy spirits landing at Archie Rose, ready for global spirits events and experiences domination.

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• Jonathan Liu

  Venue Manager

  Venue Manager Jonathan Liu was born into the hospitality industry, he learnt his trade working at his family’s restaurant from a young age, and has since tended bar at several high profile venues including The Star and Grain at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney. Jonathan is our much respected leader in house

  A master of all spirits but a devout whisky fan, if you find yourself at the bar with Jonathan, he will gladly share his passion for whisky and guide you through the extensive, lovingly curated, selection on the backbar. His love of spirits is only beaten by his love for his young family, with baby Evie potentially the next in a long line of hospitality pros.

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