Dad’s Whisky Of Choice: Tailored Spirits for Fathers and Father Figures
Archie Rose is proud to be the only distillery in the world that offers you the opportunity to fully customise your very own individual bottle of single malt whisky. We can do this because of our individual malt stream process, which allows our team to carefully tailor every step of the production process, including brewing temperatures, yeast selection, cask type, distillation rates, and maturation conditions, to each specific malt.
We offer Tailored Whisky to our customers to celebrate the art of distillation and because we like the idea that whisky can be as individual and complex as the person who enjoys it.
Each Tailored Whisky comes in a 700ml bottle, and you simply follow the steps online to craft a bottle to your exact taste. When your flavour profile is done, you choose from a range of label art and finish by writing customised messages, which our team hand process (including the joy of reading and checking hundreds of personalised messages each month) and print on the label. Then, it is packaged in a beautiful, complimentary Tailored Whisky Gift Box and sent out around the country in a matter of days.
With Father’s Day approaching, we thought we’d follow a few of the Archie Rose team as they hop on to our website and create an Archie Rose Tailored Whisky to gift. We speak with Victoria Tulloch, Mitch Gurrin, and Zikri Teo to find out who they’re making whisky for, how they’re tailoring it, and why.
VICTORIA TULLOCH, HEAD OF MARKETING
Who are you making this Tailored Whisky for? What do they mean to you?
My Dad, Jay Tulloch. He turns 80 this year and enjoys a nip of whisky most nights.
What do you know about the kinds of flavours he likes?
Dad enjoys classically styled whisky and, before I started at Archie Rose, had preferred a Scotch. He's now fully onboard with the taste and quality of Australian whisky—well, specifically our whiskies! He's had a couple of Trials & Exceptions bottles, one of our first batch Single Malts, a Rye Malt Whisky and, more recently, a Double Malt Whisky, which he enjoyed generally (and ever judicious, also for its price!).
Talk us through your tailored choices. What are you adding, dialling up or down and why?
I'm sticking with fully blown NSW Pale Malt and a good measure of Choc Malt for my Dad. He's a NSW vigneron who has just celebrated his 60th year making wine for our 127-year-old family brand, Tulloch Wines, in the Hunter Valley. The NSW origin for both malts will be something he appreciates, plus he's a sweet tooth who likes beer, so the tasting notes for Choc Malt were an easy pick here.
What label will you choose, and what are you writing on the label?
I'm going with his initials, JYT, on the front. He likes to sign things off that way and a few of his friends tend to call him that, so he'll like looking at that each day on the mantlepiece. As the side message, I'll write: Dear Dad, a bottle to keep you company in the early hours. Thanks for always listening. Happy Father's Day 2024.
How or when are you planning to gift this on Father's Day? How do you think they'll enjoy it?
Our daughter will be in the middle of her HSC Trials for Father's Day this year, so I'll have it mailed to him. I look forward to seeing it in pride of place on the sideboard next time I'm up there. My Dad tends to get a bit of insomnia, so he is often up in the early hours of the morning reading his book—a nip of whisky is always a welcome companion.
MITCH GURRIN, BRAND RESPRESENTATIVE
Who are you making this tailored spirit for? What do they mean to you?
It may seem a little selfish, but I am making this whisky for me! My partner and I will be expecting our first child a few days after Father's Day, so I wanted to make a whisky to celebrate the big day!
What’s your taste? Which flavours do you favour?
I've always loved all varieties of whisky, different whiskies for different times and occasions. Sometimes, it's a tough week, and you need a big smokey-peaty bomb to take the edge off, but I generally lean towards the lighter, fruitier and nuttier whiskies—something you can enjoy at all times.
*Talk us through your tailored choices. What are you adding, dialling up or down and why? *
I've decided to go with a generous splash of Pale Malt for its great tropical fruit and floral notes, along with a subtle note of Chocolate Malt, which brings BIG coffee, cacao and nutty flavours. This is a great balance of what I love about whisky and already has me salivating just thinking about it.
What label will you choose, and what are you writing on the label?
I love all our limited edition labels at Archie Rose; they're unique, and it’s great to support local artists. We are proudly Australian and plan to paint the kids' room with a bunch of Australian flora and fauna, so the Edith Rewa limited edition was the perfect fit and too good to pass up. However, there is also something about that patterned deep green label that is timeless! I'll likely note the date of birth and some words to celebrate the occasion and our excitement for what the future will bring - also probably finish with something along the lines of "HANDS OFF" or "PUT IT DOWN".
When will you crack this open?
I'm not sure how/when; part of me wants to crack it and share it with friends to celebrate the birth of our first child after the chaos of the first few months, but another part of me wants to hold onto it and share it with them on their 18th birthday. Although that does rely on me being able to resist for that long and/or them actually enjoying whisky when the time comes! Either way, it's a fantastic way to celebrate such a momentous occasion, and I look forward to seeing my bottle of whisky in the flesh!
ZIKRI TEO, GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Who are you making this tailored spirit for? What do they mean to you?
I’m making this Tailored Spirit for my friend, who is sort of a mentor to me in the birdwatching community. He’s been there from the start of my birdwatching journey, and as an older gentleman, he possesses great knowledge about where to look for birds and has a big appreciation for whisky!
What do you know about the kinds of flavours they like?
I’m not sure what flavours he’s into, but I’m sure he would be partial to a smoked whisky.
Talk us through your tailored choices. What are you adding, dialling up or down and why?
NSW Native Stringybark Smoked Malt—This malt has a subtle note—just enough to give a hint of smoke without being overbearing. It is enjoyable for both people who like smoke and people who don’t usually go for it.
What label will you choose, and what are you writing on the label?
I’m going with the Red Wave label, as the colour of the bottle and the whisky looks really nice. I’d be sure to put just his name on the front because he may have a decent collection of bottles, but not one with his own name on it!
How or when are you planning to gift this? How do you think he’ll drink it?
When we take our next trip to Canberra to visit our friends and join them for a bit of birdwatching, I think he will enjoy the whisky neat.
