Alongside all Australians, we were heartbroken by this summer’s bushfires. Some of our suppliers, fellow distillers, customers and friends lost their farms, facilities and homes, facing incredible hardship as they begin to rebuild their lives. We hope you’ll join us in continuing to support those who have lost so much. Read on for a wrap up on some our fundraising initiatives over recent months and to find out how you can continue to lend a helping hand…

Throughout the month of January, we took part in initiatives all over the country to assist bushfire relief efforts, donating stock to hospitality-led fundraising events and deploying our bar team to help whenever possible. We were stoked to work with Sydney’s Baxter Inn on their Bushfire Relief night, with Creative Drinks Manager, Rocky Hair, and Group Bars Manager, Lewis Jaffery, offering their expertise and crafting cocktails for guests to raise money for the RFS. Our friends at Sydney’s Brunch Bush Bash also raised a phenomenal amount with their boozy brunch featuring guest speakers, entertainers and Archie Rose Signature Dry Gin Red Snappers. Up north, we supplied our limited edition Archie Rose x Sydney Opera House Outside and Inside Gins for the Raise Em Up charity event held at the Tivoli, a satellite venue for Brisbane Festival. We donated a bottle of our sold-out Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky as part of ‘In The Spirit’ Charity Raffle by Whisky Uncovered, which runs until 29 February plus a bottle of Rye Malt Whisky - signed by founder Will Edwards and master distiller Dave Withers to the The Aussie Spirit Auction. We also look forward to getting involved in the Raise Your Gin event at Acre Eatery in Camperdown on 12 March with tickets still available to purchase from here. And from city festivals to local favourites, our mates at Rosella’s donated all profits raised from their Archie Rose 2019 Tailored Gin Christmas gift to the RFS.

On the home front, we donated $1 from each of the thousands of G&Ts, using Aussie gins, sold at the Archie Rose Bar to WIRES, the Red Cross and the RFS, pouring over 3,000 G&Ts in the month of January. We also have a Batlow Cider keg on tap, with all proceeds directed to the Country Women’s Association to assist with rebuilding the Batlow regional area. We’ll continue to support and hero the distilleries doing it tough with our Australian Gin Bushfire Support Flight at the Archie Rose Bar. Support locally made spirits by the likes of Joadja Distillery, Karu Distillery, Reed & Co. and Wild Brumby, take a flight and grab whatever bottle takes your fancy.

Finally, together with Tulloch Wines and First Creek Wines, we’ve also sourced smoke tainted grapes from eight small growers in Pokolbin, Hunter Valley whose crops and incomes were devastated due to smoke taint from recent bushfires. For Hunter Valley growers who were already suffering the effects of drought, the addition of bushfires left up to 80 per cent of their fruit virtually unusable for wine production. When we learned about this, we immediately set to work thinking about how we could help and have subsequently purchased 50+ tonnes of smoke-affected shiraz and cabernet sauvignon grapes with a view to producing brandy and other spirits. Stay tuned for more news over coming months.

Let’s band together and do everything we can.