Our vision for whisky has always been to speak of our experience as Australians. We want to craft a distinct, charming and flavoursome spirit which showcases the regional character of the malts it is made up of, complemented by great quality oak. We’ve spent an enormous amount of time in research and development, looking at how we can create a rich and engaging, complex yet affordable Single Malt Whisky. And we believe we’ve made something really special.” Will Edwards, Founder, Archie Rose Distilling Co.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING:

Grain is the fundamental building block of whisky, it is the foundation on which all whisky is based. A successful fermentation, distillation or maturation can only be so because the grain you start with is fit for purpose. It is vital to our role as distillers to give this critical raw material a voice.

When we began making our whisky back in 2014, we started with a traditional brewer’s malt and a distiller’s malt (a very typical “Australian Single Malt Whisky” mash bill). But then we thought, why only use one or two malts when brewers are using all these other interesting specialty malts?

Australia provides the world with an enormous amount of malting grade barley. It’s grown right here in our backyard in conditions unlike any other and with varieties that aren’t used anywhere else on earth. We’re tapping into that wherever possible and highlighting the incredible quality and diversity of these malts.

What we landed on for our Single Malt Whisky is six malts, each with a unique profile and character. Our six malt mash bill produces an extremely low-yielding spirit – a small sacrifice for a rich and expressive flavour, full of distinct regional character.

A lot of more traditional whiskies are quite cask forward, but our aim is to strike a better balance. We want to showcase the individual character of each malt and complement that with the influence of the cask, instead of relying on the cask to supply the backbone of flavour.

To learn more about Single Malt Whisky, watch the video below:

OUR SINGLE MALT WHISKY SPECIALTY MALTS:

Australian pale malt

Speaks of the Australian land from which it was grown, delivering herbal and slightly floral accents.

Peated malt

Provides a subtle touch of earthy smoke that complements richly flavoured roasted malts.

Australian amber malt

An assertive biscuity character brings nuance and depth.

Caramel malt

Delivers the aroma of caramel fudge and mild fruitiness.

Aromatic roasted malt

Offers a deep and complex array of flavours including fig, raisin and amaretto.

Local NSW chocolate malt

Made from a low-yielding single field in NSW and roasted in small batches, this malt provides rich and intense flavours of coffee and chocolate.

THE CASKS:

Our Single Malt Whisky has been matured predominantly in 100, 200 and 300-litre Australian apera (sherry) casks, complemented by a selection of ex-bourbon and Archie Rose’s own 36-month air-dried ex-rye casks, each coopered with a specific balance of both char and toast - with the latter being unusual in the realm of distilling where the lower heat and longer duration toasting process penetrates further into the oak of the cask and offers an entirely different level of complexity than casks that only feature a more traditional char.

The natural sweetness of these casks complements the savoury charisma of the spirit, revealing fresh herbs, shortbread biscuits, raisins, toffee and dark chocolate on the nose. Meanwhile, the palate is luscious with well-integrated flavours of sticky date pudding and amaretto with a final note of espresso.

AS FOR THE LAUNCH DATE:

As the saying goes, nothing worthwhile in life is ever easy, but more importantly, we subscribe to the belief that the whisky is ready when it is ready. We do not aim for a particular age and decant it precisely on that day or to a strict production schedule, rather we will monitor the whisky as it approaches maturation and decant it from cask when we feel it is at its absolute best - balancing the flavour and influence of the malt, spirit and cask. In saying that, we’re delighted to finally announce the launch of our Single Malt Whisky from Monday 28 September, 2020.

Sign up to Archie’s Journal for first access to the Single Malt Whisky 1st Batch ballot, opening late August.