GUEST COLUMN BY FRED SIGGINS
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ustralian distilleries are nothing new, with excellent malts like Lark coming up on 20 years of production. But Tassie is still a long way from where most of us work, and Bill never looked to bartenders to influence his craft, but, rather, further afield to the traditional whisky makers of Scotland. Now though, urban distilleries like Starward, Archie Rose and Melbourne Moonshine are flipping the script, allowing Australian bartenders to get in and get involved from the very beginning. From special, on-premise only bottlings of Starward selected by panels of bartenders, to barrels of Archie Rose claimed by venues from the minute they flow from the still, our booze will soon include a whole range of customised flavours you’ll never find on the shelf at your local bottleshop. Don’t be surprised to see spirits designed specifically for particular cocktails (rather than the other way around), and venues taking over distilleries for a day or a week to create their own batches from the very beginning. And just like a tailored suit always fits better than something off the rack, it’s a trend that can only mean good things for those of us who work with, and drink, spirits in Australia. In the world of whisky, our lack of strict regulation and our ability to experiment on a small scale will certainly lead to more non-
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traditional whisky styles. Think never before seen mash bills, and ageing programmes like Belgrove’s peated rye and Melbourne Moonshine’s (yet to be released) port-cask-aged corn whisky. It’s also nice to know that with stores of old stock dwindling from the Hebrides to Hobart, as demand continues to rise, we’ve got some pretty special stuff of our own on the simmer. Stuff that is specifically designed to age quickly in the hot mainland sun. Aussies are also getting involved in whisky production internationally. The Melbourne-based team from Pure Scot now own the Bladnoc distillery, for example, so you can be sure we won’t be fighting for an allocation when the single malt hits our shores next year. They’re also encouraging bartenders to mix and experiment with their unique blend – another huge trend in the whisky industry that’s helping bring liquid gold to a whole new generation of drinkers. If gin’s more your thing, there’s now an opportunity for all bartenders to make their own. Archie Rose and Four Pillars spring to mind as distilleries where you can create your own custom blend of botanicals. Imagine being able to say, “I really think my Negroni spec would work well with a saffron heavy London dry,” or “my finger lime oleo gimlet would be great with a whiff of eucalyptus in the gin,” and then just going and making it. Well now you can. Go forth and multiply.