ADWA tasting event

The Oak Barrel

Sydney, Australia

July 13, 2018

Glass ceilings.

Those unseen, yet unbreakable barrier that keep minorities and women from rising to the upper echelons of the realm of their professions and crafts, regardless of their expertise and qualifications.

A phenomenon that not surprisingly, does not seem to refrain from pervading the male dominated domain of distilling.

What to do?

Commiserate, learning where your place is and play along?

Not an option for the women behind the ADWA: To promote awareness of the industry to women looking to enter into the distilling community, women within these activities to those outside the distilling industry and the standards of best practice for the industry as a whole, ADWA (“Australian Women in Distilling Association”, do not confuse it with Charles Manson’s uncompromising ecological mandate propounded by Charles Mans, i.e. “ATWA”) has been founded.

The main tenet of the association is to put focus on the encouragement of women who seek to enter the industry by providing access to networking opportunities through curated events, the growth of knowledge through forums and presentations as well as access to the wealth of expertise its members have to offer.

Last Friday one the events was held at Sydney’s fiercely independent, geschmaecklerische bottle shop The Oak Barrel.

The event was open to lovers of all things spirits, specifically women in the distilling industry and those wanting to get into the industry to offer chance to chat about all things distillery related, sample the latest emissions from the organisers distils and get to know the stories of the women behind them.

Hosted by Kristy Booth Lark from Killara Distillery, who along with her mother, the first lady of Australian Distilling, Lyn Lark shed light on their times building the whisky empire that not only had an immensely positive effect on the Tasmanian distilling scene but became one of the most esteemed whisky houses on international terrain, the event’s presenters included Lorelle Watson from Bellarine Distillery, Genise Hollingworth from Black Gate Distillery and the American Samantha Stephani from Archie Rose.

Proceedings started off with Kristy Booth detailing her journey from being the head distiller of her father’s Lark Distillery before moving from underneath her heritage’s immense shadow taking a leap of faith to start anew and create her own Killara Distillery in Goodwood, Tasmania with a 600-litre copper pot still in 2015.

We have had the pleasure of sampling Killara’s Apothecary Gin before: An excellent spirit based on a foundation of ten different botanicals, housed in a stylish bottle that pays homage to Kristy’s faible for antiques and nostalgia.

Her cane-sugar based vodka proved to be dangerously drinkable. Vodka might not be known for its sip-able qualities, but I can see myself enjoying this by itself without the need for adding further mixers.

What got me mildly excited is the prospect of Killara's first single malt whisky being released in September, albeit in a super limited edition of a mere  bottles made with glass hand-blown in Launceston.  As a teasing taster, Kristy offered an idea of what direction her whisky that has so far been aged for 8 months is taking.  It still has another sixteen months to mature, but it promises to be a big one.

Archie Rose based in Rosebery, NSW was established in 2014 and has since become a veritable force in the distillery scene – both in Australia and internationally. You would be hard pressed to not find the distillery's gins, vodkas, rums and white whiskies on bar menus around Sydney and the reason for it is plain to see: Their trademark Distiller’s Strength Gin, which was proffered tonight, is informed by the flavours of sixteen individually distilled botanicals including fresh pears out of Orange and honey from the distillery's rooftop beehives and, what can I say, is a sheer delight. Representative Samantha Stephani elaborated on her travails from being a college student in the US to scoring a job with the upcoming house of Archie Rose and being catapulted to the forefront of the distilling scene with a distillery whose operations are constantly expanding.

Archie Rose is known for its willingness to experiment and collaborate – merely thinking of Archie Rose’s collaboration with Kaiju! evokes a Pavlovian reaction with your humble narrator – and I hope that we will be able to sample their first rye malt whisky in mid-2019, with a single malt to follow soon afterwards.

Bellarine Distillery was established in 2015 after a trip to Scotland and the founders being inspired by the romance of the Highlands, as the first Distillery on the Bellarine Peninsula and the first in the greater Geelong region.

Tonight’s offering and the discovery of the evening was Teddy and the Fox Gin: Describing it as an aromatic blend of six  botanicals, juniper, coriander, orange, lemon myrtle, orris root and star anise does not do it justice as the end result with its dominant citrus character is much bigger than the sum of its components. One of the most sip-able, aromatic gins I have had the pleasure to taste in a long time. Given their gin, I cannot wait to taste their upcoming whisky expressions, which most definitely will warrant a separate feature.

Black Gate Distillery is a small, husband and wife operation established in 2009 in the Central West of New South Wales. While they produce Single Malt Whisky and Dark Rum, unfortunate tonight only the Rum was on offer.

Genise Hollingworth shared how the big and bold rum with toffee and caramel flavours, made from fermented refinery molasses and double distilled in a traditional all copper, direct fired pot still came to fruition. A formidable tipple, that convinces with its natural flavours as it is devoid of sugars or flavours.

Again, it pained to become cogniscent of the fact that Black Gate Distillery not only does rum, but apparently Single Malt Whisky that was matured in rum casks without being able to taste it. If Black Gate’s rum is anything to go by, it will be a winner for sure.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Water of Life

Sullivans Cove

If you are remotely anything whisky related, the name Sullivans Cove alone will probably give you goose bumps make your hair raise in the best way possible with the World Whisky Awards having awarded the distillery an array of well-deserved accolades

Sullivans Cove's French Oak variety has been repeatedly named the world's best single malt and thereby not only lifted the profile of Tasmanian whiskies and its perception on this earthround but catapulted it into the stratosphere – a feat that has been achieved by the relatively small team manning the operation behind it.

Located a stone’s throw from Hobart’s airport at Cambridge, Sullivans Cove first incarnated three years after Lark Distillery in 1995 – peep our feature on Lark Distillery in a previous instalment of “Water of Life”.

Not unlike Lark Distillery, Sullivans Cove entertains a close relationship with Hobart’s Cascade Brewery, which produces Sullivan’s Cove’s wash. An ingredient that along with exclusively using Tasmanian barley cements Sullivans Cove being proudly ingrained into the local DNA.

Sullivans Cove’s emission of its locally built copper double-distil – she goes by the name of Myrtle -  eventually find their way into different cask variants, with Bourbon and French oak cask being among the more popular ones after they undergo minimum aging process of eleven years enhanced by Tasmania’s dynamic climate:

A trademark of Sullivans Cove, apart from using Tasmania’s pure waters from the surrounding rainforests, is their short distilling cycle, which allows for purer flavours at the sweeter end of the spectrum to be captured and results in a relatively high proof of 146.

Sullivans Cove whiskies have character.

Character that if you forced me to find a common denominators, I’d be happy to define it as one of rustic complexity. The je ne sais quoi factor that enters the equation with Sullivans Cove is that they have never limit themselves to merely superficial age statements: They only release whiskies when they feel that they are ready. For the more inquisitive whisky aficionado information about the alchemy that was channelled in the making of each bottle can be found on a small side tag – information that is further elaborated on with more meticulous info on their website. A testament to their curated, carefully considered production process with each bottle leaving the distillery becoming a unique release.

If you like whisky and have not at least heard of Sullivans Cove’s French Oak Single Malt, you must be in the wrong game: A rich, darkly intense, extraordinary nutty, citrusy whisky that culminates in a finish reminiscent of an amalgamation of cereal oats and grains bedded on a foundation of vanilla. Aged in 300 litre ex-tawny barrels, this one is the cherry on top of each annual Winter Feast visit, the decadent banquet which forms the backbone of the Dark Mofo Winter Festivals, where Sullivans Cove holds court on a regular basis.

While it proves hard to find something faulty with the French Oak Single Cask, even though I am usually more into peated varieties, I have to admit that I prefer the American Oak and concur with Bill Murray, author of the renowned reference Whisky Bible, when he referred to it as “liquid gold”, a label that is mirrored by its matching golden appearance.

Bottled not unlike all of Sullivans Cover’s drops in single barrel releases, its malted barley is aged entirely in used American oak cooperage and the bouquet it offers is something else: A universe in itself – tropical, yet earthy and an array of nuances that form a unique symbiosis: The palate experiences an extension of Sullivans Cove classic and fresh French Oak Single Malt, taking fruity, sweet and juicy flavours a step up with a dominant nuance of honey based on a foundation of malt.

A thing of beauty that is well-balanced and complex to the extent that each sips offers new revelations yet still robust and distinctive.

So far, so good, yet it was not until the (I shall remember the date) at Sullivans Cove’s pop-up incarnation at one of Hobart’s best cocktail lounges, i.e. the gourmet bistro and European inspired Ettie Bar, where Whisky luminary extraordinaire Fred Siggins and his partner-in-crime Daniel Gregory, the Australian bar keeper of the year 2017 who is a delight to watch in action, not only proffered specifically designed concoctions with their own twist, but also had Sullivans Cove’s Special Single Casks in the line-up.

Their Special Single Cask undergo a stringent quality assurance process and only a consensus of their internal tasting panel decides if one will see the light of day outside the confines of the distillery.

Whisky porn par excellence with the side-effect that every time I see a green label on a bottle in a bar, it evokes a Pavlovian reactions and the urge to zoom in to see if one of the few hundred bottles has made it outside Tasmania. If you come across one, treat yourself to this experience (and let me know where to find it).

Oh, Freude schöner Götterfunken – what delight with a finish that leaves you lusting for another sip! Not usually the biggest advocate of exclamation marks in texts, but this one is heartfelt and warranted.

Needless to say that due to the very limited quantities, Sullivans Cove does not come cheap and whatever is adorned by their label and sign of approval is usually instantly bought up by connoisseurs and aficionados around the world, which warrants a visit to Hobart either to their distillery or  whenever Sullivans Cove holds court, be it as part of Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast, where they occupy a designed booth manned by their knowledgeable and charming team and offer an annual limited edition Dark Mofo exclusive Winterfeast bottling, which at times explores some more experimental territory.

Word around the campfire has that Sullivans Cove is launching a Pilot Cask programme for experimental distillery only bottling, for which we have already planned a visit for a future instalment of our “Water of Life” series, which will elaborate on why Sullivans Cove has become known for one of the best whiskies in the world: The fact that all their accolades and successes keep them doing things the slow and hand-made way underpinned by their credo that to create what you would want to drink yourself.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Water of Life

Lark Distillery

Over the last seven years, Tasmania, i.e. antipodean Hobart, has become a home away from home. What started with a flirt with the last stop before Antarctica and then morphed into a full blown love affair with everything remotely connected to what emerged the Museum of Old and New Art’s operations and festivals in 2011, has quickly spread across the wider local arts, artisanal, culinary and specifically whisky scene, due to the purity of the local air, the quality of the natural water that one can actually drink and enjoy and soil which informs and pervades the isolated island’s quality of products.

Long before Tasmania has firmly established itself as the highly coveted and sought after whisky wunderkind on international terrain, I became acquainted with Lark Distillery through a tour of Hobart’s Cascade Brewery and a recommendation of my guide – a recommendation that proved not to be further wondrous as it turned out that Lark initially sourced its barley directly from Cascade Brewery.

Whisky Hall of Famer Bill Lark, who founded Lark Distillery and owned it until in 2013, was the first one to start its operations in Tasmania after John Franklin’s 1839 ban on distilling, in a bid to curb public debauchery and to this day, I have yet to entertain a conversation with any local whisky aficionado without his name not being mentioned with gleaming eyes and full of reverence in the context of being the pillar and starting point for the local industry.

A smooth, richly balanced, complex marriage of unique casks chosen to formulate a profile that covers quite a bit of nuanced territory on the journey a dram takes you through, whose slow and defined crescendo leaves a deeply satisfying feel after each and every sip caressing the palate.

Lark Distillery has established itself with a harbor front cellar front, the visit of which is essential no matter if you pride yourself for being a teetollar or not interested in liquors for the welcoming ambience and prime position alone: It proffers an array of curated whiskeys and other liquors along with local craft brews along with its own range of aged single malts, whisky liqueurs their own gin range.

A sophisticated outlet that is down to earth and has its focus laser-like set on what counts: Welcoming service that is based on a foundation of a wealth of first-hand knowledge.

What gives Lark’s Single Malt a nuance that your humble narrator, who is heavily into whiskeys of the Islay variety, finds hard to resist is that half the Franklin barley that is being used is peated through osmosis in Lark’s own peat bog before being double distilled in their custom-made copper-pot stills.

Another feature of Tasmanian whiskies I have grown to love is that the use of Australian sherry and port casks are the vessels that due to their smaller size, i.e. 100 litre quarter casks, proffers a higher surface-to-whisky volume ratio, in layman’s terms: More oak contact, which is one of the factors that helps reduce the aging process. A trademark of Tasmanian whiskies in general: The aging process  culminates after five to eight years dynamic aging process enhanced by Tasmanian mild winters and warm summers – a climate that proves to be very conducive to the process of distilling whiskies.

But enough of technicalities, let’s delve into Lark Distillery’s liquid emissions:

Reminiscent of what the better Speyside or Scottish Highland whiskeys have to offer, the lightly straw coloured flagship Lark Single Malt instantly won me over.

What a waxy, complex beauty -  a creamy, slightly oily, fruity and sweet flavoured nose is enhanced by the port cask aging, which marries itself with a slightly forestry palate that is immensely enriched with a hint of peat that does not really enter smoke territory, yet gives me enough of a flavour. Tasmanian peat tends also to be milder in nature to the Islay variety – think more eucalyptus than iodine.

A smooth, richly balanced, complex single barrel whiskey that covers quite a bit of nuanced territory on the journey a dram takes you through, whose slow and defined crescendo leaves a deeply satisfying feel after each and every sip caressing the palate.  

Sounds like a symphony?

It is!

A truly great one that, needless to mention, has won an array of international awards, which generated interest to an extent where you better get a hold of Lark whenever you have the opportunity as it tends to be sell out immediately.

Engaging with Lark Distillery luminaries in their natural habitat is a delight in itself: Passion pervades every facet of their operations and I have yet to leave a conversation with not either having learned a wealth of details I was not aware of or getting in-depth answers that shed light on why Lark Distillery is considered to be one of the best distilleries in the world.

Apart from their core range of whiskies, Lark has recently embarked onto gin territory. Not unlike their approach to making whisky, the focus is on Tasmanian ingredients, i.e. native spices to create a clear, refined and elegant gin and results in what has become known and esteemed as the hand stilled Forty Spotted. Based on a foundation of the gin staples juniper berry, coriander and lemon peel to create a traditional London Dry style, the incorporation of the wild Tasmanian Mountain Pepper berry, which imbues Forty Spotted with a unique spiciness and richness without overpowering it, makes it a very sippable potion that can easily be enjoyed near with its exquisite warming finish.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Smash Brothers

Kogarah, Australia

“Break room” in a nine-to-five existence might be limited to the confines where lunch and coffee is had and the latest office gossip is spread.

Smash Brothers took it more literally: A room where one breaks things to release stress, let off steam and unleash the beast in a controlled environment without running danger of being apprehended for your actions or having to clean up the mess you leave behind all while being serenaded by your favourite tunes.

After entering Smash Brothers’ etablissement in the backyard of an industrial area of southern Sydney, the attentive and helpful staff equips you with a boiler suit, helmet, vise guard and a metal baseball bat to ward off any loose shrapnel before you are sent on your way to vent your frustrations.

Sounds basic, appealing to your lower instinct and not exactly constructive?

Well, that is the point – anger and stress management taken to the most primal level, resulting in the same outcome, i.e. deflecting and channeling physical arousal that anger can cause.

While hitting up Smash Brothers is of course not going to cure the roots of stress and anger and while for most of you wreaking havoc and putting the steel capped front of your Doc Martens to use is not unknown and was probably a rite of passage during your formative years as a young delinquent, it certainly is a fun activity to unleash your inner beast in a controlled environment with sessions typically lasting between 15-30 minutes. Depending on how much effort you put into it, the session can also serve as a bit of a physical workout.

All items, e.g. glassware, TV’s, toasters, bottles, cups, plates, blenders, etc., are usually sourced from restaurants, scrapyards or eBay and the remnants are being recycled after each day of mayhemic performances.

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Photo by @k.a.vv

Brew A Batch

Christopher Sidwa

Murdoch Books

Unless you are a teetotaller, who does not like a good brew, be it a regional Lager, Pale Ale or a Craft Beer with more exotic ingredients?

Right –so how about taking it one step further, i.e. brewing it at home and bottling your own idiosyncratic batch of liquid goodness?

Don’t know how?

Beer luminary extraordinaire Christopher Sidwa to the rescue!

Christopher Sidwa has the ideal credentials to give advice on how to get things started and going. Being one of the spearheads and founders of the local, wildly Batch Brewing Co., an entity that we had the pleasure of recently visiting for a feature as part of our on-going Thus Let Us Drink Beer series, Christopher takes you by the hand and gives detailed tested and tried information on how he started his own empire and how yours cold stake its first baby steps.

Sidwa also provides nuanced input on the nitty gritty of brewing with elaborations on assuring that your batch is on track via hints on approaches to tasting. Drawing on his vast experience and not shy to point out mistakes beginners are prone to make, because he has made them as well, you can avoid them by referring to the resource he has created.

Batch A Brew is accessible for novices and what makes it an engaging read is that Sidwa manages to even infuse the drier theoretical and scientific parts of the genesis of beer brewing with enough liveliness to give an impulse to do more research.

A guidebook from a craft beer manufacturer that, having originally started as a home brewer, has accomplished the creation of his own brewery that apart from its core range is very much focused on both experimentation and explorations of exotic flavours., and hereby bestows the gift of his passion for everything beer related on you.