Archie Rose is releasing two new spirits, a whisky and a gin, in its Harvest Series, which celebrates unique produce and growers around Australia.
The two new releases are Lemon-Scented Gum Gin Harvest 2021 and Single Paddock Whisky Harvest 2018, which is the first whisky to be released as part of the Harvest Series.
The whisky is made with heritage rye, which was dry grown in challenging 2018 drought conditions by the Whytcross family in Barellan, NSW. The whisky, described as “a drop for serious whisky lovers” is unfiltered and at natural cask strength.
Archie Rose Master Distiller, Dave Withers said: “The rye grown in this particular paddock of Ken and Shirley Whytcross is a beautiful, inherently Australian site.
“The rye is dry grown without irrigation in red ochre earth under a big blue sky and surrounded by eucalypts, we wanted to capture this in the bottle.”
Founder, Will Edwards added: “As the first in a series of Harvest whiskies, we’re excited to kick off the process of showcasing the potential and diversity of Australian-grown grain and malt at Archie Rose, which year on year, change dramatically.
“The raw materials we use in our spirits are absolutely integral, whether they be grains or botanicals. Through our Harvest series we can hero these growers, providores, foragers and regions as a true expression of the ingredients and provenance behind our spirits.”
The Lemon-Scented Gum Gin Harvest 2021 is the third edition in the Harvest Series and features individually distilled lemon scented gum, emerald green finger lime and single estate coriander seed. The gin is described as an “intensely juniper-forward, powerful gin, for lovers of Archie Rose Bone Dry Gin”.
Withers said: “Unlike other botanicals used in the series, the lemon-scented gum leaves were distilled fresh — not dried as most botanicals are — so as to not lose some of the soul and complexity often subdued in the drying process.
“This made it tricky to transport to the distillery but the results are worth it. This gin is as nostalgic and refreshing as a lemonade icy pole with notes of lime sherbert, apple blossom and pine, underpinned by mango and eucalyptus lollies, with emerald green finger lime, juniper, coriander seed and orris root rounding things out.”
“We view the raw materials we use in our spirits as paramount,” Edwards said. “This gin is more than the sum of its parts and represents, in the bottle, how anything harvested with care and consideration, whether it be grain or botanical, can and should be celebrated.
“Bunyip Hollow was lucky 2021 was a year largely without fire or flood, and for that we’re grateful as their lemon scented gum has an exceptional and aromatically complex character, and captures the bounty of the Australian harvest perfectly.”
Both the whisky ($249.99RRP) and the gin ($89.99RRP) are available through the Archie Rose website and cellar door as well as all good bars and bottle shops.