Archie Rose has revealed that its long awaited first Single Malt Whisky, is finally coming and will be released on Monday 28 September.
Master Distiller, Dave Withers, revealed that the Single Malt features a six-malt mash bill, which each contribute to the final flavour profile. Many whiskies will use one or two malts, but Withers said that while the Archie Rose mash bill is very low yielding it does provide the whisky with a richer and more expressive flavour.
“Malt is such a fundamental part of our conversation about whisky,” Withers said.
“It is our conviction that whisky starts life in the field, not the distillery, and a successful fermentation, distillation or maturation is only as good as the malt you start with. As distillers it is our duty to nurture the natural flavours of the malt and through innovative production methods highlight the broad spectrum of flavours that can be unlocked.”
Archie Rose founder, Will Edwards, added: “Working with these specialty roasted malts is incredibly challenging. From a processing and cost perspective, a heavily roasted chocolate malt typically yields approximately 10-15 times less spirit per tonne than a high-yielding traditional distilling malt, but the sacrifice in efficiency is absolutely worth it for the incredible flavours they contribute.”
The six malt mash bill includes Australian Pale Malt, Peated Malt, Australian Amber Malt, Caramel Malt, Aromatic Roasted Malt and Local NSW Chocolate Malt.
The whisky has been predominantly aged in 100, 200 and 300-litre Australian apera (Sherry) casks, with a selection of ex-Bourbon barrels as well as Archie Rose’s own 36-moth air dried, ex-rye casks.
These barrels have each been coopered with a balance of char and toast, and as Withers explained, toasting is an unusual addition to spirit aging.
“Toasting casks is well understood in the wine world but less thoroughly explored in distilling. 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,” he said.
Whisky fans across Australia have been anticipating the Single Malt release from Archie Rose, but Edwards said it was important to the whole team that this spirit was not rushed.
“Our vision for whisky has always been to speak of our experience as Australians,” Edwards said.
“We grow some of the best grain in the world and process some of the most innovative and unique malts, and so we wanted to create a distinct, charming and flavoursome spirit which showcased the regional character of the malts it is made up of, complemented by the best quality oak available, utilising both toast and char.
“We’ve spent an enormous amount of time in research and development and, as is obvious from the six-year gap from commencing distilling to releasing this whisky, we had no intention of rushing a spirit to market as quickly as possible. We took our time, refined our processes, waited for the spirit to be at its best and believe we have made something truly unique, that speaks to the land and materials it was created from.”
The “1st Batch” of the whisky will be available for purchase via a ballot allocation, which opens 9am 27 August and closes 8.59am 23 September. Or from midday 28 September from the Archie Rose Bar & Cellar Door in Rosebery, Sydney and through the distillery’s online store.