By Stefanie Collins, editor bars&clubs
Sydney’s first distillery in 150 years, Archie Rose Distilling Co. in Rosebery, is giving fans of their spirits the chance to customise their own gin, vodka and whisky, right down to having their name on the label.
The web-based program has been developed to allow drinkers to try their hand at spirit creation via a custom application that has been developed to guide people through the process.
According to founder and owner, Will Edwards, the program has been in the works for some time.
“Every day we are lucky enough to be able to play with pure botanical distillates, unique malts and rare casks to create our spirits’ flavour profiles, and thought ‘why should we be the ones having all the fun designing spirits?’” he says. “It was a natural progression to go down this route and give people the opportunity to get really involved in the distilling process, which we are so passionate about.”
Designing a Tailored Vodka or Gin begins with selecting up to five of the distillery’s botanical distillates – the intensity of each is then chosen to create a unique flavour profile – and finishes with the personalisation of the bottle with a custom made label.
The next level up from there, is the creation of a Tailored Whisky, which allows for the creation of a barrel of entirely unique whisky, with the added option of being present on site to assist in the actual making of the whisky. Almost every aspect is customisable – from the choice of Single Malt Whisky or Rye Whisky, to the custom made 20, 50 or 100 litre cask of any wood type the Archie Rose cooper has available (including New American Oak, French Oak, Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Port and Ex-Sherry). The levels of peat or smokiness are also customisable with a selection of peated or wood smoked malts, among others, available.
The option doesn’t come cheap – prices start at $4000 for a 20 litre cask – however, the cask will have the creator’s name stencilled on it before it is stored, on display, in the rack in the Archie Rose bar until it’s matured. The Archie Rose production manager and head distiller will manage the maturation process. And to keep punters across how their product is maturing, the distillery will send them annual 200ml samples to “create a library of your whisky’s maturation”, though if the owner makes an appointment, they can taste a sample right from the cask, in-house.
At the end of the years-long process, the Tailored Whisky will be bottled at the owner’s desired strength with batch details listed on the personalised label. Six bottles of the final product will be presented in a handmade wooden Archie Rose crate with full brewing and distillation notes, one bottle of filtered water used in the production of the whisky, and two Glencairn glasses. The remaining bottles will be packed in Archie Rose cases with an option to keep the empty cask as well.
The Tailored Vodka will retail for $84, the Tailored Gin for $89, while the Tailored Whisky begins at $4000 for a 20L Cask.
Tailored Spirits by Archie Rose will be available online from Monday 2 November.