Act of Treason, the all-Australian agave spirit developed in Queensland with a pioneering new era of agave plant has finally arrived, with bottles available to buy from today.
The inaugural First Harvest Blanco from the agave spirit farm and distillery in Queensland’s Whitsundays, which is home to more than 600,000 Agave tequilana, the same plant that has been used in the distillation of a certain Mexican spirit, which this is not, but it can be used in surprisingly similar ways.
With this Act of Treason launch you can now create all-Australian Margaritas, offer it to you customers to sip slowly or use in many other popular cocktails.
Act of Treason has been grown and developed by Top Shelf International, and CEO Trent Fraser spoke about the opportunities for the brand.
“Act of Treason symbolises the pioneering spirit of a project that will create a new region of agave spirit. The Dry Tropics of north Queensland are the ideal place for that to occur,” Trent said.
“Like many other producers, we feel there is an opportunity for agave to be shared with the world and for others to put their distinctive imprint on a category that continues to surge in popularity in Australia and overseas.
“Act of Treason has joined the new global era of agave. We’re approaching this as an opportunity to create something new and expand the horizons of a category that has been geographically limited for centuries. In many ways it’s no different to the evolution wine underwent three decades ago.
“If some feel that we’re being treasonous, then so be it. The greater crime would be not doing it all.”
The agave farm is located in the Queensland dry tropics, which brings its own terroir to the spirit, and while the plant used is Blue Weber Agave, the ones on this farm come from plants grown at a plantation in Ayr, Queensland. These plants have subsequently been acclimated to Australia, specifically Queensland’s dry tropical north, making them True Blue Aussie Agave.
The agronomy practices at the farm are industry-leading and producing plant growth and sugar levels ahead of schedule, while the distillery has been designed and built solely to create the best expression of Australian agave spirit possible.
Master distiller Sebastian Reaburn is understandably excited by the project and the spirit, see him talk about the production of the spirit in this video:
The tasting notes from Top Shelf describe a nose of “citrus and cut grass, lots of cooked agave and lime peel. Shy tropical fruit, peach and pineapple hints”. The palate affords “sweet cooked agave, lime peel and cut grass, then a smooth savoury agave character through the middle. Long finish with agave, baked citrus peel, and lingering sweet lime”.
Act of Treason has already attracted the attention of spirits judges. In the lead up to launch, trial spirit was entered into the Australian Distilled Spirit Awards in mid 2023 where it was awarded a Gold Medal and Trophy for Alternative Spirit Of The Year.
Act of Treason is available from today to purchase from the brand’s website, www.actoftreason.com.au, or through your local Top Shelf International representative.