On International Women’s Day every year, the voices and stories of women across the world are celebrated, as we address the issues that cause gender inequality and diversity. But despite these issues remaining, such voices and stories take a backseat once the day is done.
We think it’s worth doing the opposite and actively challenging the issues that create these gaps in our industry. So, we’ve launched this weekly series, Wednesday Women, where we’ll profile the stories of the inspiring women in this great and wide industry.
Today we speak with Ally Ayres, co-owner and head distiller of Karu Distillery, located in NSW on the Hawkesbury River.
In 2018, Ayres co-founded Karu Distillery along with her husband Nick, inspired by their mutual love of spirits.
“My husband and I both had different jobs to what we are doing now, and he predominantly worked nights while I had a nine to five. We weren’t really seeing each other that much, but he worked in the city, so we would hang out in bars and have cocktails.
“When the Sydney lockout laws came into effect, venues weren’t allowed to open so late, so we basically never saw each other. Then, we changed the back of our house into a dive bar just for us. We originally thought it would be cool if we opened a bar, but decided it might be a bit much, but when we were having a glass of whisky, we wondered if we could make spirits,” she said.
Ayres began traveling to different distilleries to learn about how they operated, and determining if it was a viable option for the pair. Eventually, they both took a distillery course in Tasmania, which provided hands on experience as well as practical business information. Ayres said the course solidified her decision to open Karu Distillery.
“Basically, it was to give you experience, but also scare you off a little bit. We didn’t get scared off. We realized that distilling was what we needed to do.”
Bringing home the gold
Karu Distillery’s first release was Affinity Gin, which was well received from the beginning, and has since won Best Gin at the 2023 Las Vegas Spirit Awards.
“One of the biggest misconceptions is that we made gin so we could make money before we released our aged spirits. That is absolutely not the case. We fell in love with gin and its infinite possibilities. There’s no one gin out there for everybody,” Ayres said.
Since then, Karu has released a range of gins, flavour-forward vodkas, and rum, all of which have been well received.
“I’ve fallen more and more in love with different kinds of spirits. We started off loving things like whisky, tequila, and mezcal, but we’ve actually only made a small amount of whisky and been sidetracked with other spirits,” Ayres said.
For Ayres, entering into awards is a way for Karu Distillery to support the Australian distilling industry.
“There are so many amazing Australian spirits and producers out there that we genuinely love. We want to see them do really well. We also want to solidify the fact that Australia has the best quality spirits and we do something truly special on the global spirits stage,” she said.
“That’s why we enter so many awards, so that we can have the evidence that Australia contributes to the global industry. When we win, it’s not just an accolade for us, but an accolade for all of Australia. It solidifies us as the place where you get the best of the best.”
First rum release
One of Australia’s youngest distillery owners, Ayres has been shortlisted twice for the IWSC Emerging Talent in Spirits award, first in 2022, and most recently in 2024.
“That award recognised both success and accolades, as well as what people do outside of their job title. The people that win that award are really impressive, so it was exciting to be shortlisted. I listed the things I do outside of my typical job title and where I go the extra mile, and I ended up being shortlisted. It solidified my position in the industry and helped people take me more seriously,” she said.
Alongside the first Emerging Talent nomination, 2022 was a milestone year for Ayres as it was the year of Karu Distillery’s first rum release, and the birth of Ayres’ first child.
During her pregnancy, Ayres’ relationship with the product had to change, as she could not taste the spirits she was producing.
“I was still distilling rum, and I was training an assistant at the time. It was hard to teach her without being able to taste anything with her. I had to manoeuvre away from that, and I used a perfumery trick. Because your skin is a porous organ, I would get distillate off the still, rub it on my skin, and determine if I could smell any off notes,” she said.
Despite not having personally tasted the product, Ayres was still heavily involved in the release of Karu’s rum.
“I was lucky that the ABV had only changed by one point from the time that I’d left the project on the tasting side. I had been very personally involved in the project, so it only made sense for me to be on the forefront of showing people this rum.”
Vision for the future
Describing Karu Distillery as her dream, Ayres has put in substantial effort to continue that dream, from staffing the cellar door herself to bailing out water from a flooded distillery floor while heavily pregnant.
“As a business owner, you put in so much extra work because no one cares about your company as much as you do. It’s my dream. Our staff really hustle hard every day to help that dream become a reality, which I’m ever so thankful for, but I have to put in a lot of hard hours, which is especially tough when your body is supposed to be resting,” she said.
Passionate about the industry, Ayres is pleased to see distilling being taken more seriously as a career path, and the new talent that are choosing to enter the industry.
“When I started, distilling wasn’t even something that many people thought of as a real job. It’s great to see ads for distiller jobs, and for people to realise that it’s a career option and a path that people can take and haven’t been taken seriously. There’s an influx of really talented women coming into that space as well, and it’s great to see the men of the industry being very supportive of that,” she said.
When asked about major goals, Ayres intends to continue growing Karu Distillery, and hopes to be an example of the quality of Australian distilling for years to come.
“I really want to work towards being a modern heritage brand in Australia. Craft distilling in Australia is fairly new, when you compare it to other countries. As an industry, we self-taught ourselves everything, especially the hands-on stuff. When I’m dead and gone, I still want our brand to be there. We still want to be on the market and seen as a respected and trusted brand for being around so long.”