When we think of a distillery, we often imagine old men in beards and open shirts, roaming the Scottish Highlands and creating infusions with hundred-year-old recipes. This notion is still very much alive but there is also a new generation of distillers who are creating new recipes by mixing the old with the new.
This is the case with Archie Rose Gin Distillery, the first independent distillery in Sydney in over a 160 years. There is something very raw about this place − very fresh and organic, rather than mechanical. Will Edwards, the founder of Archie Rose, explains that he was interested in spirits from a very young age when he was still a teen. Still, it was only when he was working as a managing consultant that he kept going in search of something that was, “very tangible, and very basic,” as he explains in his own words.
After travelling to several countries and visiting distillers, Edwards knew what he wanted to do but he could not figure out why a distillery had not been opened in Sydney in over a century and a half. Six months of research led to no particular reason that would stop him from opening his own distillery and with that, Edwards quit his job and worked on establishing Archie Rose by travelling to Tasmania and gathering his team.
Despite the difficulties to creating a distillery, the Archie Rose team defied such road blocks by turning to professionals who had done this before them, and so they learned, “from the ground up,” the art of making spirits. One contributing factor creating the raw element at Archie Rose is the distillery equipment, which was all made by hand. Edwards explains how the “finest copper” brought in from Scandinavia was used, and he is “proud to say Archie Rose has three of the most unique copper pot stills in the world.”
Choosing craftsman Peter Bailly, who made all of the equipment, except for the washbacks and grist mill, Edwards explains how Archie Rose has “a grassroots culture of creating things by hand – right through to the bottling and labelling” of their spirits on site. It took a whole year to have all of the equipment ready on site, and now, 18 months later, Archie Rose is finally producing Gin, Vodka and White Rye, as well as preparing casks for Single Malt and Rye Whisky to deliver in the coming years.
The distillery is run by a young team who bring the life and excitement to the distillery trade. Sitting just three meters away from the distillery is Archie Rose’s bar where visitors can enjoy the full range of Archie Rose’s spirits, as well as some unreleased products. The bar also offers a range of beers and wines “curated by one of Australia’s best young sommeliers − James Audas.”
In a culture where people love to drink and meet up in bars, Archie Rose Distilling co. is a much needed place where Australians can turn a simple night out at the bar into a sensory experience for their palate.
