Morris Australian Single Malt Signature Whisky, Rutherglen VIC, 40% ABV ($95)Made with Australian barley and aged in ex-wine barrels prior to finishing in Morris fortified casks. Whether you're drinking scotch or Australian whisky, there has never been this many products in the market to explore." Five (moderately) affordable Australian whiskies (all in 700ml bottles) "But it is a challenge for bars to be able to afford to pour some of these whiskies at a price a consumer is willing to pay."Īdds Low: "I think it's a really exciting time to be a whisky drinker in Australia. "Our distillers have won world's best awards over many years," he says. "More than that, the price point is amazing."Īlex Gondzioulis of Sydney venue The Wild Rover says price remains the biggest barrier for Australian whisky, which has already proven its quality on the world stage. "I've been lucky enough to get a sample and it's good stuff," he says. Kelvin Low, owner of The Elysian Whisky Bar in Fitzroy, Victoria, welcomed Morris's entry to the Australian whisky scene. People don't have access to these sort of casks normally, and the expertise of the team at Morris in maturing fortified wines is simply world-renowned." We've played with it to get the perfect spirit to make a great whisky. "The resources that I had to make the perfect premium whisky were amazing," says Peck. Morris Australian Single Malt Signature Whisky ($95 RRP) joins Nova Single Malt ($96 RRP) from Melbourne distiller Starward as the only Australian single malts you can buy with a $100 note.Ĭopper & Grain has retained veteran Scotch distiller John McDougall to assist Morris head distiller Darren Peck, formerly of Diageo, to refine its production processes. "A lot of Australian single malts are at the higher end of the market and therefore not accessible to people who want to try them," he says. With many pricing their wares upwards of $200 for a 500ml bottle, Australian whisky remains largely confined to the domain of enthusiasts, according to Copper & Grain's Michael Sergeant. While Australian whisky has grown strongly over the last 12 months, the local industry remains largely comprised of micro-distillers that are way too small to compete on price with the big Glens of Scottish single malt. "Then you look at whisky and we have all the ingredients, but we don't have serious local competition for the imports." With its resources and financial backing, Copper & Grain is able to produce whisky at a scale that allows more economical pricing. "Australia is strongly self-sufficient when you look at beer and wine," Casella observes. Photo: Chris Hopkinsīest known for its critter wine juggernaut Yellow Tail, Casella has made great strides into premium wine, brewing and now whisky over the past decade. Kelvin Low, owner of Fitzroy's Elsyian Whisky Bar with the new Morris whisky release and other Australian whiskies. "We have a family brewery that could create the whisky wash, and we had thousands more wine barrels in our business that we could re-configure for whisky," Casella adds. "But when we walked through the place, there was this lovely old still that hadn't been used for 30 or 40 years, and barrels that dated back to the 1800s."Ĭopper & Grain Distilling Co, a new subsidiary of Casella Family Brands, has this month launched Morris Whisky, giving a new lease of life to the 162-year-old Morris family winery. "The acquisition was made to save an Australian icon," he says. Making whisky hadn't occurred to John Casella when he stepped in to buy renowned fortified winemaker, Morris of Rutherglen, in 2016.
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