They’re finally here, and worth the wait. The first taste of an Archie Rose aged whisky, our Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky, will be released on 27 June as a limited edition, single batch of eight Australian Apera (Sherry) casks yielding 1,148 bottles under the Archie Rose Concepts label, reserved for the rarest and most interesting releases. This will be followed by the release of our first core range Rye Malt Whisky from 1 August, nearly five years on from when we first began making whisky, gin, vodka and rum. Suffice to say, we’re pretty excited.

The only whisky of its kind in Australia, Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky pairs chocolate roasted rye with rare malted rye to yield flavours of caraway, mint, shortbread, violets, hot chocolate and fruit jams with Australian Apera (Sherry) casks adding notes of dried fruits and sultanas, neatly complementing the biscuity, creamy and chocolate flavours of the base spirit.

“We’re all whisky obsessives over here. For us to be releasing a whisky, five years on from when we first began making whisky, gin, vodka and rum is huge,” says founder, Will Edwards, and we couldn’t agree more.

“Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky gives an insight into our earliest explorations of roasted rye malts - which are challenging with quite low yields, but unmatched flavour. Making whisky has been our most intensive project and largest R&D commitment so far, and our Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky is an incredible first showcase of how we innovate and challenge ourselves to create incredible whiskies,” says Will.

But, whisky lovers, that’s not all. August will see us release Rye Malt Whisky as part of our core range, one of four batches set to be released in 2019. Already awarded Best Australian Whisky at the IWSC Awards in London 2018 and the consumer-voted Spirits International Prestige (SIP) Awards in California 2019 (judged from work-in-progress cask samples), our Rye Malt Whisky is truly unique, using selectively sourced rare malted rye and the finest malted barley from progressive malt houses, paired with virgin American oak casks air-dried for 36 months, all maturing in the maritime air of coastal Sydney.

“Our vision for whisky has always been to speak of our experience as Australians,” says Will Edwards. “We want to craft a distinct, charming and flavoursome spirit which showcases the regional character of the malts it is made up of, complemented by great quality oak.”

“At Archie Rose we’re passionate about grain being the fundamental building block to our whiskies. We believe whisky starts its life in the field rather than the distillery, and so we’re working with Australian growers in Griffith who are reviving heritage malt strains to not only support our own product but ensure the growth of the Australian whisky industry all together,” says Master Distiller, Dave Withers.

“We’re the only ones doing this,” says Dave, “which means we will hopefully secure the NSW grain supply, which is pretty special,” he says. “A successful fermentation, distillation or maturation can only be so because the grain you start with is fit for purpose.”

For our head of hospitality, Harriet Leigh: “The Rye Malt Boulevardier is the drink of the year. Mark my words.”

Archie Rose Chocolate Rye Malt Whisky will be available 27 June from our bar at Archie Rose Distilling Co. in Rosebery, Sydney and via our website.

Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky “1st Batch” will be available for purchase via a ballot allocation launching on 4 July and drawn on 29 July or from 1 August via our website and our bar at Archie Rose Distilling Co. in Rosebery, Sydney.

Sign up to Archie’s Journal for first access to sales and the Rye Malt Whisky ballot.