Gareth's very first visit to Whisky & Alement involved Luke McCarthy sneaking him in upstairs where Brian Hollingworth from Black Gate was presenting his fine single malts. Whisky & Alement have possibly the most diverse collection, and knowledgeable staff in Melbourne. This is due to the drive and philosophy of two leading bar owners in [...]
That evening with Seb Costello at Bad Frankie has always felt like a sliding door moment for us. It set in motion the meeting of many new Melbourne faces who have grown our knowledge and love of whisky. After visiting Kelvin and Yao at Elysian Whisky Bar, Gareth caught an Uber with Luke McCarthy to [...]
Launching into a new venture of any sort invokes different reactions from those around you. Some openly display doubt, others are cautionary...then there those extraordinary ones who are encouraging and inspirational. For us, Robert Schrapel from Bethany Wines has been that extraordinary person. Without him there would not have been a Fleurieu whisky. Robert [...]
In our 'Barrels of Gratitude' series we are highlighting people who have made an impact on our business and more particularly on our personal whisky journey. Today we are celebrating Kelvin Low and Yao Wong. Cheers guys! Gareth met Kelvin Low after his first trade presentation at Bad Frankie (Thanks again Seb!). Afterwards Kelvin was [...]
The closures and quieter weeks have also had benefits in being able to tackle and complete projects with less distractions. Fleurieu Distillery’s chief cook and bottle washer created a new ‘toy’ for us. This twelve head bottle washer is the latest innovation from the ingenuity of one Gareth Andrews and his programming and plumbing prowess. [...]
It seems only fitting we begin the Barrels of Gratitude with Seb Costello. Making any Australian based spirit in an emerging industry is one thing. To connect in authentic way with your audience in another. Having someone someone brave enough to focus their whole business solely on Australian spirits in this sort of environment and [...]
Famous couples, Presidents, well known dogs... these are some of the series of named barrels at Fleurieu Distillery. The reason for this is threefold: 1. It is a huge amount of fun! 2. The name is an indicator of the type or size of barrel. 3. It is much easier to find a name than [...]
In these crazy days of closures and solitude, Fleurieu Distillery received some happy news... The American Distilling Institute Awards for 2020 were able to complete the judging of spirits in this International Competition this year and have announced the results. All three Fleurieu whiskies entered this year were awarded medals. This good news comes amidst [...]
Each year the Australian Distillers' Association hold its national conference in a different location around Australia. It consists of two full days and a great deal of fun. One day is usually dedicated to developing professional knowledge and keeping abreast of new industry developments and practices, while the second day is an exploration day. Distillers [...]
Taking advantage of being away in a wonderful seaside location, I made sure I was up early enough to enjoy glorious sunrises and beach walks earlier before beginning the days at the Australian Distillers Conference at Mantra on Salt Beach. This year the Conference was held just across the border of Queensland in northern New [...]
