Skip to content

About Login / Subscribe

Search for

MENUMENU

Stories
Whisky Reviews
Distilleries
Australian Whisky Archive

Subscribe

The native grain project attempting to redefine Australian whisky

Luke McCarthy - June 5, 2020

Feature Stories

Share
Tweet

Sacha La Forgia's Native Grain Whiskey is a game changer for the Australian whisky environment.

Subscribe or login to view this post.

Related Posts

Singular origins: Australian whisky and place

February 10, 2025

Discover Australian whiskies from right across the country that offer up a vivid expression of time and place.
Three new Smith’s Angaston single malt whiskies unveiled

August 26, 2024

Editor Luke McCarthy explores Smith’s Angaston’s newest batch of single malt whiskies: Bourbon Cask, New French Oak and Muscat Cask.
Top 10 Australian whiskies of 2023

December 31, 2023

The Oz Whisky Review team select their picks for Australia’s best whisky releases of 2023.

Subscribe or login to view this post.
Tasmanian Whisky Week 2023: the trends, the triumphs, the takeaways

September 03, 2023

Editor Luke McCarthy reports on Tasmanian Whisky Week 2023. Catch-up on all the latest from the Tasmanian scene with this deep dive into the weeklong celebration.

Subscribe or login to view this post.
Whisky festivals are back, booming and finally getting a refresh

April 16, 2023

Whisky festivals are back in action. And while editor Luke McCarthy has had reservations about the festival circuit in the past, a number of new whisky shows have him excited for the future.

Subscribe or login to view this post.
Hunter Island Pot Still Whisky unveiled – a Tasmanian take on Ireland’s signature style

February 25, 2023

Damian and Madeleine Mackey launch Hunter Island Tasmanian Pot Still Whisky, their take on Ireland’s renowned Irish single pot still style.

#ozwhiskyreview

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 17878689414108441

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 18025723996820159

The new Archie Rose Heritage Red Gum Single Malt Whisky has landed.

This remarkable whisky was matured in native red gum casks that previously held Australian wine since the 1930s. On top of that, Archie Rose’s master distiller Dave Withers has an incredible connection to the history of these casks.

Editor @lukemccarthyau has been writing about the native wood whisky trend for a number of years, and he reckons this new Archie Rose red gum malt is a genuine progression of the style.

For the full chat, hit the link in our bio for an in-depth review of what will likely become one of the most talked about Australian whiskies of 2024.

- Image: Archie Rose Distilling Co.

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 18020834173800796

Top 10 Australian whiskies of 2023.

It’s that time of year again, and it’s been such a pleasure to look back on the best and brightest whisky releases of 2023.

For the Oz Whisky Review team’s top whiskies of the year, we keep things pretty simple. Our top 10 are drawn from categories like best single malt, best rye, best corn whisky, peated whisky, blended whisky, best bang for your buck whisky… you get the idea.

As always, there were some heated arguments and disagreements on the final list, and feel free to let us know what your top picks of 2023 were.

A huge thank you to everyone for coming on the journey again this year, particularly to our amazing contributors Ev Liong @queen_ofthe_dram and Julian White from @whiskyandalement.

Special thanks go out to our subscribers for your support, and a big shout-out to all the producers and people who make Australian whisky happen – we’ve had an awesome time sharing your stories and tasting your fantastic work this year.

Hit the link in our bio for the full article and final list.

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 18026569882700308

Review: South Australian whisky tour 2023.

To round out our recent deep dive into South Australian whisky, editor Luke McCarthy looks at 10 whiskies that show how rapidly the scene is progressing in SA.

From whiskies matured in ancient fortified casks, even red gum casks, to innovative approaches with mash bills and ‘terroir’ malts, there’s a lot to like in this snapshot of the South Australian whisky scene.

Link in our bio for the full rundown.

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 18024466384851049

The South Australian distilling industry is booming. Over 100 distilleries can be found in South Australia today, and over two dozen of them are making whisky.

But, unbeknown to many, South Australia has a long, mostly forgotten history of whisky production stretching back to the free colony’s earliest days. Some of the state’s most iconic wine names including @penfolds, @yalumbawine and @seppeltsfield have all made whisky in former eras, and the remnants of SA whisky distilleries can still be seen today (when you know where to look).

To find out what happened to these long-lost distilleries and their whiskies, dive into the story of whisky making in the wine state in our latest long read. Link in bio.

📷 - State Library of South Australia:

- Seppeltsfield Distillery, 1896
- Engelbrecht’s Pioneer Distillery, approx. 1890
- The Phoenix Distillery at Stepney, 1880
- Milne & Co employees, 1900

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 18003950165055000

First Look: Kilderkin Goldfields Single Malt Whisky.

Ballarat’s Kilderkin Distillery have just unveiled their inaugural five year old Goldfields Single Malt Whisky.

Kilderkin was the first distillery in the Ballarat region since the closure of the incredible Warrenheip Distillery in the 1930s, a famed ghost distillery that once produced some of the finest malt whisky in the country.

Today, Kilderkin are flying the Ballarat malt whisky flag once again, and here we’ve got a review of their first bottling.

Link in our bio for the full story.

Photo – @medadesignau

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 17981527685569382

“Unlike any sherry cask whisky you’ve come across before…”

Following Morris Whisky's recent launch of Smoked Sherry Barrel – a bold follow-up to their Smoked Muscat bottling – editor Luke McCarthy explores the new dry sherry smoke bomb that's bound to polarise peated whisky fans.

Link in our bio for the full review.

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 17972640938429533

Review: Hellyers Road all grown up – 21 Year Old American Oak and Voyager Cask 19 Year Old.

The Hellyers Road American Oak 21 Year Old Cask Strength bottling was recently released, and it's certainly a levelling up in age and price from one of Tasmania's oldest distilleries.

Here we put the new bottling through its paces alongside the Hellyers Road Voyager Cask 19 Year Old, and clear-up some curious historical claims while we’re at it.

Link in our bio for the full review.

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 17887010306919715

New Release: South Australians have a new single malt whisky to celebrate with the release of Barossa Distilling Co's Gallus Single Malt Whisky.

Six years in the making, this first single malt from Barossa Distilling's Neil Bullock was initially matured in ex-Bourbon and tawny casks before being finished in a Saury French oak Muscat cask sourced from a local Barossa winery.

Hit the link in our bio for the full story behind the release plus a review of the inaugural bottling.
.
.
.
- Image: @barossadistillingco

Link to display lightbox

Instagram post 17971151954419837

The new $85 Archie Rose Double Malt Whisky has arrived.

What does the release mean for the Australian whisky industry? How does it taste, how does it mix, and will bars and retailers get behind it?

Editor Luke McCarthy talked to Archie Rose master distiller Dave Withers to get the lowdown on one of the biggest Australian whisky releases of the year.

Link in our bio for the full story and review.
.
.
.
Image - @archierosesyd

Latest Reviews

23rd Street Kangaroo Island Barley

December 12, 2023 82
Woodwater Distillery Red Gum Single Malt WHisky

December 12, 2023 80
Fleurieu Hunting of the Snark Single Malt Whisky

December 12, 2023 92
The Bird Single Malt Whisky

December 12, 2023 89

Oz Whisky Review is an independent online magazine for anyone curious about the Australian whisky industry. We taste and write about whisky through a creative, critical and honest lens, and revel in bringing you the stories and histories behind this fascinating industry.

About
Advertise

Categories

Stories
Whisky Reviews
News
Distilleries
Interviews

Contact

info@ozwhiskyreview.com.au

Sign up to our Newsletter

Get whisky reviews in your inbox.

Email*
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

Stay Connected

Follow us on the socials #ozwhiskyreview

Copyright © Oz Whisky Review 2025. All Rights Reserved / BSO Digital

Terms & Conditions