Archie Rose Distilling opened a new whiskey distillery in Banksmeadow, Sydney, Australia, in November 2020.

Located 4km south of Archie Rose’s original site in Rosebery, the new distillery in Australia will allow the company to increase the production capacity of whiskies, rums, gins, vodkas and other spirits.

The new facility was designed by the company’s founder Will Edwards and master distiller Dave Withers.

Through the distillery, Archie Rose intends to showcase Australia’s ingredients and innovation in the distillation process. The distillery will also allow a global audience to experience local spirits.

Archie Rose’s Banksmeadow distillery details

The Banksmeadow distillery is equipped with unique production elements that will support the company’s transition to cold distilled botanicals for the gin and vodka product ranges. It employs an innovative and patented whiskey production process.

Two new copper pot whiskey stills installed at the facility feature neck cooling jackets that provide the flexibility to change the reflux and style of spirit without modifying the shape of the still. The design and process allow the customisation of each spirit produced at the site to improve the flavour.

The identical first-of-their-kind 500l and 3,000l copper pot and column hybrid vacuum stills support more than 12 different configurations, including a column, dephlegmator, purifier, and carter head.

Distillation process

Distillation is carried out using a mash filter that improves the processing and extraction of flavour from each of the company’s seven malts, including speciality roasted local malts and heritage varieties.

The copper pot and vacuum stills use the reduced boiling points achieved by creating a vacuum within the still to enable cold distillation of botanical distillates. The process eliminates the damage caused by heat on delicate botanicals.

Additional infrastructure and sustainability features at the site

Archie Rose also built a dedicated research lab for research and development (R&D) to support its efforts to produce a molasses spirit. The R&D centre will conduct desktop fermentations, distillations and sensory analysis for rum production.

It will experiment, optimise and improve conventional rum production methods, while also supporting innovations in vodka, whiskey, and gin ranges.

Several energy-efficient features have been incorporated at the new site to reduce the consumption of power, gas and water by 30% compared to the Rosebery site. All the spent grain, botanicals and pot ale at the distillery are recycled to produce livestock feed or natural fertiliser.

A centralised bond store helps in monitoring the whiskey stock, while a drinks lab increases the production of bottled cocktails and future products.

Product portfolio of Archie Rose

Archie Rose Distilling’s core range includes Signature Dry Gin, Rye Malt Whiskey, Single Malt Whiskey, Original Vodka, Distiller’s Strength Gin and White Rye. The company also offers limited releases such as Archie Rose X Messina Neapolitan Set and Archie Rose X Sydney Opera House.

Products in the cocktails segment include Archie Rose canned cocktails, and bottled cocktails such as Eucalypt Mule, Rosella Sour, Red Centre Negroni, and Wattleseed & Peach Iced Tea.

The distilling company also offers customised spirits in gin, vodka and whiskey range, based on customer specifications. Customers can select their favourite botanicals, set its strength and add a personalised message on the label of the bottle.

Marketing commentary on Archie Rose Distilling

Headquartered in Rosebery, Sydney, Archie Rose Distilling was founded by Will Edwards in 2014. It specialises in the production of a range of whiskies, gins, rums, and vodkas.

The company won various awards in different categories such as World’s Best Distillery Experience – Barleycorn Awards, Top Three Distilleries in the World – Consumer Experience – Global Distillery Masters (London) and World’s Best Brand Identity – American Distilling Institute Craft Spirits Awards (USA).

Visitors can take part in activities such as distillery tours, gin masterclasses, whiskey masterclasses, on-site and off-site events as well as cocktail masterclasses.