Haydon Morgan and Damien Ryan are the founders of First Light Brewing Co, a start-up in Wollongong, NSW. You may recall Haydon’s voice from the special documentary episode we did on Australian brewing legend Chuck Hahn a few years ago now. Haydon and Damien are both longstanding residents of the Illawarra region and they met each other while working at Lion, where they realised they had complementary skillsets for setting up a brewery of their own. Haydon finished up with Lion in 2023 as brewery manager for the craft beer division, and Damien, a drinks industry sales veteran, exited the business this year. With such an accomplished brewer at the helm, I had no doubt whatsoever that First Light will be putting out some superb beers. But I was interested to hear a bit more about their business model, given some of the challenges the beer industry is currently facing, as previously explored on the Drinks Adventures podcast throughout 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we meet Ian Schmidt and Vic Orlow, founders of South Australia’s Tin Shed Distilling, the company behind Iniquity Whisky and other brands. The original tin shed was in Adelaide’s inner west, adjacent to Ian’s other business manufacturing flagpoles, of all things. Ian has since exited the flagpole game to focus on whisky, and he and Vic have relocated their distillery to a different tin shed in the Adelaide Hills. There, they will soon be able to open their doors to the public for the very first time in the company’s history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we meet two of the founders of Queensland Rum Day, Matt Hobson of Cavu Distilling and Nil Desperandum Rum, and Duncan Littler of Bundaberg Rum. The second ever Queensland Rum Day is coming up this Saturday 2 November 2024, and this year brings with it a special collaborative rum showcasing liquid from four distilleries, two of which I’ve already mentioned – the others being Beenleigh and Kalki Moon. They’re calling themselves The Rum Consortium, and there are just 1920 bottles available of their 2024 Limited Edition Blend, which is the first ever time that stalwarts Bundaberg and Beenleigh have ever combined their spirits in the same bottle. I caught up with Matt and Duncan to find out about this historic rum release, the evolving rum industry in Queensland, and the significance of this new event that I expect we will be hearing much more about in years to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special episode of the show looking at the future of Australian wine, produced in partnership with Endeavour Drinks. First up, we meet Endeavour’s head of fine wine, Andrew Shedden, who sets out the challenges that the category is currently facing. In short, those of us who love wine are getting older, and we’re not buying as much as we did in the past. And younger consumers are choosing to drink beverages other than wine, which is facing tougher than ever competition from beer, spirits and premix. Andrew says it is incumbent on the wine industry to rethink its approach if it is to appeal to these younger consumers, and that means challenging the accepted conventions: everything from the liquid itself to packaging formats, labelling, branding, marketing and how we talk about wine. Also this episode I speak with a couple of producers who have done just that; Cam Marshall of Range Life Wines in Victoria, and Rod Micallef of Zonzo Estate in the Yarra Valley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome back to the show Daniel Motlop of Seven Seasons Spirits, who we previously met back in May 2021. Coming up, Daniel reveals that Seven Seasons has returned to majority family ownership following the demise of his former business partner and distributor, Mighty Craft. Mighty Craft backer Pure Asset Management has emerged as Daniel’s new business partner and together they have big ambitions for the brand that has showed so much promise with its innovative products showcasing Australian native ingredients, led of course by Green Ant Gin. We get an update on the Seven Seasons whisky that was developed by Daniel in collaboration with another previous podcast guest, Mighty Craft head distiller George Campbell, who has since returned to Islay to take up the job as distillery manager at Laphroaig. Seven Seasons has also announced a new distribution agreement with Amber Beverage Australia, so first up in this episode I spoke briefly with founder and CEO Patrick Borg about the latest addition to his portfolio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nelson Hernandez is master distiller at Venezuela’s Diplomatico Rum, where he has worked for an incredible 38 years. After studying mechanical engineering, Nelson initially worked in the oil industry before taking a job in 1986 as Maintenance and Project Manager at the Diplomatico distillery. Working alongside rum master Tito Cordero, Nelson learnt the craft of rum production the Diplomatico way, which means applying the highest quality standards at every step of the rum-making process from the sourcing of raw materials to the bottling.   As you heard at the top of the show, Nelson relishes the opportunity to convert whisky and cognac enthusiasts over to Diplomatico’s super premium rums led by its flagship Reserva Exclusiva blend, the perfect rum for sipping and elevating classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned. The Diplomatico brand is ranked number one globally in the super premium rum segment and Reserva Exclusiva is currently having a bit of a moment here in Australia, growing 22 per cent year-on-year. So in this special episode of Drinks Adventures – produced with the support of Diplomatico – I sat down with Nelson to find out a little bit more about the brand’s Venezuelan provenance, and the production methodologies that set Diplomatico Rum apart from its peers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined this episode by James Bruce, who together with school friend Stafford Fox founded StrangeLove Beverage Co in Byron Bay, Australia, in 2012. StrangeLove is an unlikely story of entrepreneurialism that began with a single product –StrangeLove Organic Ginger Beer Energy Elixir – ‘a ginger beer so hot it was almost undrinkable’ that also contained functional ingredients like green tea and yerba mate. Over an at times tumultuous decade in which James and Stafford were continually running out of money, the StrangeLove offering evolved into a portfolio of adult soft drinks, mixers and mineral waters that proved so popular the business was ultimately acquired in 2022 by Asahi Beverages. This episode of Drinks Adventures was produced in partnership with StrangeLove, which has this year come on board as a sponsor of the show. So, I’m excited to share with you the StrangeLove origin story in this conversation with James, who reveals there is a new chapter on the horizon for the company involving its first ever foray into the arena of alcohol beverages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Fragos is chief winemaker and general manager at McLaren Vale winery Chapel Hill, which this year celebrated its 50th vintage. Michael has been with the company for the last 21 of those vintages. So, in this special episode of Drinks Adventures – produced in partnership with Chapel Hill – he shares his insights on the winery’s evolution and the attention to detail that defines its winemaking process. This meticulous approach has this year inspired the release of a new flagship wine, The Devil Shiraz 2020, which plays on the saying, ‘the devil’s in the detail’. We’ll explore that new release in this interview with Michael, along with some of the experiments and tweaks he’s made in the winery over the last couple of decades to take the Chapel Hill wines to even greater heights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a special episode of the show reporting on Australian spirits’ ambitions of becoming a $1 billion export industry by 2035. We all know the quality is there, and that $1 billion objective is what economics firm Mandala Partners believes is achievable if the Federal Government gets behind the Australian spirits industry, just as it has done for wine over several decades now. The spirits industry tabled its ambitions in the Federal Inquiry into Food and Beverage Manufacturing in Australia, which is currently being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources. I’ve been involved in the inquiry process through my day job as Media & Communications Manager for industry body Spirits & Cocktails Australia. This episode presents audio from four separate hearings held in Sydney, Canberra, Hobart and Melbourne between June and August, which I’ve edited together for narrative purposes. If this is the first time you’ve listened to Drinks Adventures, nearly all of the people and brands featured in this episode have appeared previously on the show: Lark Whisky spreads its wings under new CEO Satya Sharma Dr Rachel Barrie, First Lady of Scotch whisky Holly Klintworth on her cognac recon mission, plus Australian Distillers news Sam Slaney of Starward on small batch whisky trials Laphroaig distillery manager Barry McAffer World Martini Day, with Archie Rose Bone Dry Gin Hickson House Distilling Co trio unveil further plans Dr Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker’s new master blender Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined this episode by Wade Rushton-Clarke, chief executive officer, Australia and New Zealand at keg rental company Konvoy Kegs. The issue of lost and stolen kegs has long plagued brewers in Australia. But you may have seen earlier this year, a spike in instances of large-scale keg theft by opportunists who were then flogging the empty kegs off as scrap metal. This unscrupulous practice is very financially damaging for brewers who have a lot of money tied up in kegs, which they must be able to access in a timely fashion to supply their customers. Clearly, it's the last thing that the brewing industry needs right at the moment. The extent of the problem has been uncovered by Konvoy's technology that tracked the missing kegs to a handful of scrapyards, giving police the evidence they needed to bring the offenders to justice. And as a result, Konvoy has been able to reduce the incidence of missing kegs in its fleet to less than one per cent. Wade and I discussed these and other benefits of Konvoy's tracking technology in this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Konvoy Kegs. You'll hear how the tracking beacons can inform brewers how quickly their products are turning around in venues, so they can be confident that we consumers, are enjoying their beers in the best possible condition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined this episode by Cam Hines, co-founder of pioneering Australian craft brewer Mountain Goat. Cam exited the beer industry after the sale of Mountain Goat in 2015 to Asahi, which was one of the first in a series of craft beer acquisitions by the major brewers over the last decade. I was pretty intrigued when I learned that Cam had returned to entrepreneurship as founder of Southern Seagreens, a business farming seaweed on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. So, as we take a little bit of a tangent from our usual programming, Cam shares how he transitioned from brewing to aquaculture, initially inspired by a Tim Flannery documentary on the environmental benefits of seaweed. First up though, Cam reflects on his 18 years building the Mountain Goat Beer brand and shares his thoughts on the current state of the Australian beer industry. For more on Mountain Goat Beer as it is today, make sure you check out the episode I recorded in 2022 with current head brewer Alana Rees. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined this episode by Kristy Lark-Booth, founder of Killara Distillery in Tasmania. Kristy is a second-generation distiller, following in the footsteps of her parents Bill and Lyn Lark, who of course pioneered the modern Australian craft spirits industry when they opened Lark Distillery in 1992. Kristy founded Killara Distillery in 2016 and is now making an eclectic line-up of quality spirits at a 26-acre property in the Coal River Valley. She’s established her own gin garden where she is growing her own juniper and other botanicals; recently planted a trial crop of barley that would enable a grain-to-glass whisky; and has ambitions of planting a vineyard for an estate brandy. Those are just a few of the projects currently underway for Kristy, who is also the new president of the Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Association. So, coming up later in the interview we get a general update on Tasmanian industry is faring, and we get an update on the TWSA’s quest for technical standards that will properly define and protect the different categories of spirits produced in Tasmania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined this episode by Trina Smith, chief winemaker of white wine and sparkling wine for Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Sparkling is one of the top performing wine styles in Australia, with current economic conditions driving many of us to choose more affordable wine alternatives to champagne. This scenario has been a boon for Mumm Terroirs, the range of sparkling wines produced in collaboration with the renowned champagne house G.H.Mumm. Comprising cuvees from Tasmania here in Australia, Marlborough and Central Otago in New Zealand and Napa in the United States, the Mumm Terroirs range is growing strongly, with plans afoot to continue its expansion. This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Mumm Terroirs. Coming up, we discuss the philosophy behind the Terroirs range; the unique characteristics of each region; and the evolving preferences for drier sparkling wines in Australia. That’s after we find out a little bit more about how Trina found her way to Pernod Ricard and the additional role of committee chair for the Australian Sparkling Wine Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran drinks industry executive Nick Boots returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast, having just taken on a new challenge as CEO of Gold Coast, Queensland-based brewery Black Hops Brewing. This follows a 12-month stint consulting with craft breweries in Australia and New Zealand under the company name The Business Of Beer, prior to which he was general manager of Stone & Wood Brewing Company. Nick took the reigns at Black Hops shortly after the company emerged from voluntary administration with a new ownership structure. It seemed timely to catch up for a chat about recent challenges in the brewing industry, and his plans to rebuild the Black Hops business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this opening episode of Season 19 we meet Alex Munch, co-founder of Denmark’s Stauning Whisky. Stauning was founded in 2005 by nine friends with diverse career backgrounds, none of them related to the drinks industry. But what they didn’t know ultimately took them down a path of craft whisky production that was quite distinctive and on trend; showcasing locally grown barley and rye that they floor malt in-house at the distillery. Coming up, Alex explains how the endorsement of Denmark’s famed Noma restaurant helped catapult the brand onto the international stage. And we discuss the landmark investment from Diageo-backed Distill Ventures, which enabled Stauning to scale up operations while steadfastly maintaining the traditional production methods that have come to define its house style. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we meet Derek Charge, who is CEO of Hellyers Road Distillery in Tasmania. Hellyers Road was founded in 1997 by a group of dairy farmers who decided to diversify their business into the production of whisky. At the time of this episode going to air, the company is in the final stages of an equity crowdfunding campaign that has already generated almost $3.5 million worth of investment. I've never known much about Hellyers Road beyond what I've heard anecdotally from people. So, this juncture seemed like the perfect opportunity to catch up with Derek and satisfy my curiosity about a significant player in Australian whisky that up until now, has flown a little bit under the radar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we meet Richard Jeffares, founder of the gluten-free brewery Two Bays, which recently won a gold medal for its Session Ale at the World Beer Cup. The World Beer Cup is often referred to as ‘The Olympics Of Beer’. It's held in America every two years and unlike most of the other drinks competitions around, there is only one gold, silver and bronze medal awarded in each beer category. It's frightfully difficult to win a medal, especially for breweries on the other side of the world, which naturally face logistical challenges getting their beer in front of the judges in peak condition. As such, there's only been a handful of Australian breweries that have ever won medals in the World Beer Cup, with 9300 beers entered this year from 2060 breweries in 50 countries. Two Bays founder Richard Jeffares and head brewer Kristian Martin were in Las Vegas to collect the award. And when I caught up with Richard on his return to Australia, it was also a chance to hear about other developments at the company, which continues to impress with its mastery of beers made from a base of millet, buckwheat and rice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined this episode by Rod Berry of Amber Lane, a whisky distillery based in the Yarramalong Valley, north of Sydney. Rod’s longstanding enthusiasm for whisky gradually evolved into an obsession while working in his previous career as a lawyer. Ultimately, Rod joined forces with friend and fellow whisky enthusiast Phil Townsend to set up the Amber Lane distillery on Phil’s property in the Central Coast hinterland. Since leaving the legal pro behind, Rod has been fine-tuning his craft, inspired by his passion for sherried Scotch whiskies, and applying some maturation techniques that are more commonly utilised in the production of cognac.   Already with an impressive array of gold medals to its name, Amber Lane has developed a reputation for quality, which Rod believes is crucial for craft spirits producers to be able to prosper in the current competitive and economic landscape.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we return to Beechworth in High Country Victoria, after having Ben Kraus from Bridge Road Brewers on the show last year. This time we’re joined by chef Michael Ryan from the highly acclaimed Beechworth restaurant, Provenance, to discuss Beechworth Bitters Company, his side project dedicated to amaro and cocktail bitters. A few years ago I brought you an episode about Italian amari, produced in partnership with The Italian Cultural Institute. This episode puts an Australian angle on this lesser known spirits category, as Michael explains how he created his own library of extracts from roots, leaves, flowers and bark, and blended them into this distinctive range of bitters that speak clearly of their Beechworth provenance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ihana Wine is a boutique wine brand launched by Finnish Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas in partnership with sixth generation McLaren Vale wine company Oliver’s Taranga. A ten-time race winner currently driving for the Kick Sauber F1 team, Valtteri shares with us his longstanding passion for wine, and specifically South Australian shiraz, which has been crystallised through his relationship with South Australian Tiffany Cromwell, the professional cyclist. Listen in as Valtteri opens up about the blending process, collaborating with Oliver’s Taranga winemaker Corrina Wright, and how he balances his interests in wine, coffee and gin with the demands of the F1 season. We find out what he thinks of the DR3 wines created by Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, who we had on the show in early 2023. Later on this episode I talk again with Corrina who gives her perspective on one of the more unlikely celebrity wine partnerships that I’ve been able to share with you on the Drinks Adventures podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined this episode by the founders of Sydney’s newest craft brewery, Chuck & Son’s Brewing Company. And yes, we’re talking about Chuck Hahn, who is sensationally making a return to the brewing industry in partnership with his son Scott. Chuck notched up 50 years in the brewing industry in 2021, which we celebrated on this podcast with this special documentary episode. I naively thought that would be a footnote to his incredible brewing career. But it turns out Chuck has unfinished business. Together with Scott, the next chapter begins May 2024 at a new brewery in St Peters in the inner west. However, it is of course an exceedingly difficult market to launch a new brewery, even if you’re Chuck Hahn. We’ll address some of those challenges later on in this interview with Chuck and Scott. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rollo Crittenden is general manager, winemaker and vineyard manager of Crittenden Wines in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula region. Mornington Peninsula is synonymous with premium quality pinot noir and chardonnay, and Crittenden certainly excels at making wine from those varieties. But when it comes to differentiating the winery from its peers, Rollo has an ace up his sleeve. Since 2011, Crittenden has been making a rare Australian example of the white wines made from savagnin grapes that are unique to the Jura region of France. Known as ‘vin jaune’ wines in Jura, they’re aged for years in barrel under a layer of flor yeast, similar to how fino sherry wines are made in Spain. And the results are quite extraordinary, as I experienced myself late last year when Rollo presented a retrospective comprising six vintages of Crittenden’s Cri De Couer savagnin wines. Coming up, you’ll hear how this project has evolved from an accident into one of the most celebrated wines on the contemporary Australian scene. NB: This interview was recorded following the event late in 2023, right before I took an extended break from the podcast. Keep that in mind when we reference the upcoming pipeline of releases during this interview. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Australian Distillers Association is the peak body for the 700 craft distillers that are now spread across the country, up from just 40 a decade ago. I work pretty closely with the ADA and its chief executive Paul McLeay in my day job as media & communications manager of Spirits & Cocktails Australia. In this bonus episode, Paul and I catch up for a quick chat about the ADA Conference coming up in Brisbane on April 28 to 30, 2024, which is the association’s 20th anniversary year. I know quite a few of you are in the distilling industry, so Paul and I will hope to see you there. Since we were already sitting down for a chat, I took the opportunity to ask Paul about the latest global accolades for Australian distillers at the World Whiskies Awards, and how his members are coping in the challenging economic environment. Register for the ADA Conference here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year I reported on the worrying spate of insolvencies in the drinks industry, particularly among craft brewers. And things have gotten even worse so far in 2024. Dave Padden of Sydney’s Akasha Brewing was pretty open with us last year on the show about the difficulties his business was confronting. Sadly, Akasha last week became the latest brewery to enter voluntary administration. In this episode I’m joined by Dale Meddings, joint CEO of Bintani, Australia’s leading supplier of ingredients to the brewing and distilling industries, and a long-term sponsor of the podcast. Coming up, Dale shares with us the impact this brewing industry turmoil has been having on his business, and we get a health check on the emerging craft spirits sector. Dale reveals what are some of the hottest ingredients currently on the market that will shape the drinks of the future. And you’ll hear why, in spite of everything that’s going on, he is still optimistic about the future of independent brewing in Australia. Where to here for local beer? (Crafty Pint article) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back in early 2023 we met Jeremy Blanks and Greg Jackson of Tarac, the largest distiller of grape spirit in Australia, which is diversifying into the contract production of whisky. Twelve months on, Jeremy and Greg return to the show having recently had their first trial whiskies come of age. I’ve had a chance to taste these whiskies that have been column distilled from malted barley, and was really impressed with them. Don’t take my word for it though, if you’re a distiller and heading to the Australian Distillers Association Conference in Brisbane at the end of April, you can try these whiskies for yourself at the trade show. See you there! In this special episode of Drinks Adventures – produced in partnership with Tarac – Greg and Jeremy update us on all the developments in their whisky program since we last spoke. The company’s first commercial batch of whisky will reach maturity in August 2024. And based on the level of interest from distillers thus far, this milestone should mean we start to see some more blended whiskies coming on to the market in Australia. Does Australian whisky have the appropriate regulations to accommodate these products? That’s something Jeremy, Greg and I explore a bit later on in today’s conversation. Click here for more information on Tarac's Australian single malt whisky offering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined again this episode by Andrew Caillard MW, one of Australia’s leading authorities on wine. Andrew was last on the show in November 2020 discussing the debut of two Australian wines on the prestigious international wine marketplace, La Place de Bordeaux. This time Andrew joins us to discuss his magnum opus, The Australian Ark, the most extensive history of the Australian wine industry ever written. First up, Andrew and I discuss the challenges involved with getting a book of this scale and ambition off the ground. We then explore just a handful of the individuals and events that have shaped the wine industry as told by Andrew in The Australian Ark, such as: Who was the real father of Australian wine – it’s not James Busby as I previously thought; How colonial wine evolved from a cottage industry into a booming export industry spearheaded by the Emu brand of Australian burgundy in the late 1800s; and The Australian Wine Canon – Andrew’s list of the most influential Australian wines of all time, starting with the Rosehill Red Wine produced in Parramatta in 1792. Trigger warning: This episode which includes some pretty confronting discussion about the displacement of First Nations people that sadly occurred as part of this story, and which Andrew doesn’t shy away from in his book. I'd like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which this podcast is produced – the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation – and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Satya Sharma is the new CEO of Australia’s pioneering whisky company, Lark Distilling. Sash – as he prefers to be called – has only been on deck since May 2023. But already, he has put his stamp on the Lark business. The frenzy of special releases has been dialled back in favour of a clearly defined core range. Export deals have been announced for several markets in South East Asia. 700ml bottles are on the cards, and as you just heard, the business has committed to greater transparency about the provenance of whiskies that carry the Lark name. Sash joined Lark following ten years with William Grant & Sons, most recently in Singapore, where he played an integral role establishing export markets for its iconic brands including Glenfiddich and The Balvenie. We’ll explore that career background and Sash’s vision for Lark coming up in this extended interview that gets the Drinks Adventures podcast underway for 2024. If you haven’t already, make sure you listen to the special episode I did for the 30th anniversary of Lark Distillery in 2022. I’ve linked to it from the show notes. First up this episode, I asked Bill Lark his thoughts on the new leadership, which signals the beginnings of another chapter for the business he founded back in 1992. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victorian winery Seppelt today is probably best known for its exquisite table wines. I’m talking about St Peters Shiraz from its home region of the Grampians, and chardonnay, riesling and pinot noir from the esteemed Drumborg Vineyard in the cooler climes of Henty. Perhaps lesser known to some of us is Seppelt’s rich heritage in sparkling wines. In 2022, the company highlighted that pedigree with two new cuvees named in honour of Charles Pierlot, the Frenchman who in 1890 made Australia’s first traditional method sparkling wines at Seppelt’s Great Western winery. Pierlot also pioneered one of Australia’s most unique wine styles, sparkling shiraz. Seppelt Show Sparkling remains the benchmark for this style today. And Seppelt winemaker Clare Dry argues it deserves to be consumed more broadly than the traditional occasion of Christmas time. In this special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Seppelt, I started by asking Clare about the story behind this unique wine. Later in this interview, you’ll find out a little bit more about how sparkling shiraz is made, and we’ll explore the new vintage, 2012 Show Sparkling, released this year. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Tim Jones is undoubtedly one of Australia’s top cider makers. After starting his drinks production career making industrial cider in Cascade Brewery, Tim joined Willie Smith’s as head cider maker in 2014. He stayed in that role until 2020 and during that period of almost six years, Willie Smith’s won a stack of trophies for its ciders showcasing the complexity offered by heirloom English and French cider apple varieties. Tim’s new venture is Wild Mother Tasmania, a vinegar company that like Willie Smiths is based in the Huon Valley, Tasmania. Wild Mother is dedicated to minimal intervention, unfiltered and unpasteurised vinegars from apples and cherries, some of which have been aged in casks that have previously held bourbon, port and Tasmanian whisky. And more relevantly to this podcast, there are also some liqueurs and apple brandies in the pipeline that you’ll hear about, right after Tim explains how he first became interested in exploring the world of craft vinegar. Click here to open episode in your podcast player Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five years ago when I started this podcast I never thought I’d see small craft brewers making products like hard seltzers, low carb and non-alcoholic beers, or “cervezas” that to me look very much like the macro lagers they originally railed against. But these are interesting and challenging times in the drinks industry. All producers are currently grappling with a plethora of economic headwinds and the need to cater for increasingly health conscious consumers. Chris Moschos, who is innovation director at Lion, is better placed than most to speak about these trends. Prior to joining Lion – Australia’s second biggest brewer – in February 2022, Chris worked for almost 14 years at spirits company Diageo Australia. In this interview, Chris and I speak about a couple of Lion’s big bets in 2023. James Squire Stride, the first low carb beer released by the pioneering craft beer brand in its 25-year history. And Kirin Hyoketsu, a premix vodka lemon sour that’s been phenomenally successful in Japan, where it’s been available since 2001. This is a special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast, produced in partnership with Lion. And given Chris’s job title, I started this interview by asking what the word ‘innovation’ means to him. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darwin Distilling Co is a Northern Territory distillery founded by our guest this episode of the podcast, hospitality entrepreneur Rebecca Bullen. Originally from Victoria, Bec was lured to Darwin by the opportunity to open the city’s first wine bar, Stone House, which launched in 2016 and is still going strong today. She subsequently opened the gin bar and restaurant Charlie’s of Darwin in January 2020, with the distillery as its centrepiece. Carefully avoiding encounters with snakes and crocodiles, Bec forages local botanicals to create a uniquely Territorian range of gins and vodkas, with cane spirits also in the pipeline. I’m somewhat ashamed to say that I’ve never been Darwin, or the NT for that matter, so started by asking Bec about the appeal of living and working in this unique city. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With more than 30 years’ experience in the whisky industry, Dr Rachel Barrie was the first female Scotch whisky Master Blender inducted into Whisky Magazine’s illustrious ‘Hall of Fame’. Also known as the 'First Lady of Scotch', Rachel studied chemistry before landing a job as research scientist at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. She then moved into production at The Glenmorangie Company, becoming Master Blender in 2003. During that time Rachel also managed the stocks for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, before moving to Morrison Bowmore Distillers with Bowmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch, and subsequently working with Laphroaig and Ardmore.  Since 2017, Rachel has been Master Blender for Brown Forman’s Single Malt portfolio, comprising Glendronach, Benriach and Glenglassaugh – distilleries we previously explored on this podcast with global brand ambassador Stewart Buchanan in 2022. I’m excited to share this fascinating interview with Rachel that I recorded when she was in Sydney recently. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Established in 1884, the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards annually attracts around 2,500 entries from over 400 wineries from across the country. The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy is the pinnacle of the competition. It’s awarded to the best one or two year old red wine as blind tasted by the judges. Last year, the winner was the 2021 Old Legend Grenache from Hentley Farm in the Barossa Valley. It was another milestone in the ascendancy of Australian grenache, which is something I’ve discussed recently on the podcast with both with Max Allen and Jane Lopes. Hentley Farm chief winemaker Andrew Quin joins us this episode with the trophy presentation for the 2023 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards coming up this Friday November 3. Wolf Blass once said the Jimmy Watson was worth a million dollars to the winning producer, so I started by asking Andrew about the significance of last year’s prize to Hentley Farm. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renowned wine writer Huon Hooke previously appeared on the Drinks Adventures podcast way back in Season One, in an episode exploring Australians’ love affair with champagne. He’s finally back for this full-length chat about The Real Review Wine Classification, which launched in 2022 aiming to highlight the greatest wines of Australia and New Zealand that have an outstanding track record of a decade or longer. Huon and I discuss the fresh approach he’s taken to classifying wine versus other established frameworks; and how this helps bring emerging producers to the fore, as well as wine styles and regions that might be less fashionable, but are nevertheless extremely high quality. Case in point, the wineries of Langhorne Creek in South Australia; Bleasdale, Lake Breeze and Bremerton. The latter of those three wineries slipped Huon’s mind during our conversation, and he contacted me afterwards to see if this omission could be addressed. The Real Review was launched in 2016 to provide unbiased, independent reviews on wine. I started by asking Huon whether the classification has always been on the founders’ agenda. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Doctors is a whiskey company founded, as the name suggests, by Two Doctors; surgeon Jerry Schwartz and Professor John Rasko AO, a clinical hematologist, pathologist and scientist. Professor Rasko is with us this episode to discuss his epic side hustle, which utilises the brewing equipment at Sydney Brewery’s production facility in the Hunter Valley, NSW. The brewery and distillery are based at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, one of several hotels owned by Jerry’s other business, Schwartz Family Company, which is the largest privately owned hotel group in Australia. Jerry’s backing has empowered Two Doctors to take an uncompromising approach to whisky production focused on premium single barrel releases aged for a minimum of six years, mostly in barrels supplied by local Hunter Valley wineries. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of the news on Drinks Adventures: Top Shelf declares pathway to profitability; Cape Byron campaigns for tax relief with Excise Strength Gin; Business booming at McLaren Vale winery, Oliver’s Taranga; and New lease on life for Orange, NSW cider maker Small Acres. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few Australian distillery launches in 2023 have been greeted with the excitement surrounding Waubs Harbour in Bicheno, Tasmania. It’s easy to see why. The distillery’s striking location in a former oyster hatchery on the rugged Tassie coast promises a true maritime expression of Australian single malt whisky. The founders bring with them some pretty impressive pedigree in both distilling and business generally. Head distiller Rob Polmear was previously head of production at Lark Distillery, and head distiller at Overeem. He’s banded together with our guests this episode – his brother Tim Polmear and Tim’s wife, Bec – who in 2015 successfully exited an e-commerce business, Flat Tummy Tea. Since our conversation, Waubs Harbour has revealed the identity of its distributor, Proof & Company, which also represents brands including Never Never Gin, Ferrand Cognac, Plantation Rum and more. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renowned drinks writer Max Allen returns to the Drinks Adventures podcast this episode, three years on from our interview launching his last book, Intoxicating: Ten Drinks That Shaped Australia. Max’s new book that we’ll be discussing today is called Alternative Reality: How Australian Wine Changed Course. It explores the Australian wine industry’s rapid embrace of non-mainstream grape varieties over the last two decades, which can all be traced back to 2001 in Mildura, north east Victoria, where a group of visionaries launched the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. And it includes comprehensive information about the 150 different grape varieties currently grown in Australia: what the wines made from these grapes taste like, and who the best producers are. It’s another engaging and enlightening conversation with Max in which we also consider whether these emerging grape varieties could ultimately challenge the dominance of mainstays like shiraz, chardonnay and friends in the top echelons of Australian fine wine. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of the news on Drinks Adventures: Chris Malcolm slams Mighty Craft failures; Morris releases Tokay Barrel Whisky; and Introducing The Beer Drinker’s Toolkit, a new book by Mick Wust. And, on a personal note, announcing my new industry role as media & communications manager at Spirits & Cocktails Australia. This is the final episode of Season 16. I'm taking a short break to catch up on back of house stuff, so we can start anew in a few weeks’ time. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Western Australia’s Howard Park Wines featured on this podcast very early on when I interviewed then chef winemaker Janice McDonald, in October 2018. Janice has since moved on to focus on the Margaret River wine company she founded with partner Stuart Pym, Flowstone Wines, which we explored on Drinks Adventures in early 2023. In this episode we welcome Howard Park’s current chief winemaker Nic Bowen to the show, together with Natalie Burch, general manager and marketing director. Nic joined Howard Park in 2021 with strong pedigree as a sparkling winemaker, having worked alongside the legendary Ed Carr at House of Arras. Howard Park had won a major trophy for its Jete Brut NV even prior to Nic’s arrival, and in this episode he’ll share what the company is currently doing in the vineyard and winery to build on this early success. We also touch on some of the many other projects currently underway at Howard Park and sibling brands, like the recent embrace of grenache, and the low intervention wines released under the Mon Tout label. But first up, we go back to the beginning with Natalie Burch, who details how her family became involved with Howard Park 30 years ago, and the exciting evolution of its wine styles over that time. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whisky production disappeared from New Zealand in 1997 with the closure of the Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin. But in 2009 Tasmanian entrepreneur Greg Ramsay brought together a group of investors to purchase Willowbank’s remaining stocks and re-launch New Zealand whisky to the world. Greg joins us this episode as we explore some of New Zealand’s little-known whisky-making heritage, and the whisky renaissance that’s now underway. His company, dubbed The New Zealand Whisky Collection, is currently preparing to launch some modern expressions, having begun production in 2021 at its own distillery installed at Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Christopher of Sydney’s Brix Rum is with us again this episode, following his previous appearance back in Season Two. It was very early days for Brix when we last spoke in 2018, at which time the company was relying on imported spirit for the dark rums in its range. Brix has now come to market with a new core range of rums fully produced here in Australia, which have superseded the imported product, in beautiful packaging designed by podcast sponsor, Co-Partnership. It seemed a pivotal time to sit down with James for a chat about the intervening years, and some of the exciting developments at Brix – and in the Australian rum category generally – as the company enters a new phase. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Founded in 2005 in Beechworth, north east Victoria, Bridge Road Brewers is currently celebrating its 18th birthday. This is a significant milestone for any business, let alone a craft brewer. And it’s particularly momentous for Bridge Road, which is currently poised to open a brewpub venue in East Brunswick, Melbourne, following a successful $1.5 million crowdfunding campaign in 2022. Founder Ben Kraus is with us this episode for a really interesting discussion about the challenges of remaining relevant in a fiercely competitive market in which the drinker is always on the lookout for new and different. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to drink Australian is a landmark wine book by American sommeliers Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross. Jane and Jonathan have intimate knowledge of the wine scene in Australia, having both worked professionally here; Jane as wine director at renowned Melbourne restaurant Attica, and Jonathan as beverage director at Rockpool Dining Group. Jane and Jonathan were so blown away by the wines they experienced during their time here that upon returning to the US in 2020 they founded Legend, a wine imports company specialising in Australian wine. Incidentally, the Legend roster includes a couple of producers that have previously featured on this podcast; Sailor Seeks Horse and Stargazer out of Tasmania. With their new book, How to Drink Australian, Jane and Jonathan aim to fill the void of quality literature on Australian wine. It features exhaustive analysis of every significant region, stunning and detailed maps, producer profiles and more, all curated with a reverence for Australia's first custodians. I caught up with Jane recently for this interview that I’m excited to share with you on the Drinks Adventures podcast. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Seb Costello opened the cocktail bar Bad Frankie in Melbourne in 2014, he did something that was almost unthinkable at the time; creating a drinks menu comprised completely of Australian craft spirits. Seb understandably became known as a champion of Australian distilling. This, coupled with his sensory skills and broad appreciation for different spirits categories, saw him appointed chief judge of the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards in 2020. At the time of this episode going to air, Seb and the other judges – led by new chief judge, Shaun Byrne – are preparing to appraise this year's entries to the ADSA, the only spirits competition endorsed by the Australian Distillers Association. This seemed like the appropriate juncture to have a long overdue chat with Seb about craft spirits in Australia. First up, we get his reflections on those three years as lead official of the ADSA. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We previously met Holly Klintworth on the Drinks Adventures podcast back in March 2021. So if you’re keen to get the back story on Holly’s distillery, Bass & Flinders, head on back to that episode in Season 8. Holly’s back with us having recently returned from a six-week internship in Cognac, supported by a Churchill Fellowship. The trip had the objective of learning the art of brandy production from leading cognac producers, so that she could share her findings with the Australian industry. I wanted to find out how Holly got on in this endeavour. And coupled with that, how she’s settling in to her dual role as president of the Australian Distillers Association. Holly has only been in the chair since November 2022 and has already had to deal with some contentious issues, like the misleading usage of the term ‘single malt’ by some distillers, which I also discussed recently on the show with Tasmanian Whisky & Spirits Association president Cam Brett. We also cover the divisive debate around base spirit in gin, fuelled by a recent article in the mainstream media, and some controversy surrounding Australian distilleries and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. That’s all coming up in this interview with Holly. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined this episode by Stone & Wood head brewer Caolan Vaughan, to get an update on recent goings on at the company. And as always, there’s plenty happening. Like the rebranding and reformulation of Cloud Catcher, now known as Cloudy Pale Ale; and the launch of its new Australian Hop Series, starting with the Hinterland Hazy. We get the latest on the Counter Culture label, reserved for left field and inventive beers. And I ask Caolan what happened to Forest for the Trees, the saison offshoot brand championed by Stone & Wood founder Brad Rogers. We get a progress report on Green Coast Mid, the clear bottle lager introduced in 2021 that was a pretty massive change in direction for Stone & Wood.  And we find out the latest on redevelopment plans for its Murwillumbah production brewery. This is a special episode of Drinks Adventures, produced in partnership with Stone & Wood. First up in the interview – recorded a few weeks ago now – I started by asking Caolan how things have been going with the integration of Stone & Wood into the Lion business, following its sale in late 2021. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tasmania is the birthplace of Australian whisky in the modern era, with unique positioning as the country’s only island state. For some time now its distillers have entertained the idea of protecting these attributes with a geographical indication or appellation ensuring that products labelled ‘Tasmanian whisky’ meet certain standards.  Recently on the Drinks Adventures podcast we met Cam and Suzy Brett of Spring Bay Distillery in Tasmania. Cam is also president of the Tasmanian Whisky and Spirits Association (TWSA), and during that same interview Cam and I went down a bit of a rabbit hole talking about the GI for Tassie whisky, and other industry concerns.  I thought that conversation deserved a separate episode, which starts with Cam updating us on how many distilleries there are today in Tasmania. Click here to open episode in your podcast player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices