During the making of The Aussie Spirit series, the craft distilling industry lost a dear friend, Raymond ‘Spike’ Desert III. Spike was one of the pioneers of craft distilling in Australia and built the Hoochery rum distillery by hand on the Desert family farm just outside of Kununurra. Luckily Kathleen Davies from Nip of Courage, recorded a short chat with him about the origin story of his Hoochery distillery, in November 2017, that really captures his character and ingenuity. He has been a...

How do you become a first generation distiller? From the young couple who mixed their love of science and art to start their own distillery in rural New South Wales, to the distiller who decided on a trip to Kentucky that he should buy a distillery in Victoria, this episode focuses on the next generation of craft distillers in Australia and how they are learning their trade.  Featuring: Ally & Nick from Karu Distillery and owner of Timboon Distillery Josh Walker.

Peter Bignell hates waste and has adapted his farming ethics of environmental sustainability and recycling into his Belgrove distillery in Tasmania. This episode looks at how struggling farmer, Peter Bignell, repurposed his farm and its’ crops to produce award winning rye whisky and build what is possibly the greenest distillery in the world. Peter also explains how his reluctance to throw anything out has led him to produce some pretty experimental spirits, including whisky smoked with sheep...

People’s first introduction to the world of craft spirits is usually through urban-based distilleries, but how is the relationship between these urban craft distilleries and their rural colleagues? This episode looks at the growth of craft distilleries in urban areas, like Archie Rose Distilling Co. in Sydney and Starward distillery in Melbourne, and how these distilleries along with bartenders are often the ones educating people about the craft these small producers are putting into...

Is it our botanicals, climate or willingness to give anything a crack, that’s helping Aussie craft spirits win awards worldwide? From the native botanicals on Kangaroo Island that happen to be a perfect addition to gin, to the realisation that the Tasmanian climate can age whisky quicker than in Scotland, to the farmer who revived his family farm by creating vodka from his sheep’s whey, this episode looks at the people putting a uniquely Aussie spin on whisky, vodka and gin and getting...

What is our history with alcohol? From convicts using booze instead of currency, to the colourful character who created the first cocktail in Australia, to the truth behind how much alcohol was actually involved in the Rum Rebellion, this episode follows the history of distilling in Australia all the way through to what sparked the Godfather of the modern craft distilling movement in Australia, Bill Lark, to get the first craft distilling license in over a century. Featuring: spirit industry...

Charting the rise of underdog craft distilleries in Australia. The Aussie Spirit series follows the journey of some of the 200 Australian distillers embracing local botanicals, crops and climates in order to craft some uniquely Australian Spirits. From award winning whisky, to gin, to vodka and rum, we hear from the farmers, the pioneers and the passionate distillers, all around Australia,  who are putting the craft back into distilling.