Distilling in Australia

In this episode of The Distillers Institute Podcast, host Anne Gigney interviews In this episode of The Distillers Institute Podcast, host Anne Gigney interviews Cam Mackenzie, co-founder of Four Pillars Distillery. Cam reveals how he turned a bold idea into Australia’s most awarded gin brand, takin...

In this episode of The Distillers Institute Podcast, host Marcel Thompson interviews Kyle Skene, founder of Strange Nature Distilling, who shares his remarkable journey from a decade in the spirits industry to pioneering a distinctive gin crafted from Sauvignon Blanc ethanol. By distilling this uniq...

In this episode of The Distillers Institute Podcast, host Anne Gigney speaks with Rob Auld from Auld Farm Distillery. Rob shares the story of how their kitchen bench idea in 2015 evolved into a significant distillery in New Zealand, highlighting their unique "seed to sip" approach as both a farm and...

In this episode of The Distillers Institute Podcast, host Anne Gigney speaks with Brad Wilson, founder of Itinerant Spirits, a distillery based in Ballarat, Victoria. Brad shares his journey from advertising to building a distillery in a heritage-listed venue. He discusses producing gin, vodka, and ...

In this episode of The Distillers Institute Podcast, host Anne Gigney interviews Patrick Maguire, Director and Production Manager of Maguire & Co Distilling. Patrick shares his journey from leading Sullivans Cove to winning the World’s Best Whisky Award in 2014 to opening the doors of Maguire and Co...

Big news and big launch for Itinerant Spirits
Wonderful news this last month for Course Two graduates Brad Wilson and Craig Ryan from Itinerant Spirits with the launch of their incredible new distillery at the Ballarat Goods Shed. 

We met Brad and Craig last year in Melbourne and we’re lucky enough ...

Congrats to all The Distillers Institute graduates who have gained licences to manufacture alcohol from the Australian Tax Office during August 2023. 

A great milestone and as we like to say the good work is done, the tough work begins.

Some call-outs from the 2023 Australian Distilled Spiri...

We have been asked recently, ‘is now is a good time to start a new business?’ 

It's a good question, given that times are tight and markets are demonstrating economic challenges.

This is a critical issue to consider before opening any business, at any time. 

The Distillers Institute can ...

We have been asked a lot about ‘what is the right time to start distilling’ and in changing economic times, is ‘now a good time for my idea’?

These are all great questions and there are a few things to consider if you are thinking of opening your own distillery, many of which we cover in the ‘Plannin...

The romance

Imagine yourself. In your distillery, standing at the still and checking the flow of liquid, the gentle trickle the only sound in your peaceful distillery.

You look around and admire your year’s work, a beautiful sea of filled casks. You take a sip of your spirit, take a deep breath, n...

This is a brilliant question to ask and working through all the likely jobs you will need to do once you’re up and going will help.

So what will I be doing once I open my distillery doors?

There are about 10 jobs straight up that you will need to think about doing. Let’s run through them here.

...

The magic number

This is one of those ‘how long is a piece of string?’ questions. The time it takes to set up a commercial distillery may be as short as one year or as long as five depending on how dedicated you are to set it up.

Most people who have built their own distilleries have been thinking...