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You probably think whisky isn’t made in the Geelong region but Bellarine Distillery is here to prove you wrong.
Co-founder Russell Watson admits to being no stranger to a dram or two. Watson and wife Lorelle Warren spent several years hatching their plan to establish a distillery in the area, inspired in part by Bill Lark and his rekindling of Australia’s whisky production industry.
Watson explains, ‘from the beginning, the dream was to produce our own single malt whisky, made, matured and bottled on the Bellarine.’
From delivery of the first still in 2015 to opening The Whiskery in 2018, gin was an important first step of their journey. Thus the Drysdale cellar door has been treating lucky locals to a range of gins, cocktails and locally-sourced snacking options. But whisky, like all good things, takes time.
It’s a mix of American and French oak, tawny port and shiraz barrels as well as three months in an ex-bourbon cask that gives this whisky a stunning flavour profile. Bottled under the company’s distinctive branding, Bad Boy Billy whisky will only be available in strictly limited quantities. The recent first release sold out in one hour! Rest assured more releases are already in the pipeline.
Australian godfather of whisky, Bill Lark, has nothing but high praise. ‘It’s a tremendous expression of what we can produce here in Australia – a really great whisky rich in flavour, luscious and oily across the palate.’
THE DETAILS
WHAT: A Single Malt Whisky from Bellarine Distillery
WHERE: Purchase directly from the Bellarine Distillery website
WHEN: Head to their website to sign up for the newsletter for updates on the next release.
The moment you ask around about craft beer in Ballarat Aunty Jacks comes up time and again. Although a relative newcomer, it has fast become a go-to for all things craft beer. Whether you stay for a meal, grab a tasting paddle and listen to some live music or join in on the regular beer education classes, Aunty Jacks has it covered.
It was an obsession with real ale that led Cubby Haus founders to design and build themselves a brewery, as you do. Five years on, they’ve developed a strong following. With eight core beers and plenty of single batch experiments, there’s something for everyone from a refreshing pilsner or an English IPA through to darker treats like their Oatmeal Stout.
They say good things come to those who wait. This just about sums up Dollar Bill’s approach to fermentation. Beers (as well as ciders and meads) are given plenty of time in French oak barrels to reach their peak. It’s this exacted barrel-ageing process along with a mastery of wild fermentation that has cemented the brewery’s reputation amongst craft beer nerds.
In 2005 Scott and Vanessa Wilson-Browne started out with a simple plan – to make good beer that is good for you. Showcasing their commitment to natural ingredients and processes, their recent coffee and chocolate dark beer uses grain, coffee beans and cocoa sourced from local Ballarat producers.
Scott Wilson-Browne (yes, the same Scott from Red Duck) and Chris Pratt initially bonded over craft beer but it was a shared interest in distilling that led them to establish Kilderkin Distillery in 2016.
A diagnosis of coeliac disease didn’t dampen John O’Brien’s passion for beer. Swapping out the usual grain bill of barley and wheat for sorghum and millet was just the beginning. It took several years of innovation in both the brewing process and equipment but his effort paid off in spades.
