In this final edition of the news for Season Ten:Mezcal boom raises ethical issues;A landmark moment for Australian whisky; andNon-alcoholic beer brand Sobah launches crowdfunding campaign.Theme music 'Devotion' by Silverlining. Purchase here.Follow Drinks Adventures at @drinksadventures_au and James Atkinson at @byjamesatkinson on Instagram.

Drinks Adventures

News: Mezcal's ethical dilemma, Australian whisky milestone, and AF brewer Sobah's crowdfunding campaign

We’ve heard a lot on the Drinks Adventures podcast about how there’s a shake-up coming for Australian whisky, as larger players enter the market with products designed to compete on price with some of the big international brands.But of course, there will always be a place for smaller artisan distillers like Highwayman Whisky, the Byron Bay company that released its first spirit in 2020.Highwayman was founded by Dan Woolley, a longtime whisky industry professional. Most recently he was ambassador for the Beam Suntory portfolio of brands, which gave him a backstage pass to globally renowned distilleries throughout Scotland, Kentucky and Japan.Dan started to lay down his own spirit in his chosen casks back home in Australia starting in 2016, and the first Highwayman bottlings released last year sold out in minutes.Whisky is a hugely capital intensive spirit to make, so I asked Dan how he went about establishing his own brand despite having very limited resources at his disposal.

One-man whisky startup: Dan Woolley's Highwayman Whisky

Last Thursday came the shock announcement that Fermentum Group, the parent company of brands including Stone & Wood Brewing Company, had been sold to Japanese-owned brewer Lion Australia.You are likely as shocked by this as I was. You know how committed Stone & Wood seemed to their independence back when we met the founders in this 2019 documentary.Soon after the news broke I published an opinion piece that expressed pretty clearly how I felt about their backflip, and the unfortunate knock-on effect for the independence movement:Stone & Wood’s multinational backflip costly for indie beerOn Friday I got hold of co-founder Ross Jurisich to try and make sense of the decision.Theme music 'Devotion' by Silverlining. Purchase here.Follow me on Instagram @drinksadventures_au and @byjamesatkinson.Sign up free of charge for my newsletter here.

Why we sold: Stone & Wood's Ross Jurisich

In Season 9 of the podcast, we met Grant Collins, who had recently opened the mezcal-focused bar and restaurant Cartel in Sydney.One of the mezcals I tasted with Grant during that interview was Quiquiriqi.And the more I read about Quiquiriqui, the more I thought it would be a grand idea to invite its London-based founder, Melanie Symonds, onto the show.With no background whatsoever in drinks or hospitality, Melanie's path to being a mezcal brand owner was unconventional, to say the least.She fell in love with the spirit on visiting Mexico in 2011 and returned to London with the pretty half-baked plan – I don’t think Melanie would mind me saying that – of opening a mezcal bar underneath a kebab shop in East London.Soon after came the Quiquiriqui Mezcal brand, which Melanie makes in direct partnership with families who have been producing mezcal traditionally in their communities for generations.But I’ll leave it to Melanie to tell you in her own words how Quiquiriqui came to be.

Quiquiriqui Mezcal's unusual origin story

• ASX-listed Top Shelf bullish on Australian agave spirits• Mighty Craft invests heavily in whisky; and• James Squire puts a new spin on zero alcohol beer.Theme music 'Devotion' by Silverlining. Purchase here.Follow Drinks Adventures at @drinksadventures_au and James Atkinson at @byjamesatkinson on Instagram.

News: Australian agave ambitions, Mighty Craft's whisky plans, James Squire Zero & more

In more than 40 years of writing about whisky, Charles Maclean has achieved global recognition and no shortage of accolades for his work.He’s a Master of the Quaich – the highest honour in the Scotch whisky industry – and a member of the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame. In fact, he was also its founding editor.Charles has written 18 books and counting on whisky. His magnum opus, Malt Whisky, was first published in 1997.It’s been translated into nine languages and was the recipient of a prestigious Glenfiddich award, and his 2003 book Scotch Whisky: A Liquid History won the James Beard Award for ‘Best Wine and Spirits Book.’And in June 2021 his services to Scotch whisky were further recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.Charles was appointed as an MBE – a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.So, stay with me this episode as Charles and I discuss some of his career highlights, his love/hate relationship with writing, and what it’s like to taste ultra-aged whiskies retailing at more than $100,000 a bottle.He shares his insights on the age-old debate of blends vs single malts, the resurrection of the legendary Brora and Port Ellen Scotch whisky distilleries, and his opinion on Tasmanian whisky, after visiting in 2019.

Charles Maclean MBE on whisky 'flippers', Port Ellen rebirth, blends, Tasmanian whisky & more

Listen to the latest news from Drinks Adventures.

News: Stone & Wood tackles lager giants, Seppelt Wines' 170th, Nusa Cana Rum & Moo Brew's Sydney venue

Distillers should be making their own base spirit from scratch if they want to be considered craft or artisan producers, according to Hurdle Creek Still founder Simon Brooke-Taylor.

Base spirit matters in gin, says brewer & distiller Simon Brooke-Taylor

The latest news from Drinks Adventures:A strong year for Treasury Wine Estates;Australia’s Mountain Culture gets one of its beers named among the world’s best;Four Pillars Gin launches a single vineyard Bloody Shiraz in collaboration with neighbours Yarra Yering; andMorris Whisky’s John Casella reveals a premium brandy is on the cards.Theme music 'Devotion' by Silverlining. Available to purchase here.Follow Drinks Adventures at @drinksadventures_au and James Atkinson at @byjamesatkinson on Instagram.

News: Pepperjack stars at TWE, Mountain Culture's Untappd coup, Four Pillars x Yarra Yering and Morris premium brandy

Founded by Mona Museum owner David Walsh, Tasmania's Moo Brew continues to branch out from the uncompromising approach that characterised its early years. General manager Lauren Sheppard discusses the evolution.

Craft beer trailblazer Moo Brew reshapes its approach

Wine Australia is now focusing its efforts on other emerging markets in Asia, where Australian wine has a small share of the total wine market. That's according to general manager of marketing, Stuart Barclay, who addressed last week's Wine Export Diversification Webinar. In other news:· Challenges confront Australian winemakers in Japan· Australian craft spirits distributor Nip of Courage launches new wholesale and retail offerings; and· Melbourne’s Brick Lane Brewing creates amburana-aged beerFollow @drinksadventures_au and @byjamesatkinson on Instagram. 

News: Wine exports post-China; Japan market challenges; New craft spirits wholesaler; & Brick Lane Brewing's Trilogy of Fear

When winemaker John Casella acquired Morris of Rutherglen in 2016, his sole aim was to save an Australian icon from liquidation.But then he saw the original hybrid copper still and the many barrels maturing Morris’s renowned fortified wines and saw an opportunity to make a uniquely Australian single malt whisky.Casella Family Brands set up a dedicated company, Copper and Grain Distilling, and lured Scotch whisky experts John McDougall and Dr. Jim Swan, to advise the business. Darren Peck, formerly of Diageo, was appointed head distiller.From the start, John was determined to compete with foreign imports, by creating the best possible whisky at an accessible price tag.In June 2021, Copper and Grain released two debut whiskies under the Morris label that have been extremely well-received, being awarded gold medals pre-release at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.You’ll hear two interviews within in this episode. The first is with John Casella and Michael Sergeant, who is head of strategy and innovation at Copper & Grain. I spoke separately to head distiller Darren Peck.

Morris Whisky: A major force in Australian single malt

News: Diversity in wine, Tassie whisky, Good Drinks ASX; Bentspoke's Budding Cells; and Japanese sake

What would a New Zealand-born, ex-Aussie resident know about Japan’s most iconic national beverage? As it turns out, たっぷ. That’s 'plenty' to you and I.Wayne Shennen is a Certified Sommelier, and he was also the first New Zealander to achieve certification as an Advanced Sake Professional.He has worked in hospitality in Australia and New Zealand since 2002. And in 2019, Wayne and his Japanese wife, Makie, relocated to Japan to open a sake and wine bar, Rangitoto Tokyo.The venture seemed well timed to capitalise on the Rugby World Cup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but Wayne and Makie could never have predicted that ‘other’ global event.Wayne is also the author of the e-book, Demystifying Sake, which you can find on Amazon, and he has worked in sake breweries in Ishikawa, Saga, and Gifu prefectures.On a mission to get more New Zealand and Australian wines into the hands of Japanese wine buffs, Wayne is also passionate about raising sake’s undervalued reputation as the stuff of dodgy Hollywood binges (Tom Cruise has a lot to answer for).I asked him how Japanese sake piqued his interest such that he came to devote his career to the beverage.

Tokyo sommelier Wayne Shennen, author 'Demystifying Sake'

Drinks Adventures is a new podcast for adventurous drinkers of beer, wine, spirits, cider… and everything in between. The impetus for the podcast is the many exciting trends we are currently witnessing across all categories of premium drinks. Winemakers, brewers and distillers are increasingly experimenting and collaborating with one another on products that blur the definition of what’s in your glass like never before. Such hybrid products are playing to drinkers who are increasingly open-minded and adventurous and enjoying a wide array of different drinks to suit different occasions, rather than identifying with one particular category. Today’s drinker is consuming less alcohol overall, and instead spending more on higher quality products that deliver on flavour and are underpinned by authentic stories. The people who produce and champion these fine drinks are the talent you will be hearing from on this podcast. Drinks Adventures is produced and hosted by drinks writer James Atkinson. Contact us by emailing hello@drinksadventures.com.au

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Drinks Adventures

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