Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

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 Januar...

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, be...

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 ano...

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 decad...

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...

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.

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 busin...

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 o...

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...

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 Bow...

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 whisk...

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...

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...

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 experie...

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 ju...

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 f...

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...

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...

Welcome to another edition of the news on Drinks Adventures. Coming up this bulletin: Langtons Barossa wine auction nets $200K; Lark investors meet new CEO Satya Sharma; The Gospel unveils a tribute to Maryland-style rye whiskeys; and South Australian Parliament honours distillers on World Gin Day. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.

Established in 2015 at Spring Beach in Tasmania, Spring Bay Distillery is the realisation of a dream for whisky-loving owners Cam and Suzy Brett. We’ve actually heard from Cam a couple of times previously on this podcast; in one of my news bulletins back in 2021, and in the special Lark 30th anniversary episode in 2022. So it’s long overdue I invited Cam and Suzy on for an in-depth chat about Spri...

Speyside is the absolute epicentre of Scotland’s distilling industry, and now there’s a Speyside gin to complement the region’s famed whiskies. Created by wine and spirits company Stoli Group, Tulchan Gin is a small batch gin with distinctly local flavours inspired by the terroir of Tulchan Estate. Surrounded by 22,000 picturesque acres of lochs and glens, Tulchan is a famous sporting estate in Sp...

Chandon Etoile is a new ultra-prestige sparkling cuvee from Chandon Australia in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. It’s a multi-vintage blend comprised of eight Chandon Vintage Brut reserves – which together represent hundreds of base wines – rounded out with extended ageing. With us this episode to discuss the groundbreaking project is Chandon Australia winemaking director Dan Buckle, who has been guiding...

Allan Border’s Maiden Tonne is a limited edition shiraz released by the legendary cricketer in partnership with Sanguine Estate, the Heathcote, Victoria winery owned by the Hunter family. Allan is with us this episode along with Sanguine winemaker Mark Hunter. I’ll leave it to them to share the back story of this wine, which Mark hopes will elevate Heathcote’s reputation as a region synonymous wit...

The Bird is a new single malt Australian whisky created by renowned entrepreneur and media personality Mark Bouris in collaboration with Andrew Nugent and Paul Giles of Adelaide Hills winery Bird in Hand. Mark joins us this episode for what turned into quite a wide-ranging and insightful interview, starting with his personal journey of whisky appreciation that inspired The Bird. We talk about the...

The small Scottish coastal town of Campbeltown was once home to over 30 distilleries, and it was known as the “Victorian Whisky Capital of the World”. Today, Glen Scotia is one of three surviving distilleries in the region. And both Glen Scotia and Campbeltown are developing a strong reputation among whisky enthusiasts in spite of the region’s production output, which ­is tiny in the context of Sc...