As momentum builds, how should Australian whisky define itself on the world stage?
隨著勢頭的增強，澳大利亞威士忌應該如何在世界舞臺上定義自己？

Australian whisky is no longer the quiet achiever on the global spirits stage. Whether measured by award wins or an ever-increasing demand in key export markets, it's bold and inventive nature is seeing the category's momentum continue to grow.
澳大利亞威士卡不再是全球烈酒舞臺上默默無聞的成功者。無論是以獲獎還是主要出口市場不斷增長的需求來衡量，大膽和創新的本質都見證了該品類的勢頭繼續增長。

Australian whisky also remains stylistically diverse, with vastly different approaches proving successful for many leading Australian distilleries. This has led to questions about how the category should collectively brand and market itself on the world stage, including whether a collective Australian Whisky identity is needed: if consumers can confidently expect different products within a category to share similar characteristics, the job of retailers and importers is simplified.
澳大利亞威士卡在風格上也保持著多樣性，事實證明，截然不同的方法對許多澳大利亞領先的釀酒廠來說是成功的。這引發了關於該品類應該如何在世界舞臺上集體品牌和行銷自己的問題 ，包括是否需要一個集體的澳大利亞威士卡身份：如果消費者可以自信地期望一個品類中的不同產品具有相似的特徵，零售商和進口商的工作就會簡化。

As Publishing Editor Ashley Pini writes in the latest issue of Drinks Trade Magazine, “Australian whisky tends to be rich, bold, and cask-forward, a product of both our climate and our willingness to break with tradition ... For years, the category has borrowed comparisons from Scotch or Japanese whisky, but increasingly, a distinct local style is emerging."
正如出版編輯 Ashley Pini 在最新一期的 Drinks Trade 雜誌上所寫的那樣，「澳大利亞威士卡往往是濃郁、大膽和桶裝的，這是我們的氣候和我們打破傳統的意願的產物......多年來，該類別一直借鑒蘇格蘭威士卡或日本威士卡的比較，但越來越多的獨特本地風格正在出現。

Adding another dimension to the conversation, Tasmania's premier contract distillery Greenbanks is looking to spearhead not just Australian whisky but specifically Tasmanian whisky on the global stage.
塔斯馬尼亞州首屈一指的合同釀酒廠 Greenbanks 不僅希望在全球舞臺上引領澳大利亞威士卡，而且特別是塔斯馬尼亞威士卡，為對話增添了另一個維度。

"The Tassie whisky industry is probably where Australian wine was a few decades ago, but we see enormous potential," co-founder and Executive Director Hugh Roxburgh tells Drinks Trade.
“塔斯馬尼亞威士忌行業可能是幾十年前澳大利亞葡萄酒的水準，但我們看到了巨大的潛力，”聯合創始人兼執行董事 Hugh Roxburgh 告訴 Drinks Trade。

“We think Tasmanian whisky has got the potential to be the sixth, and next big, great whisky province of the world.”
“我們認為塔斯馬尼亞威士忌有潛力成為世界第六個，也是下一個偉大的威士忌大省。”

Of course, Tasmania is where Australian whisky first started when, in 1992, Bill Lark founded the state’s first licensed distillery in more than 150 years. In the decades following, Tasmanian distilleries Lark Distilling, Sullivans Cove and Hellyers Road have been lauded for establishing the blueprint for commercially viable Australian single malts.
當然，塔斯馬尼亞是澳大利亞威士卡的發源地，1992 年，Bill Lark 創立了該州 150 多年來第一家獲得許可的釀酒廠。在接下來的幾十年裡，塔斯馬尼亞州的釀酒廠 Lark Distilling、Sullivans Cove 和 Hellyers Road 因為商業上可行的澳大利亞單一麥芽威士卡樹立了藍圖而受到讚譽。

Reflecting on this, Roxburgh says “they've done a fantastic job at creating a category onto itself, being Tasmanian whisky, which is recognised by big global majors,” before noting that, to this day, “the issue the industry still faces is the lack of supply and really high price points.”
對此，Roxburgh 說：“他們在創造一個獨立的類別方面做得非常出色，成為塔斯馬尼亞威士卡，得到了全球大型威士忌的認可，”然後指出，直到今天，“該行業仍然面臨的問題是缺乏供應和非常高的價格點。

If the Tasmanian whisky category is to expand its export presence globally, it must significantly increase its scale of production: something that Greenbanks is hoping to play a key role in.
如果塔斯馬尼亞威士卡品類要擴大其全球出口業務，它必須顯著擴大其生產規模：Greenbanks 希望在其中發揮關鍵作用。

“Look at Japan, which we think is a fantastic case study for the potential of Tasmanian whisky: Japan produces about 150, 200 million LAOs [litres of pure alcohol], so it puts it into perspective when Tasmania produces only half a million currently. The capacity is probably more like 2 million LAOs," said Roxburgh.
“看看日本，我們認為這是塔斯馬尼亞威士忌潛力的絕佳案例研究：日本生產了大約 150、2 億升 LAO [升純酒精]，因此當塔斯馬尼亞目前只生產五十萬升時，它就可以看出這一點。”容量可能更像是 200 萬個 LAO，“Roxburgh 說。

"There's enormous potential there, but you need 6 to 12 really successful Tasmanian whisky brands to be able to get shelf presence and a Tasmanian whisky shelf in the supermarkets and retailers in Korea or Japan or in the UK or wherever it might be."
“那裡的潛力很大，但你需要 6 到 12 個真正成功的塔斯馬尼亞威士卡品牌才能在韓國、日本、英國或任何地方的超市和零售商中獲得貨架和塔斯馬尼亞威士忌貨架。”

Hugh Roxburgh at the Greenbanks distillery in Bridgewater, Tasmania
Hugh Roxburgh 在塔斯馬尼亞州布里奇沃特的 Greenbanks 釀酒廠

Beyond single malt: Diversifying Tasmanian, and Australian, whisky
超越單一麥芽威士卡：塔斯馬尼亞和澳大利亞威士卡的多元化

Another key trend emerging in Australia is a diversification beyond malted barley to other grain types. Some, like Archie Rose, are even malting their own grain or developing custom malt streams in collaboration with growers.
澳大利亞出現的另一個關鍵趨勢是從發芽大麥轉向其他穀物類型。有些人，比如 Archie Rose，甚至正在自己制麥芽或與種植者合作開發定製麥芽流。

Other distilleries such as Top Shelf's NED Australian Whisky and Morris Distillery's 36 South, which uses locally sourced grains of wheat and barley, are experimenting with unique mash-bills to increase approachability.
其他釀酒廠，如 Top Shelf 的 NED 澳大利亞威士卡和 Morris Distillery 的 36 South，使用當地採購的小麥和大麥穀物，正在嘗試使用獨特的麥芽漿來提高平易近人性。

"We wanted to make an approachable, quality Australian whisky at MORRIS, one that would appeal to drinkers who are new to Australian Whisky or bourbon drinkers who are curious to try something new," Morris Distillery's Master Distiller Darren Peck tells Drinks Trade.
“我們想在 MORRIS 製作一款平易近人、優質的澳大利亞威士卡，吸引剛接觸澳大利亞威士忌的飲酒者或好奇嘗試新事物的波旁威士卡飲用者，”Morris Distillery 的釀酒大師 Darren Peck 告訴 Drinks Trade。

"I’ve gone for a really approachable whisky especially suited to those who prefer a bourbon flavour profile or are new to Australian Whisky. It’s actually so drinkable and so good when mixed with cola or dry ginger ale, I see it going after the bourbon market, and that’s where we really need to be saying why the hell are we drinking American whisky when we’ve got such good Australian whisky right here at home?"
“我選擇了一款非常平易近人的威士忌，特別適合那些喜歡波旁威士忌風味或剛接觸澳大利亞威士卡的人。它實際上非常好喝，當與可樂或乾薑汁汽水混合時，它非常好喝，我看到它會在波旁威士忌市場推出，這就是我們真正需要說的地方，當我們家裡有這麼好的澳大利亞威士忌時，我們為什麼要喝美國威士卡呢？

Just last week, Turner Stillhouse officially launched Tasmania's first ever Bourbon-style whiskey: Rosevears Tasmanian Three Grain

Similarly, diversity is also key a focus point at Greenbanks’ contract distilling operation. “One great advantage that Tasmania has is the grain growing production: and it's malted barley, but it's also wheat, rye, oats, even corn. The single malts are fantastic, but experimenting with different cast types/different grains and things: I think that's something that's really exciting and it hasn't been done overseas.

Roxburgh continues: “Look at Scotland: only 10 per cent of whisky that's produced in Scotland is single malt. 90 per cent is not single malt."

This mix of base grain also directly lends itself to greater stylistic diversity and production flexibility. “There's that flexibility to create whisky from any grain, and we want to create really distinctive Tasmanian whiskies. We don't want to make Scottish single malt style whiskies. We don't want to make American style whiskies. We want to make something that's distinctively Tasmanian, and we're getting some phenomenal results.”

However, in many ways, this diversity equates to a less clear definition of what the Tasmanian whisky and Australian whisky categories are.

Roxburgh says, “we're not constrained by all the regulations and rules that people are in Scotland or even in America, and it's fantastic to see all these experimental casks being used and different grains and different yeasts. I think, over the next 10, 20 years, that will broaden out but also become a little bit more specific at the same time where people will then find what actually really works in Tasmania. That's why I'm excited about the use of the different grains. It's going to be an exciting time over the next 5, 10, 20 years in Tasmania.”

Greenbanks recently achieved five 'category bests' at the IWSC for: Rye Whisky, Corn New Make, Rye New Make, Mixed Grain (Wheat-Rye-Malt) New Make, and Wheat New Make.

How should trade approach Australian and Tasmanian whisky?

Australian whisky is no longer a curiosity — it’s a category. With a growing stable of brands, increasing export demand, and more consumers willing to spend locally, the opportunity for liquor retailers and on-premise venues is real.

As Ash outlines on page 43 of Drinks Trade Winter, our first piece of advice to trade is to recognise the growing consumer appetite. As customers explore beyond Scotch and bourbon, they’re increasingly curious about local spirits. Australian whisky offers an exciting next step — and carries a sense of place that’s easy to communicate at shelf or over the bar.

The second tip is to educate and engage. Many consumers are still discovering that Australian whisky exists — let alone that it can rival imports in quality. Use shelf talkers, tasting nights, or whisky flights to bring the category to life. Distilleries like Lark, Archie Rose, and Morris often have excellent trade resources available.

Third: curate a mix of price points. Entry-level bottles like Starward Two-Fold or Hellyers Road Original provide affordable introductions, while higher-end releases from Sullivans Cove or Lark offer depth for collectors and connoisseurs.

And finally, embrace the uniqueness of the category. Whether it’s a muscat-finished Morris or a smoky Lark release, these aren’t copycats — they’re distinctly Australian. That sense of identity is a powerful sales driver.

//

What can Australia's spirits industry learn from Barbados’ struggle for GI protection?

Interview: What is the future of small-batch Australian whisky?

Parliamentary inquiry recommends formation of Spirits Australia body