The industry as we know it
The whisky industry has long been dominated by the large-scale distilleries, which have had a big role in shaping the global whisky market. However, one drawback of this dominance is the lack of diversity in whiskies. Many of the big players tend to focus on producing consistent and well-established flavour profiles, limiting the exploration of innovative flavours and new interesting production techniques.
What makes craft whiskies so unique?
Craft distilleries take inspiration from the rich heritage of whisky-making. They often use traditional and non-mechanized production methods. While at the same time embracing innovation and creativity in their search for distinctiveness.
Craft distillers explore unconventional grains, such as quinoa or spelt, to create whiskies with flavour profiles that defy conventions. They further experiment with new fermentation processes and diverse barrel ageing techniques. All of these new techniques contribute to what makes a craft whisky unique. Let’s have a look at a few of these upcoming craft distilleries.
Three craft distilleries
Archie Rose Distilling
Archie Rose Distilling, a craft distillery known for innovation and creativity, based in Sydney, Australia. Their Rye Malt whisky secured the title of world’s best rye award at the World Whiskies Award.
That they’re not afraid to experiment shows with their new blended coffee whisky. Whether this coffee-infused whisky is the way to go, is something you’ll have to decide.
Another example is the smoked heritage rye malt, where they opt for Australian wood smoke instead of imported Scottish peat. Equally fascinating is their unaged white rye whisky, known for its transparent colour. This experimentation with white rye whisky is becoming a common sighting at craft whisky distilleries.
Le Breuil
Château du Breuil, a beautiful French castle located in Normandie. Within the walls of the castle you can find one of the most famous Calvados distilleries. In recent years the Calvados distillery also stepped into whisky production, unveiling whisky distillery Le Breuil. The first French distillery to use 100% golden promise barley, which is known for its perceived better flavour. This barley continues to be the main choice for Scottish distilleries Glengoyne and Macallan.
They won the World Whisky Awards with their whisky: ‘Sherry Oloroso’ in the non age statement category of 2023.
Konosuke
Among the peaceful landscape in the south of Japan you’ll find the Kanosuke distillery, founded in 2017. In a short time of 5 years the distillery has already earned their spot in the world of whisky. Their Single Malt 2022 Limited Edition earned the title of “Best Japanese Single Malt” at the World Whiskies Awards.
The Kanosuke distillery uses three pot stills, all crafted from copper. This process brings a rich flavour to the whisky. Finally their whiskies undergo ageing in a range of casks which are mainly American oak, Japanese oak, and sherry. They also experiment with more unusual cask ageing. As an example they used ex-shochu casks from the family business for maturation.
What can we expect in the future?
As we have seen, craft distilleries can be characterised as innovators, artisan and authentic, redefining the whisky landscape. In the future we can expect that distilleries are likely to explore more diverse types of (ex-)casks. Imagine whiskies aged in ex-basilico casks, ex-maple syrup barrels. But we can also expect more whiskies that distantiate from oak casks, and use for example apple or maple wood casks. Something to look forward to!