Whisky Enlightenment has released their second independent bottling: 'The Distillery.' Edition Two - Riverbourne. This has come with a special selection of the cask as the distillation coincided with the birth of one our director's daughter. Just like her, this single cask is vibrant, vivacious and full of character. 

Made with local barley from NSW which gives a sweet, buttery and spicy flavour to spirt. For maturing, the spirit was aged in a 50L Barrels matured for two years (French Oak Barrels which previously had Red Wine from the Napa Valley, California. They have been scraped, re-charred and re-coopered. Then Virgin American Oak ends are used on the heads.)

Tasting Notes: 

Colour: Red Gold

Nose: Vibrantly fruity nose with Plum and cherries. Toffee rolls in, then Caramelised Fig.

Palate: Juicy flavour of fruit and caramel. Light Oak and then Spice grows in the back palate of black peppercorns.

Finish: Medium finish with sweetness and cherries dropping off, leaving a peppery reminder.

Riverbourne Distillery

Established in 2015 and located 50 minutes to the South East of Canberra. This remains the local distillery of Canberra and fondly Riverbourne's water is sourced from the same river which feeds Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin. Martin Pye founded the Distillery and leveraging from his background as a Chemist (4th Generation) he embarked on a journey to follow his passion. His craft began distilling Rum and this led to perfecting his Whisky.

At a height of 1060 metres, this makes Riverbourne one of the highest distilleries in Australia and adds to its unique maturation. Fresh spring water is used in the production and Riverbourne remains one of the few distilleries in Australia which hand mashes their Barley. When it comes to the fermentation, Martin's deep knowledge of ester profiles and fermentation really shines above the rest. He uses a single 900 Litre Traditional Pot Still which is steam driven and jacketed. This bring a softer style of spirit by allowing balanced and uniformed heat in the boiler.

A variety of imported and local barley are used, along with a noteworthy cask selection for maturation. While nestled around the Talaganda State Forrest and Deua National Park, it feeds fresh air for maturation. However the real beauty comes in the afternoon when the sea breeze is feed up the Clyde Mountain giving a much cooler climate which optimises the maturation of Riverbourne spirit. 

With an annual production of 5,000 litres, it allows Riverbourne's artisan spirit, to remain crafted by hand and passion.