Kinglake Distillery, a whisky producer based near the Yarra Valley, Victoria, has announced it will produce Australia’s first government certified carbon neutral whisky by the end of the year.
This will be achieved in offsetting its carbon footprint, increasing the sustainability of its processes and undertaking rigorous auditing. Kinglake Distillery is also setting aside land for the re-planting of Indigenous native forest.
Founded in 2018 by owners Sam Lowe and Chantal Daniels, the off-grid distillery functions using a mixture of solar and generator power, a tank for gas and an onsite dam for recycling cooling water. Surrounded by deep forests, bush, mountain streams and national parkland, it is designed to use its location to its advantage.
All the whisky produced at Kinglake Distillery is made from scratch. Its single malt is made from the mountain stream that rises on the property, which has the perfect mineral content for making whisky. It uses barley, 80 per cent of which is farmed and malted in NSW, supporting Australian growers.
Lowe and Daniels focus on vatting different barrels – typically small-format ex-bourbon barrels re-coopered in Australia, well suited to ageing conditions in the Kinglake Ranges. A 2,500L copper pot-still was handmade by Tasmanian premier still-maker, Knapp Lewer, and was engineered to produce a heavy, flavourful spirit.
Nature influences every stage of the whisky distilling process, and the result is an exceptional whisky that can only be made in Kinglake.
The owners foster a strong brand ethos centred around authenticity, honesty and integrity. This is reflected in the reasonable price point of their single malt whisky – using the best ingredients to produce outstanding quality, consumers can purchase a 500ml bottle for $100.
Kinglake Distillery is set to become a genuine Victorian distilling landmark. With the commitment to produce Australia’s first certified carbon neutral whisky, the company is dedicated to ensuring that drinking its whisky has no negative impact on the environment.
For more information, visit the Kinglake Distillery website.