Women of Australian Distilling had a pretty extraordinary year and now that we're coming into 2023, it's time to look back on the moments that made us smile and some of the achievements that were made by inspiring women in the Australian distilling industry!
1. We launched our brand new website!
Our new website was a big milestone for us, and since its launch in March, we have only developed it more and more. A place for networking and sharing some pretty great success stories. We wanted this to be a place for women in the industry to find others in similar roles and to reach out if they have any questions. It's about recognising the achievements of distillers, owners, sales representatives, marketers and every role in between.
2. YCK Laneways Event
August saw us engage in a series of masterclasses alongside YCK Laneways and Front & Centre. Featuring 8 ladies from various parts of the country, they all came together to run masterclasses in front of a large crowd.
Celia Wynne - Bartender at Naught Distilling, VIC
Gemma Duff - General Manager at Poor Toms, NSW
Ash Clinton - Distiller at Grainshaker, VIC
Natalie Ng- Brand Owner at Tilde, NSW
Joey Tai - Distiller at Anther Spirits, VIC
Sarah Wallace - Distiller at Animus Distillery, VIC
Carlie Dyer - Distiller & Blender at Starward, VIC
Lisa Truscott - Distiller at Archie Rose, NSW
Each woman brought their own flair to the masterclasses and it was extremely inspiring to see how enthusiastic they all were to speak on the brands that they are so passionate about.
A special thank you to Christina Butcher from Mr & Mrs Romance for hosting the event and helping the girls to feel right in their element!
3. Our Advisory Board was set
These 5 fabulous humans will be leading the way for Women of Australian Distilling with the first board meeting to take place in 2023, Paul Mcleay, Harriet Leigh, Nicole Lestal, Dervilla McGowan and Kathleen Davies. Big things to come!
4. The Social Media revamp of all revamps!
You may have noticed our socials (particularly Instagram) taking on a new and fresh theme.
We wanted to feature all of the amazing women in the industry and do it in a way that can be looked back on regularly. Our posts aim to shine a light on all roles in the distilling industry and the women working tirelessly in them.
5. Interviews
Leading on from our social media revamp, we also launched an interviewing category in which women in any role in the distilling industry can fill out a few questions and then be featured on our website and our socials. Personally, we love hearing all of your stories and what led you to the place that you are at today, so we thought .. if we love it, then so would everyone else! And so, the interviews were born. Our favourite part about these interviews is that it doesn't matter if you're a distiller, owner, sales representative, marketer or anything in between - each role is just as important as the next, we just want to know your goals, aspirations and why you love Aussie spirits so much.
6. International Women's Day at Bloodwood in Newtown
International Women's Day was hosted by Bloodwood in Newtown, as it is annually, alongside Women in Hospitality. The featured speakers of the day were:
Susannah Robinson - Distiller at Cape Byron Distillery, NSW
Sam Stefani - Distiller at Banks & Solander Distillery, NSW
Jenna Hemsworth - Grainshaker, VIC
Nicole Durdin - Distiller & Owner at Seppeltsfield Road Distillers, SA
Kathleen Davies - Founder of Nip of Courage & Women of Australian Distilling, NSW
So, what has everyone else been up to then?
Holly Klintworth becomes president of the Australian Distillers Association
We, of course, have to recognise Holly Klintworth and her new role as president of the Australian Distillers Association, and the first female president might we add!
Affinity Gin and Moriearned a Double-Gold ouble-Gold uble-Gold ble-Gold le-Gold e-Gold -Gold Gold old ld d ith a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Business Administration, Holly began her career in the liquor industry as a cellar door assistant manager and communications assistant. Holly followed in the footsteps of her late father, Wayne, when she joined the family business, Bass & Flinders Distillery, full-time in 2016. She began as a sales and marketing manager and moved up to the director and head distiller position which she has been in for 6 years. Holly also served 6 years on the Australian Distillers Association committee before becoming president. a
Ally Ayres from Karu Distillery
Ally and Karu Distillery earnt a magnitude of awards this year including:
Shortlisted for IWSC 2022 Emerging Talent in Spirits.
Their Morita Chipotle Vodka won an innovation award
Affinity Gin & Morita earned a Double-Gold
Navy Strength Lightning Gin received a Gold medal
2022 also brought Outcask Rum to their range which is a project Ally worked very closely with for 4 years
Kim Richardson from Mates Gin Distillery
Kim and the team at Mates Gin had an incredible first year:
Created and delivered a founding members gin
Finished bottling their first 2 stand-alone gins: Zesty Mates and Miners Pick.
Joey Tai from Anther Spirits
Distiller, Joey developed her very own gin with Anther Spirits!
The Moon Cake Gin launched this year, Joey's first gin pays tribute to both her life in Hong Kong and her life here in Australia!
The release is super limited, only 300 bottles were made!
Genevieve Sullivan from Penni Ave Distillery
Gen and the Penni Ave team's vodka won a pretty great award!
Their Wattleseed & Burnt Honey Vodka won "best vodka" at the Australian distilled spirits awards!
Rosemary Beale from Black Snake Distillery
Rosemary, along with her husband Stephen opened a bar at their distillery.
Black Snake Distillery makes some pretty amazing agave and gins which they'll be serving up, but make sure that you reserve your seat through their website first!
Lisa Truscott from Archie Rose Distilling Co.
Lisa was featured in Whisky Mag as part of the Archie Rose Distillery focus.
The article discusses Lisa's role at Archie Rose and we get to hear from Lisa about the process of creating and developing their whiskies.
Rebekah Wilson from The Packing Shed Distilling Co.
Rebekah from The Packing Shed Distilling Co. has shared the award that they won this year after opening their distillery in 2021.
Their limoncello won best alternative spirit at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards.
Jane Baker from Mrs Baker's Still House
Mrs Baker's Still House won the 2022 National Electrical Contractors Association award.
Their distillery is 100% solar powered and they felt that being a regional based distillery, this was their only option because they love this planet.
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