Archie Rose Distilling Co

Archie Rose Distilling Co

Spirit nerds, listen up and reach for your wallets: Archie Rose Distilling Co has Pappy Van Winkle whiskey, its own, house-distilled range of spirits and knockout booze from around the world.

I do not need more things to spend money on. Between collecting taxidermy, sourcing early edition Bond novels, and having to buy Bob Dylan's entire discography (including Empire Burlesque) each time it's released in a fancy new format, the dream of one day owning a house in a suburb with traffic lights is somewhat distant.

Now, thanks to Archie Rose, I'll be lucky to afford a bedsit in Boggabri.

You see, Archie Rose sells Pappy Van Winkle whiskey. I'd heard about the Kentucky bourbon from blokes like Anthony Bourdain and Dave Chang who are big fans of the stuff. Their trend-setting enthusiasm, plus the whiskey's extremely limited production, has contributed to a global "Pappymania" among spirit nerds. Pappy is like hen's teeth in Australia. However, Archie Rose has the three latest reserves plus six other next-level hooch bottles from Buffalo Trace Distillery, which makes bourbon for the Van Winkle family under contract. A standard pour of the 23-year Pappy costs $94. Indeed, sir. Maybe just a $52 jigger of the 15-year old, then.

"Doesn't it disgust you spending that much on one drink?" asks my date. "I think for you, and a lot of other 30-year-old white men, these expensive drinks and bars are just about status. You can't afford a decent car or house, but you give the appearance that you can via this sort of nonsense."

Well, yes. Maybe. But, I just dropped a pineapple on 30 millilitres of a whiskey I've been wanting to try for a long time and, dammit if I'm not going to enjoy the moment. It tastes like an old oak tree, smells like vanilla, and I want to move to Kentucky, sit on a porch, wait for the mailman and eat fried chicken. There is no boozer's remorse.

I should mention that Archie Rose also distills its own whiskey, gin, and vodka on-site. The last time there was an independent distillery in the City of Sydney was more than a century and a half ago, so big props to founder and co-owner Will Edwards for starting what is hopefully a new era in the Big Smoke spirit industry. Its aged rye whiskey is a couple of years off (it has to spend quality time ex-Buffalo Trace casks first) but you can still drink it in its, oily, moonshiny, virgin white form. Best way to do this is by grabbing the $15 Archie Rose flight and giving the vodka and gin a whirl too.

"Smelling that gin reminds me of mum," says my English date. Awesome. Everyone's mum should smell like a blend of 14 native botanicals, including blood lime, lemon myrtle, and Dorrigo pepperleaf. It makes for a swell gin and tonic ($8.50), especially when the tonic comes in a little self-serve apothecary bottle from local guys P.S.Soda and also uses native flora.

I could easily return here, pull up a stool at the handsome copper bar, and get stuck into a tight cocktail list with nifty creations like the Bark and Bees ($19), a whiskey-sour twist involving bourbon, honey and house-made cassia distillate. Or I could slink into a booth and get friendly with minimal-intervention wines picked by sommelier James Audus (last seen at LP's Quality Meats and Copenhagen's Noma before that) to a bass-heavy hip-hop soundtrack (although the less Eminem the better).

However, I can't wait for another another round with ol' Pappy around tax-return time. Provided the bourbon boffins haven't cleaned out Archie by then, which is entirely likely. Might have to auction off some Bond novels and stuffed pheasants in the meantime.

THE LOW-DOWN
Go for… a flight of Sydney's own spirits.
Stay for… knockout booze from around the rest of the world.
Drink… Gin and Bush Tonic.
And… neighbours Black Star Pastry will run cheese and charcuterie boards over if you're feeling peckish.

Archie Rose Distilling Co

Address 85 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery, 02 8458 2300

Open daily noon-10pm