Archie Rose
Type: Distillery and brand
At Archie Rose, smoke can enter a whisky through the malt, the cask and even the water. Its Triple Smoked single malt brings all three together, using native Australian stringybark rather than peat. That willingness to rethink the raw materials runs through this Sydney distillery’s whisky making, from Australian malts to what the producer describes as seven separate malt streams. [1][3][8]
According to the producer, Will Edwards founded Archie Rose in Rosebery in 2014. Production moved to a new Sydney distillery in 2020, but the original Rosebery address remains its bar, cellar door and visitor destination. [1][3][4]
Archie Rose at a glance
| Field | Verified record |
|---|---|
| Country and locality | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. [1] |
| Founded | 2014, by Will Edwards, according to the producer. [1] |
| First whisky production | First brews and casks laid down in early 2015, according to Edwards. [2] |
| Production relocation | New Sydney distillery in 2020. [1][3] |
| Ownership | Will Edwards and Chris Hemsworth identified as co-owners in 2026. Exact legal entity, effective date and ultimate parent not reliably established. Checked November 2026. [1][9] |
| Business status | Formal legal status unconfirmed in the supplied record. |
| Distilling status | Present running status unconfirmed in the supplied record. |
| Visitor access | Rosebery bar, cellar door and tours advertised by the producer, checked November 2026. [1][4] |
| Original site | Standing, with the three retired original stills on display, according to the producer. [4] |
| Named whiskies | Single Malt Whisky; Rye Malt Whisky; Maidenii Nocturne Cask Rye Malt Whisky. [2] |
| Official website | Archie Rose Distilling Co. [1] |
What Archie Rose is known for
Seven malts, kept separate from milling to maturation: this is the central idea in Archie Rose’s account of its whisky production. The producer says it mills, brews, ferments, distils and matures each separately, rather than combining them at the beginning, through what it describes as a patented individual malt stream process. In that account, grain receives the kind of individual attention often associated with casks. [3]
The producer describes its grain as “100% Australian malts” and says it worked with Voyager on native-grown roasted malts. Native stringybark timber supplies a local alternative to imported Scottish peat. These choices give Archie Rose a distinctive approach to raw materials, without suggesting that Australian whisky has a single prescribed style. [1][2]
The published whisky names include Single Malt Whisky and Rye Malt Whisky. Alongside those whiskies, the Trials & Exceptions range gives experimentation its own home, with Maidenii Nocturne Cask Rye Malt Whisky among its releases. [2]
From Rosebery shed to Sydney distillery
A visit to Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn during the summer of 2012 to 2013 helped set Edwards’s plans in motion, according to his account. He had studied at Sydney Uni and worked in management consulting at Deloitte. In June 2013, he left that job to develop the business full time. He also says nine months went into researching regulation before building began. [1][2]
The first premises were a vacant 550 m² shed at The Cannery in Rosebery, fitted out by Acme & Co. Founding came in 2014; Edwards dates the first whisky brews and casks to early 2015. The bar and cellar door opened at 61 Mentmore Ave in March 2015, making founding, whisky production and the visitor opening distinct milestones. [1][2][5][6]
Story box: the idea behind an urban distillery
Founding story: According to the producer, Will Edwards founded Archie Rose in Rosebery in 2014. The earlier Brooklyn visit helped shape his plans. Sources: producer’s founding account and Edwards’s account of the inspiration.
Turning point: In 2020, production moved to a new distillery designed and built by Edwards and master distiller Dave Withers. Source: producer’s account of the move.
Documented record: The first bottles were filled by hand, their batch numbers and dates handwritten on the labels, according to the producer. Source: the Still Room account.
Claim-source mapping: The About page supports the founding and relocation; Edwards’s interview supports the Brooklyn inspiration; the Still Room account supports hand filling and handwritten labels.
Last checked: Exact day not reliably established.
The original Rosebery equipment
The original whisky stills came from Tasmanian still maker Peter Bailey, with 364 days between order and delivery, according to contemporary trade reporting. The installation included a 3,600-litre wash still, charged with 3,000 litres of wash, and a steam-heated 1,600-litre spirit still. These specifications belong to Rosebery, before the later production move. [6]
Edwards chose a very short swan neck, the upper section of the pot still, intending to carry heavier, flavour-bearing compounds into the spirit. Elsewhere in the installation, Italian-made fermentation tanks bore rappers’ names, including “Drizzy”. Early head distiller Joe Dinsmoor brought experience from Lark Distillery. [6]
Water received extensive treatment at Rosebery. The same trade account records charcoal filtration twice, reverse osmosis twice and ultraviolet filtration. Like the still dimensions, that sequence describes the original installation; it should not be assumed to describe the newer distillery’s water treatment. [6]
Inside the newer distillery
A mash filter and two copper pot whisky stills with neck cooling jackets feature in Archie Rose’s account of its newer distillery, where production moved in 2020. The producer says the mash filter separates liquid from the mashed grain in place of a traditional lauter mash tun. The cooling jackets allow reflux and spirit style to be adjusted. [3]
The seven-stream approach keeps each malt separate at every stage: milling and brewing lead to independent fermentation, distillation and maturation, rather than a shared brew. [3]
Gin production uses different equipment: identical-design 500-litre and 3,000-litre copper pot and column hybrid vacuum stills. These are separate from both the two copper pot whisky stills at the newer distillery and the three retired original stills displayed at Rosebery. [3][4]
Whiskies, casks and experiments
An Australian apera cask supplied an important milestone for the Single Cask Series. In February 2026, trade reporting described Batch No.3 as including a Six-Year-Old matured in that cask, identifying it as Archie Rose’s first age-statement whisky. The same batch included Toasted Amber Single Malt, matured in ex-bourbon American oak and bottled at 54% ABV. [7]
The report described a selection pool of more than 35,000 casks for the series, rather than an annual production figure or a measure of installed distilling capacity. [7]
Earlier experiments included Wattleseed Smoked Cask Single Malt in the Smoked Cask Series. Alongside Maidenii Nocturne Cask Rye Malt Whisky, it illustrates how Archie Rose has explored both ingredients and casks. The documented interest lies in those production choices, rather than an assumed tasting profile. [2][7]
Smoke without peat
Triple Smoked single malt put that approach to smoke into a release of 10,571 bottles, at 46% ABV, on 27 July 2026, according to trade reporting. Native Australian stringybark supplied the smoke. [8]
The distinction is both the source and its reach: a local timber in place of peat, with smoke applied beyond the grain. That establishes the production method, rather than how any individual drinker will perceive the finished whisky. [1][8]
Production timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| June 2013 | Edwards says he left Deloitte to develop the business full time. [2] |
| 2014 | Archie Rose founded in Rosebery, according to the producer. [1] |
| Early 2015 | First whisky brews and casks laid down, according to Edwards. [2] |
| March 2015 | Rosebery bar and cellar door opened. [1][6] |
| 2020 | Production moved to the newer Sydney distillery. [1][3] |
| February 2026 | First age-statement whisky reported in Single Cask Series Batch No.3. [7] |
| 27 July 2026 | Triple Smoked single malt released. [8] |
Ownership and visiting Rosebery
Chris Hemsworth joined Archie Rose as a co-owner alongside Edwards in 2026. The announcement described shared ownership, with Edwards remaining a co-owner. The accompanying trade report also set out plans for a US launch in late 2026, followed by the UK and Europe in 2027. Those dates describe planned expansion, rather than completed launches. [1][9]
The producer’s published visitor offer centres on the original Rosebery address, where the Still Room houses the three retired original stills. Rosebery’s bar, cellar door and tours include opportunities to blend and label a spirit, but the visitor setting and the production site are no longer the same place. [1][4] Check the official website for the current programme, booking requirements, accessibility information and age conditions before travelling.
Where to go next
- Starward: continue with another Australian distillery profile.
- Sullivans Cove: explore another part of Australian whisky.
- Lark: follow the connection in Joe Dinsmoor’s earlier career.
Sources
- Archie Rose Distilling Co. About. Undated producer account, supplied record checked November 2026. https://archierose.com.au/pages/about
- Archie Rose Distilling Co. A Q&A with Archie Rose Founder, Will Edwards. Undated producer account, supplied record checked November 2026. https://archierose.com.au/journal/archie-rose-founder-will-edwards
- Archie Rose Distilling Co. Introducing Our Innovative New Distillery. Undated producer account, supplied record checked November 2026. https://archierose.com.au/journal/introducing-our-innovative-new-distillery
- Archie Rose Distilling Co. The Still Room. Undated producer account, supplied record checked November 2026. https://archierose.com.au/journal/the-still-room
- Indesign Live. Archie Rose: A Disused Shed Transformed into Award-Winning Distillery. Undated trade report, supplied record checked November 2026. https://www.indesignlive.com/projects/archie-rose-distillery
- Gourmantic. Archie Rose Distillery. Undated trade account, supplied record checked November 2026. https://gourmantic.com/archie-rose-distillery/
- The Spirits Business. Archie Rose unveils its first age-statement whisky. February 2026. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2026/02/archie-rose-unveils-first-age-statement-whisky/
- The Spirits Business. Archie Rose creates its smokiest whisky. June 2026. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2026/06/archie-rose-creates-its-smokiest-whisky/
- Australian Bartender. Chris Hemsworth joins Archie Rose as co-owner ahead of US launch. 26 August 2026. https://australianbartender.com.au/2026/08/26/chris-hemsworth-joins-archie-rose-as-co-owner-ahead-of-us-launch
This article is desk research based on verified fact sheet TOP-A378, distinguishing producer accounts from trade reporting.
Last checked: November 2026