Husk Distillers: Tweed brand teams up with Burleigh Brewing Co on whisky collab

FANS of two locally made beverages will be delighted to learn of a tasty new collab between the pair – they’ll just have to wait at least three years before sampling it. WHAT’S HAPPENING >>>

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HUSK Distillers and Burleigh Brewing Co have joined together for a new collaboration, but fans will have to wait at least three years for a sample.

Senior brewer Sean Culverston and Husk’s head distiller Quentin Brival are overseeing a special one-off batch of whisky.

Fans of Husk Distillers and Burleigh Brewing Co will have to wait at least three years before sampling their collaboration. Picture: Supplied

“Our subtropical, coastal climate is perfect for maturing spirits like rum and whisky. The warm summers and mild winters mean that spirits age more quickly here than in Scotland,” Mr Brival said of the decision to make whisky.

A collaboration with a local brewery has become a beloved annual tradition for the Tweed Distillery; its first dating back to 2018 in partnership with Stone & Wood.

Husk founder Paul Messenger said while the team’s passion was rum, it was always looking for ways to expand: “We’re actually rum makers who grow sugarcane to make Australian Cultivated Rum on our farm at Tumbulgum.

Husk Distillers and Burleigh Brewing Co have collaborated on a new rare once-off batch of whiskey. Picture: Richard Gosling

“Making fine, aged, sipping rum is our passion, but once a year, just before the rum harvest season starts, we don our kilts and become antipodean whisky distillers as a salute to the heritage of our Scottish still.”

Two weeks of fermenting at Burleigh Brewing was first required under the masterful eye of Mr Culverston before the batch was transported to Husk at Tumbulgum for another week of distilling.

The batch – fragranced with aromas of creamy biscuits, lychee and vanilla – has been transferred into a barrel where it will remain for at least three years.

“Each barrel invariably matures at different rates, developing different character depending on the wood grain, its history and seasoning, and the flavour profile of the raw spirit,” Mr Brival explained.

“The bad news is that you’ll have to wait at least three years and possibly as long as six years for a bottle.”

Mr Brival, originally from Caribbean Island Martinique, made the move to Tumbulgum in 2017 to make rum alongside Husk Founder Paul Messenger.

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Originally published as Husk Distillers: Tweed brand teams up with Burleigh Brewing Co on whisky collab