Kinglake Distillery — Victorian Single Malt from the Mountain
Kinglake Distillery is one of Victoria's most distinctive and uncompromising craft whisky producers — a small, passionate distillery located in the Kinglake Ranges northeast of Melbourne that produces single malt whisky of extraordinary character, provenance, and depth. With a philosophy built on knowing the origin of every ingredient, using water from a mountain stream rising on the distillery property, and crafting every aspect of the whisky from scratch with a level of hands-on involvement that is rare even in the craft distilling world, Kinglake produces whiskies that are a genuine and authentic expression of their remarkable Victorian mountain environment.
Philosophy & Provenance
The Kinglake philosophy is one of total provenance and complete involvement. The distillery makes all of its whisky from scratch — from the moment the malt is ground until the new spirit finally fills the barrel, the team at Kinglake is in close and personal contact with every stage of the process. This is not merely a marketing position: it is a genuine commitment to understanding and controlling every variable that influences the character of the final whisky.
This commitment to provenance extends to every ingredient. 80% of the barley used at Kinglake is farmed and malted in New South Wales, sourced from growers who are personally known to the distillery — a relationship of trust and transparency that ensures the quality and character of the grain is understood from the paddock to the still. The remaining malt includes a heavily peated malt from the Scottish Borders — a deliberate and distinctive choice that brings a traditional Scotch whisky character to the Kinglake mash bill and contributes the smoky, earthy complexity that is one of the distillery's most distinctive signatures.
The water used at Kinglake is perhaps the most extraordinary element of the distillery's provenance story. The single malt is made from a mountain stream that rises on the distillery property itself — natural, pure, and totally unfiltered. This is water of extraordinary purity and character, filtered through the ancient granite and basalt of the Kinglake Ranges and carrying the mineral signature of the mountain environment directly into the whisky. The use of on-property water — rather than municipal or commercially sourced water — is a mark of the extraordinary connection between Kinglake Distillery and its place.
Equipment & Production
Kinglake's copper pot still was handmade by Knapp Lewer — Tasmania's premier still-maker and one of the most respected craftspeople in the Australian distilling industry. The still's design and construction are central to the character of the Kinglake spirit, and the choice of a handmade Tasmanian copper pot still reflects the distillery's commitment to the finest possible equipment and the traditional methods of single malt whisky production.
The mash bill at Kinglake is one of the most distinctive and carefully considered in the Australian whisky industry — a blend of four different malts, three of which are sourced from Griffiths in New South Wales (one of which is roasted to chocolate malt for depth and colour), and one heavily peated malt from the Scottish Borders. This combination of Australian and Scottish malt character, with the addition of chocolate malt for richness and depth, produces a spirit of extraordinary complexity and originality.
The cuts at Kinglake are deliberately deep — a conscious choice to retain the heavier, oilier fractions of the distillate that many distilleries discard in pursuit of a lighter, more neutral spirit. This approach produces a whisky of greater weight, texture, and flavour intensity — a spirit that is unapologetically full-flavoured and characterful.
Maturation takes place in small-format ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky, individually re-coopered in Australia to the distillery's specific requirements. The smaller cask size — which increases the surface-area-to-volume ratio and accelerates the interaction between spirit and wood — is perfectly suited to the ageing conditions of the Kinglake Ranges, where the cool mountain climate moderates the maturation process and preserves the delicate character of the spirit. Bourbon, port, and sherry barrels are all used across the range, and the distillery is also experimenting with local native Australian timbers — a genuinely pioneering approach that may produce whiskies of a character unlike anything produced anywhere else in the world.
Our Range
Kinglake O’Grady’s Stand Single Malt 500mL — 46% ABV — The flagship expression of Kinglake Distillery and the whisky that best represents what the distillery loves most. Made from the four-malt mash bill (three NSW malts including one roasted to chocolate, one heavily peated Scottish Borders malt), distilled in the handmade Knapp Lewer copper pot still, and aged in small-format Kentucky ex-bourbon barrels re-coopered in Australia. Deep cuts produce a heavy, oily spirit of genuine weight and character. A whisky of extraordinary provenance, complexity, and Victorian mountain character — bottled at 46% ABV without chill-filtration to preserve its full natural texture and depth.
Kinglake Full Noise Cask Strength 500mL — 61% ABV — Originally released as a limited edition and added to the core range due to its immediate and enthusiastic reception, the Full Noise is the O’Grady’s Stand taken to its most intense and uncompromising expression — bottled at cask strength (61% ABV) without dilution or chill-filtration, preserving the full, undiluted character of the whisky exactly as it emerges from the barrel. The same mountain stream water, the same NSW and Scottish Borders malt, the same Knapp Lewer copper pot still, the same deep cuts and small-format re-coopered bourbon barrels — but at full cask strength, delivering the sweet finish and unique flavour that define the Kinglake style with maximum intensity and presence. Best enjoyed neat with a few drops of still water to open its extraordinary aromatic complexity, or with a small amount of water to bring it to your preferred drinking strength.
How to Enjoy Kinglake Whisky
Both Kinglake whiskies are best enjoyed neat in a Glencairn glass at room temperature — allow five to ten minutes to open before nosing. The O’Grady’s Stand is outstanding neat or with a few drops of still water. The Full Noise at 61% ABV benefits from a small addition of still water to open its full aromatic complexity and bring the alcohol to a more comfortable drinking level — add water gradually and find your preferred balance. Neither whisky should be served over ice, which would mask the extraordinary depth and character that the mountain stream water, the four-malt mash bill, and the deep cuts have produced.
Explore our full Kinglake Distillery range below and discover why this Victorian mountain distillery — with its on-property mountain stream, its personally known NSW barley growers, its handmade Tasmanian copper pot still, and its uncompromising commitment to provenance and character — is producing some of the most distinctive and authentic single malt whisky in Australia.
