Great Southern Distilling Company

On the coast of Western Australia, the Great Southern Distilling Company perches on the Princess Royal Harbour in Albany. Chosen not only for the picturesque views, Albany became the distillery’s home for the cooler, marine environment and wealth of barley, peat and the crystal clear water that go into their boutique Limeburners and Tiger Snake whiskies. Influenced by tales of his family’s history of (perhaps less than legal) distilling in Scotland, Cameron Syme, Great Southern’s owner, wants to put Australia on the map for whisky, just as it is for wine and beer production.

The Great Southern Distilling Company was founded in 2004. After working for 10 years as an accountant, Syme started researching the optimum environment for distilling whisky and eventually settled on Albany as the backdrop for his lifelong dream. Their whisky is made using traditional methods, favouring human knowledge over computer accuracy. In this way, they can create handcrafted spirits that are influenced by Australia itself.

Made in small batches, Limeburners was the first ever single malt whisky produced in Western Australia. Finding inspiration from the United States, they've also released Tiger Snake Sour Mash whiskey, another first for Western Australia. Determined to remain a local, independent business by refusing advances from investors, The Great Southern Distilling Company can do their own thing, allowing them to continue making small batches of boutique whisky, as well as experimenting with other spirits such as vodkas, gins and liqueurs.