A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.

Whisky in Australia has been destined for a shake-up as larger players enter the market with products designed to compete on price with some of the big international whisky brands.

But of course, there will always be a place for smaller artisan distillers like Highwayman Whisky, the Byron Bay company that released its first spirit in 2020.

Highwayman Whisky was founded by Dan Woolley, a longtime whisky industry professional. Most recently he was ambassador for the Beam Suntory portfolio of brands, which gave him a backstage pass to globally renowned distilleries throughout Scotland, Kentucky and Japan.

Dan started to lay down his own spirit in his chosen casks back home in Australia starting in 2016, and the first Highwayman bottlings released last year sold out in minutes.

Whisky is a hugely capital intensive spirit to make, so I asked Dan how he went about establishing his own brand despite having very limited resources at his disposal.

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