Yack Creek Distillery

About the distillery

Yack Creek Distillery is located at the upper reaches of Yackandandah Creek in Victoria, near the township of Yackandandah. It’s a small micro-distillery where the spirits are brewed and distilled on-site, and where bottling and labeling also take place by hand. The site is closely connected to the creek landscape, soft water, and small batches.

History

Yack Creek Distillery was established in 2016, when two friends talked about business opportunities while sitting on a beach in Western Australia. Both had a passion for whisky and rum, and the idea grew from a hobby into the decision to create a micro-distillery. Later, the range was expanded with vodka and gin, but the ambition was kept: to run a small distillery with batches that can be released throughout the year. The distillery sits on acreage with the creek to the east and Stanley State Forest to the south, about two kilometers from the township of Yackandandah, and that location is a clear part of the site’s identity.

Ingredients and production

The production is based on Australian grain and molasses, and all neutral spirits are made on-site. Jamie, the head distiller, has taken a course in malting and brewing to refine the work with different grain types, and the distillery actively works with variation in raw materials and barrels. There are two stills: a 1000 liter Copper & glass tower still with stainless columns and a 130 liter stainless & cooper modular high column still. The combination provides flexibility to produce different products and to experiment. The water comes from Yack Creek and is described as soft water from the Stanley forest hills. The products are also bottled and labeled by hand, emphasizing the small, practical scale.

Maturation and cask types

The cask work revolves around American oak and French oak. One of the whiskies is matured in an American oak cask and gets a finish in a red wine French oak cask, and the distillery itself mentions experiments with different barrels. This points to a production where barrels are actively used to shape the expression, rather than large, standardized storage programs.

Whiskies

The whisky range is compact and distinctive. There’s a corn whisky, a peated single malt, and a wheat whisky at 46.2%, where American oak is combined with a finish in French oak that previously contained red wine. Overall, it gives the impression of a small selection where the choice of raw materials and cask profile are clearly in the spotlight. The whiskies are complemented by other spirit types in the distillery’s broader range, but the small scale and variety of the whiskies is the most striking.

Whisky style and tasting profile

The range points in three clear directions: peated whisky, a corn-driven whisky, and a wheat whisky with an American oak and red wine French oak cask finish. In addition, there is the underlying cask profile from both American and French oak, which gives the whiskies a more wood-forward framework. Overall, the style is more experimental than traditional, with clear differences between grain types and cask choices.

Visiting the distillery

Yack Creek Distillery can be visited as a short walk or drive from Yackandandah. On foot, the route runs from Yackandandah Sports Park along the creek trail past Yackandandah Gorge, and the trip takes about 40 minutes. By car, you drive out of town toward Beechworth on Yackandandah Road and turn onto Bells Flat Road, where the distillery is soon on the left. The range can also be purchased in the webshop.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

The distillery is family-owned and operated, and places emphasis on brewing and distilling in-house. The goal is to remain a micro-business that releases small batches throughout the year. At the same time, experiments with grain, molasses, and barrels are a clear part of the work, and the handmade products are both bottled and labeled by hand.