The Aisling Distillery

About the distillery

The Aisling Distillery is located in Griffith in the Riverina, New South Wales, and is a family-run house focused on small batches of premium single malt whisky, rum, gin, and vodka. The site is shaped by the use of local ingredients, wine casks from the Riverina, and a distinct Scottish and Irish heritage that is especially noticeable in the whisky range.

History

Mark and Michelle founded The Aisling Distillery in 2014 with the desire to specialize in small batch premium single malt whisky, rum, and later gin. Mark came to the project with many years of experience from design and construction across, among other things, brewery and distillery fit-outs, and his engineering background became an important foundation for building the distillery and the quality of the spirits. Michelle has since been both assistant distiller and the one who meets guests in the cellar door.

The story also reaches back to Mark’s Scottish roots in Griffith. He describes how the desire to work with his heritage led him further toward whisky, and how the family’s story was also shaped by Michelle and her Dutch background. Together, they’ve built a family-driven distillery where craftsmanship, identity, and local grounding in the Griffith region go hand in hand.

Ingredients and production

The distillery works with locally sourced barley for the whisky and refers to the entire process as handmade from gristing the barley to filling the cask. Spirit runs are described as slow, so the spirit develops a soft and smooth character, while vodka production is based on wheat-driven fermentation, triple distillation in a full copper pot still, and subsequent double charcoal filtering. It’s a craft that combines both tradition and precise control, where Mark’s experience in construction and processes is clearly part of the work.

The whisky is produced as single malt with a distinct malt profile and full body. The products are tied to Griffith in New South Wales, and several releases use cask types from local Riverina vineyards. This gives the range a tangible local anchoring, where ingredients, process, and place are tightly connected.

Maturation and cask types

Maturation is characterized by wine casks and small, specifically coop’d casks. The Heritage Collection series is matured in 100-liter Australian Vintage Tawny and Apera casks, described as coop’d to give balance between char and toast. This gives the whisky both natural sweetness and a clear cask structure.

In addition, the distillery uses uncharred Shiraz casks from a locally sourced Riverina Winery. Color, fruit, and a richer, more wine-like character are especially highlighted. Riverina Rum is matured in three 225-liter Shiraz casks, while the Shiraz whisky is matured in two 225-liter casks and bottled as a numbered release. Maturation is thus actively used as a signature rather than just as storage space.

Whiskies

The whisky range consists of the Heritage Collection series with both Tawny and Apera, as well as special cask-matured single releases such as Preimhe Shiraz Baraille. The series numbers and cask types are a clear part of the identity, and the bottles range from more distinctive and dry expressions to rounder, more fruity versions. It’s a range where single malt is at the center, but where each release gets its own mark through cask selection, age, and bottling strength.

The names also show a distillery that works with its own chapters rather than a large standard range. This makes the whiskies interesting for the curious collector, because both the series and the smaller batches tell something about the development in the house.

The whiskies’ style and tasting profile

Across the whiskies, mature fruit notes recur in the form of raisins, prunes, cherries, plum, red grapes, and orange marmalade. In addition, there is a clear direction toward toffee, caramel, and chocolate syrup—especially found in the sweeter, tawny-matured expressions. Finally, there is a dry, spiced, and lightly savory line with leather, pipe tobacco, grassy tones, nuts, and a spicy finish, giving the whisky a more structured and more mature character.

Visit the distillery

Visitors can come to the distillery, where gin and whisky tastings are offered. Group bookings are also mentioned, which allow for a more complete visit focused on the handmade spirits. The distillery is located in Griffith, and the experience is closely tied to the cellar door and the meeting with Mark and Michelle.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and craftsmanship

Aisling Distillery emphasizes that spirits are meant to be shared, and that good memories are created together. The family-run aspect is clear, as is the desire to work with local anchoring in Griffith and the Riverina. In practice, this is expressed through the use of local ingredients, small batches, and hands-on craftsmanship, where the entire process—from gristing to cask filling—is part of the journey.