The Fleurieu Distillery
Brief overview of the distillery
The Fleurieu Distillery is located at Goolwa Wharf in South Australia, all the way out where the Murray River meets the sea. It is a whisky house that grew out of a brewery and is today known for single malts with a clear coastal character, award-winning releases, and a tasting room in a historic estate building among steam trains and paddle steamers.
History
The story begins in 2004, when the company opened its doors as the Steam Exchange Brewery at Goolwa Wharf. The brewery was built on a love of craftsmanship and on experience from traditional ales, where patience, precision, and respect for the process were shaped into core values. In 2011, work took a new direction, as whisky became the natural next step, and Fleurieu Distillery was born. The transition from beer to whisky was not quick; it required several years of learning, investment, and faith that something bigger could grow. In 2013, the first still was brought into use, and the first spirit was laid down in casks. Since then, the distillery has grown into a name that connects Goolwa’s small stretch of coast with a whisky that also finds its way onto the international stage.
Ingredients and production
The distillery’s whisky is built on the brewery’s experience, and this shows in the emphasis on process, timing, and patience. The heart of the range is single malt, but work is also done with peated malt, and several releases clearly demonstrate how smoke and malt can be brought into play together. Imported ingredients are used in certain releases, including peated malt from Crisp Maltings in the UK for Mary Ann. Production also involves marrying casks, where bourbon barrels, Apera barriques, ex-Apera, peated Tawny, and Apera casks are included in different combinations. Country to Coast #6 is a collaboration in which peated single malts from two Australian distilleries are married into a single release. Everything is rooted in place: the coast, the wind, and the maritime environment are part of the identity, but it is the meticulous craftsmanship that carries the expression.
Maturation and cask types
Maturation ranges from classic bourbon casks to Apera-influenced solutions and more experimental blends. Tapestry is built from bourbon barrels and Apera barriques, while Country to Coast #6 is matured in second-fill premium Bourbon and Apera casks. The Palace of Humbug goes further with a blend of ex-Apera, along with third-fill peated Tawny and Apera casks. Fleurieu thus clearly works with how earlier contents and the degree of cask use change the balance between sweetness, peat smoke, and structure in the whisky. Across releases, the cask work is not decoration, but a central part of the house’s identity.
Whiskies
The current whisky range is small, but varied in style. Albatross serves as the fixed reference point with classic single malt character and coastal undertones. Tapestry is a more cask-driven composition with bourbon and Apera, while Telemachus builds on the same family of limited editions. Mary Ann adds a more pronounced peated and cask strength profile as part of the Matriarch Series. Country to Coast #6 is a collaboration with a limited release, and The Palace of Humbug shows the house’s peated side in a more playful and complex version. Here Comes The Flood rounds out the range with a bold, fruit- and oak-forward release. Overall, the range sketches a distillery that likes to work both classic and experimental—always with a clearly malt-driven flavor and a cask influence.
| Whisky | Type / series | Alcohol | Cask and style | Tasting profile | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albatross | Single Malt Whisky | The Fleurieu coast also weathers the wild Southern Ocean, and the whisky is described with expressive maple and vanilla oak overtones, and spicy sea-air aromas.; Nose: Lifted malt nose; Palate: A lively palate with hints of allspice and nutmeg integrated with tawny oak character for good weight and length; Finish: Lingering barley and raisin sweetness | Current; Core range; Sold out | ||
| Tapestry | 45.2 % | Bourbon barrels and Apera barriques | A blend of Bourbon barrels and Apera barriques with ex-Bourbon American oak, limited to 850 individually numbered bottles.; Nose: Hints of polish and walnut shells; Palate: Lifted acid, florals and sweet oak spices | Current; Sold out; 850 bottles | |
| Telemachus | 47 % | A limited edition that builds on Tapestry and is inspired by Carole King’s 1971 album and the cat Telemachus.; Nose: Confectionery nose; Palate: Light delicate granita biscuit; Finish: Citrus tang and sweet spice finish | Current; Sold out; 250 bottles | ||
| Mary Ann | Cask Strength Whisky; Matriarch Series | 58.5 % | smoky/peaty | Cask strength whisky made using peated malt imported from Crisp Maltings in the UK, and distilled, matured, and bottled at Fleurieu.; Nose: Whispers of floral smoke; Palate: Barley sugar and subtle iodine; Finish: A symphony of malt and peat beautifully integrated | Current; Sold out; 270 bottles |
| Country to Coast #6 | Single Malt Whisky | 46 % | Second-fill premium Bourbon casks and Apera casks; smoky/peaty | Limited annual collaboration between two Australian distilleries, where the whiskies were married to showcase Fleurieus signature peat alongside Black Gates iodine-laced finish.; Nose: Fragrant sweet iodine smoke; Palate: Balanced malt character and integrated peat; Finish: Lingering barley with iodine-laced finish | Current; Sold out; 300 bottles |
| The Palace of Humbug | Single Malt Whisky | 53 % | Ex-Apera, Third-fill peated Tawny casks and Third-fill peated Apera casks; smoky/peaty | A peated release inspired by Lewis Carroll and composed of single malt matured in ex-Apera, plus third-fill peated Tawny and Apera casks.; Nose: Subtle umami with hints of smoke; Palate: Buttery malt tones; Finish: Soft wisps from campfire embers | Current; Sold out; 330 bottles |
| Here Comes The Flood | 58.7 % | A dram for a new age with a focus on reflection and a smaller, limited release.; Nose: Sweet fruit with a subtle vanilla nose; Palate: Full bodied and rich; Finish: Balanced fruit spice and oak | Current; Sold out; 270 bottles |
Whisky style and tasting profile
The overarching expression ranges from lifted malt and barley sweetness to tawny oak, sweet oak spices, and fruit spice. In the peated releases, floral smoke, sweet iodine smoke, and campfire embers show up as clear traces, while the maritime whiskies settle with spicy sea-air aromas and an iodine-laced finish. Added to this are fresher directions such as citrus tang, sweet fruit, and vanilla oak overtones, so the house can be smoky, coastal, and fruit-driven all at the same time.
Visiting the distillery
The distillery welcomes guests in the tasting room at Goolwa Wharf Precinct, where you can taste whisky right in the middle of the distillery. It is open from Boxing Day and throughout January, Wednesday to Sunday, 11:30–16:30, with last service at 16:00, and it is closed on Christmas Day, 25 December. On hot days of 35°C or above, the tasting room may close due to the unheated heritage shed. The experience is closely tied to the place: a historic railway goods shed surrounded by steam locomotives and a paddle steamer. The Tasting Room can be contacted at 08 8555 3406.
The published opening hours are: from Boxing Day through January, the tasting room is open Wednesday to Sunday 11:30–16:30, with last service at 16:00. Closed on Christmas Day, 25 December. At 35°C or above, the distillery may close due to the unheated heritage shed.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
Fleurieu Distillery places emphasis on patience, passion, and precision as the foundation on which the craftsmanship rests. They describe whisky as work that requires learning, investment, and belief in the process over time, and they return again and again to the idea that excellence is created in the quiet, everyday actions. Each cask is seen as carrying a story of the place, and it is precisely the combination of local origin and ongoing care that carries the distillery’s identity.