Morris Whisky Craft
Our Craft
Barley
We create a unique MORRIS Whisky style that speaks to our home in Rutherglen. Made with nothing but 100% Australian premium malted barley which is then brewed and fermented in our family owned brewery for total quality control.
Distillation
We use the original still, which was made in the 1930s in Adelaide and installed at the Morris of Rutherglen site in 1941. It has been meticulously restored and in recognition of its awakening after decades of slumber, the still has been named “Aurora”, a nod to the princess in Sleeping Beauty. We also have a second identical still called "Ella" as she too will come to the ball.
Pure filtered water is then used throughout the production process.
Barrels + Maturation
The barrels used for maturation are a combination of French and American oak, ex-red wine barrels sourced from our family-owned wineries in the Barossa and Coonawarra regions of South Australia. They are prepared by hand at our private cooperage to a specific method, which imparts the unique Morris of Rutherglen flavour profile.
Finishing
Our single malt whiskies are skilfully finished in hand selected barrels; some of which have held the world’s most highly awarded fortified wines from Morris of Rutherglen. It is the art in our finishing technique that creates the unique and distinctive MORRIS Whisky taste, and allows us to experiment with depth of flavour imparted from our award winning fortified wines.
Our Team
Darren Peck - Head Distiller
Darren is the Head Distiller of Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky. With over 25 years of experience in the drinks industry and having worked across six of the seven continents.
Darren grew up in a small town in West Yorkshire and then went on to study Brewing and Distilling in Scotland.
Having worked on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, Darren decided to take his expertise down under, and subsequently in 2015 joined the team at Morris Whisky and became Head Distiller.
Darren loves living in Rutherglen, an iconic Australian region for both wineries and distilleries. When it comes to making whisky, his favourite element of distilling is being in the stillhouse and being able to smell and control the spirit. This hands-on aspect of distilling is something he believes is crucial to making a great whisky.
Anton Remkes - Head Cooper
Anton has over 25 years of experience in the cooperage and woodworks industry specialising in barrel manufacturing, repairs, and innovation.
Anton grew up on Kangaroo Island, located off the coast of South Australia.
After intensive studies and hands on experience Anton eventually joined the SA Cooperage in 2007 where he focused on new barrels, shaving barrels and the production of whisky barrels.
Anton was taught to make barrels the ‘old-school way’ which involves less machinery and an inventive spirit to ensure that the traditional methods of barrel-making aren’t lost.
Anton was drawn to a Morris Whisky Cooperage opportunity in 2018, the position allowing him to work closely with the distiller and learn about the requirements of whisky barrels with direct feedback on styles and methods, maximising the use of oak barrels from Morris Wines.
About Us
Over six generations of craftsmanship in winemaking, blending and ageing passed down through bloodlines has
allowed Morris of Rutherglen to truly master the creation of extraordinary flavour in our Australian Single Malt Whisky.
At Morris we have been making world renowned fortified wines since 1859, a tradition that still carries on today led by head wine maker David Morris. For many years a spirits still originally used to make fortified wines laid dormant at the heart of our Rutherglen winery. In 2016, we decided to bring her back to life and started to experiment and research with spirit making, using local grain, water and aging the whisky in barrels sourced from the family winery.
After a few years in a barrel we began to experiment with finishing our whisky in the some of the amazing Morris fortified casks that we are fortunate enough to have access to. We soon learnt that it was these barrels that would gift us with remarkable flavours to create a uniquely Australian Whisky experience too.