THE WEATHER is cooling down and thoughts are turning from days at the beach to open fires and warm jackets.
The timing for World Whisky Day, which is on today, could not be more perfect for Australians who can mark the occasion with a warming dram.
World Whisky Day features a number of tastings, events and gatherings, but organisers have said the overarching goal is to make the drink fun.
Whisky distillers are becoming a small, but important, source of demand for premium Australian malt barley.
While whisky is very much associated with Scotland and Ireland, and, in recent years, Japan, there are now around 50 distillers in Australia producing whisky.
The boutique industry continues to grow, with a particular strong footprint in Tasmania.
And the quality loses nothing compared to big name northern hemisphere rivals, with Sullivan's Cove, a Tasmanian distiller having won the award for best single malt whisky at the World Whisky Awards back in 2014, the first time a whisky outside of Scotland or Japan has taken out the prestigious award.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
