A one-off from two Northern Rivers craft trailblazers
In a region where the smell of fresh-cut sugarcane usually signals rum season, something a little unexpected has been brewing in the barrel house at Husk Farm Distillery.
This winter, Husk is going rogue – and getting a little sidetracked – with the release of its first-ever whisky: Sidetrack Stone Whisky, a wildly limited collaboration with their mates at Stone & Wood.
And no, they’re not turning their backs on rum. ‘Let’s be clear – we’re still a rum distillery,’ laughs Husk founder Paul Messenger. ‘This is a side project. A delicious, totally unnecessary, and completely irresistible side project.’
The idea for Sidetrack was born in classic Northern Rivers style: on the back veranda, drinks in hand. Visiting at the time was William ‘Buzz’ Hutcheson – the recently retired head distiller of Cardhu Distillery in Scotland, aka the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker. With a Scottish whisky legend on the porch and a brand-new copper Forsyth still from Scotland waiting inside the distillery, Paul had a lightbulb moment: ‘Why not make a barrel of whisky?’
One thing led to another, and a call went out to Stone & Wood founder Jamie Cook. A thousand litres of wort arrived. The distillation was … let’s say, character-building. ‘Everything went wrong, and we thought we’d never do it again,’ says Paul. ‘Until we tasted it six months later. Then we knew we had something special.’
So, they did it again – bigger, bolder, and this time, properly planned. Stone & Wood brewed a custom batch based on their iconic Stone Beer (yes, the one with the wood-fired rocks), packed with rich, malty, chocolatey goodness. Husk took care of the distillation, then aged the whisky for five long years in barrels that once held their award-winning cane juice rum, Husk Rum.
Only 2,000 bottles of Sidetrack Stone Whisky have been released, on 20 June, and will not be repeated. It’s available direct from Husk and Stone & Wood, and through a select number of independent bottle shops.
‘This is the first of four collaborations in the Sidetrack Whisky series – all different, all one-offs, and all designed to keep our creative spirits well and truly alive,’ says Paul. ‘We’ve got no plans to stop making rum, but every now and then, it’s fun to get sidetracked.’
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