Grain to glass

Depth of red fruit with a hint of savoury spice and an undertone of vanilla isn’t a surprising blend in one of the country’s finest wine regions – except when you’re talking about a whisky.

Rob Davies, distiller and co-founder of Robber’s Dog Distillery at Mount Pleasant, says the rare first release of his single malt whisky is anything but conventional.

Equally surprising has been the consumer response, with half of the 204 bottles of Split Wood Whisky already out the door of the distillery housed in the former Bank SA building in the main street.

“We wanted people to like it – that’s the best we could hope for – and we’re absolutely astounded,” says Rob.

This limited-release whisky is hyper-local in every way, and typical of the small-batch spirits coming out of the micro-distillery.

“It was never my plan to make a single-malt whisky until one of our Mount Pleasant farmers grew some two-row barley,” says Rob. “It was malted at Nuriootpa, mashed at Lobethal and distilled and aged right here at our Mount Pleasant distillery – all within 40 kilometres.

The Split Wood is the result of more than two years of maturation in a Pinot noir cask – resized by a cooper to 120 litres – and finished with American oak heads, producing a product of exceptional, and unexpected, flavour.

“Flavours of berries, spice, vanilla, caramel and tobacco, you don’t see a lot of that in a whisky. We’re super happy with how it’s come out,” says Rob.

It couldn’t be a sweeter entry to the market since Rob and wife Cath co-founded the distillery and cellar door in 2019.

While Bank SA was South Australia’s most-robbed bank during the reign of the Bicycle Bandit, the distillery is actually named after Rob’s Staffy Roberta, who wandered the neighbourhood in a little WA mining town thieving snack.

“The name has everything to do with my tea leaf Staffy Roberta, who became Bob the Robber’s Dog,” says Rob.

“When we bought the building, the name just made sense.”

Rob and Cath are now making plans to scale up sustainably. They are relocating the distillery production to the former Mount Pleasant ambulance station and upgrading the still, while the rest of the premises will be converted into a bed and breakfast.

“Most commercial distilleries have 500-1000 litre stills. For me to make 200 litres is 12 days of pure distilling,” says Rob.

“Upgrading our still and putting in a larger still is not about upping our production but upping our work-life balance.

“Our whole focus is about being local, and in return the locals support us – to me that’s the definition of success.”

Cath agrees.

“Robbers Dog has never been about being the biggest distillery,” she says. “It was about creating an experience that feels authentic to who we are and where we come from.”

Robber’s Dog Distillery and cellar door on Melrose Street Mount Pleasant is open Friday to Sunday and has an online store at robbersdog.net.au