When you step into the Highwayman Whisky Distillery in Byron Bay you are transported from the bright sunny beaches of Byron Bay to a cosy whisky den where you can taste some of the most incredible whisky you will ever find. Dan Woolley, one of Australia’s most influential whisky ambassadors, is the man behind Highwayman Whisky, the first whisky to be made right here in Byron Bay. Dan lives and breathes whisky – for decades he ran whisky venues, worked with numerous top global whisky brands and spent time working at distilleries around the world learning from the best.

In 2016 Dan filled his first Highwayman barrel and started maturing the spirit in Byron Bay. The spirit used in the first ten Highwayman batches were all made to Dan’s specifications, and often by Dan himself, at different distilleries around the country, then put into casks and aged in Byron Bay.

In 2018, in collaboration with the Lord Byron Distillery, Dan acquired his own still and started production of his own spirit. Locally grown barley is milled, mashed, fermented and distilled by Dan into the clear-coloured spirit which is then put into specially selected oak casks and aged into whisky. Each batch is hand made in micro batches and bottled at cask strength (55%) in its purest form.

Whisky develops its colour and flavour during the aging process and is influenced by the oak cask in which it is aged as well as environmental factors. It is usual throughout the aging process for a percentage of the spirit filling the cask to evaporate as the casks matures – this is known as the ‘Angel’s Share’. In Scotland, the traditional home of whisky, producers expect to lose approximately 1% to Angel’s Share for every year the spirit is aged in a cask.

In Byron Bay, where we have a significantly hotter and more humid climate, Dan loses approximately 10% to Angel’s Share during each year of aging. In addition, the Byron Bay climate speeds up the aging process, so whisky that is aged for 3 years in Byron Bay is the equivalent of a 10-12 year old Scotch whisky. Dan uses a variety of carefully selected casks to age his whisky, 30 different wood types in 10 different sizes which have been used to age various spirits including American whisky, local wine, Spanish sherries and even experimental local honey and coffee seasoned casks.

Every batch of Highwayman Whisky is unique in terms of taste, smell and colour, and individually numbered, however there is a common thread that runs through all Highwayman batches with each batch being aged in Byron Bay and breathing in our salty, topical air. Dan’s whisky is silky and extremely well balanced with deep sweetness and a long finish – it is a unique and serious whisky for serious whisky lovers.

Dan carefully tends his barrels, regularly checking and tasting each one, and typically
releases batches of Highwayman Whisky after they have been aged for 3 years. Highwayman Whisky can be found in whisky bars, high-end restaurants and specialty whisky retailers in Australia and around the world, and Dan often collaborates with whisky societies and festivals on custom-batches.

In June this year he will be presenting Highwayman Whisky at exclusive events as part of the Islay Whisky Festival. Islay is the traditional home of whisky and still home to some of the world’s best whisky producers, such as Laphroaig where Dan spent many years working, and the festival is the most important annual whisky event anywhere in the world.

Highwayman Whisky has developed a cult following and if you have tried to get your hands on a bottle you will know that each batch sells out extremely quickly, usually within minutes! Dan recently released 3 batches via online sale on his website with another exclusive release produced for the Whisky & Dreams festival held at the Starward distillery in Melbourne, so this is a great time to pick up a bottle.

Dan runs private distillery tours, whisky tastings and masterclasses by appointment at Highwayman Distillery, as well as regular ticketed whisky dinners at top local restaurants.

Attending one of Dan’s events is a thoroughly entertaining and informative experience and I highly recommend it. The tasting room at Highwayman Distillery is a cosy space with the feel of whisky den, with dark interiors, soft lights, dark wood and leather couches surrounded by barrels of aging whisky and bottles of past Highwayman releases. Here you can try different batches of Highwayman Whisky and learn more about the process behind its creation. Be sure to make an appointment to visit Highwayman on your next visit to Byron Bay.

Recent Highwayman Releases

Crawling King Snake
Cask – Mexican PX sherry, Black Snake reposado (aged Australian mezcal)
Nose – Burnt caramels drizzled over char grilled jalapeños. Scorched almonds spiced with cloves and cinnamon with hints of candied ginger. Stewed fleshy peaches and nectarines cooked
down in a spiced dark syrup.
Palate – Sweetness hits up front in the form of dark agave syrup followed by a roast almond note. Then comes the salty savouriness and earthy but very well integrated and subdue peatiness. Stewed stone fruits lingering with soft sweet spices finishing out with hints of pecan pie. Very long finish, flashing between sweet and savory.

From Cove to Bay
Cask – Refill Tawny
Nose – Marzipan and nougat sweetness with subtle hints of hazelnut praline. Dark berries and fruits of the Forrest meet a soft earthy mustiness with a very subtle salty peat. Hints of milk chocolate in the back ground
Palate – Beautifully integrated oak spice meets a raspberries tartness mixed with an ashy fruit and nut milk chocolate. Hazelnut butter making an appearance on the mid palate finishing with cinnamon spiced blueberry crumble. With a Medium long with subtle fruits and spices dancing with soft ashy salty peat finish.

Be sure to keep up with all Highwayman Releases via their Instagram @highwaymanwhisky and website www.highwayman-whisky.com

Cat Jones aka @byron.bay.eats
After many years of incredible gastronomic experiences across the globe, Cat has returned to the region. Inspired by the excellent produce, local products and restaurants in the area, Cat started Byron Bay Eats in 2020, capturing the essence of Byron’s unique culture to become the leading food voice in the region.