Twenty or twenty-five years ago, whisky was still a tender seedling among the country's distillates. The distillers who had dedicated themselves to grain spirits could be counted on one hand. Today, the picture looks very different. More than 50 producers now offer homegrown whisky made from a variety of grains and aged in all manner of casks. The AWA – the Austrian Whisky Association – sees itself as the umbrella organisation of the Austrian whisky scene. That sparked our curiosity. And won us over. Now we're part of it.
The Austrian Whisky Association (AWA)
Let's simply let the organisation speak for itself. On the AWA website reads: "When Destillerie Haider in the Waldviertel began producing whisky in 1995, few would have imagined that whisky would go on to make history in Austria too. More than 20 years later, Austria is already home to over 50 producers crafting whisky. Reason enough to establish an 'Association of Austrian Whisky Producers'. The 'Austrian Whisky Association', known as the AWA for short, was founded in 2012, is headquartered at the WKÖ in Vienna, and operates throughout Austria. The association sees its mission in strengthening appreciation for whisky and promoting Austrian whisky culture at home and abroad. A united external presence for its member businesses is central to this, while at the same time highlighting the individuality of each distillery. Because whisky is diverse – and so are the people who make it."
The association was founded, incidentally, by Jasmin Haider (Destillerie Haider), who continues to lead the organisation to this day. Among the existing members are (among others) such distinguished names as Broger, Keckeis, Kuenz and Pfau.
Alongside our own distillery, David Gölles is also a member with his Brexit Whisky new on board. Last weekend was our first encounter with the AWA community. Interesting people, exciting tastings, fresh insights. We're convinced we'll benefit from the membership. And the AWA from us andour whiskies of course too ;-)
