Whipper Snapper Distillery

Whipper Snapper Distillery in East Perth opens like a page from a modern Australian spirits manifesto: metal stills gleam under industrial rafters, sacks of Western Australian grain sit ready, and a tasting bar hums with conversation. Whipper Snapper Distillery, founded in 2014 by Alasdair Malloch and Jimmy McKeown, transformed Perth’s craft landscape by establishing the city’s first urban distillery and committing to local provenance. The Mediterranean climate of Perth, the region’s water profile and 100% West Australian grains shape the distillery’s spirits, and visitors often arrive seeking a hands-on distillery tour, a focused tasting flight, or a chance to sample limited cask-strength releases. The experience emphasizes texture and lineage: nutty quinoa, bright red corn, and soft wheat frames finished in sherry and Hungarian oak.

The production team at Whipper Snapper Distillery marries tradition with experimentation. Founders Malloch and McKeown drew inspiration from local whisky-making lore and a neighbor’s home-grown recipe, then formalized those methods into a hybrid style that blends Irish lightness and Bourbon structure. The distillery mills, ferments, distills, matures and bottles on-site, producing roughly 30,000 litres annually. That grain-to-glass approach supports tight quality control and rapid iteration—perfect for seasonal experiments and limited allocations. The distillery’s award track record reinforces its approach: Upshot won Best Australian Corn at the World Whiskies Awards in 2017, the Wheat Whisky earned a 2022 medal, and Upshot Red Corn added a World Whiskies Awards medal in 2023. Those accolades signal both technical skill and a willingness to push mash-bill boundaries.

The product journey at Whipper Snapper Distillery is deliberate and transparent. Upshot (corn-based) presents a hybrid Irish/Bourbon profile—soft maize sweetness, citrus peel, vanilla and early oak—often released as a core expression and in cask-strength editions. Upshot Red Corn amplifies sweet, earthy corn character with a deeper amber hue and bright kernel-derived sweetness; its 2023 medal highlights careful cask selection and finishing. The Wheat Whisky and Rye Whisky explore grain-driven nuance: wheat delivers silkiness and floral honey, rye adds spicy, peppery lift. Quinoa Whisky, made from the Mandela quinoa variety, offers nutty, earthy tones and a clean, crisp core; it is matured in a variety of casks to develop complexity without overpowering the grain’s signature. Moonshine expressions—Crazy Ankle, Geraldton Wax and barrel-aged variants—demonstrate Whipper Snapper’s playfulness: bright orchard fruit, toasted honey and smoked honey iterations that appeal to cocktail bars and collectors alike. Barrel programs include sherry finishes and Hungarian oak, and limited releases are allocated through direct channels; collectors should expect small runs and occasional cask-strength bottlings.

The distillery floor and tasting room are characterful: an industrial-meets-eclectic interior with reclaimed timber, exposed brick, and a specialty coffee counter that doubles as a social hub. Tasting flights are served at a lively bar where the production team explains mash bills, cask histories and proofing choices; occasional behind-the-scenes experiences include barrel tastings and private sessions for small groups. The urban setting makes Whipper Snapper Distillery accessible from central Perth, and the still house design prioritizes visibility—guests can watch spirit production and bottling during scheduled tours. While full production details and capacity for private events are best confirmed directly, the venue’s compact, micro-distillery scale lends itself to intimate, tactile encounters rather than large-scale hospitality.

Best times to visit are weekday afternoons and early evenings when guided tastings are most likely available; some special releases and private tours require booking in advance through the distillery’s official channels. Expect a mix of walk-in tastings and appointment-only slots for limited-release pickups—confirm current hours and booking procedures on the official site before travel.

For collectors and curious travelers seeking a modern Australian spirits narrative, Whipper Snapper Distillery offers an educative, sensory visit: sample Upshot Red Corn’s award-winning kernel notes, compare quinoa and wheat expressions, and leave with an understanding of how Perth’s grains and climate shape contemporary Australian whiskey. Reserve a tasting with Whipper Snapper Distillery to experience urban craft distilling that prizes provenance, innovation and lively hospitality.