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- Final release in the Archie Rose Smoked Cask Series
- Lavender-infused smoked cask single malt
- Uses smoked casks instead of smoked grain
- Lands 27 April via Archie Rose, $179 RRP.
Smoke in whisky usually goes one way. Peat, fire, something coastal or medicinal. Archie Rose has spent the past few years pulling it in a different direction, experimenting with botanicals through its Smoked Cask Series.
For the final release, it’s landed somewhere you wouldn’t expect: lavender.
Set to launch on 27 April, the Lavender Smoked Cask Single Malt Whisky marks the last instalment in a run that’s built a following for doing things a little differently. Rather than smoking the grain as traditional producers do, Archie Rose smokes the casks themselves, opening up flavours you don’t usually get from traditional smoked whisky.
The series started with the now sold-out wattleseed, before moving through juniper and cinnamon. Each release has pushed the flavour well past tradition, building a reputation for doing things most distilleries wouldn’t touch.
This time, those casks have been infused with Tuscan lavender, layered over the distillery’s signature campfire-style smoke.
It’s unusual territory for both whisky and lavender, which usually show up at the end of the night, for very different reasons. But mixed together, there’s a flavour risk. Too much and it starts to feel like soap. Get it right, and that smoky edge suddenly feels lighter.
“Lavender is a really powerful aroma,” says Dave Withers, Master Distiller at Archie Rose. “So we balanced that with our native stringybark-smoked malt to offer robust smoke to balance that lavender perfume.”
The result leans savoury first, with smoked meats and roasted nuts, before something lighter cuts through the palate. Stone fruit sits in the middle, giving the lavender something to sit on, rather than take over.
“This is a whisky people are going to want to come back to again and again,” says Withers, describing it as “up-front and bold.”
“A perfect stage on which the lavender can perform.”
Australian whisky has become less interested in copying Scotch traditions and more willing to play with flavour, even when it sounds slightly off at first pass. Not every bottle needs to be a daily pour. Some exist purely because they’re interesting to open.
This one sits firmly in that category. Limited release, priced at $179, and likely to appeal more to collectors and curious drinkers than anyone looking for a safe bet. But that’s been the point of the series all along.
And if you’ve followed the Smoked Cask Series this far, a smoky whisky with a hint of lavender feels like a fitting way to close it out.
Archie Rose Lavender Smoked Cask Single Malt Whisky
Release Date: 27 April 2026
Price: $179 RRP
Availability: archierose.com.au + Cellar Door
Profile: Smoky, savoury, floral lift
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