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"Handcrafted provenance doesn’t end at distillation. Knowing how a drink is aged is equally important." - Brian Restall

Handcrafted provenance is about knowing where your drinks come from and how they are made. We believe it is your right to know this and it is what drives us every day.

The journey of handcrafted provenance begins with sustainably sourcing quality ingredients, from as locally as possible. It continues through the initial fermenting and distillation stage, and is completed when the product is suitably matured and packaged; providing you with handcrafted provenance in a bottle. Of these stages, maturing arguably receives the least attention.

A first-class distilled spirit will not meet its fullest potential unless matured in the finest premium oak casks. At Lord Byron Distillery, our rum casks are handmade by an acclaimed Australian artisan cooper; ensuring that the maturation process delivers the best possible drinking experience to our customers.

Seppeltsfield Cooperage is known for their ability to craft casks that imbue drinks with a rich, resonant palette of flavours. Under the guidance of expert Andy Young, this leading cooperate company which, like ours, is a family-owned Australian business, works with its distilling partners to deliver something truly special.

Working hand-in-hand to create the right balance of flavours through both the crafting and maturation process, this partnership ensures that our guiding “handcrafted provenance” principle does not end at the distillation phase, but delivers the sort of uniquely tailored drinking experience that discerning customers are yearning to explore.

Born of a fiery creation

"A truly unique drinking experience results from the best, local, sustainably-sourced ingredients, and a respect for traditional artisanal distilling methods – there are no compromises." - Brian Restall

At Lord Byron Distillery, we believe that you deserve to know where your drinks come from and how they are made. In the pursuit of excellence, we focus on sustainable farming and sourcing local ingredients as well as traditional artisanal distilling methods to deliver customers a truly unique drinking experience. This passionate belief is at the core of all that we do.

Passion alone though is not enough. Passion must merge with experience and excellence. From day one the Restall family enlisted the experience of the world-renowned rum expert, Luis Ayala to guide them on their journey to create a unique drinking experience for us all to enjoy.

Luis Ayala is a world-leading expert in the production of exceptional rums. His extensive experience includes launching rum distilleries, training master blenders and designing the first ever Riedel rum glass. He is the world’s most published author on Rum, has been organizing and judging international rum competitions for over 20 years and was granted to Rum Specialist of the Year Award from the International Rum Conference in 2012. He is also the founder of The Rum University in the USA where he devotes much of his time and vast experience training the next generation of rum distillers.

Passion, experience and excellence, Lord Byron Distillery is the coming together of all these elements in a pristine area of unparalleled beauty – Byron Bay, Australia.

It is a great pleasure to host Luis Ayala and his wife in Byron Bay. We continue to benefit from his decades of world-leading distillery experience. We can’t wait to share the resulting quality of these drinks with you. Once experienced, nothing compares.

“It gives me great pleasure to work with the Restall family: our uncompromising views on quality and respect for the environment are truly aligned, resulting in distillates that are both outstanding in quality and admirable from a sustainability perspective.” - Luis Ayala

"There's naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion."

- Lord Byron

Though he may not have lived through the age of the renaissance, Lord Byron was a man of its culture. A multi-talented romantic and passionate pursuer of the substance of life, George Gordon Byron was born on 22 January 1788 – exactly 220 years ago.

Certainly, his was a lineage connected to Australia’s exploration by Europeans. Cape Byron – and by extension Byron Bay – was given its name by then-Lieutenant James Cook, who elected to label the safe anchorage after Lord Byron’s grandfather, acclaimed sailor John Byron. Vice-Admiral John Byron circumnavigated the globe and was involved in a number of naval battles during the 1700s. His rugged, bold, pioneering spirit forms part of Byron Bay’s cultural foundation, but its creative heart arguably holds more in common with John Byron’s grandson.

Lord Byron remains one of the greatest of romantic writers and is fondly remembered alongside peers such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Keats, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth. But his wasn’t a life of solitude and routine. Like many from our part of the world, he was an avid traveler; exploring much of Europe during an age in which travel was both prohibitively difficult and dangerous. He funded and fought in the Greek War of Independence, he explored a varied range of loving relationships and he spent his noble wealth extravagantly – both on political causes and for the enjoyment of those around him. He ultimately died in the Greek War of Independence and it was rumoured that his body was preserved in a barrel of rum when his remains were returned to England for burial.

A lover of fine food and liquor, a hero in both England and Greece, an acclaimed creative and father to the world’s first computer programmer (Ada Lovelace), Lord Byron’s life was tragically cut short at only 36 years of age. His was a star that burned twice as brightly, for half as long as most, and it’s this intensity of experience and expression that connects his legacy to the place that is home to his grandfather’s Cape and to the present-day Lord Byron Distillery, which we named in honour of the great man.

Happy Birthday and cheers to you on this, your 220nd anniversary, The Right Honorable Lord Byron.

"Since Eve ate the apple, much depends on dinner."

- Lord Byron

Byron Bay has long been a drawcard for poets, artists, musicians and lovers of natural beauty. Its charm remains in those quarters, but the humble township has also gained quite the reputation of late for its gourmet credentials.

No longer bound by people’s expectations of the Byron region simply as a “hippie” paradise or a haven for surfers, the district is now making the most of its abundant local produce and is taking risks to transform these foundational elements into delectable creations tailored to all manner of taste preferences. In doing so, the town’s reputation as a source of fresh and original gourmet cuisine continues to radiate to an extent that is drawing attention from Australia’s key metropolitan foodie havens.

The venues that seem to do best are those that manage to encapsulate aspects of the region’s charm into their aesthetic experience, as much as their culinary design. Whether it’s the rustic appeal of The Farm, Harvest Café’s market delicatessen, the Mediterranean styling of Halcyon House, the industrial sensibilities of the 100 Mile Table or the adventurous sophistication of Brunswick Heads’ Fleet, there are challenges and delights awaiting any foodie when visiting this beautiful part of the world.

This philosophical shift arguably began with Harvest, which has acted as somewhat of an elder statesman for the movement. Founded by Kassia & Tristan Grier and Brooke Hudson, Harvest boldly pioneered the “paddock to plate” model in Byron, with a heavy cultural emphasis on delivering sustainable, farm fresh and organic produce. The operation markets individual elements through their deli, and combines them with exceptional skill at their Newrybar restaurant.

The Farm, as its name implies, is set on a working agricultural facility and is home to the acclaimed Three Blue Ducks, which is a well-oiled operation that turns over 100s of covers each day, while still maintaining a fresh, varied, localized menu that delivers heavily on the charm of the setting.

Fleet plays upon provenance, boasting a selection of unique dishes created from largely organic, sustainable ingredients, backed by a matching wine menu that avoids the larger brands while promoting the distinct product of boutique vineyards. The result comes across as an intimate, personalised experience that makes the diner feel deeply connected to the district.

The vision for our own Lord Byron Distillery builds upon this emerging tradition. While Byron’s new legion of dining experiences tend to boast a paddock-to-plate supply chain, we similarly offer a paddock-to-bottle model. This ensures that our clientele is aware of the sources of our ingredients, and that these sources are both sustainable and infused with the distinct Spirit of Byron.

So next time you’re in the Byron region, check out how this favourite weekend getaway location is transforming into a gourmet wonderland. Your body and soul will cherish the decision.