Years in the making, Top Shelf International (TSI) has released Act of Treason, a 100 per cent agave spirit made from its dedicated agave farm and distillery in Queensland’s Whitsundays region.
TSI CEO Trent Fraser said the inaugural First Harvest Blanco signals the arrival of Australian coastal agave and is pioneering a new agave era.
The 374-hectare farm, Eden Lassie, and distillery are between Airlie Beach and Bowen, 20 degrees south of the equator – a mirror image of Tequila’s home in Mexico but unmistakably Australian. Flanked by eucalypts and shared with native wildlife, and its waterways flowing into the Coral Sea four kilometres away.
The farm has more than 600,000 blue weber (Agave Tequilana Weber Azul) agave, the same plant used in the distillation of tequila for centuries. TSI’s plantation comes from original stock grown 150 kilometres north in Ayr, Queensland, that have acclimatised to the local climate.
Act of Treason’s release comes after TSI underwent an organisational restructure and company reset last year following disappointing FY23 results, reporting a net loss after tax of $48.3 million - a 194 per cent increase on the previous year.
The company is hopeful the company overhaul, launch of Act of Treason, and a new distribution deal with Endeavour Group and an expanded one with Coles Liquor will improve performance in FY24.
Fraser said the dry tropics of Queensland, its terroir, and agronomy made it the ideal place to create a new region of agave spirit with its unique microclimate that mirrors the climate of Jalisco and the town of Tequila in Mexico.
While Jalisco has altitude, Australia has a coastal effect creating the same temperature and rainfall as tequila’s ancestral home, he said.
“Like many other producers, we feel there is an opportunity for agave to be shared with the world and for others to put their distinctive imprint on a category that continues to surge in popularity in Australia and overseas.
“Act of Treason has joined the new global era of agave. We’re approaching this as an opportunity to create something new and expand the horizons of a category that has been geographically limited for centuries. In many ways it’s no different to the evolution wine underwent three decades ago.
“If some feel that we’re being treasonous, then so be it. The greater crime would be not doing it all,” Fraser said.
Production is a farm-to-bottle operation. The agronomy practices have resulted in plant growth and sugar levels ahead of schedule, with plants then cooked, distilled, and bottled all powered by renewable energy.
The use of biodiesel is one element of TSI’s sustainability commitment, which includes carbon sequestration, cover cropping, sediment run off prevention, and water management.
“Upcycled shipping containers, spectral drone technology, geo-tagged plants, energy-saving sub cooler, a custom-designed ultra-small batch still, gravity-fed water preservation, double copper pot distillation, and a repurposed basket press are just a few of the innovative features that have been built into Australia’s newest and most progressive distillery,” Fraser said.
Agave is being trialled in Australia for other uses as well, primarily as a biofuel. MSF Sugar (#56 in our 2023 Top 100 Companies report) has been conducting a five-year trial with the Universities of Sydney, Exeter, and Adelaide on agave’s potential to produce ethanol.
It’s found significant advantages over existing sources like sugar cane and corn in that it is heat and drought tolerant, can grow in semi-arid areas without irrigation, and doesn’t compete with food crops.
While sugar cane yields 9900 litres of bioethanol a year compared to agave’s potential of 7414, agave outperforms in other areas, primarily water consumption, using 69 per cent less water than sugar cane.
Last year, TSI entered a trial Act of Treason spirit in the Australian Distilled Spirit Awards and was awarded a gold medal and trophy for Alternative Spirit Of The Year.
Flavour profile
TFI said, “Act of Treason embraces its own identity with a distinct profile that exemplifies the best of Australian agave.
“A familiar backbone of cooked agave layered with notes of lime, fresh cut grass and tropical fruits, with complementary minerality delivering an elegant and soft spirit profile.”
Nose – citrus and cut grass, lots of cooked agave and lime peel. Shy tropical fruit, peach, and pineapple hints.
Palate – sweet, cooked agave, lime peel and cut grass, then a smooth savoury agave character through the middle. Long finish with agave, baked citrus peel, and lingering sweet lime.
