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78 Degrees

Seriously Considered Spirits

78 Degrees

Bar Advisor had a chance to talk to Stuart ‘Chewy’ Morrow from 78 Degrees to find out more about this small-batch, sustainable brand.

Fully off the grid

78 Degrees was founded in the Adelaide Hills in 2014 by Sacha La Forgia. With a big focus on sustainability, 78 Degrees creates products that look to minimize the footprint. The distillery operates completely off the grid with 690 solar panels on the production shed roof, as well as an onsite wastewater plant.

Started from the love of travel, wine, and adventure

The founder Sacha was a winemaker who wanted to travel. He headed to Europe to chase the sun and vintages at various wineries. He found himself at a Grappa distillery in Friulli, Italy where he learned to distill. After returning to Adelaide he built a still out of an old 50L beer keg and created the very first 78 Degrees spirit.

Truly unique

78 Degrees is named after the gin. When making spirits every single botanical is vapour infused. The heat source is located at the base of the pot, which is where the spirit is placed. Temperatures at the heat source are hot (around 110°c). As the alcohol evaporates and moves away from the heat source it cools. By the time it hits the vapour basket the temperature is sitting around 78°C (hence the name). With lower temperatures, it is possible to extract much brighter notes from the botanicals used.

Future is about new products and sustainabilty

This year the company was rebranded as 78 Degrees, adding Australian Vodka and Australian Whiskey to the family. As 78 Degrees continues to grow, they are still passionate to try new things as well as operating sustainably.