Goodradigbee Distillers launches a uniquely Australian taste: Founded by ex-Dentsu CEO John O’Connor with creative direction via Pete Ogden

Founded by John O’Connor, ex-CEO of Dentsu Australia, and with creative direction by Pete Ogden, ex-ECD of JWT NZ and Enigma, Goodradigbee Distillers aims to be the first truly contemporary distillery that eschews the age-old traditions surrounding single malts.

Says Ogden: “I worked with John back in the day on Toyota, when we were both at Dentsu, and he was instrumental in getting the 4 Pines Brewing Co. in the door. We’ve kept in touch ever since. So, when he came calling for help with his new booze project, I jumped at the chance of putting the band back together.”

Says O’Connor: “I remember staring through the window of a warehouse in the middle of a lovely Scottish highland town called Pitlochry. Stretching into the distance were barrels – hundreds of them – full of whisky, slowly ageing. I thought ‘All that effort and expense, sitting on concrete, waiting years to be sold…surely there’s a better business model.”

Got me thinking: Wouldn’t it be great if you could age a single malt quickly? Then another idea: What if you could increase the ratio of wood-to-spirit…wouldn’t that age it faster? Only one way to find out…so I designed an Aussie Ironbark Red wooden cube, as it has a larger surface area than a barrel. I put diagonal vanes in it to increase the surface area even further. The rest, as they say…is now bottled.”

Says Lucy Edison, designer: “The Goodradigbee River, in the Snowy Mountains, is where John learned to fly-fish as a boy. This remote river has guided the essence of Goodradigbee Distillers, so capturing the river itself within the logo was crucial. The logo not only forms a cube to reflect the brand’s unique stance, it’s also designed to help people phonetically pronounce the brand name.”

Says Ogden: “I left full time employment in April and that gave me the time I needed to write all the copy, while Lucy, our designer and ex 4 Pines partner in crime, was heading into lockdown in the UK. Ange Maloney, our photographer, is based in Newcastle so it was a bit easier to wrangle her. We ended up shooting everything in John’s garage, not that you’d notice from Ange’s beautiful images. The background images of the Snowy were large-scale prints of my own landscape photography. Necessity is the mother of invention, so when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life gives you COVID:19, we figured you make Single Malt.”

The distillery shop is now open for business, just in time for Santa.

Founder: John O’Connor https://goodradigbee.com
CD/Writer: Pete Ogden http://cargocollective.com/oggy / https://www.thebrutalbeauty.com
Designer: Lucy Edison https://www.lucyedison.com
Photographer: Ange Maloney http://www.picturecabinet.com.au