Why The Gospel waited almost six years to add a new rye whiskey

Some American obsessions travel well. Since founding The Gospel in 2019, Andrew Fitzgerald and Ben Bowles have been giving rye whiskey a Melbourne address, building their own distillery in the city’s inner north and working with grain grown by a single South Australian farmer. Now, their Brunswick operation has a new reason to pull up a bar stool: Bonded Rye.

Billed as Australia’s first bottled-in-bond whiskey, it’s the first addition to The Gospel’s permanent range in almost six years. That’s a fair stretch between drinks, but co-founder Andrew says there was no rush to fill a gap on the shelf. “We never wanted to add to the core range for the sake of it. The timing came from the whiskey,” he says. “It was distilled over four years ago and we waited until it was ready, rather than deciding on a date and working backwards.”

The name points to an American production standard. For this release, that means whiskey distilled in one season, at one distillery, by one distiller, matured for more than four years and bottled at 100 proof, or 50% alcohol. “So there’s nothing to borrow and nowhere to hide,” says Andrew.

Here, that distiller is Ian Thorn, and the grain is 100 per cent Australian unmalted rye from South Australia’s Murray Mallee. The region’s dry, harsh conditions produce small, dense grain; its influence runs through the whiskey’s pepper and dark rye bread characters. “The grain does most of the talking, and our job is not to get in its way,” Andrew says.

There’s plenty to listen to. Toffee apple, caraway and fennel seed lead the aromas, followed by a palate of chai spice, vanilla and sweet pastry, with pepper lingering on the finish. Alongside the easy-going Solera and bold, spicy Straight Rye, Bonded Rye brings a fuller, more structured expression to the line-up. Andrew’s verdict? “It’s one for slow pours.”

For cocktail drinkers, the signature Word is Bond pairs it with coffee liqueur, amaretto, sugar syrup and Peychaud’s bitters, served over a single large ice block with almond biscotti. Consider the snack sorted.

And while another single-cask Project release is due before Christmas, this bottle won’t require quite the same scramble. “Bonded Rye is here to stay. When this first release is gone, the next batch follows,” says Andrew.

For drinkers who have followed The Gospel’s rye story, it’s a new chapter with time behind it. For newcomers, it offers a place to start exploring what Australian rye can bring to an American tradition.

The Gospel Bonded Rye is $140. Shop the new release at The Gospel’s website. You’ll also find it poured at selected bars across Melbourne and Sydney.