When the Stars Align: North Star Spirits Finds Its Southern Home.

There’s a quiet confidence in the way Australia is drinking these days. The country’s whisky scene - once an outpost for enthusiasts chasing rare imports - has evolved into a community that values provenance, texture, and a good story. The latest development is a sign of that maturity: The Whisky List (TWL) has been appointed the exclusive Australian importer and distributor for North Star Spirits, the Glasgow-based independent bottler celebrated for its bold, unorthodox releases.

The partnership marks a thoughtful alignment between two modern-minded operators who see whisky less as a status symbol and more as a cultural conversation.

When your whisky philosophy is less ‘limited edition’ and more ‘no bull, just barrel.’

Founded in 2016 by Iain Croucher, a former member of the Cadenhead’s team, North Star emerged with a clear point of view. Where many independent bottlers built their reputations on rarity or heritage, Croucher focused on transparency, individuality, and flavour. His cask selections often feel intuitive rather than calculated - guided by character rather than convention. Each bottle lists its provenance, age, and cask type, but more importantly, each release carries an honest sense of place and intent.

That clarity has earned North Star a devoted following. The company has been named Independent Bottler of the Year three times at the Scotch Whisky Awards (2020, 2021, and 2023), with critics and collectors alike praising its approachability and precision. In a sector often preoccupied with age statements and scarcity, Croucher’s philosophy is quietly radical: to let the whisky speak for itself, unvarnished and full of nuance.

Australia will soon see the results of that approach firsthand. The first shipment includes bottlings from Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, and an unnamed Secret Islay, alongside whiskies from Campbeltown and Speyside. Also arriving are expressions from North Star’s creative sub-labels, Obscurities & Curiosities and the Tarot series - lines that give Croucher license to experiment without losing sight of quality.

For Oliver Maruda, Co-Founder of The Whisky List, the collaboration is as much about ethos as import. “North Star’s whiskies consistently strike that balance between depth and discovery,” he says. “They appeal to serious collectors but remain open to those who simply want to understand whisky better.”

Since its founding in 2016, The Whisky List has grown from a digital search engine into one of Australia’s most influential whisky platforms. It now manages The Whisky Show - a national festival that travels across the country - and represents a roster of leading independent bottlers including Decadent Drinks, Duncan Taylor, Woolf Drinks, and The Whisky Jury. With North Star joining the portfolio, TWL has become the largest importer of independent bottlers in Australia, and arguably one of the most trusted curators of global whisky culture in the region.

Both organisations share a commitment to transparency and education. The new partnership will make North Star releases available not only online but also through specialist retailers and premium bars across the country, supported by a program of tastings and industry events. The aim, says Maruda, is to “bring the conversation around independent bottling into sharper focus - to show people that whisky can be both expressive and democratic.”

Croucher agrees. “Australia has such an informed whisky audience,” he says. “There’s a sense of curiosity here that matches what we’re doing at North Star - people who want to know why a whisky tastes the way it does, not just how old it is.”

That attitude - informed but unpretentious - is perhaps the real bridge between Glasgow and Sydney. The two cities share a certain character: industrious, curious, with an appreciation for things done well rather than loudly.

When the first North Star bottles arrive in mid-October 2025, they will represent more than another name on a shelf. They’ll signal a maturation of taste - a willingness to embrace whisky as a medium of exploration, not merely collection.

Because for all the talk of age statements, limited editions, and accolades, the real measure of whisky’s value remains the same: the connection it sparks between the person pouring and the person drinking.

And in that space - somewhere between the familiar and the new - The Whisky List and North Star Spirits have found common ground, or perhaps more fittingly, a shared constellation.

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Words by AW.

Photos courtesy of North Star Spirits.