Judging craft spirits with Seb Costello

When Seb Costello opened the cocktail bar Bad Frankie in Melbourne in 2014, he did something that was almost unthinkable at the time; creating a drinks menu comprised completely of Australian craft spirits. Seb understandably became known as a champion of Australian distilling. This, coupled with his sensory skills and broad appreciation for different spirits categories, saw him appointed chief judge of the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards in 2020. At the time of this episode going to air, Seb and the other judges – led by new chief judge, Shaun Byrne – are preparing to appraise this year's entries to the ADSA, the only spirits competition endorsed by the Australian Distillers Association. This seemed like the appropriate juncture to have a long overdue chat with Seb about craft spirits in Australia. First up, we get his reflections on those three years as lead official of the ADSA. Click here to open episode in your podcast player.