Brisbane-based Idle Hour Vodka is set to hit liquor shelves across Australia after appointing premium drinks distributor Craft Revolution. 

The appointment comes just weeks after Idle Hour Vodka was awarded silver and bronze medals at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

With a founding team boasting the likes of iconic brands like Red Bull, Balter Brewing, Jameson and White Claw on their resumes, Idle Hour Vodka seeks to challenge the way Aussies taste and experience Vodka.

Celebrating the flavour of feature grain rye, the brand serves a distinctive spiced taste with a creamy texture and a clean finish. Distilled locally from locally sourced ingredients, the Idle Hour founding team focused on establishing a strong foundation in Queensland before expanding its reach across borders, hand picking 150 locations across the northern state as exclusive stockists following launch at the end of 2020. 

“We launched into Queensland and spent time listening to feedback and understanding the market” said co-founder and director of Idle Hour Vodka, Ewen Pettit. “But now we are ready to expand and we are proud to be working with the team at Craft Revolution in the next phase of our growth.” 

Pettit was part of the research and strategy team that helped identify the White Claw opportunity before launching in the US. He has also worked as a strategist on insight, strategy, new brand development and innovation projects for Heineken and Pernod Ricard. 

Pettit told Drinks Digest earlier this year that the founders choose to champion vodka because it had gone unloved while gins and whiskies soared.

“we are reinventing vodka for the contemporary drinker,” he said. “We could see Aussies turning to well-made local spirits – we wanted to introduce our rye vodka and offer something special.

“We were inspired by what was happening in gin in Australia and bourbon in the US and, instead of competing, we wanted to apply our learnings from those spirits to vodka – a spirit category ripe for re-energising.”

“While spirits like gin and whiskey have undergone this exciting renaissance somehow vodka still suffers from misperceptions of being ‘clear, characterless and without aroma or taste. We wanted to challenge those ideas.”

Adding the Brisbane-born brand to its roster of premium imported and domestic drinks, Craft Revolution wanted to present a premium, award-winning Australian vodka to its customers.

“We see a great deal of energy around premium vodka in this market so a product and brand of Idle Hour’s calibre felt like a natural fit for us,” said Craft Revolution National Sales and Marketing Director Vaughan Thompson. 

“Craft Revolution is excited to announce the addition of Idle Hour Vodka into its premium spirits portfolio. As the Australian made premium spirits category continues to grow, we believe Idle Hour Vodka is a brand that has all the right credentials to grow across the country and look forward to working well with the Idle Hour team.”

The new partnership comes as Idle Hour prepares to take the next step in its evolution, a series of Australian natively flavoured vodkas and a new RTD range.

Matt Kowal, Idle Hour Vodka co-founder said: “Our partnership with Craft Revolution is happening at the perfect time. We have exciting new expressions of Idle Hour launching in the coming months.”

Idle Hour Vodka, will now be available at leading wholesalers, selected Dan Murphy’s and independent retailers as well as in on-premise outlets across the country.

New Aussie spirit puts craft vodka in the spotlight