Month: January 2016

Whisky #393: William McHenry & Sons Three Capes 10 Year Old Single Malt

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img_6391.jpegWilliam McHenry & Sons Three Capes 10 Year Old Single Malt. Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 43.5%. Tasted at The Wild Rover, $17.

Colour: Light copper.

Nose: Quite a light nose; leather and toasted mash aromas.

Palate: Slightly sharp and a little tart. Much like one of my exes. Quite a thin mouthfeel.

Finish: A front and mid palate tingle lingers slightly longer than the flavours; straw and malty tones predominantly.

Comment: Distilled and aged at Tasmania Distillery (home of Sullivans Cove) on behalf of William McHenry & Sons. It’s an easy drinking, inoffensive whisky but doesn’t challenge your tastebuds. It’s the whisky equivalent of of a crisp, clear and very light lager. Not a bad way to start the evening, but you’re probably not going to stick with it all night for the rich flavours.

A shout out to the guys at The Wild Rover (especially for the judicious placement of the menu in the pic above!). A great whisky list and great chatting to you!

Whisky #392: New World Projects Double Cask Release #1 Single Malt

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img_6386.jpegNew World Projects Double Cask Release #1 Single Malt. New World Whisky Distillery, Essendon, Victoria, Australia. ABV: 48.6%. Tasted at home, $140 (bottle).

Yesterday was Australia Day and we took a look at a lesser known Australian whisky, Dobson’s Belle Epoque Cask Strength Single Malt. I thought bugger it, let’s make this Australia week. All Aussie whiskies, all week. Let’s head south to Melbourne and check out one from New World Whisky Distillery. Enjoy!

Colour: Luminescent amber. Keeping with the Aussie theme, to paraphrase (and with apologies to) The 12th Man…”Luminescent amber?! That’s Australian gold my friend and don’t you f*ckin’ forget it!”

Nose: Vanilla sponge cake; some zesty yet sweet citrus notes too; slight nose prickle.

Palate: A cool and light mouthfeel on entry, the flavours seem to concentrate down the middle of your tongue closely followed by some building heat. Cigar box, spice and summery fruit salad flavours…like you’ve just smoked a cigar on a hot summer’s afternoon after having a mojito.  Ah, take me back to Cuba and sunset cigars and mojitos at the Hotel Nationale in Havana…

Finish: A drying finish, quite long on the mid palate with some dried fruits (think sultanas or raisins).  An interesting balance, a touch of sweetness and peppery notes to conclude.

Comments: Another fine project whisky from New World Whisky Distillery, the Australian whisky producers more widely known for Starward whisky. It is a marriage of whisky matured in two Australian Tawny Port casks, one first fill and the other second fill. This was one of the whiskies I selected as part of my “Rebuilding a Whisky Collection – The $1000 Challenge“, have to say I’m quite pleased with this one. It’s not going to be a whisky that you’ll take one sip and it will change your life, but I have a sneaky feeling that the more drams I have the more fond of it I will become.

Whisky #391: Dobson’s Belle Epoque Cask Strength Single Malt

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img_6379.jpegDobson’s Belle Epoque Cask Strength Single Malt. New England Highlands, New South Wales, Australia. ABV: 60.0%. Tasted at Saint John Craft Beer Bar (Launceston, Australia), $15.

Happy ‘Straya Day! Being our national day and celebration of all things Australian, it’s only appropriate that we take a look at an Aussie whisky. I came across this bottle of Dobson’s Belle Epoque at a craft beer bar in Launceston, Tasmania.

Colour: Burnt copper.

Nose: Lightly peated with a slight nose prickle. Almost some meaty peat aromas; like sticking your nose over a pot of fresh bolognese sauce cooking on the stovetop, but with a hint of sweetness as you pull your nose away.

Palate: Opens up on the mid & back palate then the heat slides down as your swallow. My mate Joel gets some burnt toffee notes; I get a spicy, peppery sweetness with some campfire smoke.

Finish: An extremely dry finish. Warmth tingles on the front of the tongue and the roof of your mouth.

Comments: I hadn’t previously heard of Dobson’s, which is understandable as it is a tiny operation located in the village of Kentucky NSW, about 5.5 hours drive north of Sydney and situated at Eastview Estate where they also have a winery, brewery, restaurant and speakeasy bar. And a spectacularly irreverant back story on their website (check it out here at http://www.eastviewestate.com/whiskey.html).

For such a small operation, this is a cracking whisky. Complex, with great depth of different flavours and mouthfeel, overall it’s great drinking. I’d be keen to track down some more of this one.

Handmade in "absurdly small quantities"

Handmade in “absurdly small quantities”

Whisky #390: Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt

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Amrut Peated Indian Single Malt. Bangalore, India. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at home, $120 (bottle).

Colour: Liquid fire.

Nose: A slight prickle as some ginger biscuit and sweet peat aromas announce themselves. The peat is a lot more subtle on the nose than say your typical Islay peated malts.

Palate: Bam – like a kick to the mouth, it’s a full frontal assault on your laughing gear. Intense toasted cereal, honeycomb and peat flavours are all vying for the attention of your tastebuds.

Finish: A long warm fade, the peatiness and warmth very gradually dissipates. Soft and sweet woody notes too. Chocolate and honeycomb flavours right at the death, like you’ve just finished devouring a Crunchie bar.

Comments: It’s a creeper, almost an ambush. The nose entices you with its alluring subtleties, then you walk around the corner and you get punched in the mouth. As you wipe away a bit of claret from the corner of your mouth you can almost taste the metallic spiciness and warmth filling your mouth. Different to your typical Scottish peated malt, and that’s not a bad thing.