Australia

Whisky #146 – Bakery Hill Double Wood Single Malt

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IMG_2991Bakery Hill Double Wood Single Malt (Barrel 0912). Victoria, Australia. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at home, $120 (bottle).

Colour: Similar to my varnished oak port barrel.

Nose: Malty hay-like scents; vanilla and soft oak.

Palate: Buttery, some stronger oak coming through along with black pepper and some sweetness. Stronger depth of flavour than I was expecting from the nose.

Finish: Medium length for flavour, longer finish for the heat that builds initially. Leaves a tingle on the front half of the tongue long after the flavours have dissipated.

Comments: Single cask release. It’s pretty decent, but it’s somewhat of a contradiction. It’s the kind of dram that grows on you, but not on it’s own though. What I mean is that I found I really had to try and focus to get to know this whisky and reveal it’s character. It’s the kind of whisky that you could happily drink and be very satisfied, but if you were relaxing and a little preoccupied say talking to a friend while consuming, it might be difficult to recall or describe too many characters as they’re quite subtle. In saying that, despite the individual characters being quite subtle the overall qualities (especially the palate) are more robust.

Overall? A decent whisky, but maybe not at this price point. Like the outsider starting from box 8 at the Dapto dish-lickers, there’s probably better value found elsewhere.

Whisky #130 – Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M104 Single Malt

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IMG_2943Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M104 Single Malt (Bottle 095 / 372). Albany, Western Australia, Australia. ABV: 43.0%. Tasted at Botanica.

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg & maybe even some roasted fennel seeds. Kind of a weird aroma to list, but it reminds me of the smell when I cook fennel encrusted pork belly. Now I’m hungry…

Palate: Sweet aniseed, almost a bit bourbon-ish. Oily mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium finish, warmth & sweet sultana flavours linger at the front of the palate.

Comments: Very different to the M67 I tasted in March, which to be fair was a cask strength compared to this dram at 43%. I expected it to be a little different as Limeburners only do single barrel releases, but the contrast is quite stark. Another great drop from Limeburners, if you like your whisky full flavoured grab yourself one. The differences between each release mean that there’s always a very good reason to keep exploring the range…all in the name of scientific research of course!

Whisky #123 – Sullivans Cove Single Cask French Oak Single Malt, Barrel HH0533

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IMG_2929Sullivans Cove Single Cask French Oak Single Malt, Barrel HH0533. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 47.50%. Tasted at The Grosvenor, $24.

Colour: Golden copper. Darker than gold, lighter than copper. Does that make it brassy? Who really cares, let’s taste it.

Nose: Not an overly strong nose, but some mixed spices. Possibly even a hint of rye, which is surprising as it’s obviously not a rye whiskey.

Palate: Lots of flavour, spice & warmth when you take a sip. Cloves & cinnamon are the main spices I get, but also maybe a touch of fennel – maybe it’s the very subtle aniseed-like flavours there that gave the rye scents.

Finish: Feels like a smooth oily entry, but then a dry finish. Flavours linger long, but not as long as the warmth, particularly on the front half of the mouth and a what feels like a small strip lengthways down the centre of the tongue. Lips tingle for a while afterwards.

Comments: I was very keen to try the Sullivan’s Cove French Oak single cask, particularly after it recently won best single malt in the world at the prestigious World Whisky Awards in London, albeit from a different barrel to this release (the winning barrel was HH0525). Definitely surprised to see such a hard to find whisky behind the bar of a regular pub in the middle of the city, The Grosvenor is not exactly known as a whisky bar!

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Having walked through the cold & rain to get here, it’s certainly a welcome feeling to be drinking a warming dram like this one. The warmth really radiates through your chest as the whisky goes down, but certainly not in a fiery way. Very pleased to have tried it, I’m not sure I would rate it amongst the top echelon of the world’s whiskies but definitely one I’d like to have in the collection at home for those cold winter nights and also the fact it is quite a unique offering. It’s almost a little bourbon-like, but much smoother and tastier than any bourbon I’ve had before. I would be very keen to compare it to other barrels of the French Oak expression, though after winning the world whisky of the year that particular barrel is extremely hard (and costly) to come by.

Overall, recommended highly. Support your Aussie whisky producers!

Whisky #99 – Whipper Snapper Whiskey (Prototype)

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IMG_2802Whipper Snapper Whiskey (Prototype). Perth, Western Australia, Australia. 40.0%. Tasted at Helvetica, $0 – on the house as it was Whisky a Day’s birthday.

Colour: Burnt amber.

Nose: Corn, smells like a bourbon; a hint of leather.

Palate: Soft, not as much heat as your regular bourbons. Sweet notes.

Finish: Dry mouthfeel, soft, quite short. Not heaps of flavour depth, but a clean finish.

Comment: Exceptionally easy to drink, very smooth and just the right amount of sweetness. An “audaciously Australian salute to bourbon” according to the label. If you’re not usually a bourbon drinker or are looking to get to know the style a little more, Whipper Snapper is a great introduction, particularly if your palate is more attune to Highlands, Japanese or Australian malts. In fact, I’d rate it better than some of your more “traditional” bourbons.

These guys are just starting up a distillery right here in East Perth which is where Whisky a Day HQ is located, dangerously close to home! Looking forward to tasting their first release which hopefully isn’t too far away.

Check out the Whipper Snapper whiskey story here: http://whippersnapperdistillery.com/

There’s also a great article on ABC news recently about the burgeoning whisk(ey) scene here in Perth right now: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-07/whisky-resurgence-as-perth-distillery-set-to-open/5507224

Whisky #95 – Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M100 Single Malt Whisky

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Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M100 Single Malt Whisky (Bottle 095 / 372). Albany, Western Australia, Australia. ABV: 43%. Tasted at home, $125 (bottle).

Colour: Like a rich amber ale.

Nose: Sweet hay scents.  At only 43% ABV, it doesn’t have the complexity or kick up the nostrils like the Limeburners Barrel M67 (which runs at a cheeky 61% ABV).

Palate: Quite grainy, also a few sweeter citrus notes – lemon and orange peel. Reasonable amount of heat.

Finish: Sweet and syrupy (a bit like golden syrup or molasses), a hint of pepper, with a gentle warming sensation around the mouth – definitely not a burn, just a very subtle warmth. Quite a long finish.

Comments: I really rate the Limeburners whiskies. Obviously as single barrel releases you would expect each batch to have some variation, and they do – but they still share a lot of qualities that I really enjoy…full flavour, lots of spices, oak and residual sweet notes. I’m looking forward to taking a drive down to Albany at some point to visit the distillery!

Whisky #84 – Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M67 Single Malt Whisky

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IMG_2740Great Southern Distillery – Limeburners Barrel M67 Single Malt Whisky (Bottle 012 – 135). Albany, Western Australia, Australia. ABV: 61.0%. The Greenhouse, $20.

Colour: Deep burnt toffee.

Nose: Initial sweet notes of burnt toffee, maybe dark chocolate after dinner mints. With time in the glass it develops more woody flavours. Not a smokey scent, but kind of like the smell when you burn wood on a fire & you can smell the oils. My friend Kali commented that she can’t comment as she doesn’t know enough about wood…a few smirks around the table suggest that we find that hard to believe.

Palate: You can really tell it’s cask strength, big alcohol heat to go with the huge spicy flavour profile & a hint of sweetness.

Finish: Very dry, lots of heat, lots of length in the mid palate.

Comments: Kali says she wants to be on a chesterfield in front of an open fire while drinking a dram such as this. I’d call it the type of whisky to put hairs on your chest. Top drop, well done little Limeburners – I’d heard a fair bit about you and this is my first tasting of one of your whiskies. Really enjoyed it, I can say assuredly that I will be back for more!

Whisky #53: Sullivans Cove Double Cask Single Malt

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IMG_2635Sullivans Cove Double Cask Single Malt. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at Helvetica, $16.

Colour: Quite light, hard to tell in the dim light of a bar. Kind if like talking to a cougar at a dimly lit bar – you’re not sure if she’s got blonde or grey hair.

Nose: Smells like whisky. Sweet scents, scents of faint vanilla & cloves.

Palate: Strong sweet flavours without the alcohol heat or spice. Corn chip like aftertaste. Can’t bring myself to describe it as a corn-like flavour as I don’t actually like corn (one of only four foods I dislike). Quite a simple easy to drink dram, cooked mash kind of flavours. Sweet aftertaste.

Finish: Quite dry, shortish-medium finish at the front third of the tongue. Doesn’t coat or warm the whole mouth, not a criticism mind you.

Comments: My mate Charles who is tasting this one with me reckons it’s a real whisky for the afternoon. We all need more afternoon beverages. Reminds me a little of the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or or Longmorn 16.

Whisky #16: Sullivans Cove Bourbon Maturation Cask Strength

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IMG_2528Sullivans Cove Bourbon Maturation Cask Strength. Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 60.0%.  Tasted at The Greenhouse, $16.

Colour: Godly gold. That was supposed to be “goldy” gold until autocorrect kicked in, but on reflection “godly gold” is apt. Huge legs on the glass.

Nose: Well it’s a monster at 60% ABV, and boy can you tell by the fumes. Can’t easily pick the scents, reminds me a little of the fruitcakes my aunt used to bake.

Palate: Bam! Surprisingly smooth entry for a strong drop, but fills the whole mouth quickly. Huge spice and vanilla flavours.

Finish: Wow, loooong. Toasty malty flavours linger, roof of my mouth is still tingling.

Comments: My first Australian whisky of the year! It’s a monster, would possibly go well with a few drops of water to release & soften the flavours. Definitely a winter warmer, one for cold nights. Keen to compare it with the Sullivan’s Cove Double Wood which I tried at Xmas, I think that may have to be on the tasting schedule very soon!