Tasmania

Whisky #175 – Sullivans Cove Single Cask French Oak Single Malt, Barrel HH0401

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IMG_3427Sullivans Cove Single Cask French Oak Single Malt, Barrel HH0401. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 47.50%. Tasted at Helvetica, $26.

I wouldn’t normally review two separate barrels from the same whisky, but as the Sullivans Cove Single Cask French Oak 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). I thought it might be interesting to compare the two.

Colour: Light copper.

Nose: Like walking into an old spice shop. Not a shop that sells Old Spice, but an old shop with loads of dried spices for sale. Cardamom, cloves, maybe even some dried garlic. A rich and complex nose. I’m not getting the rye scents that I got from the other Sullivans Cove French Oak Single Malt I tried, which was from barrel HH0533.

Palate: Definitely a very similar palate to the other French Oak barrel HH0533. No fennel this time, but some oaky vanilla, pepper and mixed spices abound.

Finish: The rich, long finish of chewy dried fruit has the good grace to hang around for a while so you can really savour the flavour. Gentle warmth tingles the front half of the palate as with the HH0533.

Comments: Hard to directly compare the two barrels having tasted them quite a few weeks apart.

This one is certainly a fantastic drop, but I’d still stand by my last assessment that while it is a great whisky, I’m not sure I’d rate it as the world’s best. In saying that, I’d like to have a couple of bottles in my collection – one to enjoy and one as an investment.

Whisky #154 – Old Hobart Distillery Overeem Port Cask Matured Single Malt

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IMG_3430Old Hobart Distillery Overeem Port Cask Matured Single Malt (cask number OHD-068). Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at Helvetica, $19.

Colour: Pale rosey amber-copper.

Nose: A gorgeous nose. Dried muscatels, sultanas, other dried fruits. Sweet, woody, some chocolate and golden syrup notes. A hint of smoke.

Palate: Is that some thyme or fennel? No, that’s just the taste of the breadstick I stupidly just took a bite of without thinking. After cleansing the palate, I’m getting some mixed spices, sultanas and buttery almonds.

Finish: A bit of a peppery, salty-sweet (think salted caramel but not quite as sweet), oaky notes to fade. Medium-long finish for the flavours, medium warmth but it lingers long (primarily at the front part of the palate) after the flavours subside.

Comments: I loving the flavour complexity of the Tasmanian whiskies I’ve tasted, they really are quite special. All the more remarkable that Overeem is produced in a suburban garage of the Overeem family. I thought the wonderful nose was let down a bit by the palate. My mate Brett thought it was overrated – Overeem, overrated – overall, I think we’re over it!

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 #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!