My first time trying Australian whisky – and hopefully not the last
Tasting the new Australian whisky series from That Boutique-y Whisky Company
We’re all familiar with the usual countries you get whisk(e)y from: Scotland, Ireland, North America, Japan etc.etc., but you probably haven’t heard many people talking about whisky from Australia. Until now.
Independent bottlers That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC), known for their excellent whiskies with whimsical labels, have released a series of eight bottlings from Australia.
A couple of hundred years ago, Australia had a thriving whisky scene. It all started to go downhill quality wise in the 1970s/1980s, and by the early 1990s had all but died out. No-one could get their hands on any outside of Aus, anyway.
But now, things are changing, and the scene is starting to thrive again. According to TBWC, The Whisky List says there are 294 distilleries in operation across Australia, producing whisky, gin, vodka, rum and other spirits. Until this point, there has been quite a significant local market, but very few distilleries have been exporting around the world.
I joined an online tasting held by Dave Worthington, global brand ambassador at TBWC and Sam Simmons (aka Dr Whisky), aka head of whisky at Atom Brands to taste through the range.
The complete line-up is:
Black Gate 3 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £109.95/ US$153)
Belgrove 4 Years Old Rye (RRP £139.95/ US$195)
Tin Shed 3 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £99.95/ US$139)
Fleurieu 3 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £99.95/ US$139)
Killara 2 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £169.95/ US$236)
Riverbourne 3 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £99.95/ US$139)
Starward 3 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £69.95/ US$97)
Bakery Hill 5 Years Old Single Malt (RRP £138.95/ US$193)
You might notice they’re all quite young, which is very interesting. Some of the distilleries have been around for a while, so do have older expressions available, but some have only just started up. Also, the climate is very different in Australia compared to Scotland, which affects the speed at which the whisky matures. Here’s my thoughts on the ones I tried.
Belgrove 4 Years Old Rye
The story behind this one is fun. The distillery is a ‘farm to glass’ place, run by one-man-band Peter Bignell. He started out in 2008 after a really good rye harvest. The still was built from reclaimed copper from fallen power lines, and it’s heated using cooking oil from a local roadhouse. The grain is malted in a reclaimed tumble dryer, and milled in an old meat mincer. Quite the operation! The spent mash is fed to his sheep, and waste water is either recycled or used for irrigation.
How does it taste? At first, not like a whisky! It’s got a smoky mezcal vibe to it, which is strange. It’s herbal and smoky at first, then that goes away a bit and it turns sweet and spicy, with a pepperiness from the rye coming through. It’s a bit like if you were barbecuing a pineapple at a funfair next to the candy floss stand.
Killara 2 Years Old Single Malt
Ok, so technicallyyyyy this can’t be called a whisky over here because it’s two years old, but in Aus, that’s the law, so let’s call it a whisky. This is a spirit distilled before the distillery even existed, and apparently was made in a garage! It’s from the highly-anticipated new Tasmanian distillery from Kristy Booth-Lark, who is the daughter of Aussie whisky guru, Bill Lark. Kristy was head distiller at Lark, and is now a one-woman-band, who is keen to champion women in distilling. This is the first distillery in Australia to be owned and operated by a woman!
How does it taste? Much more mature than its age would suggest! It’s got a lovely depth to it, it’s clean, balanced, and delicious. It smells like coconut oil and banana bread, and tastes like a mix of foam bananas, summer fruits and caramel chocolate, with a big punch of alcohol at the end.
Starward 3 Years Old Single Malt
If you’ve heard of any from the list, it’ll probably be this one. Starward is Australia’s largest distillery, and was founded in 2013 in urban Melbourne. The ethos of the distillery is to make whiskies people want to get stuck into and enjoy with friends. As Dave Worthington said, “It’s not a fireplace sipper, it’s about good company and good friends. That’s what whisky’s about.’
How does it taste? Very drinkable! It’s quite a fruity little number, back with those foam bananas, honeycomb, chocolate, pastry, and some cream soda in there too. It finishes quite sweet, with a little spice that makes you immediately want to go back for another sip.
Black Gate 3 Years Old Single Malt
Black Gate Distillery was founded in 2012 by Brian Hollingworth in New South Wales. He was one of Bill Lark’s students. This distillery is a small husband and wife team located in the middle of nowhere! They only make 3,000 litres a year. The relatively small amount TBWC had was actually 4% of their entire yearly output, and you probably won’t find this one outside of Australia or the TBWC bottlings!
How does it taste? Very light! The nose is quite like a gin or a rum, then the taste gives you lots of liquorice and blackcurrant. The texture reminded me of the flavoured Volvics you can buy, if you've had one of those? It’s very clean and accessible, and I think you could offer it to someone who didn’t necessarily enjoy whisky, and they’d like it.
Tin Shed 3 Years Old Single Malt
Tin Shed is an Australian craft distillery with a cult following. It was founded in 2013 in urban Adelaide, but Ian Schmidtt has distilling history with South Coast Distillers from 2004. This one is especially interesting as it was matured in ex-port and Pinot Gris wine casks! They’ve got lots of access to wine casks because of how many wineries are nearby.
How does it taste? Dark and a bit dirty…! There’s a lot going on in this one. It’s quite thick and chewy, with tropical fruit notes, dark treacle, dark chocolate, black cherry, and a hint of Cherry Bakewell.
Riverbourne 3 Years Old Single Malt
Riverbourne is a New South Wales based distillery that started out making whisky, rum and vodka in February 2016. It was founded by Martin Pyr, a third generation pharmacist who wanted to launch his own place after a trip to Tasmania. So far, all his whisky releases have had a Jason Bourne connection. They’re called: Identity, Supremacy, Ultimation and Enigma.
How does it taste? The main thing I got on the nose with this one was crispy seaweed from a Chinese takeaway and those thin red strawberry laces you get from sweet shops. An interesting mix, that’s for sure. The palate was odd… there was some grapefruit, vinegar, molasses, and a herbal note which stuck around to the end.
While this might be the first time you’ve heard of these distilleries, it definitely won’t be the last. I for one am really excited to see what the next few years (or decades) holds in store for these places and whiskies.
The TBWC Australia series is selling out crazy fast, despite only being on sale for a few days. If you fancy getting your hands on a bottle, have a look at Master of Malt, The Whisky Exchange, Hard to Find Whisky and other whisky retailers to see what’s left.
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Comments (5)
If you like Aussie whisky I'd suggest lark distillery. Bill lark was the guy who got the laws changed in Tasmania to allow distillation. Also starward nova. They're in Port Melbourne, Victoria (5km from the whisky bar that I work at). It's a Victorian red wine cask that's pretty spectacular for the money. Then also Sullivan's cove from Tasmania again. Their French oak single cask is amazing. Their XO brandy just won world's best this year.
Hey Sam! I mentioned Bill Lark in the piece, as Killara is made by his daughter! And thanks for this, I'll try to somehow get my hands on those – they sound great. I'd recommend you trying them, especially the Killara if you can. So...
Read moreI need to try them all - I'm still a whiskey beginner- but thoroughly drinkable, with honeycomb, chocolate, and creaming soda notes? It has to be Starward first.
Yes, I think that's the one to go in with! Go get yourself a wee dram or two and let me know what you think!
Yes, I have. We are blessed with number of tiny distilleries, that only sell locally. The best place to taste quite a few of them is in Bruny Island House of Whisky. They have, according to their website, 110 (yes, 110) just Tasmanian Single Malts on display. We have been there recently. My wife is impressed with their range of Gin, including Whey Gin from using whey from local cheese maker. Visit their site at www.tasmanianhouseofwhisky.com.au or just put into Google Bruny Island House of Whisky. You'll be amazed.