Not that long ago, it was unusual to easily find single malt whisky made outside of Scotland or Ireland. Now, we are spoilt for choice with single malt from all corners of the world being stacked on bottle shop shelves and available to buy online. Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Israel, Taiwan, England, Wales, Italy, Germany, and France are just some countries which now have very successful single malt distilleries. India now joins the growing list of countries with single malt distilleries which have an international fan base. Joining the likes of Amrut and Paul John is the Piccadily distillery in India, which makes Indri single malt.
Callington Mill Distillery is a new distillery located about 80 kilometers north of Hobart in the Tasmanian village of Oatlands which lies on the shores of Lake Dulverton. The distillery was founded by John Ibrahim who had existing ties with Tasmania’s whisky industry. Recently, the distillery released a “Leap of Faith” series which comprises of a selection of eight Tasmanian single malt whiskies – Emulsion, Symmetry, Apera Fusion, Quintessence, Sherry Fusion, Entropy, Tango, and, Audacity.
Interestingly, the distillery boasts that some whiskies in the series are the result of a collaboration with Bill Lark (the “Godfather” of Tasmanian whisky) and Damian Mackey. You can therefore imagine my excitement when I received an email from the distillery inviting me select two whiskies from the series to taste. I chose to try the Quintessence and Entropy because they made use of a variety of Australian wine and fortified wine casks in their respective maturation processes. I then promptly received samples of each whisky in the post.
So, are these whiskies as delicious as they sound?
Since Starward came onto the Australian whisky scene it has released numerous creative expressions which have been met with increasing fanfare, and nowadays fans of the brand need to join a ballot for the chance to secure some of Starward’s most sought-after expressions. One such expression is Starward’s new release, “Tawny #2”. I had the chance to explore and unpack Starward’s Tawny #2 at an intimate lunch at the distillery in Port Melbourne.
Starward’s Tawny #2 is the iteration of the very popular Tawny #1, which was released in 2019. The common thread of Starward’s Tawny #1 and #2 is, as the name suggests, maturation in ex-Tawny barrels from the Barossa Valley in South Australia. But, as my day at Starward made clear and as I’ll explain here, Starward’s vision and blueprint for Tawny #2 differs to that used for its predecessor, Tawny #1.
After a (very) long break it is great to be blogging again. You’ve probably noticed that the site has been down for a while. Well, now it is back online!
Before going offline earlier this year my blog had about 388,000 visits from all around the world. Thanks for clicking through to read about my spirited adventures through Scotland, Italy and Australia.
The story of the Hellyer’s Road distillery starts near an Australian town called Bernie, which is near the northwest coast of Tasmania. In 1827 Henry Hellyer cleared bushland near Bernie to create a trail which later became a road. In 1999 a group of dairy farmers established a whisky distillery on that road, and they fittingly called this distillery “Hellyer’s Road”.
Now, in 2020, Hellyer’s Road whisky is among the largest selling Australian whisky brands on the globe with markets in not only in Australia, but also in Europe and Japan. But despite this large-scale success, my observation of Hellyer’s Road is that it maintains a down-to-earth Australian attitude which lets the product speak for itself – there is no spin about climate or wood or over-the-top marketing, they just make consistently tasty whisky at reasonable prices. Come to think of it, that just might be a reflection of the dairy farming culture!
Sitting on my tasting table, ready for a swig, is a bottle of Hellyer’s Road Original 12 year old single malt whisky. This line was originally released in 2014 and it was a bit of a milestone in Australian whisky making, because until this release it was rare for Australian distilleries to disclose the age of their whiskies. The Hellyer’s Road Original 12 year old single malt whisky is made from spirit which is distilled from a wash of Tasmanian barley and then aged for 12 years in American Oak ex-bourbon casks.
ABV: 46.2%
Colour: Golden honey
Smell: Toffee, vanilla, citrus peel (especially lemon), tobacco, tea bags and spices, such as cinnamon. There is always deep and unique citrus character in Hellyer’s Road whiskies which I really love.
Taste: Heavy citrus peel and oils (a mix of orange, lemon and grapefruit) come first, then the wood influence provides toffee, vanilla and nicely integrated tannins which taste like tea leaves and dark chocolate.
Finish: Toasty, with lingering wood-smoke and cocoa, tobacco and fading sweet orange peel.
Overall: This is a full-bodied and lip-smacking dram with a weighty core of rich citrus and beautifully integrated wood notes from the American oak ex-bourbon casks. The only thing missing is a Tasmanian brie to pair it with!
It was June 2018, and we had zigzagged our way around the cobble stone streets of Rome, the hilly Tuscan towns of Pienza and Montepulciano, the picturesque seaside village of Lacco Ameno in Ischia, the ruins of Pompeii, and, finally, the chaotic city of Naples.
On a particularly cold Friday evening I ventured into the Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show on Glenfiddich’s invitation to board the Glenfiddich Whisky Wanderer, a 1972 vintage bus which has been converted into a whisky bar on wheels! Australian chef Matt Moran introduced us to what he loved about Glenfiddich and then the distillery’s brand ambassador, Luke Sanderson, took us on board for a very special evening of whisky tasting and blending, and to craft our very own Glenfiddich single malt from the three core ingredients used to create Glenfiddich’s 15 year old solera.
Fans of Game of Thrones, take heed. As the White Walkers bring the grim promise of a never-ending winter and the icy breath of its ice dragon, viewers may find some warmth in a fiery dram of seven limited-edition single malts which have each been aligned with a great House of Westeros and the Night’s Watch. Without further ado, I introduce you to the Game of Thrones Single Malt Whisky Collection.
The Launceston Distillery is based at Launceston Airport’s Hangar 17, which is just a short drive south of Tasmania’s north coast and some world-class vineyards that sit along the Tamar Valley. Launceston – which is Tasmania’s second largest city behind Hobart – has for a long time been a foodie hub, with nearby wineries and farms producing some of Australia’s finest pinot noir and cheese. Now, the Launceston Distillery seems keen to add whisky to that list. Continue reading “Launceston Distillery’s Apera and Tawny matured Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky”→
Malt Mileage Whisky & Spirit Reviews 