Whisky review: Yack Creek single malt whisky

Julian White -
Whisky Reviews
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On tasting: Yack Creek Single Malt Batch 2, Yack Creek Single Malt Batch 6 and Yack Single Creek Single Malt Smoked Batch 4

Australian whisky newcomer, Yack Creek, has all the components to become a local favourite. Located 2km outside the small town of Yackandandah (not far from Backwoods Distilling – road trip!), the distillery was founded in 2015 and sits between the eponymous creek and the Stanly State forest to the south.

It’s run by Jamie Heritage and his father John, who’ve built a calm, unassuming operation that’s all about creating quality whisky and spirits from small production runs.

The creek that flows next to the distillery year round is home to brown trout and the Murray spiny crayfish, hence the logo and brand name.

And refreshingly, the distillery hasn’t pitched itself as a rare, glamorous or exclusive Australian malt. Instead, it’s the product of a quiet working family and looks to represent the surrounding area by using casks from the nearby Beechworth wine region.

Yes, this all sounds pretty familiar to the seasoned whisky fan in an increasingly crowded market. But stories and provenance aside, it was the flavour and balance of the whiskies that got tongues wagging at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards 2020, after a very successful set of results (Yack Creek rum also excelled, worth checking out if you’re a cane fan).

We’ll have more on Yack Creek’s custom-built still and production method soon, but for now, let’s take a look at the whiskies.

  • Yack Creek Single Malt Batch 2
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled through a custom-built pot still with a unique reflux condenser from a mash of Australian barley. Matured in an 80 litre medium char ex-red wine French oak cask for just over three years. Bottled December 2019. 100 bottles in total.
    • Location: Yackandandah, VIC
    • Score: 88
    Nose
    Glass toffee and golden syrup, freeze dried raspberries and cherry ripe. There’s a herbal element, thyme and bay leaf, hiding in the background. At this strength, it’s not bounding out of the glass but there’s plenty to talk about, with a nice balance between spirit and oak.
    Palate
    Starts with a solid oak backbone. Well integrated wine influence (could easily pass as a heavily sherried Scottish malt). Mocha and resin flavours rebound off deep, oaky sweetness. No hint of 'wineyness' though (a pleasant change). Malt character just manages to carry the intensity wrought by the cask.
    Finish
    The longer you hold this on the palate, the more 'Australian' it feels. Burnt sugar, balsamic vinegar, barrel char and red wine lingering.
    Comments
    Seriously impressive in its depth of flavour, and there’s so much intensity that this young malt manages well, particularly the interplay between the sweet and spicy elements from the cask. It’s Aussie, but not too Aussie.
  • Yack Creek Single Malt Whisky Batch 6
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Matured in a medium char French oak red wine cask resized to 80 litres, and then finished in an ex-Bourbon cask for a further 18 months. Bottled December 2019. 100 bottles in total.
    • Location: Yackandandah, VIC
    • Score: 80
    Nose
    Cherry Starburst chews, and a more subdued level of sweetness here - rhubarb sour cherries. Pancakes and brandy butter, macadamias, spiced almonds and cinnamon.
    Palate
    The oak characters are tart like orange oil. There’s a hint of tinniness to this cask, where the sweetness hasn’t quite come to the front. Wine influence could have been a little more generous.
    Finish
    The malt fades, and the influence of two casks in just a short period of maturation has dominated the finish with pithy marmalade flavours and ume plums.
    Comments
    I admire the way that this malt is spice-driven and avoided taking on too much wine character. But the body of the spirit only just carries the oak on this occasion, and hasn't rounded out the whole package.
  • Yack Creek Single Malt Whisky Batch 4 (Smoked)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 49%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled from a mash of Australian and Scottish peated barley. Matured in a medium char ex-red wine French oak cask resized to 80 litres for just over three years. Bottled December 2019. 100 bottles in total.
    • Location: Yackandandah, VIC
    • Score: 87
    Nose
    The first approach reminds me of a fresh glass of Amontillado sherry, tart and grapey, but mellowed by years on timber. The tannins are complex, brassy and intriguing, not savoury or bitter, like some over-oaked behemoths. The colour hints at this, more of an orange gold rather than a deep cola brown. (I never talk about colour… something’s wrong) There’s just a hint of smokiness, not of a familiar peat either, more of a wood smoke.
    Palate
    The smoke comes early, but it's not overwhelming. The sweetness of the malt is still up to the task, providing a sturdy vehicle. On the tip of the tongue there’s some nice red grape flavours and then chilli chocolate, muscatels and black jelly babies as it progresses.
    Finish
    Oak spice carries and holds the level of smoke beautifully. Aussie campfires, port and chocolate, lengthening into sultanas and raisins.
    Comments
    Restraint has been a strong theme with this set of Yack Creek whiskies. The wine cask influence is upfront, but not overwhelming, which explains the recent accolades. This peated batch had just a little too much going on with all that cask influence and peat. But it's all there in terms of rich wine cask influence and campfire smoke. I'd love to see a bit more malt in this case.
How We Score
Julian White
Julian White is the co-owner of Melbourne’s Whisky & Alement and the driving force behind its importing arm the Independent Whisky Company. When he’s not scouring the planet for old and obscure bottlings, and creating daring whisky and beer projects for Australia’s curious drinkers, he’s a panel chair at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards and a presenter, whisky educator and consultant.