Review: A taste of the new Australian single malt

Luke McCarthy -
Whisky Reviews
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On tasting: Cape Byron Distillery The Original and Chardonnay Cask, Winding Road Distilling Co. First Release, Amber Lane Destiny and Liquid Amber; Hidden Lake AO Tawny 8 Year Old, White Oak 6 Year Old and FO Tawny 10 Year Old; Camborne Sherry Cask, Tawny Cask and Brandy Cask, and Whisky in Isolation New York Sour

My desk has been inundated with new whiskies of late, but I was particularly keen to dig into these first release bottlings.

Cape Byron Distillery’s inaugural single malts have probably received the most attention of the lot – having an icon of whisky like Jim McEwan on board will help with that. But there’s also a refreshing clarity and sense of place to the Cape Byron single malt project, and if you’re an Islay fan, look out for the Cape Byron peated whiskies – the early samples were seriously tasty.

There’s a growing number of whisky distilleries cropping up along the New South Wales coastline, with Winding Road Distilling Co. and Amber Lane Distillery also located close to the sea. They share some connections in approach, too, allowing the spirit to shine and ensuring the cask doesn’t overwhelm that foundation, which is great to see.

From South Australia, where the whisky scene is booming, St Agnes Distillery’s Camborne whiskies have flown a little under the radar, but there’s huge promise in these first releases. I’m very keen to see what comes out of the St Agnes Barrel Halls in future.

Then there’s the first Hidden Lake whiskies, which, I’ll be honest, I’m ambivalent about, despite the fact that the whiskies themselves are pretty decent.

Hidden Lake is joint-venture between Chris Malcolm, the former CEO of Australian Whisky Holdings (now Lark Distilling Co.) and the ASX-listed Mighty Craft, owner of a plethora of up-and-coming Australian distilleries and breweries. The first Hidden Lake whiskies hail from Nant, and were selected and purchased by Malcolm following an extensive personal audit of Nant’s whisky casks.

With so many unanswered questions from the Nant fiasco still lingering, and with so many people defrauded and ripped off by the botched barrel scheme, I wonder about the wisdom of launching an ‘ultra-premium’ brand with these malts as your centrepiece (I prefer Remnant Whisky Co’s take on the whole saga). But big plans lie ahead for the brand, so it’ll be interesting to see where Hidden Lake whisky is sourced from, or created at, in future.

On the brighter side of the things is Justin Farmer’s first bottling under his Whisky in Isolation label. Farmer has a number of interesting projects coming to fruition over the next few years, and I’m particularly keen to try his upcoming Kinglake Distillery Mulberry Wood Finish.

  • Cape Byron The Original Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 47%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled through a 2000 litre Knapp Lewer pot still at Cape Byron Distillery from wort brewed by Stone & Wood Brewery. Matured for three years in 200 litre ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks. Released September 2022.
    • Location: McLeods Shoot, NSW
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Vanilla, fresh cut grass and green tea ice cream. Green apples and a chalky, almost fruit pith note. Much more spirit forward than most Aussie malts. The Bourbon cask influence is supporting rather than dominating, and it gets more tropical as it opens up, with pears and kiwi fruit.
    Palate
    A little thicker and more textural than expected, with a youthful freshness to it. Again the green fruits, and you get a great look at the spirit, which is medium bodied with a tropical edge. Not as malt-forward and chunky as a lot of Tassie makes - this is a fruit-forward experience, where the cask is in a supporting role. Impeccable balance despite its youth.
    Finish
    Plenty of carry, with green grapes and a creamy, citrusy tail.
    Comments
    One of the more clear-sighted Australian single malts to emerge in recent years. The starting point, the foundation, is the spirit - the cask is there to build on that and stay out of its way, and it's incredibly refreshing to taste that in an Australian single malt. It also captures a sense of where it's from, something our whisky producers have occasionally struggled with. It's inadvertently become a statement whisky, leaning much closer to Scottish practice (spirit-forward, ex-Bourbon cask, etc) than the vast majority of Aussie malts released in the last decade. It looks the part, lands at a fair price ($125 for 700ml), and will definitely gain in complexity as older components are introduced. One of the best new whisky releases of the year so far.
  • Cape Byron Chardonnay Cask Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Matured in 60% chardonnay casks and 40% ex-Bourbon casks for three years. Released September 2022. 1550 bottles in total.
    • Location: McLeods Shoot, NSW
    • Score: 83
    Nose
    Butter, cashews and grilled peaches. You already sense that it's more cask-forward than The Original, with vanilla, rich oak and pear skins over the signature green apple.
    Palate
    Toasted oak and burnt butter. Heavier here again, but the spirit still gets a say - the green fruits from the distillate shine through and marry-up nicely with the citrusy wine influence.
    Finish
    Pleasant lift and length from the cask, subtle maltiness tapering.
    Comments
    Again, a different, more distillate-focused take on an Australian wine cask whisky. Perhaps not quite as well integrated as The Original, but pretty refined and moreish, and if you're a fan of those old buttery Aussie chardonnays, see here.
  • Winding Road Distilling Co. Hinterland Single Malt Whisky (First Release)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 51.5%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Winding Road Distilling Co. through a 1250 litre pot still (Burns Welding) from a mash of seven different NSW-grown varieties of malted barley. Matured in 125 litre ex-Barossa Valley shiraz casks for almost three years. Around 170 bottles in total, 29 of which were bottled at cask strength.
    • Location: Tintenbar, NSW
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Fruit cake, biscuits and jammy fruits from the shiraz cask. Spirit seems quite clean on the initial passes, but then the biscuits, brown sugar and sultana chocolates from the malts poking through.
    Palate
    Rich and butterscotch-y. The spirit is light to medium-bodied, and you again get hints of the malts at play with peanut brittle, nougat and Oreos. Cask has a fair bit to say here, but the balance of flavours works, and the shiraz hasn't injected too much tannin and influence.
    Finish
    Tannins grab a little, but plenty of malt and richness to hold things together on the follow through.
    Comments
    A solid first offering. Tasty and balanced, the spirit is clean and nuanced, the malt profile works, and the cask has done a great job bringing it all together. I sampled the cask strength option as well, and it was one of the more complete and drinkable high ABV Australian malts I've tried recently. And if you haven't tried Winding Road's rums, do yourself a favour.
  • Amber Lane Destiny First Release Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 50.6%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Amber Lane Distillery through a 3600 litre pot still (Burns Welding). Matured in a combination of 200-250 litre ex-apera, Pedro Ximenez and Bourbon casks for a minimum of four years. Released April 2022.
    • Location: Wyong, NSW
    • Score: 86
    Nose
    Sultanas, honey and a slightly meaty, burnt treacle note. Lovely barley sugars bursting through and the casks add stewed fruits and nutty spice.
    Palate
    Big roasted barley notes. A hint of youth but the spirit's delicious so that's fine by me. More of that lovely treacle flavour, and the influence from the fortified components is restrained and balanced - great use of larger format casks.
    Finish
    Love the ABV, carries it along brilliantly without becoming too boisterous. Creamy, Spanish sherry funk on the tail.
    Comments
    Impressive first release. The spirit is lovely: malty, viscous and with a prominent barely sugar and burnt caramel sweetness to it. The cask choice and marrying of the component whiskies has also been really well executed. Tasty, enjoyable single malt, at a competitive price, too.
  • Amber Lane Liquid Amber Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: As above. Matured in a combination of 200-250 litre ex-apera, Pedro Ximenez and, for this bottling, a smaller component of Bourbon cask whisky for a minimum of four years. Released May 2022.
    • Location: Wyong, NSW
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Vanilla, honey and barley sugars. Not quite as expressive on the nose as the Destiny, but still some lovely stewed quince, strawberry and dried fruits coming through.
    Palate
    More grip and extraction from the sherry cask components here, and a touch more heat and wood. Still plenty of vanilla, mince pie and creamy sherry to get around though.
    Finish
    More of the apera here. Slightly more grip, but still well balanced. Again, great choice of ABV.
    Comments
    Certainly more grip and extraction from the casks here, but sherry cask fans will welcome that. Still not as oak-forward as other Australian malts in this style, and that is to be commended.
  • Hidden Lake American Oak Tawny 8 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Nant Distillery and matured in an American oak tawny cask for eight years. Bottled by Chris Malcolm for the Hidden Lake Whisky brand and released June 2022. 128 bottles in total.
    • Location: Bothwell, TAS
    • Score: 81
    Nose
    Slightly earthy and citrusy upfront. Dense oak and leather, then butter, brown sugar, and some pleasant some floral notes.
    Palate
    Starts nicely. Creamy and malty and you taste the time in cask, which brings on a sherbety, citrusy lift. Turns on the mid-palate, though. Gets a bit too dry and leathery and the fruits get boarded up.
    Finish
    Dry finish. Lots of dark chocolate. A little too grippy.
    Comments
    Lovely nose on this, and there's plenty to like on the palate, with high fruits and florals developing from the extra age (in the Tasmanian context). It just gets a bit grippy and dry on the finish which detracts from what is a pretty complex experience.
  • Hidden Lake White Oak 6 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46.15%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Nant Distillery and matured in a new American oak cask for six years. Selected by Chris Malcolm for the Hidden Lake Whisky brand and released June 2022. 132 bottles in total.
    • Location: Bothwell, TAS
    • Score: 87
    Nose
    Fresh, nutty oak upfront. Cherries, coconut and some lovely high floral notes. Honey and vanilla sweetness from the malt, hints of char and cinnamon from the cask.
    Palate
    Big vanilla, as you'd expect. Rich and textural as it moves along, lemon sorbet and a fresh spiciness, turning pleasantly herbal. Despite the new oak, the wood doesn't dominate. Nice balance between spirit and oak, which is surprising.
    Finish
    Dark berries and vanilla. Ash, and getting a touch dry at the tail.
    Comments
    I've tried quite a few of these Nant virgin oak casks over the years and they've been consistently good. This is no exception. Surprisingly balanced, and there's something about the Nant spirit profile which matches up brilliantly with these casks.
  • Hidden Lake French Oak Tawny 10 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 65.9%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Nant Distillery and matured in a French oak tawny cask for ten years. Bottled by Chris Malcolm for the Hidden Lake Whisky brand and released June 2022. 87 bottles in total.
    • Location: Bothwell, TAS
    • Score: 89
    Nose
    Huge start. Plenty going on. You sense the age straight away - old books, lacquer and orchard fruits, but the oak and the spirit are playing along nicely. It really needs time in glass, though (these natural cask strength Tassie malts rarely offer up all their goodness at 65%+). Water nicely opens up the fruits and florals further.
    Palate
    Big and brooding. Massive actually, but surprisingly sweet and rich considering the influence of the cask and the ABV. Neat, there's balance, which is surprising, but it's much better with water (highly recommend adding some). An earthy, herbal character emerges - green tea, shaved wood and tobacco. Stays quite fruity and expressive - fruit cake and raspberries - as it progresses.
    Finish
    Bold. Long. Old leather and dark berries.
    Comments
    I expected this might be too woody and hot. It's neither. Only a few Tassie producers have released whisky with this sort of age, and the extra time in cask has revealed some serious complexity and depth. Not sure if bottling at this ABV (65.9%) is doing much for the whisky, and not sure I'd be rushing out to nab a bottle at $500 a pop, but worth a try if you come across it.
  • Camborne Single Malt Whisky Sherry Cask
    The Stats
    • ABV: 47.6%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled through the old brandy pot stills at St Agnes Distillery (dating back to 1911) from wash supplied by Coopers Brewery. Matured for seven years in a Spanish oak cask that initially held Bodegas Garvey sherry (Garvey's backstory is well worth a read), and then Angove Apera. Released August 2022.
    • Location: Renmark
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Big sherry, then dried sultanas and figs. Slightly meaty, with leather and burnt butter, oats and hay. Just a hint of smoke and anise as well.
    Palate
    Not as malt forward as the others in this line-up, but there's still plenty of texture and a sweet creaminess on offer. The cask has married up brilliantly with the Camborne spirit, revealing forest floor and dark berries.
    Finish
    Slight prickle and youth from the spirit, but treacle and earthy sherry round things out.
    Comments
    My pick of the Camborne first releases. Complex, balanced, and the sherry casks beautifully complement the Camborne spirit, which has some fascinating earthy and spicy notes the more you dig into it. There's a lot to like here already, but I think this and other Camborne whiskies will get even better in future years.
  • Camborne Single Malt Whisky Tawny Cask
    The Stats
    • ABV: 51.8%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: As above. Matured for around seven years in an American oak cask that previously held Australian shiraz and then grand tawny. Released August 2022.
    • Location: Renmark, SA
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Very rich nose. Brown sugar, raisins, wood smoke (distillate traits?) and brandied fruit cake. Plenty of winey sweetness and spice from the cask, and a slightly herbal, sweet vermouth character with time.
    Palate
    All the flavours from the nose translate to the palate. Initially, that molasses, burnt butter note, but then the flavours from the nose come rushing through. Lovely drive to it. Big richness and spice, with nutmeg and sticky stewed fruits. Love the ABV here, too.
    Finish
    Slightest hint of youth at the end, but stays fresh, jammy and fruity.
    Comments
    Very moreish. I slightly preferred the 'Sherry Cask' but I actually think is more complete and rounded. Both make for good drinking, and fans of tawny matured malts will get around this.
  • Camborne Single Malt Whisky Brandy Cask
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46.3%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Matured for around seven years in a French oak cask that previously held Padthaway Chardonnay and then St Agnes XO brandy. Released August 2022.
    • Location: Renmark, South Australia
    • Score: 82
    Nose
    Pale in colour thanks to the previous inhabitants. Softer nose as well. Again, the St Agnes distillate character makes itself known, although this is much more floral and distillate-driven than the sherry and tawny cask whiskies. Similar to an ex-Bourbon cask maturation, but instead of the customary vanilla and coconut, there's a herbal, oats, almost musty spice here.
    Palate
    Super oily to start, with some youth and spirit heat. The distillate is in control, and it becomes a bold and textural thing - caramel and cashews, brioche and almond flakes. You definitely sense the influence of the previous fills, but it's hard to pin down.
    Finish
    Oily finish. Great length and viscosity.
    Comments
    The most fascinating of the Camborne first releases. The first time I tried this I didn't quite know what to make of it. It's the most transparent of the St Agnes whiskies - you get a great look at the distillate here. Hard to believe, but there's also a youthful edge to this, which, for a seven year old whisky in the Australian context, is pretty surprising. The more I came back to it, the more I started to enjoy it, and I'll be fascinated to see what this tastes like with a few more years in cask.
  • Whisky in Isolation Nearly New York Sour
    The Stats
    • ABV: 53%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled by Spirit Thief Distilling Co. at White Label Distillery and selected and bottled by Justin Farmer (Whisky in Isolation). Three Spirit Thief shiraz cask whiskies were married together and then further matured in a 120 litre ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrel for 12 months. Released May 2022. 120 bottles in total.
    • Location: Hobart, Tasmania
    • Score: 82
    Nose
    A little spiky on the nose upfront, and then lashings of red fruits, wine and wood shavings: brandied cherries, peaches, coconut and orange rind.
    Palate
    Very rich and wine-driven. Definitely sense the work the ex-Bourbon cask has done to marry together the flavours, adding fresh coconut and a slightly herbal, sweet oakiness. Palate coating stuff, with plenty of length. Some heat and youth as it builds.
    Finish
    Long. Cherries and marzipan, but gets a little tart on the finish - quince and cranberry juice.
    Comments
    Almost redolent of a higher ABV Bourbon, so cask forward, fruity and spicy is the experience. Understandably, not much distillate character to speak of among all the wine and wood, but set that aside and this is pretty fun and flavourful (and I've never liked New York Sours).
How We Score
Luke McCarthy
Luke McCarthy is the editor and publisher of Oz Whisky Review. An independent writer, author and drinks columnist, Luke's written about whisky and spirits for numerous Australian and international publications and is a judge at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards. His book, The Australian Spirits Guide, the first to tackle the history and resurgence of the Australian spirits industry, was published in 2016 by Hardie Grant Books.