Review: Animus Distillery Single Malt Whisky First Release

Luke McCarthy -
Whisky Reviews
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Animus Distillery was founded by four whisky-loving friends in Melbourne in 2015. Making whisky was always a primary goal, but a successful range of full-flavoured gins were released in 2016 while the whisky matured, and Animus has enjoyed a devoted following ever since.

After some location changes, the distillery is now a local’s favourite in Kyneton, around an hour north west of Melbourne. There are only 85 bottles in this first release and they’ve been made available via a ballot through the distillery website.

  • Animus Distillery Single Malt Whisky (Batch 1)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 54.5%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled in 2016 and matured in French oak Rutherglen tawny casks before being finished in Heathcote shiraz casks. Released August 2023. 85 bottles in total.
    • Location: Kyneton, VIC
    • Score: 83
    Nose
    Rich and winey. Burnt sugar, dark cherry and a slightly herbal, peppery character. Can't say much for the distillate or the malt here, but the casks seem top notch.
    Palate
    Firmly in wine cask territory here. Distillate is light to medium bodied, but it's not getting much of a word in underneath a delicious surge of caramel popcorn, blackberry and dark chocolate extracted from the casks. Takes well to a drop of water.
    Finish
    Turns dark and syrupy, with molasses and spice fruit compote. Pulls up a little short despite the ABV.
    Comments
    A solid first release with some rich and brooding corners. Finishing tawny cask matured whisky in shiraz casks is a little different, and while it might seem overbearing, there's balance here despite the overt richness from the cask treatment. Very limited, and you're paying first release prices here, but interested to see what's next.
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.