Review: Black Gate Apera Cask BG124 Single Malt Whisky

Luke McCarthy -
Whisky Reviews
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Black Gate continue their exploration of refill casks here with this second fill apera cask bottling. This cask originally held apera then Black Gate single malt and it was then refilled with this BG124 whisky.

While it’s commonplace to come across second fill Scottish single malts, there’s only a handful of Australian producers re-using their first fill whisky casks at the moment. I definitely hope we see more of this style in future, because you get a great look at the complex, often cereal-forward distillate Australian producers specialise in.

  • Black Gate Apera Cask BG124 Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 57%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Black Gate Distillery April 2019 from Scottish peated malt and matured in a second fill apera cask for over four years. Bottled July 2023. 167 bottles in total.
    • Location: Mendooran, NSW
    • Score: 90
    Nose
    Smoky, spicy, grungy and earthy. Certainly drier than a lot of Black Gate malts thanks to the less active casks. Brylcreem, white pepper, hint of eucalypt and almond.
    Palate
    Smoky and spicy. Burnt butter, apricot kernal, dried fig and campfire. Remarkable how mature this is considering the age and the second fill cask treatment. A touch of water brought on more fruit and malt for me.
    Finish
    The peat is so well integrated, carries right through over peach core and cinnamon.
    Comments
    If you tried this blind, you'd be instantly transported to the west coast of Scotland. It's a grungy, spicy peat bomb, and it's amazing to see how quickly this has hit its straps (four years) even though we're in second fill territory here. This is Brian and Genise Hollingworth saying "this is us, this is our spirit". It's properly Scottish in style as a result, and yet the subtle apera spice and nuttiness firmly roots this in Australia. Fascinated to see how people take to it, because it's hugely flavourful but not in the cask-forward, jammy, boozy style many Australian whisky fans are accustomed to.
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.