Review: Corn whiskies from Australia’s wild west

Julian White -
Whisky Reviews
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On tasting: Upshot Hungarian Oak Whiskey, Upshot French Oak Whiskey, Ord Valley Corn & Sorghum Whiskey, Tiger Snake Corn Whiskey 

In the 1980s and early 90s, some UK whisky companies, namely United Distillers, tried to link the flavours in their range of single malts to the regions they hailed from, similar to that of French wine regions. Expect smoke and salt from Islay and the islands, robust, malty sweetness from the Highlands, fruity Speysiders, heavy Campbeltown malts and so on.

It worked, and malt whisky is still frequently thought of and ordered, rightly or wrongly, with reference to its region. Although nothing about whisky could be this simple.

Regional differences between Australian whisky producers are sometimes talked about. But for most whisky made in Australia, distillers – their ideas, their location – determine how their whisky tastes, rarely the region the distillery is located in (although the growing number of Australian paddock to bottle whisky makers might have something to say about that).

But then we look at Western Australia, and we see a state that’s gradually becoming well known for its grain and corn whiskies almost more so than its malts.

Spike Dessert was a pioneer here, producing corn whiskey from his Hoochery in Kununurra using corn farmed on the surrounding property. He decided to stick with rum not long after, but the Hoochery corn and sorghum whiskey reviewed below, made exclusively from grains grown on the property, is an incredible tribute to his legacy.

Cameron Syme followed with his Tiger Snake whiskies, and then the Whipper Snapper team have taken it to a whole new level with their Upshot whiskies in Perth.

What should you expect when you taste a corn whiskey from WA? Again, there’s no regional style as such, but all of these distillers use West Australian grains, produce a cereal-forward and fruity spirit, and use oak intelligently to support rather than smother the spirit.

 

  • Whipper Snapper Upshot Hungarian Oak Whiskey
    The Stats
    • ABV: 43%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Corn whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Whipper Snapper Distillery through their pot-column from a mash of 80% corn, 10% malted barley and 10% wheat. Matured for four years in a 100 litre virgin Hungarian oak barrel. Released September 2021.
    • Location: Perth, WA
    • Score: 92
    Nose
    Orange sherbet and clove studded lemon slices. Attractive notes of French polish hint at the sort of powerful oak prominent in American whiskies. Brandy snaps and chilli chocolate.
    Palate
    Begins with bright tropical fruit followed by a wave of coconut rough. There’s a big attack of fresh oak with burnished copper and wood polish. This is a splendid cask, beautifully seasoned timber, carefully extracted by the spirit. Powdered ginger and Red Ripperz.
    Finish
    19th century furniture shops, with exotic timber and fresh leather. It’s not at all hot or jarringly spicy, the sweetness of the spirit carries all the way through the experience.
    Comments
    What a great way to bring something extra to such a nuanced spirit. The wheat-heavy Upshot mash bill is so quaffable but the offering has now stepped up in complexity. Hardcore Bourbon drinkers could really get around this. A higher ABV could have really lit some fires.
  • Whipper Snapper Upshot French Oak Whiskey
    The Stats
    • ABV: 43%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Corn whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Whipper Snapper Distillery and matured for three years in a 100 litre virgin French oak barrel. Released September 2021.
    • Location: Perth, WA
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Green bananas and plantain. Raw hazelnuts, flint strikers. Hints of orange rind and bubblegum. The nuttiness of the nose is quite distracting from the rest of the package, but take your time, dig past that slightly vegetal character, and the spirit is still there.
    Palate
    Foam bananas and lamingtons, and the hazelnut character from the nose doesn’t dominate here which is excellent - no doubt attributable to the fact that the oak was toasted rather than charred. But the integration from the timber tastes only skin deep. Following the complexity of the Hungarian oak, this leaves you wanting more.
    Finish
    A gentle finish, toasted coconut and carob chocolate.
    Comments
    Toasted French oak isn’t common in the whisky world. But the French oak treatment here is careful and considered, especially given that some French oak whiskies can be very, very spicy and dominate the spirit ('you can always add more oak influence, you can’t take it out'). Compared to the Hungarian oak, I’m not as blown away by this one, but it’s a very drinkable whisky with good flavours.
  • Ord Valley Corn & Sorghum Whiskey
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Corn Sorghum Whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at The Hoochery from a mash of corn and sorghum through the distillery's self-built pot still that also has a unique doubler. Bottled December 2020. 815 bottles in total.
    • Location: Kununurra, WA
    • Score: 91
    Nose
    Creaming soda and expensive vanilla ice cream. Pink marshmallows and cherry blossoms. There’s a spiciness on the nose which hints at the oak on the palate.
    Palate
    Soft and sweet like white sugar. Gentle but never thin. I’ve not tried a sorghum whiskey before but it seems to be a bit like oats in beer, adding creaminess and viscosity but not heft and body like malted barley. Further flavours of pancakes with maple syrup. Nutmeg, cinnamon and spicy oak to cut through the sweetness. Beautifully balanced.
    Finish
    Pepper and boiled lollies, bubblegum and clean laundry. The oak is super clean, giving grip but not tannin or bitterness.
    Comments
    Given that this is all Kununurra-grown grain the sense of place here is as good as it gets. I’m picturing the end of the wet season and the beginning of the dry when all the outback flowers and trees are coming into bloom. Humid air and fresh breezes. Super cool, super creamy and easy to drink.
  • Tiger Snake Corn Whiskey 43%
    The Stats
    • ABV: 43%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Corn whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled in pot stills from a mash bill of corn, rye and malted barley, the hybrid grain triticale has also been added in the past, and all grains are sourced from WA. Matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon casks and new American oak casks. For the Tiger Snake 43%, a solera maturation system is also used, where half of the solera is bottled each batch and the remaining half is retained and topped up with new casks. The average age of the solera is now five to eight years old. This batch was bottled in 2021.
    • Location: Porgongurup, WA
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Some interesting sugars with pithy orange rind and fresh ginger, minty wax and slightly green oak.
    Palate
    Soft and clean across the palate - this stuff is dangerous. The fresh ginger is back and the oak profile offers complex baking spices and less of the vanilla influence of other sour mash styles. Caramels from the grain and ferment are nicely distilled and connected to the timber.
    Finish
    Those baking spices linger. This is sessionable.
    Comments
    This stuff has come a long way from its early batches. A high proportion of the blend is now made up of seriously old juice (by Aussie standards). The grain characters are sweetening with age, the fruits from fermentation have been tidied up by the oak. And most importantly, the oak doesn't dominate.
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.