Review: First look at Lisandras, Lower Marsh, Eden Whisky, Jones & Smith and Woodwater distilleries

Luke McCarthy -
Whisky Reviews
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On tasting: Lisandras Distillery American Oak, Jones & Smith American Oak Tawny Cask, Eden Whisky Allegory Smoky Apera Cask, Lower Marsh Distillery American Oak ex-Bourbon Cask Strength, and Woodwater Distillery Tawny Cask Distillers Strength and Chardonnay Cask First Release

This was a great little round-up of some intriguing new distilleries that hit the scene this year. Most of these whiskies flew under the radar in 2022, so it was a treat to have a look at them before year’s end.

We’ve taken quite the tour here. Lisandras is based in Perth, Woodwater is from Adelaide/McLaren Vale, Jones & Smith are just outside Orange in NSW, and then Eden Whisky and Lower Marsh Distillery are located north of Hobart in Tassie. As you can see, there’s definitely no shortage of energy for producing new, limited run single malts right across the country.

And although I absolutely loathe talking about the price of whisky, the wild pricing variance on show here was a little odd, to say the least. I’m all for folks charging whatever they think their years of hard graft is worth. And if the whisky sells then I guess the price is right, right?

But I’m a little confused with how some newly minted Australian single malts can land at $300+ (when rounded up to a standard 700ml bottle size) while others happily sit at a more reasonable $100-$180.

As more new whiskies enter the scene in coming years, I think distillers will need to be clearer about why their whiskies can ask sometimes double the price of the dozens of established Australian single malts that have ploughed the road.

This is just a snap shot of the whiskies these distilleries have already released since launching, so I’m keen to try more in 2023.

 

  • Lisandras Distillery American Oak Single Malt Whisky (Batch 1) 
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Mashed, fermented and distilled at Lisandras Distillery and matured in a single 100 litre American oak cask. Released May 2022. 200 bottles in total
    • Location: Perth, WA
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Lovely sweet malt and cereal character upfront. Biscuits, lemon peel and a hint of hay and earth.
    Palate
    Again, pleasant malt character, and you get a good look at the distillate here, which is medium bodied with nice texture to it. Wafer and short bread creams, and the cask influence has been brilliantly managed.
    Finish
    There's just enough here. Some spice and oak from the cask follows through. Not the longest, but solid.
    Comments
    A refreshing first release, and quite bold in the Australian context in that the spirit has been given plenty of room to shine. Pleasant, creamy and really well put together. Cracking price for what's on offer, too ($99). Great stuff.
  • Jones & Smith American Oak Tawny Cask Single Malt Whisky (Barrel No. 40)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 52.9%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Mashed, fermented and distilled at Jones & Smith Distillery from a mash that includes a portion of beechwood smoked barley. Matured in American oak tawny casks and released June 2022. 347 bottles in total.
    • Location: Spring Hill, NSW
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Fruitcake, beeswax and mince pie. Some lovely brown sugar, cherry and dark berry notes. Slightly meaty and smoky (the beechwood malt?) as it opens up, with glazed ham, barrel char and tawny fresh out of a cask.
    Palate
    Potent start. Plenty of rich wine and malt upfront, with some Christmas spice and maraschino notes. Again, the mince pie and brandied cherries, and it spreads out nicely on the ABV. Slightly savoury edge from the malt, too, which holds up nicely against the rich tawny.
    Finish
    Long and rich. Plenty of spice, cloves and tawny lingering.
    Comments
    Seriously good first release. Brilliant cask selection and it's been decanted at a nice moment. The tawny cask has added some complex spice, dark berries and old leather, but there's plenty of malty integrity to the spirit here as well. Lots to like.
  • Eden Whisky Allegory Smoky Apera Cask 
    The Stats
    • ABV: 51.8%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Mashed, fermented and doubled distilled at Eden Whisky (Wellington Park Distillery) and matured in a French oak ex-apera cask. Released November 2022. 60 bottles in total.
    • Location: Collinsvale, TAS
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Less cask influence than expected. Hints of barrel char but nothing like the smokiness the title suggests. Anise and nougat, orange peel and passionfruit. Lovely fruit characters with time. Some youth, too, but it's wonderful spirit.
    Palate
    Subtle apera cask influence here, which gives room for the delightful sweet malt notes to come to the fore. Kind of buttery, with vanilla and manuka honey, and that nutty character carries here as well.
    Finish
    More vanilla and almonds. Cloves and apricot core. Nice weight through the tail.
    Comments
    I'd ignore the 'smoky' reference here (it's hardly there) and focus on the delicious sweet maltiness of the spirit and the refined cask treatment. The apera really hasn't kicked in much here, which was a welcome surprise, and I wonder if the distillery location up high in the bush has an influence there. Moorish, composed, and while the price is really up there - $285 for a 500ml bottle - I'm keen to see what else they've got maturing up the mountain.
  • Lower Marsh Distillery American Oak ex-Bourbon Cask Strength
    The Stats
    • ABV: 62%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Starts with farm grown barley which is malted on-site, mashed and open fermented and then distilled through a self-built pot still at Lower Marsh Distillery. Matured in ex-Bourbon casks and released July 2022.
    • Location: Apsley, TAS
    • Score: 75
    Nose
    Clearly extracted a lot of from the cask, and you see that from the colour. Nose is a bit muted. Cherry, vanilla and bourbon notes upfront. Wish the cask would get out of the way and let me smell this highly unique paddock to bottle approach, but it's having none of that. Slight herbal and coconut notes, and just a hint of something salty and saline.
    Palate
    Hot upfront, and again, lots of extraction from the casks here, which has taken control of things. Much better with water (and I added a lot), but as it progresses, tannins really grip, the malt struggles to get a word in, and there's not enough weight and texture in the spirit to counter.
    Finish
    Not the longest here. Plenty of cask and vanilla lingering. Tannin really grabs a hold of things at the back.
    Comments
    I can't commend the approach here enough, and I'm gobsmacked that the guys are performing the whole process, including malting, on-site - it's an incredible achievement. (A bit surprised 'Paddock to Bottle' or something similar isn't proudly emblazoned on the front label). But the whisky itself didn't hit the mark. The cask completely dominates the spirit here and some aggressive tannin grabs a hold on the back palate and finish. It's such a shame because you really want to get a clear look at the spirit and all the work that's gone into farming and malting the barley. Despite that, still very keen to try more whiskies in the range because this is a great project.
  • Woodwater Distillery Tawny Cask Distillers Strength (First Release)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 58.6%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled by Justin Mok (Woodwater Distillery) at McLaren Vale Distillery from a mash of pilsner malt and crystal malt. Matured in 100 litre French oak tawny cask that hailed from Chapel Hill Winery in McLaren Vale. Released July 2022.
    • Location: McLaren Vale, SA
    • Score: 80
    Nose
    Smells like it looks. Dark and woody. Some spirit heat and then all the raisins and boozy fruitcake you'd expect. Lacquer (pleasant), leather and some sharper oak notes. Water opens up the caramels, dark berries and pastries.
    Palate
    Neat, it's a bit too hot and wood-driven. Much better with the addition of some water, which brings on the cherries and raisins from the nose. Violets and some delightful old Armagnac vibes as it moves along, but there's a lot of cask to wade through here.
    Finish
    Plenty of carry that's for sure, but it's pretty dense and grippy, and the wood, though pleasant and rich, leaves you in no doubt about who's driving the show.
    Comments
    An absolute tawny bomb. And while it's not to my tastes - just like to see the heavy cask influence dialled down a tad - there are some brilliant flavours on offer here.
  • Woodwater Distillery Chardonnay Cask Distillers Strength (First Release)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 57.1%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled by Justin Mok (Woodwater Distillery) at McLaren Vale Distillery from a mash of pilsner malt. Peated fores and feints from a previous run where also used in this distillate. Matured in a 100 litre cask previously filled with chardonnay from Wines by Geoff Hardy. Released July 2022.
    • Location: McLaren Vale, SA
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Powerful, perfumed nose. Almonds, white grapes and lime, barrel char and brown bread. Plenty going on. The combination of subtle peat and buttery chardonnay is a little odd, but I'm happy to go with it.
    Palate
    Wow! Big. Huge flavour from the cask upfront - pineapple, white sugar and toasty oak. Then there's a fascinating interplay between the sweetness of the malt, the chardonnay influence and the peat as the latter continues to wrap around the whole. It's a complex thing, and it just holds together.
    Finish
    Drives through here. Unctuous. Smoke, toasted oak and chardonnay lingers.
    Comments
    This is a lot of fun. Like the tawny cask, it's a potent experience, but there's balance here as the various components bound together and turn this into a pretty delicious thing. Odd combination of flavours for sure, but it's pretty cool.
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.