Review: First look at Waubs Harbour and Morris Lane, plus Starward Tawny #2 and Upshot Red Corn

Luke McCarthy -
Whisky Reviews
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On tasting: Morris Lane Victorian Wheat Whisky (Barrel 1), Upshot Red Corn Whiskey, Waubs Harbour Double Tawny Port Preview Series, Waubs Harbour Apera Cask Strength and Starward Tawny #2

I get the feeling we’re going to see more of this kind of line-up from Australian distilleries this year. We’ve got whiskies here made from different grains, whiskies from new distilleries using other avenues to market, and established distilleries striving to improve their offering.

For those not acquainted, Morris Lane Distillery is located in Bendigo north west of Melbourne. They operate out of The Urban Cellar in town alongside Rothesay Estate wines, and have been laying down casks of single malt, corn and grain whisky since 2018.

The Morris Lane Wheat Whisky reviewed below is their first unveiling, and isn’t it great to see wheat as the hero grain in a first release whisky.

Waubs Harbour Distillery is in a completely different location, out on the east coast of Tassie (stunning part of the world), right on the harbour in the coastal town of Bicheno.

These initial whiskies were distilled by Waubs Harbour’s Rob Polmear at Sawford Distillery and then fully matured in Bicheno. The first Waubs Harbour distilled whisky will be available next year, and below is their Preview Series bottlings, showing us what to expect moving forward.

The new Starward and Upshot whiskies are hot off the press, and no doubt these two distilleries will have a suite of goodies for us to try this year. (I highly recommend a side-by-side with Starward Tawny batch one vs two if you can get your hands on them).

  • Morris Lane Victorian Wheat Whisky (Barrel 1)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Wheat whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Morris Lane Distillery from a mash of 100% Victorian wheat and matured for 3.5 years in an ex-Maker's Mark Bourbon barrel.
    • Location: Bendigo
    • Score: 78
    Nose
    Hints of cardboard and bright spirit, but that's quickly wrapped in vanilla, nutmeg and pecan pie. Savoury wheat biscuit notes, barnyard and toasted oak.
    Palate
    Some of the prickle and heat from the nose continues here. Slighty dusty, grain silo and shed floor - definitely get the wheat coming through, which is great. Fruits follow that - morello cherries, apricots and pears. Good texture for a wheaty as well, and it's not as sweet as a lot of other wheat whiskies I've tried. It's less American, where new oak's often favoured, and more Scottish, with their insistence on refill Bourbon casks.
    Finish
    Not the longest, but typical for wheat whisky. Some lingering spirit and youth, but decent length all things considered.
    Comments
    Fantastic to see an Australian distillery taking on this style. For me, the design of this whisky and the ideas at work here are bang on (fair price, too), it's just the execution could improve. Possibly needs a little longer in barrel to better integrate cask and spirit. I also wonder if vatting multiple casks might help to improve the overall complexity. Worth a look though.
  • Upshot Red Corn Whiskey
    The Stats
    • ABV: 43%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Corn whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Whipper Snapper through their pot-column from a mashbill of 80% red corn, 10% malted barley and 10% wheat (all Western Australian grains). Matured for a minimum of two years in new American oak barrels. Released February 2022.
    • Location: Perth, WA
    • Score: 82
    Nose
    Soft to start. Honey and fudge, burnt butter and some pleasant floral accents.
    Palate
    Light and creamy. Some estery green apple notes, caramel wafer and corn tortilla. The red corn isn't super expressive, sort of comes on like honey on porridge. Otherwise, very subtle and clean.
    Finish
    Short, not much carry here.
    Comments
    The Whipper Snapper team reckon the red corn creates a whisky with less spice and vanilla, and I see what they mean. The flavours here are delightful, but the whole package is just a bit clean and muted. Also wonder if the spirit might’ve been better expressed at a higher ABV. Great combo of flavours, just needs a bit more oomph.
  • Waubs Harbour Double Tawny Port Preview Series Vintage 22
    The Stats
    • ABV: 43%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled by Rob Polmear at Sawford Distillery and matured in 20 litre ex-tawny French oak casks before being further matured in a 100 litre tawny cask. Fully matured at Waubs Harbour Distillery and released February 2022. 122 bottles in total.
    • Location: Bicheno, TAS
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Classic Tasmanian start. Nice maltiness upfront, then plenty of caramel, mince pie and treacle from the tawny.
    Palate
    Nutty and quite oily. Butterscotch, sultanas, and the cask treatment has added a lot of texture and fruit without any plaguing tannin. Like the ABV as well - any higher and this might've got a bit pointy.
    Finish
    Maintains that texture and treacle. Some bite and youth at the back, the pleasant and lively kind though.
    Comments
    Very solid, and very well put together. Can't say I get much of the coastal influence (are we meant to?). But everything's in good working order. Keep an eye out for Waubs if it stays at this level.
  • Waubs Harbour Apera Cask Strength Preview Series Vintage 22
    The Stats
    • ABV: 62.6%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled by Rob Polmear at Sawford Distillery and matured in 20 litre ex-apera French oak casks before being further matured in a 100 litre apera cask. Fully matured at Waubs Harbour Distillery and released February 2022. 86 bottles in total.
    • Location: Bicheno, TAS
    • Score: 84
    Nose
    Needs some air. Varnish and cherries, big apera spice, blackcurrant, nutmeg and pepper. Even with time, nose stays prickly and aggressive. Much better with water. Hello fruit and malt.
    Palate
    Again, a bit too spicy and pointy at this ABV. But with water, yep, great flavours, good integration - all the spice and rich apera from the nose is right there under the ABV. Maybe a little more complex than the tawny here. (And is that a subtle saline note?)
    Finish
    Big, rich and gutsy, but more fruit and finesse on offer with water.
    Comments
    Pretty delish, but I highly recommend bringing this down to a lower ABV to get the full smorgasboard of flavours.
  • Starward Tawny #2 Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at New World Whisky Distillery, the oldest components in 2015, and matured in a combination of fresh and charred ex-tawny casks. Available March 5 2022.
    • Location: Melbourne, VIC
    • Score: 88
    Nose
    More spirit and fruit-forward than the last batch. Quite citrusy, pears and orchard fruits, ganache and brown sugar. Delicious nose actually.
    Palate
    Great balance here. Fragrant, perfumey, molasses, fried banana. Red raspberries and some juicy tannin as the cask influence starts to grip.
    Finish
    That grip keeps tightening but the spirit holds, the second fill components making their presence felt. Jammy fruits and tawny at the tail.
    Comments
    A clear improvement on the first batch. And pretty impressive to see the Starward team re-evaluate what was a warmly received whisky and push for something even better. This is more spirit forward, definitely brighter and more floral, and the older components blended in here have broadened the spectrum of flavours. I got to taste some of the refill tawny components that went into this second batch and look out if whisky of that ilk gets bottled in future.
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.