Review: Truth and Consequence Killara 2017 and Spring Bay 2019

Ev Liong -
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Truth and Consequence is a new independent bottling label recently launched by David Koutsoukos and Ross Havezov, owners of The Old Barrelhouse.

Since launching in 2017, The Old Barrelhouse has amassed one of the largest online retail collections of Australian whisky, so they’re well-placed to bottle some intriguing stuff.

Expect both Scottish and Australian whiskies to be bottled under the label, all single cask and always bottled at natural cask strength. That commitment to bottling fresh out of the cask will create some big, bold, Australian releases, as you’ll see below. The depth and transparency of the information provided on each bottling is also to be commended. Keen to see what they’ve got coming next.

  • Truth and Consequence Killara Distillery 5 Year Old Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 63.5%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled 19 October 2017 at Killara Distillery and matured for five years in a 100 litre French oak port (tawny?) cask. Selected by Truth and Consequence and bottled 31 March 2023. 53 bottles in total.
    • Location: Richmond, TAS
    • Score: 91
    Nose
    Rich toffee, red apple skins, sugar plums, dried orchard fruits, custard pie topped with cinnamon and nutmeg. Tonka beans and layered sponge cake. This is complex!
    Palate
    Malt sweetness, a big whack of baking spice, baked peach and blanched almond. Well integrated oak here. Meringue comes to mind as Brazillian coffee plays with the oak components.
    Finish
    Sweet toasted vanilla marshmallow, then oak tannin tidies up the palate through the finish.
    Comments
    This is very adult, almost overwhelming, and there's a lot to unpack here. Deliciously intense and a serious cask choice and bottling strength. I'd recommend giving it plenty of time to open up. Not a whisky that is in a rush to meet you, but another fine Killara to seek out.
  • Truth and Consequence Spring Bay 4 Year Old Vintage Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 65.8%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled 6 October 2019 at Spring Bay Distillery and matured for four years in a 100 litre Apera cask cask. Selected by Truth and Consequence and bottled 6 July 2023. 112 bottles in total.
    • Location: Spring Bay / Cambridge, TAS
    • Score: 77
    Nose
    Big apera notes upfront, but then a subtle wisp of eucalypt which distracts things on the opening. A burst of overripe apricots, Medjool dates and burnt raisins. Dampness, too. There’s a battle between fruit, spirit and cask happening, and the cask is winning.
    Palate
    Oak coats the palate. Dark and sticky. Flashes of youthful spirit. The oak profile overtakes any fruit or malt sweetness at natural cask strength. With water, the spirit is drawn out a little, hinting at buttered pancake, brown sugar, all spice, black cardamon. But overall, very spice and wood-driven.
    Finish
    Bitter oak into dark chocolate and a spot of heat. A unique menthol note on the finish.
    Comments
    Some incredible flavours here. It takes well to some water but still lacks that balance between spirit and cask. I was expecting more expressive fruit and spirit character on the palate, but it was 50 shades of oak and spice with a distracting bitter element.
How We Score
Ev Liong
Ev Liong is one of Australia's most distinguished whisky and hospitality professionals. Over the last 16 years, she's been a venue manager, bartender and sommelier in some of the country's top bars and restaurants, including Whisky & Alement, Lee Ho Fook and Spice Temple, and designed numerous award-winning beverage programs and events. When not entertaining her two daughters, Ev now works as a spirits blender, consultant and spirits judge, and is more officially known as the 'Queen of the Dram'.