It’s been a tumultuous and tricky year in the Australian booze landscape. Local whisky producers did, however, manage to grind their way through and release some stunning whiskies for us to enjoy.
New Australian distillers stole the limelight last year, but the old guard shone brightly in 2023. Age statement whiskies at 20-plus years old captured everyone’s attention, while sophisticated entrants like Hunter Island Distillery and Waubs Harbour Whisky showed that there’s still plenty of room for innovative new whisky projects.
The value for money side of the Australian whisky equation again came into focus this year, with discretionary spending tightening amid tough economic times.
New core range bottlings and affordable blends in the $75-$100 zone were aimed at those feeling the pinch, with releases from Manly Spirits Co, Archie Rose, Ned Whisky, Chief’s Son, Whipper Snapper and Iniquity reflecting a broader price-conscious trend.
For the Oz Whisky Review team’s top whiskies of the year, we keep things pretty simple. Our top 10 are drawn from the categories you see below: top single malt, top rye, top corn whisky, peated whisky, blended whisky, etc. As always, there were arguments and disagreements on the final list, but the categories will give you an idea of how we arrived at our top 10.
The criteria for our selections are based on outright quality of the whisky, value for money and general awesomeness. How well a whisky is able to say something about where it’s from, whether that be through the use of local ingredients or a particularly Australian or regional approach to production, is also factored in.
Feel free to disagree, agree or tell us about your top whiskies of the year in whatever forum you favour. And as always, a huge thank you to our readers and subscribers for your interest and support. The Australian whisky industry is progressing at pace and we can’t wait to bring you all the latest in 2024.
Oz Whisky Review’s Top 10 Whisky Releases of 2023
Top new distillery first release:
Hunter Island Tasmanian Pot Still Whisky, Hunter Island Distillery (TAS), $194
One of the feel-good stories of the year. Inspired by Ireland’s famed single pot still whiskies, renowned Tasmanian distillers Damian and Madeleine Mackey launched Hunter Island Tasmanian Pot Still Whisky in early 2023. These bold, oily and richly flavoured Tassie whiskies pay homage to Ireland’s famed pot still style (John Halton’s brilliant Transportation Whiskey is also produced at Hunter Island Distillery). Hunter Island just got the nod over Waubs Harbour Whisky, one of the Tasmanian distilleries to watch in coming years.
Top corn whisky:
Ned Green Sash Reserve, Ned Whisky Distillery (VIC), $80
Ned Whisky picked up our top corn whisky release of 2023. The Green Sash Reserve, launched earlier in the year, is seriously well-designed: great flavour, complexity and mixability at a very competitive price point. The branding might not be to everyone’s taste, but the growing quality of the Ned Whisky offering and its cut-through with a large consumer base is hard to ignore. For Bourbon lovers, we highly recommend checking out the Upshot whiskies from Whipper Snapper Distillery and Tiger Snake sour mash whiskies from Great Southern as well.
Top rye whisky:
The Gospel Projects Legacy Rye Whiskey, The Gospel Distillers (VIC), $145
This is the fourth year in a row that The Gospel have taken out our top rye. For the team, this was also one of our favourite Australian whisky releases of the year across all categories. Cereal-forward, estery and surprisingly moreish, the introduction of corn into the mash for the Legacy Rye was a masterstroke, and this easily competes with some heavy-hitting age statement American ryes. We’re spoiled for high quality rye whisky in Australia, so get out and try some from Archie Rose, Backwoods, Whipper Snapper (a real favourite this year) and Belgrove.
Top single malt:
Fleurieu The Hunting of the Snark Single Malt Whisky, Fleurieu Distillery (SA), $198
This exceptional Fleurieu whisky won pretty much every award going this year, including the top single malt gong at this year’s Australian Distilled Spirits Awards. Smoky, coastal, spicy and sweet, the Hunting of the Snark is an impeccably balanced offering from one of Australia’s leading malt whisky makers. It just bested two Tasmanian 21 year old releases from Hellyers Road and Sullivans Cove – both fantastic whiskies, but Fleurieu got over the line on the value for money stakes. Single malts from Amber Lane, Launceston Distillery and Bakery Hill were also in the mix.
Top peated or smoked whisky:
Black Gate Apera Cask Single Malt Whisky BG124, Black Gate Distillery (NSW), $180
In a crowded and complex field, we thought this Black Gate bottling was superlative. Spirit and malt-forward thanks to maturation in second fill apera casks, and full of the grunge, smoke and depth peated whisky lovers adore. The peated and smoked whisky category now encompasses a broad range of offerings in Australia. Archie Rose’s Smoked Heritage Rye Malt and Morris Smoked Sherry were also standouts this year, as were whiskies from Furneaux Distillery and Launceston Distillery.
Top bang for your buck whisky:
Coastal Stone Xplore Blended Whisky, Manly Spirits Co. Distilling (NSW), $79
In a year that saw a slew of sharply-priced Australian whiskies hit the market, Manly Spirits’ Coastal Stone Xplore Blended Whisky took home the chocolates for us. A marriage of Manly Spirits single malt whisky and Manildra wheat spirit matured in house, this accessible and beautifully presented bottling was a standout. It only just edged out Archie Rose’s Double Malt Whisky, another fantastic inclusion to the Australian whisky landscape. The perennial benchmark in this space is Starward’s Two-Fold, which also got a facelift this year and is tasting particularly delicious at the moment.
Top independent bottling:
The Remnant ‘The Golden Fleece’ Single Malt whisky, The Remnant Whisky Company (TAS), $99
One of the best value for money Tasmanian whiskies we’ve ever come across, and our winner of the best of the independents this year. The Golden Fleece bottling from The Remnant Whisky Company is a blend of Nant malt whisky stocks at 10-plus years old (there was a touch of uncertainty on the latter point due to some curious Nant records, hence ’10 year old’ wasn’t emblazoned on the label). The Golden Fleece just beat That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s fantastic 5 year old Launceston single malt bottling. Whisky in Isolation also released some cracking whiskies this year and a stunning Killara from the new Truth & Consequence label was also in the mix.
Top whisky innovation:
Wildflower + Poor Toms Whisky, Wildflower Brewing / Poor Toms Distillery (NSW), $185
This Wildflower + Poor Toms collaboration is a complete original, and our pick for the most innovative Australian whisky of the year. The project saw some of Wildflower Brewing’s barrel-aged beer distilled by the crew at Poor Toms Distillery. The distillate was then matured in 500 litre American oak ex-muscat barrels that had also once held Wildflower beer, and the final blend pushed the boundaries of what whisky is and can be. We were also seriously impressed by a number of Archie Rose Trials & Exceptions whiskies and the Backwoods red gum smoked chardonnay cask.
Top blended or collaboration bottling:
Image – The Old Barrelhouse
Heartwood Blend over Blackwoods, Heartwood Tasmanian Malt Whisky (TAS)
Tim and Louis Duckett were up to their usual antics this year with Heartwood/TIB. Their Heartwood Blend over Blackwoods was our pick for top blend/collaboration bottling, especially as it ticks both boxes so effectively. Syrupy, peppery and ridiculously complex thanks to maturation in old tawny and apera casks, the final blend married Belgrove oat whisky with unpeated and peated malts, plus ‘a little bit from random distilleries’. Another Tasmanian label in the conversation was Todd Morrison’s No Boundaries Whisky launched in late 2022. We’re looking forward to trying more of Todd’s blended malts in future.
Top grain whisky:
Belgrove Oat Whisky Batch 6, Belgrove Distillery (TAS), $139
Peter Bignell’s inimitable whisky range is constantly evolving and Belgrove Oat Whisky is a great indication of that. Best known for his incredible rye, we think Peter’s latest Oat Whisky batch, a creamy, fruity, earthy cereal bomb created from a mash of 65% oats with equal amounts of rye, barley and wheat, is just as good. Whipper Snapper Distillery’s Wheat Whiskey is the benchmark Australian grain whisky in this space, while Nonesuch Distillery’s Triple Grain Whisky is also well worth seeking out.