Whisky review: new, single malty and priced to match

Luke McCarthy -
Whisky Reviews
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On tasting: Launceston Distillery Bourbon Cask, Hobart Whisky The Signature, Chief’s Son The Tanist, 5Nines Vatted Lightly Peated

So this was fun. You really see how the Aussie industry is progressing in this line-up.

The price of these whiskies, $110-160, seems to be the zone where a lot of Australian single malts will ultimately land. (Tasty, high-quality sub-$100 Aussie single malts are looking pretty golden, right?)

And when you dig a little deeper, you can see how a couple of extra years experience and maturation helps to balance and refine whiskies from newer distilleries.

For those calling for more Bourbon cask matured whiskies, they’re coming. In fact, some crackers are already here.

 

  • Launceston Distillery Bourbon Cask Matured Single Malt Whisky H17-14 (500ml)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 46%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Launceston Distillery from Tasmanian malt. This 4th release was matured in eleven small ex-Bourbon casks which were then married together.
    • Location: Launceston, TAS
    • Score: 86
    Nose
    Floral and fragrant. Kiwi fruit, pears, lemon zest and lavender. With time, some wonderful confectionery notes from the cask.
    Palate
    Light and sweet, sort of zesty, with good malt drive. Creamy as it progress, all the vanilla, and some lovely high fruits and florals. A little soapy as well, in a pleasant way.
    Finish
    Lingering citrus and green apples.
    Comments
    Spot on. Great balance. The small cask influence has been really well managed, and Bourbon casks work brilliantly with Launceston's spirit profile. This is starting to develop some delightful floral notes, and with hardly any other distilleries in Oz chasing this style at the moment, this is a welcome addition.
  • Hobart Whisky The Signature Single Malt Whisky (500ml)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48.5%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Devil's Distillery and matured in small ex-Bourbon casks. Batch S-002 was bottled 6th of August 2020. 259 bottles in total.
    • Location: Hobart, TAS
    • Score: 87
    Nose
    Vanilla and fruit tingles. Pretty tropical, pineapples and pears, sweet malt, vanilla and honey.
    Palate
    Stewed apples and more pears. Lovely vanillin richness from the casks. A little dry and nutty as it moves along, but there's enough creaminess to balance that.
    Finish
    All the right notes keep playing.
    Comments
    Tropical, refreshing goodness. As far as flagship Tassie whiskies go, this really hits the mark, and I'll be interested to see what happens batch to batch as the ABV is adjusted. A lot of folks would certainly love to see more Australian whisky in this style: great malt character on show, fruity, subtle, complex. Balanced. Yum.
  • Chief's Son The Tanist Single Malt Whisky (700ml)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 43%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Wash from Mornington Peninsula Brewery, using a speciality pale malt and a small percentage of Scottish peated malt. Matured in French oak ex-fortified wine casks and ex-Bourbon barrels. Components aged between two and five years. 3500 bottles per batch.
    • Location: Somerton, VIC
    • Score: 81
    Nose
    Burnt caramel, sweet barley notes, and smoked meat from the Scottish malt. Hints of spirit and youth, but there's plenty of Aussie fortified notes as well - toffee and fruitcake.
    Palate
    Easy going at first, then it gets chewy as it progresses, and the fortified notes and American oak tannins say hello. Feel that youth again mid-to-back palate.
    Finish
    A little raw here, and quite smoky, that meatiness lingers.
    Comments
    Solid, and bang on with Chief's Son's rich, malty style. I also think it'll improve in future batches. Did some mixing with this, too, and it's great for Old Fashioneds - try it. Is the price low enough for bars to mix with? We'll see.
  • 5Nines Vatted Lightly Peated Single Malt Whisky (700ml)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 44.2%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at 5Nines Distilling from a mash of South Australian pilsner malt, 25% of which was smoked at 5Nines using coastal peat from southern SA. This first batch is a marriage of four 100 litre ex-Bourbon casks. 631 bottles in total.
    • Location: Adelaide, SA
    • Score: 78
    Nose
    Malty and grassy. Vanilla from the oak, wheat biscuits, hay and honey. Sort of bready actually, and there's some new make here, too. The earthy peat is very subtle and comes on like a waft of bacon - BBQ Shapes!
    Palate
    Young and chewy. The malt's really on show, but the peated component has vanished. Pizza crusts, caramel and some green fruits.
    Finish
    Quite long, and a little spirity.
    Comments
    Great to see 5Nines putting out an affordable malt. All the elements are here, I just think it needs more time in oak, and I'm not sure if that smidge of onsite peated malt is having the desired effect. A good start.
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.