Whisky review: New visions and directions for Australian whisky

Ev Liong -
Whisky Reviews
featured image
On tasting: 78 Degrees Australian Whiskey, Starward Mesquite Smoked Malt, Bakery Hill Little French Pete, Lark Chinotto Cask Release, Tasmanian Independent Bottles Malt/Oat Blend #1

If you want a snapshot of the present state of Australian whisky making, a glance of what’s possible, of what future visions and ideas might taste like, this line-up is a decent place to start.

With these whiskies, you get a look at the distilleries (and bottlers) at the forefront of experimentation in the scene today. And yes, there are new ideas and experimental approaches here, but the time and consideration taken with these whiskies is clear. This is patience and deeper thinking. And it shows.

When reviewing new releases, we sometimes forget that it’s an expensive punt – it takes foresight and guts to get whiskies like these to the bottling stage.

But these producers have the confidence and creative know-how to execute, and for that they should be applauded.

 

  • 78 Degrees Australian Whiskey (Batch 1)
    The Stats
    • ABV: 44%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled in a single shot through AHD's hybrid pot column from a mash of unmalted barley and six specialty malts. Matured in a combination of French and American oak ex-wine casks and bottled May 2021.
    • Location: Hay Valley, SA
    • Score: 85
    Nose
    Young, sweet malt with a whiff of smoke. Granny Smiths and lemon zest into marmalade, hints of clove, nutmeg and parsley. Smells like an Old Fashioned.
    Palate
    High notes of Valencia orange and some young spirit, boiled lollies, root beer, more sweet malt and chocolate coated raspberries. It's got a cool, silky texture to it and the oak is very well integrated.
    Finish
    Warming and rounded, lingering orange and cinnamon. Ends short.
    Comments
    This is the second time I’ve tried this whisky, first time was three days after bottling. It's better integrated now, as expected, and the initial cocoa and big malt hit has settled into an oily palate experience. For a flagship, core range offering, it's great value for money.
  • Starward Mesquite Smoked Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 55%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Starward's Port Melbourne distillery from a mash of mesquite smoked malt. Bottled November 2020. 300 bottles in total.
    • Location: Melbourne, VIC
    • Score: 86
    Nose
    Slight dirty smoke, Chinese candied ham, winey malt (classic Starward), dried strawberry and sour peaches.
    Palate
    Smoke, kids milk chocolate, red berries and perfume of lilies and cherry blossom. Lands a little flat, with bitter acid shooting through the middle of the palate.
    Finish
    ABV is sharp on the finish, and it gets a bit tannic and bitter.
    Comments
    It's obviously good spirit, and it captures the mesquite flavours well. But for me, the flavours got a bit lost and disjointed across the palate, and it's not a style I enjoy. Mesquite fans should give this a try though.
  • Lark Chinotto Cask Release Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 49%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled at Lark's Coal River Valley Distillery from a mash of peat smoked malt. Matured in a combination of 100 litre apera, tawny and ex-Bourbon casks for three years and then finished for two months in a cask that previously contained a locally made chinotto. 1800 bottles in total.
    • Location: Cambridge, TAS
    • Score: 89
    Nose
    This is so intriguing, like walking into a confectionery store. Flat cola and the obvious chinotto hit. There's a lot going on here, big spice and malt, but it's tricky to pick the individual scents that combine it all together.
    Palate
    You get the classic Lark malt character, dark oak tannins, sharp sweetness of candied orange and cocoa nibs. Then it turns to green cardamon, clove and the sweet peat comes on and mingles with the spirit.
    Finish
    Smoky and sweet. Spice and warmth from the spirit lingers.
    Comments
    Whisky and cola in a whisky, delicious! Lovely tension and balance of elements: malt, chinotto, oak and spice. I tried hard not to just keep saying 'chinotto', but that's basically what you get, so it's nailed the brief. But the reason it works is because the Lark spirit and profile is still there, and it holds up really well against the influence of the chinotto.
  • Bakery Hill Little French Pete Single Malt Whisky
    The Stats
    • ABV: 48%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: Distilled 11th of October 2007 from a mash of lightly peated Scottish malt. Initially matured in virgin French oak casks for two years before being finished in heavily charred ex-Bourbon casks for a further 11 years. Bottled 19th of January 2021. 110 bottles in total.
    • Location: Melbourne, VIC
    • Score: 94
    Nose
    Apricot jam and white flowers. Then you get hints of an almost wine cask character, with soft, gentle tannins and little to no peat on the initial nose. Very refined.
    Palate
    Mellow here, juicy apricot nectar and white peach. It's all perfume as it moves along, with peat and a slight iodine rounding out the fruits and florals.
    Finish
    Iodine and sweet malt. Gentle tannins and acid holding it all together.
    Comments
    Elegance is what we expect from Bakery Hill, but the palate journey here is a fairy tale. Well selected casks and management. Beautiful handling and treatment of the spirit. We'd love to see more extensively matured Australian whisky like this.
  • Tasmanian Independent Bottlers The Blend (Malt and Oat) #1
    The Stats
    • ABV: 50.4%
    • Price Band: $ $ $ $ $
    • Style: Single malt whisky
    • Production Story: This blend from Heartwood/TIB was put together by Louis Duckett and is a marriage of whiskies from four Tasmanian distilleries - Launceston, Old Kempton, Belgrove (oat) and Adams. The various components were matured mostly in ex-apera casks plus a single virgin oak cask and bottled in February 2021.
    • Location: Hobart, TAS
    • Score: 94
    Nose
    Closed at first, then liquorice, treacle, plain congee, maple syrup, nutmeg and black cardamon.
    Palate
    Sweetness from the oat component, then rich sherried oak, almond and orange cake with saffron syrup and baking spices. Very well integrated.
    Finish
    Syrup, citrus peel and a lick of cask dryness to tie it all up. Sour, salty, licorice root sweetness.
    Comments
    When you keep in mind that this was put together with whisky from four distilleries, different cask types and peat levels, and then throw in the oat component, and this is a proper achievement. It's a tight dance of acidity, fruit and oak tannin, but overall, seamless. What a unique drinking experience.
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'.