There’s been no shortage of chatter about Australian whisky in recent months. To be fair, Whisky & Wisdom may inadvertently have triggered some of that, courtesy of this article, but if you read the comments and sentiments expressed across the Australian whisky community – particularly on the Facebook groups – there’s an undercurrent of caution about Australian whisky releases and the complex relationship between age, price, provenance, quality, cask-type, bottle size (i.e. 500ml vs 700ml) and availability. Thank goodness, then, that there are still some positive constants and consistencies that can be relied upon. I refer, in particular, to TIB – Tasmanian Independent Bottlers – and this was brought home (again) this week whilst tasting one of its latest releases: Old Kempton Distillery (Redlands Release No. 8, Cask TIB RD0012).
There’s that old gag about someone innocently asking what the movie “Snakes on a plane” was all about? It was about…well, the title summed it up pretty succinctly. Tasmanian Independent Bottlers is kind of similar – the name tells you everything you need to know. Whisky & Wisdom has written previously about TIB, as well as about Tim Duckett, the man behind the magic. So if you’d like the full back story and all the information, take a quick detour to this article here. For now, let’s focus on one very tasty whisky…
Have a close look at the label on this bottle and you’ll learn a few things: It’s from Cask RD0012 – a muscat cask, no less – and it’s the 8th cask of whisky from Redlands Distillery that TIB has bottled. For those that didn’t get the memo, Redlands Distillery was obliged to re-locate to new premises a few years back and, following this, was further obliged to change their name: The distillery is now Old Kempton. With the cask having been distilled at the old site (under the distillery’s original name), but now known under a new name, the label effectively straddles the nomenclature hurdle. (Possibly the first time the words hurdle, nomenclature, and straddle have been used in the same sentence for a whisky review!) It’s been bottled at 46.8% (read the other TIB article here about finding a whisky’s “sweet spot”) and comes at the very respectable price of $175.
The whisky is also very closely related to a famous and well-decorated sibling. Its sister cask – RD0014, also from a muscat cask – was a wee bit younger than this when bottled, yet it won three major gongs at one of the most respected and reliable whisky awards, the Independent Bottlers Challenge in the UK. It won a Gold Medal, then took out its Group award, and was then responsible for TIB winning Independent Bottler of the Year in the non-Scotch category. (As a proud Scotch Malt Whisky Society man, I’ll add that this was about the only award the SMWS didn’t win at the IBC that year!!). Mr Duckett firmly believes and impresses upon me that RD0012 is better than and superior to RD0014 – high praise indeed.
Whisky & Wisdom was fortunate enough to sit down with a bottle of TIB RD0012 and spent a few days becoming closely acquainted with it. It’s a dangerously drinkable dram (can someone please come up with an Australian term for “dram”) and my tasting notes read as follows:
TIB Old Kempton Distillery, Redlands Release 8, Cask TIB RD0012
Nose: Wonderfully fruit-driven, particularly red fruits – think currants, nectarines, and the like. With the knowledge that it’s from a muscat cask, it’s hard not to imagine and smell those sweet little grapes as you nose this. It’s also exceptionally buttery, and the nose evolves slightly and becomes more savoury with time in the glass. Before too long, you’re sniffing the delicious scents emanating from a French kitchen – French onion soup in one corner, and crepes suzette in the other. Evocative stuff.
Palate: The Muscat influence is front and centre – there’s no denying the contribution of the wine cask, but it fuses nicely with some eucalyptus, malt, barley sugar, and dark toffee. It’s a sweet dram, and there are aspects of this that are reminiscent of Glenmorangie’s Companta release. The mouthfeel is silky, a touch oily, and never hot or aggressive.
Finish: I cannot recall another whisky that so massively displayed caramel on the finish. On the completion of your first sip, and as the flavours transition from “palate” to “finish”, an incredible caramel flavour evolves and steamrolls your tongue and fills your mouth. And it happily lingers for some time, too!
Comments: Mr Duckett prefaced this release (and summed up TIB’s philosophy) by saying, “We’re not trying to make the best whisky in the world; we’re trying to make the whisky that, after you open it, you turn around and it’s empty.” Or, in other words, to make a whisky that is eminently drinkable. This release certainly hits that objective – it is dangerously drinkable, mixing both spirit and oak sweetness with a balancing savouriness, then delivering it at a quaffable 46.8% without a skerrick of heat. Best of all, this whisky appeals and lends itself to two contrasting experiences: You can pour it into a Glencairn and spend serious time analysing and contemplating it (it has complexity galore), OR you can pour it into a tumbler and glug it. Yours truly did both, and found them equally rewarding experiences.
For more information, check out Tasmanian Independent Bottlers at www.tib.net.au
Cheers,
AD
PS: You might like the following articles/reviews on Heartwood and TIB…
TIB – Tasmanian Independent Bottlers
