Which is the best Australian whisky? With interest in Australian whisky at an all-time high, combined with the staggering number of Australian distilleries now bringing mature spirit to market, it’s certainly an understandable question to ask. But can one realistically answer that question? Well…we’ll attempt to offer some guidance in just a moment but, first, it’s important to establish some ground rules…
Tag: Bakery Hill
That Boutique-y Whisky Company – Australia Series
The global whisky community continues to grow, particularly as interest and awareness develops around the “new world” distillers outside of Scotland. The craft whisky scene is nothing new to Australia which, it must be said, is exploding with over 65 established whisky distilleries now bringing their matured product to market. In spite of the thriving local scene, few have sought or established international distributorship (mostly due to the small volumes being produced), and so whisky lovers outside of Australia usually have to go to significant lengths to find and try Australian whisky. Having said that, the situation is slowly changing, and one big leap forward occurring this month is the launch of the “Australia Series” range by That Boutique-y Whisky Company.
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Bakery Hill – The Blunderbuss
With new local distilleries or independent bottlers/releases launching and popping up all over Australia, it’s easy to overlook some of the long-time brands that have been waving the flag all along. But you overlook these at your peril – particularly when one of those distilleries brings along something that truly hits great heights.
Bakery Hill is one such distillery. Established in 1999, it is one of the oldest of the current crop of Australian distilleries, and – as we explored in this article previously – it’s a quiet achiever that lets its whiskies do the talking. You’ll not see or hear much from them on social media, even as they steadily and consistently win awards and accolades from around the world. But your tastebuds should tune in to what they’re doing.
One of Bakery Hill’s great appeals is its consistency of product. Whilst several distilleries still lurch from good to poor to spectacular to mediocre with each successive single cask release, Bakery Hill has been around long enough to find its operating and procedural “sweet spot” and they stick to it. It has a core range of products that both impress and deliver – case in point, their Peated Malt Cask Strength was awarded “Southern Hemisphere Whisky of the Year” in Jim Murray’s 2020 Bible. No mean feat.
So with such bona fides established, it’s exciting when they then bring along something new to the table. And delicious to boot. Bakery Hill’s “The Blunderbuss” is one such whisky, and its story is worth telling….
Australian whisky – It’s got an image problem
What does Australian whisky taste like? One of the biggest problems for the Australian whisky industry – actually, it’s not a problem, it’s simply a mistake – is that a lot of people try to pigeonhole Australian whisky with a crude, base descriptor. To be fair, other whisky categories have the same problem: According to “the rules”, Scotch whisky is peaty; Irish whiskey is light; American whiskey is sweet; Japanese whisky is expensive, etc, etc. You get the idea.
Of course, such generalisations and stereotypes can often be wide of the mark, but the reality is that both consumers and marketers rely on such pigeonholes, and once these things stick, they become incredibly hard to shift.
So how do you describe Australian whisky? What does Australian whisky taste like? What’s a one-size-fits-all, catch-all statement that’s vaguely applicable? I’ll answer that in just a moment, but first some preceding comments to soften the blow…
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Bakery Hill – the view from the top
There’s a lot of noise and activity in the Australian whisky scene at the moment – most of it to do with new distilleries being established or newer distilleries releasing their first matured spirit. Or, frequently, you’ll hear about some Aussie whisky collecting an award at an international spirits competition. Meanwhile, some distilleries are simply getting on with making good whisky. Bakery Hill is one such distillery. Not the most vocal brand on social media, Bakery Hill is happy to let its whiskies do the talking. And talk, they do. Continue reading “Bakery Hill – the view from the top”
Trouble brewing for the Australian whisky industry?
Pour yourself a big dram of your favourite Australian whisky and get comfortable. It’s a long read…
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Believe it or not, Australian whisky existed prior to 2014. Australia enjoyed a rich history of whisky distillation from the 19th century into the 1980’s before resting for a few years of silence. But it was in that fateful year of 2014 that a single cask release of Sullivans Cove won the accolade of World’s Best Single Malt, and Australian whisky suddenly lit up on everyone’s radar. But whilst Sullivans Cove’s success that year told a story for 2014, it also told a story – for those that cared – about the Australian whisky industry’s previous 20 years. And, as both producers and consumers jumped on the bandwagon, it also played a role in contributing to a brewing storm and some concerning issues now looming…
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