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.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company is a relatively new-ish independent bottler, having been established in 2012. However, with its bold and striking artwork adorning their labels, the brand has a visibility that is hard to miss on the shelves! The Australia Series features eight whiskies from eight different distilleries located around the country, namely:
Belgrove 4yo Rye (Tasmania)
Killara 2yo Single Malt (Tasmania)
Fleurieu 3yo Single Malt (South Australia)
Starward 3yo Single Malt (Victoria)
Black Gate 3yo Single Malt (New South Wales)
Tin Shed 3yo Single Malt (South Australia)
Riverbourne 3yo Single Malt (New South Wales)
Bakery Hill 5yo Single Malt (Victoria)
The age range is an interesting discussion point, given that some of the featured distilleries have been around for a long time, and thus have older stock available. Readers looking at the ages and thinking “Gosh, that’s young” should be aware that Australia’s climate is very different to that of Scotland, and thus a three year old whisky matured in Australia is at a very different stage of development than its counterpart in Scotland. Many distillers, particularly at the smaller craft end of the industry, fill into smaller casks (typically 100 litres, although 50L and even 20L barrels are not uncommon) which obviously also accelerates the interaction with the wood and its influence – although results vary.
It should also be appreciated that, in some cases here, we’re dealing very much with small, craft distilleries. Black Gate, as an example, has a total annual single malt production of just 3,000 litres, and so even just the bottling of one, single cask represents a not-insignificant portion of the distillery’s output for the year!
As is standard for That Boutique-y Whisky Company, the releases are bottled at 500ml which, in one sense, is actually very handy for these Australian releases, as the smaller yields from the smaller casks can be spread further and thus be made available to a wider number of consumers. The production team played around with the bottling strengths to find what they felt was the “sweet spot” for each release, and so the ABVs range from 46% to 56%. (That being said, those bottled at the lower end of the scale also thus benefit from the additional number of bottles made possible). The artwork on each of the labels tells a fun story of the distilleries and the people behind them, and it’s evident the team worked very closely with the entities involved.
That Boutique-y Whisky Company organised a live, virtual tasting earlier this month to go through the range, which was superbly hosted and presented by Dave Worthington and Sam Simmonds. All eight whiskies were sampled (in the order of listing above), and each made an impact in its own way. Whisky & Wisdom’s personal thoughts on each were as follows: (The price provided is the Australian RRP in $AUD)
Belgrove Rye (4 years old, 49.8%, 309 bottles, American oak cask, $299)
Regarded by many as making the finest rye in the land, this is a fascinating expression of Belgrove. Very much upholding the stereotype of rye being “spicier” than its barley counterpart, this has white pepper, dried spices, and is surprisingly Mezcal-like…even to the point where there’s an intriguing smokiness to it. The oak influence is subtle, allowing the spirit’s complex character to come though.
Killara (2 years old, 49%, 130 bottles, 100 litre ex-tawny port cask, $375)
The youngest in this Australia Series, having spent two years in a tawny port cask, the fortified has had good influence on the spirit, offering wine gums on the nose and loads of fruit on the palate – particularly plums and red currants. It’s a little hot on the finish, with some tannins lingering – a drop or two of water keeps things in check.
Fleurieu (3 years old, 49.5%, 236 bottles, ex-apera cask, $190)
The cask influence on the nose (Spanish sherry oak) is instantly attractive, and there’s a chalky, mineralic note that adds further interest. The palate has a deep richness with a mouthfeel that is particularly soft and silky. The sherry influence manifests itself via soft stone fruits. Easy to see why this distillery has so many fans.
Starward (3 years old, 56%, 424 bottles, ex-shiraz cask, $179)
If you’re familiar with Starward, this will stand out in any blind line up – it’s very representative of the distillery’s commercial releases. Both the nose and the palate are oak-led with resin, spice, and ginger, and the palate displays that unmistakable, signature candied bananas note. I felt the cask influence slightly overwhelmed the spirit.
Black Gate (3 years old, 46%, 231 bottles, ex-apera cask, $255)
In this line up and in the tasting order presented, the Black Gate suddenly took things in a different direction, displaying one of the most glorious, superb, clean, and appealing sherry-cask noses I can recall from any Australian whisky. Black Gate is renowned for this, and this is a brilliant example. There’s even a hint of smokiness on the nose, and the mouthfeel is as soft and silky as they come. A genuine dessert whisky.
Tin Shed (3 years old, 48%, 443 bottles, two years in ex-tawny port casks, then one year in a pinot gris cask, $215)
The combination of both fortified and wine cask influence on this results in a stunningly complex nose that offers wood sugars, spices, and the crispness of apples. The palate has a grippy mouthfeel and is deliciously sweet with butterscotch, toffee, and caramel notes.
Riverbourne (3 years old, 50%, 109 bottles, 50 litre ex-red wine casks, $239)
Lots of acetone on the nose, the scent of whiteboard marker needed time to blow off to reveal the aromas of stewed fruits (particularly rhubarb) that were sitting underneath it. Whilst there were choc-wafer and jammy fruit notes in the flavour profile, the palate was hot, tannic, and the finish was bitter. Not my cup of tea.
Bakery Hill (5 years old, 50% ABV, 390 bottles, ex-bourbon cask, $299)
This is the peated whisky in the range and – as is customary for Bakery Hill – it beautifully fuses that peat with clean, pristine, sweet malt. Superbly balanced, the palate is malty, biscuity, and has some milk chocolate undertones….all cradled in an earthy smokiness that tastes sophisticated and integrated. T’was hard not to compare this favourably with a fine Ardmore or even a Highland Park from a bourbon cask.
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Taste is obviously subjective and everyone will have their own individual favourites and preferences in this range. For me, the Black Gate was my favourite, only just narrowly edging out both the Tin Shed and the Bakery Hill, which I had tied for second place.
If the objective here was to give international drinkers an insight into Australian whisky, then That Boutique-y Whisky Company has nailed it. Whilst there is a huge spectrum of diversity in the style, character, production methods, business models, and philosophies amongst the many Australian distilleries, this range captures a good cross-section of it all, and is reasonably representative of the Australian industry. This is merely the first Australia Series range, and TBWC have hinted there will be future releases.
Atom Brands (the company behind That Boutique-y Whisky Company) has retained between 25% and 50% of the bottles available from each release for the Australian market, and the remainder will be available in other key international markets, particularly the UK. If you’re keen to try a slice of Australian whisky and see what all the fuss is about, here’s your chance.
Cheers,
AD
With thanks to Simon McGoram of Atom Brands Australia for the sample pack and the opportunity to chat with Dave Worthington and Sam Simmons about the Australia Series range.
Want to read more about aspects of the Australian whisky industry? Here’s just a few of Whisky & Wisdom’s previous articles….
Which is the best Australian whisky?
Australian whisky – It’s got an image problem
Bakery Hill – the view from the top
