With so many new Australian distilleries appearing on the market these days, it’s a challenge keeping up with them all. Whilst there’s no definitive or official number, industry folk estimate there’s currently around 120-140 malt whisky distilleries operating in Australia right now. Of course, the number of distilleries with matured stock being marketed and sold is somewhat less than this (estimates hover somewhere around 90), but the point is this: It’s an increasingly crowded space, and it’s become increasingly challenging for a distillery to stand out from the pack; find its point of difference; and tell a new story. One name that’s definitely singing a new tune is the Waubs Harbour distillery, and its Waubs Harbour whisky.
Waubs Harbour distillery is in Tasmania and, as the name suggests, is located in a coastal location by the water. This geographical fact forms the heart and backbone of Waubs Harbour and its narrative: It is a maritime distillery. The word “maritime” appears almost more times on the distillery’s website than the word “whisky”, and until you’ve checked out the distillery’s location, you could be forgiven for thinking they’re laying it on a bit thick. By drawing comparisons to the likes of Talisker and other Scottish distilleries that talk up the maritime angle, my initial thoughts were that they were overplaying it. And then you see the pictures….
As it happens, then, Waubs Harbour is seemingly more maritime than the Scottish distilleries it compares itself to! Talisker may be right on the water, but it’s set beside a sea loch, and sits some 7km from the open ocean. Old Pulteney is set back approximately 400m from the water, and even the famed distilleries on Islay are in relatively sheltered bays or nestled in coves. By contrast, Waubs Harbour sits directly on the ocean, looking straight out at the Tasman Sea. There cannot be many other distilleries in the world that could boast of a closer physical connection to the sea. (Well, as it happens – perhaps Furneaux Distillery, a little further to the north on Flinders Island! Fleurieu Distillery in South Australia would also get a look in.)
The distillery is located in Bicheno, a small town on the east coast of Tasmania, roughly a two-and-a-half hour drive north-east of Hobart. Established as a whaling centre in 1803, it was originally known as Waubs Boat Harbour, named after an aboriginal woman, Wauba Debar, who gained fame for rescuing two men from a sinking boat in a storm. The town’s name was changed to Bicheno in the 1850’s, named after a British settler who’d discovered coal in the area. Despite the town’s name change, Wauba’s legacy remains with the aptly-named Waubs Beach and Waubs Bay on the north side of town.
Waubs Harbour is a family-run distillery, founded and owned by the husband and wife team of Tim and Bec Polmear, in partnership with Tim’s brother, Rob Polmear. Rob’s previous experience as Head of Production for Lark Distillery and Head Distiller of Overeem Whisky has set the team in good stead.
The Polmears acquired the site in 2018 and immediately set about renovating and re-purposing the premises. The site was formerly an oyster hatchery, and the team pulled off an impressive undertaking in utilising and bending the former hatchery’s infrastructure to suit distilling. One such example was making use of the very obvious water supply nearby, as Bec Polmear explains: “The old hatchery had water pipes that ran out of the building and into the ocean. We now use those pipes to draw salt water in, and we use the energy of the cold water to cool the warm water coming off our stills through a heat exchange system. It’s very energy efficient and saves us from needing large chiller machines.”
The first spirit flowed from the stills in July, 2019, and the early runs were initially filled into 50L casks, although there’s now a significant number of 100L casks being filled, together with some 200L and 300L casks. The distillery operates two gas boiler, steam-heated stills, manufactured by Peter Bailly of Knapp Lewer Contracting – the same still manufacturer for many of Tasmania’s distilleries, in a shape and style that is almost ubiquitous across the island. However, in an admirable departure from the practice of many other Tasmanian distilleries, Waubs Harbour mashes on site and produces its own wash. All whisky is matured on site, ensuring the casks breathe in the maritime air.
Rob Polmear’s previous roles at Lark and Overeem gave him valuable experience and insights into distilling, shaping his thoughts on how he wanted to go about the game at his own distillery. “My experience in the industry meant we knew not only what we wanted to make but how we wanted to make it and we’ve now brought that to life,” explains Rob. In addition to using a traditional dried yeast for their fermentation, Rob also turned his hand to cultivating his own fresh yeast, which he’s now used for several runs, which are currently maturing in cask. According to Bec, the difference in the new make was very significant and an exciting outcome; they’re looking forward to the final product when it’s fully matured.
Although Waubs Harbour released some “sneak peeks” previously, the distillery enjoyed its official launch party earlier this year in April, and has announced its arrival on the stage with the new Flagship Series – a core range of three single malts. With the whisky generally matured in small casks, each release is put out as a limited batch release, vatting and combining a number of different casks to achieve the desired flavour profile. Each batch typically yields between 370 and 420 500ml bottles, and Batch 02 is currently on sale via the distillery’s website as we go to print. Whisky & Wisdom sat down with a dram of each on a cold, wintery night, and our personal tasting notes, thoughts, and observations were as follows:
WAUBS ORIGINAL, 43% ABV
American Oak ex-bourbon casks layered with French Oak port cask. RRP $170 (500ml).
Nose: Very clean. Loads of toffee and vanilla. A tiny hint of dried spice, perhaps some cinnamon, and also menthol.
Palate: Sweet initially, although the dried spice that was on the nose starts to come through on the palate after a minute or two, making things a little drier. Very creamy in both texture and flavour. Not overly complex, but certainly well-rounded, balanced, and tasty.
Finish: Medium finish, the residual sweetness retreats to a dry footprint.
Comments: As the flagship offering, this does exactly what it should do. It’s clean and tasty with broad appeal. Not overly challenging, it’s slightly dry – or is that the salty tang?
PORT STORM, 48% ABV
Rich tawny French Oak casks balanced with American Oak. RRP $190 (500ml).
Nose: The nose is not a long way removed from its Original stablemate, although there’s notably a touch more oak influence, marzipan, and nutmeg sprinkled over vanilla custard.
Palate: The slightly higher ABV delivers a bit more zing and spice on the palate. It is again initially sweet, although with a slight salty dryness that is both intriguing whilst also prompting you to return for another sip.
Finish: An appealing combination of savoury and sweet.
Comments: The ex-Port casks kick in here, contributing some spice and savoury notes, yet tempered by the American oak so that they don’t dominate or overwhelm. too much. Again, it’s not overly challenging nor complex, and it makes for pleasant drinking.
FOUNDER’S RESERVE, 62% ABV
Ex-tawny port casks. RRP $220 (500ml).
Nose: The nose takes thing up a notch, and it’s not just the higher alcohol. This has a richness to it, giving off notes of boozy prunes, liqueur-soaked raisins and cherries, and hints of dark chocolate. While the casks are ex-tawny port, the nose on this would fool many into thinking they were ex-sherry casks. With time in the glass, notes of leather and polished oak furniture emerge.
Palate: The palate is like drinking Old Gold chocolate. There’s loads of dark chocolate flavours, hints of gooey caramel, possibly even some coffee/Kahlua notes. Despite the high ABV, this is very well behaved and not at all aggressive.
Finish: Long, oily, deep, rich, and satisfying; it even throws up a hint of Tiramisu.
Comments: Notably darker, the hue is a burnished copper, with perhaps a jarrah blush. 100% full-term maturation in port casks can be fraught with danger; this release avoids the pitfalls and delivers. The oak and fortified influence is dominant, and there’s not much hint of malt here….but by crikey, it’s delicious. It also has enduring appeal – it doesn’t become tiring or overwhelming on the palate.
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As a three dram line-up to try in a single sitting, it was an interesting exercise. In such a line-up, the Founder’s Reserve stood head-and-shoulders above its stablemates, but not just because of the higher ABV – it was genuinely a richer, fuller, tastier dram…albeit one that falls into the camp of being “oak-driven”. But this is not to suggest the other two expressions are poor or not worth exploring…they’ve been well put together and have appeal. The drier, less humid climate of Tasmania can make whisky maturation challenging at times, and the use of smaller, ex-port casks is risky business if not handled well. Fortunately, the Polmears – together with their very unique environment and micro-climate – have navigated those hurdles well. As good as these drams are for a distillery’s initial launch, one can’t help but feel the releases will continue to improve over time as larger casks and longer maturation times make their way through the system.
Cheers,
AD
All images courtesy of Waubs Harbour.
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