23rd Street Distillery joins the growing list of distilleries established in the last 5-6 years that are now bringing their single malt to market. 23rd Street has released a small range of whiskies in the recent past with varied provenance (such as the evocative Hybrid, which was a blend of Scotch whisky and American Bourbon!) but the release of XXIII (Batch 01) heralds in a new era for their home-grown, signature style.
The site at 23rd Street Distillery – located conveniently on 23rd Street in Renmark, South Australia (about a three hour drive north-east of Adelaide) – has a long history in the drinks industry that dates back to 1914, although that was chiefly in the wine industry. The site was acquired by Bickford’s in 2014, and a reported $6.6M (including a government grant of $2.3M) was injected into the project over two years to bring 23rd Street Distillery to life. The distillery launched in 2016 and produces gin, vodka, rum, brandy, and whisky.
Much is made these days about the different types of stills used in the new Australian distilleries (some imported; most made locally) and there are some new and interesting stills being commissioned around the country. However, in a wonderful story of discovery and re-purposing, 23rd Street’s large copper pot stills date back to the 1950’s, and were originally brandy stills operating in McLaren Vale, responsible for the classic Black Bottle Brandy brand.
XXIII is part of the distillery’s self-coined “Connoisseurs’ Range” and Batch 01 has been distilled from a wash produced using Australian Pale Malt Barley. The wash was then split into two and distilled separately in Stills 1 and 2. Still keeping the distillates separate, the spirit was then matured in 1st fill ex-bourbon barrels over four summers (a rather quaint way of saying it’s three years old but not quite four) before being blended and married back together.
The distillery aims to make a lighter style of spirit and this, combined with the maturation in 200 litre American oak ex-bourbon casks, means the XXIII Batch 01 whisky is a delightfully “malt-led” Australian whisky, as opposed to the “oak-driven” Australian whiskies that are typically produced by the distilleries that favour ex-wine/fortified casks coopered into smaller-sized barrels.
Bottled at 46% ABV, XXIII Batch 01 also happily joins the new wave of Australian distilleries bringing quality, single malt whisky to market with an affordable price tag – in this case, a very agreeable $119 for a 700ml bottle. What’s not to like? Well, the words above count for nothing if the spirit doesn’t deliver, so Whisky & Wisdom sat down with a bottle and gave it some careful consideration and assessment. Our thoughts as follows:
23rd Street Distillery XXIII Batch 01, 46% ABV
Colour: A very pleasant gold that isn’t too pale and isn’t too dark. It’s juuuust right.
Nose: A pleasant fruitiness is very forward upfront, at least initially. The cereal origins are evident, but the breakfast cereal that comes to mind is Kellog’s Fruit Loops! There’s also raspberry friand, cardamom, and the most teasingly, tantalisingly, faint hints of bourbon. There’s an impressive complexity to the nose, with both savoury and sweet each taking turns at the steering wheel. Knowing that the stills are actually brandy stills, it’s hard not to draw parallels to a good brandy (or even draw parallels to some of the better Sullivans Cove releases), but – with time – the more pronounced fruit esters dissipate, and more of the cereal and oak starts to come through.
Palate: Soft and gentle spirit delivery; the 46% ABV is perfect, and the mouthfeel and texture is clean, oily, and….refreshing! The palate is entirely consistent with the nose, albeit the American oak shines a little brighter. There are hints of candied oranges, parma violets, and a spiced honey to round out the palate.
Finish: Sweet but not cloying, it’s the finish’s final impression that leaves a happy footprint of barley malt.
Comments: This is very, very drinkable. The whisky is nicely balanced, with cereal, spirit, and oak all well integrated. It’s medium in weight, i.e. light enough to almost pull off being aperitif style, and yet heavy enough to stand up to most, and to carry or follow a meal. For those tired of (or simply put off by) some of the hot, tannic, and over-wooded releases still being bottled by some Australian distilleries, 23rd Street certainly offers a softer, more approachable malt whisky. It’s also unmistakably Australian. Nice one.
For more info, or to get yourself a bottle, you can purchase directly from the distillery’s website here.
Cheers,
AD
PS: You also might like our article, “The challenges of starting a new whisky brand“.
