Kinglake O’Grady’s Stand SMWC Special

An EXCLUSIVE 700ml Whisky Release from an Australian DEDICATED PEATED Whisky Distillery – The Kinglake SMWC Special Whisky!

A distillery that has definitely made a big impact on the Aussie whisky scene in the relatively short while they have been trading. The first, a dedicated PEATED whisky distillery – Kinglake and their O’Grady’s Stand SMWC Special 700ml Edition.

We’ve been chatting to Kinglake Distillery since before they released their inaugural whisky back in 2021, and we’re stoked to finally be able to collaborate with them on a special release – a SMWC exclusive release – the Kinglake O’Grady’s Stand SMWC Special 700ml Edition.

Now Kinglake distillery have a lot of ‘firsts’ and ‘one of very few’s’ to their name. They are the first (and currently only) ‘Carbon Neutral’ distillery in Australia. They are one of the very few that use completely untreated, unfiltered water sourced from a spring on their own property. Kinglake are also one of the very few Aussie whisky distilleries that are open-fermenting their wash, thus incorporating local wild yeasts into their flavour profile.

The Kinglake O’Grady’s Stand SMWC Special is made from a mash bill of 3 different NSW malts plus 25% imported Scottish, peated malt. Fermented using a mix of commercial and wild yeast in a open-top fermenter. Spirit taken from the tail end of the heart cut and just slightly into the tails makes this a big bodied, oily whisky that perfectly carries the peated influence here. Put down to age at around 68.5%abv. Matured in 50 and 100-litre American oak casks and bottled at 46% which perfectly suits the ‘big shoulders’ of this fantastic whisky.

The Kinglake O’Grady’s Stand is Kinglake’s flagship product and is normally only available in 500ml bottles. Frankly, we just didn’t think that 500ml was enough of this perfectly palatable pinnacle of peated pleasure … AND SO… We are proud to be presenting this to the SMWC at an exclusive 700ml size bottle at an incredible SMWC price of only $129.

Nose: Lovely dried apricots hit me first up, then a bouquet of floral notes – jasmine and frangipani in a rainstorm (petrichor) and vanilla pods freshly sliced, with new leather belt hovering around in the wings. Going back – there is a smokiness that’s much more apparent in a freshly finished glass than when I first started nosing the glass.

Palate: Lovely oiliness on the palate and medium warmth precedes a wave of fresh pastry notes with more of those vanilla and custard tones there as well. I also get a pleasant warm leather mustiness on the palate with sweet caramel and sultanas.

Finish: Ahh- citrus… I thought I was missing something, and it comes on in spades in the finish presenting as lovely candied peel.

Whilst this is definitely peated whisky, it’s a very mild and gentle peat indeed. Much more a musty caress than burning rubber in a hospital ward. This American Oak qualities (citrus, vanilla etc) come through clear as day and really make this lovely whisky ‘pop’.