OUR TASTING NOTES
Nose: Sweet nutty nougat with a citrus twist but there’s also a slightly salty-savoury note behind the sweetness.
Palate: A big spice burst first up but a solid creaminess of mouthfeel becomes apparent as the pepper fades. Big sweet red fruits cut through and there’s also crystallised ginger and custardy notes in there too.
Finish: Finish is long and constantly evolving – pepper morphs to sweet fruit morphs to dry tannins.
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This is the very last expression ever of Spirit Thief’s independent bottlings…but what a whisky it is…a cask strength, double distilled, single cask finished in a French wine cask. The Spirit Thief Benrinnes Bordeaux Red-Wine Cask was double distilled at the Speyside Benrinnes Distillery in 2008. Bottled in 2019 it has spent 11 years in a first fill red-wine cask from Château Gruaud-Larose in the Bordaux region of France. Then bottled at a cask strength of 55.2% ABV with absolutely nothing added, and of course non-chill filtered. This is a superb example of wine cask maturation, hand selected from the Benrinnes bond-store by Tasmania’s own ‘wine-cask’ experts – Spirit Thief. -
IT’S A FIRKIN UNICORN! A 12 year old, Double Oaked Tawny Port matured, extremely rare Single Malt from the Scottish Highlands, finished with a bit of FIRKIN magic! Exclusive in Australia to the Single Malt Whisky Club and bottled at a perfect 48.9% for your drinking pleasure. This is FIRKIN great whisky! When whisky legend, Mike Collings (the guy that created Johnny Walker Blue and Green among many others), releases something new to the world – it’s wise to check it out. When he told me last year about an upcoming couple of his ‘double wood’ casks full of 2009 Teaninich I was all ears. Not only is any single malt bottling of Teaninich extremely rare (spirits giant Diageo uses most of it in their various blended whiskies), to get a bottling that’s been ‘touched’ by the Firkin magic is a bit of a unicorn. After a bit of too-ing and fro-ing – we managed to secure the entire Australian allotment of the aptly titled ‘Firkin Rare Teaninich 2009. A light, yet complex dram. A bit of a Firkin enigma, really. Dry and crisp, yet sweet and juicy. Fruity, yet malty. The 48.9% gives it sufficient kick, and avoids the heat. Nicely balanced all round! Nice one, Mr. Collings! -
Sale!
So, you LOVE a PEATED whisky? So, roll out the red carpet for the Barrelhouse 28 Hungarian Red Wine Cask, exclusive to The Single Malt Whisky Club. A cask strength, peated whisky from the legendary Corowa Distillery, aged by indy bottler ‘Barrelhouse 28’ in a Hungarian Oak Red Wine Cask and bottled at an earth shattering 63.5%. This is a big, peaty single cask whisky! If you like to knock around the ‘peated side of the tracks’ – this will delight even the most ardent Islay-o-phile. Those with a penchant for burnt rubber and iodine will feel right at home with this one. This is an absolutely mammoth peated whisky, chosen by us to satisfy our most ardent peat fans (and we know we have quite a few in our ranks). PEAT PEOPLE – this one’s for YOU! -
We asked one of Australia’s most popular ‘cult distillers’, renowned for limited edition releases and his dedication to craft distilling, for a ‘big’ whisky and something that showcased his style for our members and boy did he deliver – His very first Sherry Bomb – a 1st Fill Oloroso cask, bottled at a whopping Cask Strength 64.5% and its exclusively made for our members. Hold onto your hats and please welcome Craft Works Distillery’s ‘Some May Welcome Change’. A whisky dedicated to our little club (hint – look at the initials in the name!) and a new direction from Crafty – 1st fill Oloroso Sherry Matured whisky! His first bone-fide sherry bomb!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: For me it’s straight-up chocolate at first. But then some really difficult to pinpoint notes – some aniseed, some paprika and then just a smidge of nail polish remover is hiding there as well. Palate: At first it’s a rather dry mouthfeel. But it creeps around the inside of your cheeks with very little alcohol burn (surprisingly at this abv)… and then the fruit explodes! Plums, sultanas and mixed peel individually, then all stewed together with a real marzipan thing going on at the same time. Finish: Long and complex – so many flavours rolling around in there! The stewed fruit persists, but is overthrown by coffee and the aniseed makes a comeback just as the curtain start to draw closed. -
Another ‘Waratah Wonder’ – this time from the wonder-ful Mr. Martin Pye and his Riverbourne Distillery - The Riverbourne Identity #9, a Limited Edition, French and American Oak matured whisky with delicate citrus and floral notes. The Riverbourne Identity #9 was made from NSW grown ‘Compass’ barley fermented using three different yeasts. The wash was distilled at Riverbourne Distillery, then aged in Cask #108 - a shaved and re-charred French Oak barrel with American oak lids - before being cut to 48% with Molongo River water then bottled. There is only 220 bottles of this whisky magnificence. This is the 9th Edition of ‘The Riverbourne Identity’ and it’s a completely different whisky than our peated Corowa Malt of the Month from Barrelhouse 28.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: An initial marmalade hit on the nose, followed by fresh-cut grass, apples and pears strait off the tree and (despite Martins claims to the contrary) I do get a subtle leathery note. Palate: Wow – a real unexpected custard-y creaminess at first, but then a rich and sweet fruitiness takes over. The sweetness of the fruit provides a nice contrast to the overall dryness of the spirit. Finish: Finish is long and sweet. A big malty surprise comes out of the whisky in the final stages. Very milk arrowroot bisquit-y. -
All the way from the Emerald Isle, a limited edition, 16 year old Irish whiskey and we have the entire Australian allocation of it. For all of our Irish whisky lovers out there – The Barr an Uisce 16yo Single Malt Whiskey. This whiskey is a limited edition (only 1803 numbered bottles), un-chill filtered, 16 year old cracker of a whiskey. Unusually for an Irish, the Barr an Uisce 1803 16 year old is double-distilled rather than triple distilled. It has been aged in first fill Kentucky Bourbon barrels and is presented at 46% abv. Not only that – as an added bonus, it’s in a 750ml bottle! Ahh… 750ml bottles… It’s been awhile since we featured a whiskey with an ‘e’ in it. As lovers of Irish single malt whiskey well know – they are not exactly in abundant supply in this day and age all the way down here!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Very fresh and fruity on the nose. Lot’s of pears and citrus-y notes first up, but then a distinct salted caramel swirl soon becomes apparent. Palate: The citrus and white fruits go through to the palate – as does that interesting salted quality. More vanilla and also some honey there. Nice and crisp, fruity with a sweet roundness. Finish: Honey notes roll around the vanilla and fruit as it slowly fades. -
Made exclusively for the Single Malt Whisky Club, aged in Cabernet casks from a renowned Clare Valley winery and bottled at a premium 55% ABV for our members. This STRICTLY LIMITED viscous single malt is a rich journey into fig jam, vanilla, fresh tobacco, rice-pudding and Italian expresso. In 2021, we introduced members to the renowned Spirit Thief Distilling Co based in Tasmania. This introduction was one of their independently bottled whiskies – the spirit distilled at Belgrove Distillery and aged in Mataro wine casks. This month we are delighted to announce another Spirit Thief offering but this time a whisky made 100% by Spirit Thief. No indy bottling this one – one of their very own! This is one of those whiskies you bring out after a good dinner with good company. Then sit back and bask in the ‘wows’. It’s big and bold, but well behaved and with a finish that you’ll chew on with a smile. Be warned though. You are gonna argue about that sweet note on the nose. Just what is it? -
This is a cask strength 'ode to the Sherry-cask'…From the masters of the single cask, Signatory Vintage, we’re proud to present this 11-year-old sherry-bomb, The Signatory Vintage Mortlach 2010 Aged 11 Years. This is a limited edition whisky with only 705 individually numbered bottles worldwide. This single malt whisky was distilled in 2010 at the Mortlach Distillery before being placed in a refill Hogshead. It was then finished in a fresh Sherry Butt for 15 months and in 2021 it was bottled at 57.8% ABV as part of the Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection. Mortlach’s bold flavour profile has seen it dubbed “The Beast of Dufftown” and is said to exist somewhere in between mellow and smoky. In a region renowned for its mellower, gentler ‘whisky-vibe’, Mortlach stands out for it’s robust, muscular and rich character.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Rich, fruity and lush from the get-go. Dried fruits abound, but a deeper savoury quality lurks in the background. Palate: Big fruity sherry flavours galore here. If you’re missing Christmas cake already, then you’ll love this! All the fruitcake spices, rich red fruits, chocolate and coffee notes you’re craving! Finish: Lovely and lush, chewy and long. Those fruity notes keep going on the back of the peppery waves and the lovely oiliness keeps that finish all over the mouth. Most definitely the sherry ‘yan’ to our Malt of the Month’s bourbon ‘Ying’. All the red-fruits, fruit cake, coffee and chocolate you could ask for in a big sherry-d whisky. The rich base spirit really carries those sherry influences well! -
Up for your drinking enjoyment is legendary independent bottlers, Signatory Vintage and their fantastic take on an Island malt – the Pulteney 2008 Aged 12 Years. A Cask Strength, marriage of Bourbon and Sherry casks with a slight salty maritime influence that will dance on your taste buds. The Pulteney 2008 Aged 12 Years was distilled (as the name suggests) at the Pulteney Distillery and aged in refill Bourbon Barrels. After around 9 years the three casks were married into a single fresh Sherry Butt for 33 months to finish. The resultant whisky is bottled at cask strength, un-chill filtered and without any additives of any kind.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Poached pears, sultanas, unburnt tobacco, with a touch of salt on the nose as well. Palate: Fruit comes through much richer and darker than on the nose. Those big, red ‘sherry fruit tones’ in abundance, but also some vanilla and buttery notes from those bourbon barrels, some pepper there too – big on the first sip, but settles thereafter. Finish: Nice hearty and long finish, the pepper presents at the front of my tongue in waves, whilst the stewed fruit seems to sit on my cheeks. That sea-side salty nuance re-appears as well. I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is a ‘sherry bomb’ – this is much more balanced than that. The buttery, vanilla from the bourbon casks is nicely complimented by the fruity, first-fill sherry cask treatment it had for just shy of 3 years. And I do get the salty maritime influence I’ve always loved from Pulteney whisky. I can only assume that Signatory Vintage have bought the Bourbon barrels aged at Pulteney prior to marrying them in their own sherry butt. The salty notes definitely lead me to believe this is likely! -
After rave reviews from its initial release in 2021 and members wanting more, we have an Australian stunner of a whisky special release – the Chief’s Son ‘The Aiden 2016’ all the way from the multi-award winning distillery on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. With these credentials it will take pride of place in your collection.- From one of the oldest casks at Chief‘s Son
- The first of the special ‘Family’ casks ever to be released
- Casks originally coopered in France and used for Red Wine then Sherry
- Re-coopered for whisky casks by none other than legendary cooper, Andrew Young from Seppeltsfield Estate
- Each individually numbered bottle is individually laser etched
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Get ready for one of the FIRKIN greatest whiskies we have ever released! With spirit from the Tullibardine Distillery, aged in Firkins own custom casks that are made of alternating staves of American and French oak seasoned with both Amontidillado and Oloroso sherries and individually numbered and bottled exclusively for The Single Malt Whisky Club – the Firkin 49 Tullibardine 2012 is a Firkin awesome whisky from the whisky legend that is Mike Collings. This month we are so firkin happy to FINALLY be able to offer a Firkin Whisky Co. release as our ‘Malt of the Month’. I say finally as we’ve featured Firkin releases in the past as our ‘Members Extra’ (and they’ve sold out every time!) – but there’s never been enough brought into Australia to be able to offer it as a ‘Malt of the Month’. This is a delightfully different whisky – nutty, sweet, floral and even savoury to boot! Easy and delightful to drink strait up, but adding a dash of water separates the flavours somewhat – and certainly doesn’t lessen the impact very much at all. You won’t be ready to rinse out your glass after just one, that’s for sure.