OUR TASTING NOTES
Nose: 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.
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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! -
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! -
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.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Fresh, tart apple juice jumps out at first, but then a rounder, sweeter note comes through –ripe plums and vanilla. Palate: Crisp and clean mouthfeel –a little pepper but no real heat. Lots of red fruit up front – sweet plums and ripe red grapes morph into malty milk arrowroot bikkies. Finish: Very pleasing – vanilla becomes more pronounced and swirls around seeing the fruit out. A nice malty- sweetness remains at the end to chew on whilst you pour the next one (yes, you will pour a next one!). 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! -
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!OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Stewed fruit and oak strait away but there’s a beguiling sweetness over the top as well. I say ‘wizz-fizz’, my dear old dad says boiled lollies and my son (who, at 16, has literally been smelling whisky with me his whole life) says lemonade. Whatever it is, you can (and will!) nurse this one under your schnoz and argue about it for ages! Palate: A fantastically luscious moutfeel – rich and oily. Nice and fruity without being too sweet – but there are jammy notes as well. At full strength (55% ABV) it does provide a fair pepper, but if that’s not your thing, a dash of water settles that right down. Coffee and nutty notes flow on into the finish. Finish: Settles in for a while this one. Coffee and dark chocolate rolls around roasted nut brittle and sweet pipe tobacco in the tin as it fades out with a lovely warmth. 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? -
Is there anything better than bringing a new whisky to Australia for the first time? Well yes… bringing TWO in the same month! Our second Aussie exclusive this month is the Glen Garioch 8yo from up-and-comers in the Scottish indy bottling industry, Dram Mor. Limited to only 241 individually numbered bottles, this CASK STRENGTH, SINGLE CASK Single Malt is matured in ex-bourbon barrels from the small batch specialist, Glen Garioch Distillery that has been making whisky since 1797 in North East Scotland.OUR TASTING NOTESNose: A solid base of granny smith apples underlies fresh and vibrant floral and grassy notes with a citrus tang. Palate: Wonderful, buttery, creamy mouthfeel luxuriously coats the palate before a wave of poached pear, vanilla custard, honey and buttered milk arrowroot biscuits and a lovely walnut flavour chase each other around the palate. Finish: Lovely medium peppery-ness leads the charge to the finish, but it’s the sweet, floral notes that linger longest! This is a wonderfully easy drinking dram (especially after a splash of water to open it’s cask strength goodness) and an almost textbook demonstration of fantastic highland spirit matched with first class oak. All the biscuits, nuts, vanilla and buttery mouthfeel you could ask for in a bourbon cask matured whisky. -
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
OUR TASTING NOTESNose: Some mustiness at first but the sweetness soon materialises in the form of maple syrup, with a touch of bubble gum thrown in, some apricots and delicate leathery notes. Palate: Lovely rich oily mouthfeel here. A sweet yet nutty palate – with scorched almond brittle, caramel and slightly burnt toffee to boot. There’s also a suggestion of liquorice with just a little pepper at he back of the mouth. Finish: More nut brittle, pepper and oak swirl over and around each other in a flurry of rich caramel syrup. A lovely balance between the roast nuts and sweet caramel here – not too sweet but definitely not dry. Interestingly, on sharing my tasting notes with the Chief’s Son crew, it was revealed to me that their stills are electrically heated and they do get a lot of caramelisation of sugars onto the internal heating elements – hence the caramel notes. This whisky is just so very more-ish. I bet you’ll have poured another before the finish has run it’s course from the first dram!