Making this amazing whisky is a labour of love. A combination American Oak and French aged single malt is fed into a 500L Chardonnay Puncheon high up in the Spring Bay Distillery Bond Store. This combination of aged casks is then gravity fed into three casks below, firstly a 500L Port Puncheon, then two 500L Muscat Puncheons. Only 250L drawn from the bottom of each cask is allowed to flow to the next. Each release is therefore only 250L which equates to 350-400 bottles. The ABV can be variable from the original 55% down to 40%, however for this special first release from the Solera system for the Single Malt Whisky Club, it has been bottled at surprisingly approachable 48%ABV.
Now the Solera system of ageing is perhaps more commonly associated with sherry, brandy and even rum than it is with whisky. The solera method is based on stacking multiple layers of aging barrels (called ‘criaderas’) on top of each other, with each layer progressively topping up the next one down and blending with it, year after year. For example, the bottom criadera is filled, a year later the next is filled and a year later the third and then the forth layer in the forth year. The bottom layer is then partially emptied (and bottled), then the bottom layer is topped up with spirit from the next criadera, and so forth. The top level is then topped up with new make spirit. The word “solera” comes from the Spanish word “suelo” which means “floor”. And technically it is the bottom criadera that is referred to as the ‘Solera’. So as the angels take their share, and the barrels refill the layer below, the barrels are topped up with the contents of the slightly younger barrel above, and the average age of the spirit in each criadera slowly increases over the years. The purpose of this labour-intensive process is the maintenance of a reliable style and quality of the spirit over time.
If you’re having trouble visualising how this works – Cam has made a short video to explain the process!
What makes it all the more fantastic for us is that Cam and Suzy Brett are members of our not-so-little Single Malt Whisky Club! We were fortunate to visit their amazing Distillery on one of our Tasmanian trips, and we were so impressed with a number of their releases as we sipped and chatted with view to Maria Island. As such, we get the worlds first taste of the brand new expression, Spring Bay Solera Matured.
Nose: Lots of sweet, stewed red fruit here, and a distinct new leather belt note dominates, but a lighter floral accent also wafts around.
Plate: A nice, viscous mouthfeel with incredibly well behaved alcohol warmth. Big fruitcake flavours, but also super-dark chocolate and unsweetened espresso there as well.
Finish: Nice and long – warming, but not at all hot or over the top. All those sweet and sightly bitter notes carry through and keep winding on down the road for miles and miles with a snap on the bum with a leather belt for good measure!
The Spring Bay Solera Matured is an incredibly easy to drink, yet very complex whisky here. There’s light, there’s dark, there’s sweet, and a little astringency. There’s fruit, floral, chocolate and coffee – with that (in my humble opinion) quintessentially Australian leathery note.
Colour – Mahogany
Nose – Begins with a mix of plum and stewed rhubarb and then develops into sweeter notes of honeycomb and caramelised sugar. Lingering tones of subtle leather and sherbet
Palate – A big, bold hit of Muscat raisins and black cherry. Followed by dark chocolate and oak which leaves a pleasant dryness. There is also a lingering Vanilla sweetness undertone throughout
Finish – Plenty of oil to coat the palate from top to bottom. A slightly drying, moreish finish brings you back for another sip
Spring Bay Distillery’s approach to making single malt whisky ensures every part of the process has the highest quality application that can be achieved. The use of premium Tasmanian barley, the quality of the wash, the distilling, the careful selection of casks, and importantly, using arguably the best water in the world – East Coast Tasmanian rainwater.
Established in 2015, Spring Bay Distillery is the realisation of a dream for owners Cam and Suzy Brett. Having shared a love of whisky for over 20 years, building a distillery was a natural culmination of many years of planning and dreaming.
Spring Bay Distillery is a small, close-knit team led by Cam and Suzy Brett. Family owned, we value our people and Spring Bay on Tasmania’s East Coast, the place that inspired our name.
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