ATTENTION FORTIFIED CASK LOVERS – From the Hunter Valley’s very first distillery – Tower –a ‘Fortified French Oak’ matured single malt whiskey (yep, with an ‘e’). What makes this truly special though, is that the French oak cask that this was finished in was full of 1995 Virgin Hills port.
The No.9 Fortified French Oak has been aged in a Medium-long toast, 10-year-old French Oak Vicard Hogshead 300L. It was also then given extra depth of history with the inclusion of a finishing treatment in a last Use 1995 Fortified Virgin Hills Rare Tawny Francois Frères French Oak Barrique 225L Very Tight Grain Medium Toast.
This finishing treatment has given this whiskey a truly rounded, spicy and fruity character that will warm even the coldest heart on a blustery autumn evening.
Tower Whiskey is made (as one would expect) with 100% malted barley, the wash coming in at 7% alcohol. This fresh, clean Whiskey wash is then distilled straight away, with the first distillation (the stripping run), getting to 28% alcohol. A spirit run is then done for the second distillation to make it 68% distiller strength, which creates the new make spirit.
It’s no surprise that Tower Whiskey is the creation of an experienced wine and beer producer with over 30 years in the industry – Michael Hope (Hope Estate Winery). After all, when you already own a brewery and winery, adding a still into the mix seems like the natural next step – especially when you’ve already mastered the fermenting and maturation phases of whiskey production.
And just to clarify – no, it’s not a typo. Tower spells whiskey with an ‘e’. The owner prefers it that way, and frankly, when you’re the one behind the distillery, you get to make the rules!
The story centres around Michael Hope, a pharmacist who, 30 years ago, decided to take his family out of the city. He bought some land in the Hunter Valley and started a winery. The success of Hope Estate wines led to the addition of a brewery in 2014. Then, in 2020, they completed the “holy trilogy” by adding a distillery to the mix. Initially named ‘Hope Distillery,’ they began aging spirits in 200L and 300L barrels.
Having a winery and brewery already in operation (and generating income) gave Tower the luxury of aging whiskey in full-sized barrels, allowing them to take their time and bottle the spirit only when it was truly ready.
Nose: Lots of lovely spiced fruit (as one would hope!) on the nose, with some unlit cigar notes as well as a little warm oakiness.
Palate: Lovely and rich on the palate, some pepper at first which quickly dissipates leaving a rich, viscous mouthfeel. Dried berries and fruits a-plenty here resting on an oaky plinth with a dusting of cloves, nutmeg and allspice.
Finish: Medium length finish but lots of flavour cycling from sweet, through to some musty notes, and some more of those lovely, almost savoury, tobacco notes come back as it fades.
A lovely small batch whiskey, with those French oak notes coming through in a lovely, balanced way. The sweetness is there but held in check by the French oak pepper. There are nice subtle tannins too which counterbalance and highlight those sweet notes like a picture frame.
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