Tastes

Nose (neat): Sweet light smoke, pine resin, herbal cough drops, green vegetal and earthy notes. There are fragrant fruity aromas as well (pear, stewed apple with just a pinch of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg) but it was particularly tight when neat. Nose (reduced): With a few drops of water the profile stays similar to the neat nose but there is a noticeable softening of the resinous quality and it gains balance. Over time in the glass the watered sample displayed honey and become more coherent. Palate (neat): Soft but hefty arrival with powdered ginger and white pepper. Very malty with vanilla notes prominent. The development brings out a smoky presence backing dried mixed fruits and nuts, anise, white pepper, cereal and oak spices. The texture is lightly creamy and the whisky has a soft, warming, blanketing quality. Palate (reduced): The smoke is much more immediate and defined when watered but the arrival becomes hotter and spicier, a little too much so for my palate and overall the whisky loses complexity. Arguably it also gains balance but it is an homogenizing balance that sacrifices detail. Finish (neat): Medium/long. Gristy cereal, malt and mild smoke fading out to a resinous aftertaste. Finish (reduced): Long. Smoke is more apparent but a tart, almost bitter note surfaces and stays into the aftertaste. The resinous wood quality is much reduced. Tasted from a sample generously provided by @DrRHCMadden I was very much looking forward to this well regarded and rated whisky. Normally when I receive a batch of samples I start at the shallow end of the pool but in this case I had to dive in from the high board. I split the sample into two and tasted one neat and the other with just a few drops of water, both over an extended period so I could see how each responded to time in a glass. The nose and finish are much improved by dilution but the palate does not fare so well. This whisky is a bit fussy with water but I would still recommend just a few drops. It is certainly an interesting whisky and right from the outset it seemed both un-Scottish but also unlike most other Australian whiskies. Full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of Limeburners and there is only one expression of theirs that I have thought to be really good, the Director’s Cut from a few years back (muscat cask matured, I think). This Darkest Night is certainly the closest I’ve tasted in quality to that, but it has a different flavour profile. This is not what I’d call a complex whisky. It has some great points but it’s an array of a few very nice aspects rather than a forest or aromas and flavours, which betrays its comparative youth. I’d love to taste this if they could put the barrel in a cool warehouse and let it sit for another 10 years. Tasted from a 30ml sample “Good”: 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Bubblegum, lemon, orange, green apple skins, cranberries, vanilla, strawberries, pears. It’s a distillate-driven cereal and fruit centered nose with little obvious (or intrusive) cask influence. As it sits and opens in the glass, and with a few drops of water, more tropical fruit and vanilla appear together with a refreshing zephyr of maritime brine. Palate: Sweet arrival with some accompanying hot spices (ginger and a touch of hot cinnamon rather than chili). The development sees a wave of tropical fruity flavours emerge, particularly kiwifruit, mango, starfruit, dragonfruit and white grapes. The later palate has creamy caramel notes, vanilla and coconut. The texture is medium bodied, but not oily. A dash of water does wonders for this palate and is highly recommended. Finish: Medium. Fruity notes that fade to a mild, creamy aftertaste with a touch of sour pineapple. This tasting was from Batch 2 of what was the initial whisky release from Cape Byron distillery, which is better known locally for gin and liqueurs. It was co-created by Eddie Brook, the distillery founder and master distiller, and Scotch whisky icon Jim McEwan (of Bowmore, Bruichladdich and Ardnahoe fame). On the nose this whisky is much closer to Scottish malts than most Australian whiskies, being unashamedly cereal, fruity and spirit-led with a subtle American oak cask influence. I believe that standard-size ex-Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels were used for maturation rather than the typical small Australian red-wine octaves that are commonly used by our distilleries. It is reminiscent of several Scottish un-peated malts. However the palate shows a more marked Australian temperament with a lot of tropical fruit and spice notes. On first neat tasting the palate can seem a little brash and young, but adding a dash of water improves it enormously, emphasizing the softer sweet cereal side of the distillate. The slightly sharp tang of unripe citrus or pineapple remains on the finish, however. Without water I was going to rate this at 82 (3.25 stars) but with dilution it soars to just short of 4 stars. Overall a great introductory effort, and a pleasant departure from the rather heavy-handed red-wine cask dominated whiskies we have seen locally for a long time. I was left with the feeling that this is a very positive first effort that is eminently enjoyable right now, but that with careful maturation could one day be one of the best domestic whiskies. Well done, Cape Byron. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Nose: Dusty resinous wood (oak and pine), orange oil, over-ripe tropical fruit, fresh cut straw. If you draw back from the glass and nose gently you get sweeter aromas with definite toasted marshmallow and baked banana. As it rests in the glass (and particularly after adding a dash of water) caramel, toffee, jasmine and lavender emerge to balance the opening resinous quality. Palate: Sweet, juicy arrival (with just a hint of bitterness) that resolves into tropical fruit. Wine gums, bright tingly oak spice notes (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg) and dried fruits in the development (dates, plums). Toffee, banana and more brandy or armagnac-like dark fruit notes in the later palate. The texture is full but not oily, and it develops a creamy nature when slightly diluted. Finish: Medium/short. Fresh and preserved tropical fruits that fade into soft oak and leather. Mt. Uncle Distillery was built in 2001 by Mark Watkins at Walkamin in the Atherton Tablelands, about 50km southwest of Cairns. It is the only far-north distillery in Australia. The tablelands region has a noticeably milder and cooler climate than the adjacent Whitsunday coast which makes it just possible to produce aged whisky in what is technically a tropical region (the angels’ share averages 5%). The distillery also produces a range of award winning rum, gin and liqueurs. This whisky was from a spirit run made by Mark in 2011. The spirit was matured in hybrid casks constructed from ex-French oak red wine barrique staves and ex-bourbon barrel heads, and was bottled in 2018. I believe it may have been the only malted barley spirit run the distillery has done, but I’m not certain of that. This whisky is almost unobtainable now except from the distillery door, and I understand their stocks are running out, however I don’t know whether there is further aged stock in the process of maturing for future release. It’s a characterful but slightly off-balance whisky and although it is has a prominent resinous note it does not seem over-oaked or driven by an intense cask presence. The hybrid casks have given it an elegantly light, bright and youthful wood character and the combination of American and French oak make it unlike any other Australian whisky I have tasted. I picked up this bottle at a local bottleshop. It was the last one left and they had marked it down by 40% which made it a bargain. I enjoyed the whisky and I’d recommend it to those who wish to delve into the darker corners of Australian whisky, but at the usual retail price I’d probably not buy a second bottle myself. It’s a good whisky that falls just short of “very good”. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Stewed apples, juice from crushed apples that is starting to go brown, butterscotch, brown sugar, vanilla, banana and caramel. It’s a rich nose right from first sniff but it does not evolve over time in the glass. Palate: The arrival is momentarily sweet but rapidly develops a lot of heat with some hard, gritty cereal and cask flavours. It is drying, and a bitter grapefruit note emerges in the later palate, which I would say is due to tannin from indifferent sherry casks. The texture is good with a pleasant oiliness, but it is obscured by the edgy flavours. Finish: Medium. Fruity, but overpowered by bitter tannin. Apples are prominent throughout this profile. The nose has a full and buttery quality with a suggestion of mango, and it outperforms the palate which is hot, hard and bordering on harsh (at least when neat). A dash of water subdues the palate and presents ginger and chilli rather than straightforward tannic heat, but it does not rise to any sort of greatness and, like the nose, it does not evolve over time. If the neat palate was as good as the nose I’d rate this more highly, but as it stands it’s just average, which is a disappointment. I’ve tasted Tomatin that is much better than this. Tasted from a 50ml distillery miniature. “Average” : 77/100 (2.5 stars)

Nose: Sandalwood, cigar-box cedar wood, blackberry jam, pineapple, floral tones and hints of peat smoke. Palate: Sweet arrival with berries, clotted cream, honey and malted milk powder. The development is slow and not very deep with little emerging to add interest other than a fleeting hint of smoke and some sweet cocoa. The texture is good, slightly creamy and silky. Water brings little to the palate other than dilution so take this very approachable whisky neat. Finish: Medium/short. Honey and milk chocolate in the aftertaste. Not a complex profile but a pleasant one. Jura is not a distillery I follow as their expressions can be inconsistent, however recently they do seem to have picked up their game. The nose on this is intriguingly fragrant for a Jura, almost as though there was a mizunara cask in the vatting … no, surely not. Together with some low-key smoke it makes an interesting combination. The palate has a nice balance between salt and sweet flavours and there is a definite sweet sherry cask influence. I enjoyed this one, and just to swim against the popular current I thought it was better than Jura 10. I’m not sure I’d buy a bottle of this but I’d buy a bar pour or accept a free dram anytime. Tasted from a distillery sample. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)