Tastes

Seventeen Highland Parks, damn. Lowest I’ve ranked is 2.75/5, and I average out at 3.8/5. I think, I should probably shout from the roof top that Highland Park are great (marketing BS aside). Shouting from the rooftops, at full volume. See what I did there. Masterful lead in. Arguably this is one of HPs most unique liquids. Instead of the typical interplay of bourbon and sherry casks; full volume is casked exclusively in first fill bourbon casks. Allegedly this “turned up the volume on those delicious creamy bourbon notes.” N: Slightly waxy. Vanilla and fudgey depths layer with malt to make a bakery/pastry sensation. A slight mineral note contributes to a more nuanced character with a citrus peel and wood spice. The light peat is a nice backing that wafts through but it perhaps lacks the signature HP herbal-floral character you would expect. A simple nose, but it works well enough. P: Interesting. A mirror of the nose but with a little chaotic buzz to it. Some slightly sweet smoke notes build then quickly change direction to a little spicy heat. Vanilla cream is the central thread that links the chaos and amongst it all there is, toasty malt, a little brown sugar, coconut, stone fruit and some herbal-bbq notes carried in by the peat smoke. F: Medium. The malt is most apparent here, it gets quite dry and woody and maybe leans a little into the coconut, and possibly even charred pineapple. Full Volume. An interesting marketing twist from HP, away from the typical viking garb. Picking this up, I was thinking Spinal Tap and turning it all the way up to 11. I thought someone was going to burst through the wall like the Kool Aid Man and beat me over the head with an electric guitar. I thought wrong. This felt lazy. HP has a remarkable delicacy and powerful grasp of you when done well; not so much here. Rather, despite a clean and simple nose, and little buzzy palate, the rest was dull by normal HP standards. I don’t know if the 17 y/o age statement and safe/dull profile is a reflection of using up stocks or an experiment gone wrong but this isn’t HP, and it is certainly nothing you would expect for 17 years, especially compared to the 17 light and (magical) dark expressions. Sadly the best of HP, the heathery peat, is a mere shadow of its normal glory, and the richness imparted by the normal sherry casks is sorely lacking. This is Highland Park dialled down to an inoffensive 5, not a full volume 11. Distiller whisky taste #199 [Pictured here with another viking rock, as is now the norm for HP. This is a cordierite bearing pegmatite from Risør in Southern Norway. Little is known about this location with its exact position tightly guarded. The rock, as best as I can deduce is a product of very high grade metamorphism where partial melting occurred and coarse grained igneous pegmatites created. The rock is predominantly quartz and plagioclase but host beautiful sky blue cordierite crystals also. Lovely] HP Running ranking: 10: 3.75 12: 4 15: 4.25 18: 4.75 25: 4.75 Valknut: 4.25 Valkyrie: 4.25 Valfather: 4 Dragon Legend: 3.25 Voyage of the Raven: 3.5 Spirit of the Bear: 3.25 Loyalty of the Wolf: 2.75 Wings of the Eagle: 4 The Light: 4.25 The Dark: 5 Mjolner: 4.5 Full Volume: 3.25

Back at distiller whisky taste #100 I rediscovered a bit of a special rarity from my early introduction to whisky, Port Chalrotte CC:01. To date, it ranks as one of the best whiskies I have had. It was also pretty powerful in its ability to make me seek out similar caskings. I am yet to find a comparable cognac casked whisky, most players finish in cognac/brandy rather than mature full term in it. Perhaps full maturation in Cognac is what makes PC CC:01 special. In any case, any time I can get my grubby mitts on a cognac/brandy type cask, I’m there. Tonight, something a little interesting then. Glenfiddich Experimental Series claims to embody a family philosophy of freedom and possibilities that creates a range of ground-breaking single malts. With this, the fifth release in the experimental series Glenfiddich has combined Scottish whisky with the west countries cider heritage. Glenfiddich Orchard Experiment takes what I understand is classic Glenfiddich malt that has been matured in European and American oak, and finishes it in Somerset Pomona Spirit Casks (English apple brandy liqueur casks). A single batch was made, and I am not aware of plans to make more. N: An acidic and very crisp arrival. Tart green apple, a touch of sultana and a little vanilla toffee. Looking back, this is a slightly jazzed up version of G12; the malt notes move to the back and apple comes forward. There is, as the nose progresses, a feeling like I’m going to get stung by a drunk wasp; windfall fermented apples in the English summer time is sharply evoked. I am mindful of wasps now. P: Juicy and bright. This could be a fruit juice. Cloudy apple juice, citrus zest brightens things further and some fairly punchy spice of cinnamon and nutmeg make this feel like an apple strudel. What is missing, noticeably, versus G12 is the hefty malt and vanilla. This leans very heavily into the crisp green apple theme (unsurprisingly) and brings little else other than some english toffee along for the ride. F: Medium-short. Wait for it…. apple sweetness. Deleivered with a creamy exiting mouthfeel and a little oaky toffee. I’ve been quite critical of Glenfiddich 12 in the past, calling it ‘a bit forgettable’. Don’t get me wrong, I categorically do not dislike Glenfiddich 12. Its fine. I’d just rather drink something else given the choice. My hope with this G12 in an apple costume was that there would be something really captivating, but it suffers the same fate as regular G12. It’s so uniform and safe that it’s a bit boring. Yes, the apple presence is a little bit different to the typical ‘orchard fruits’ or ‘apple’ notes you read for other whiskies. This truly is apples through and through, but thats not enough. The toffees are great when they come through, the spices are just fine. The nose after a while though becomes sickly. I will gladly drink this, in fact; if it were summer, and I was sat in the sun. I’d happily drink a pint without thought I suspect. But this is not Port Charlotte CC:01, rather, this is my weakest brandy style casking to date. Experiment? yes. Scientific progress? not so much. Distiller whisky taste #198 [Pictured here with an apple green accompaniment to an apple green themed bottle. This magnificent rock is a 2.7 to 3 billion year old komatiite, a type of volcanic-lava flow that can no longer form as the Earth has cooled to much over the past several billion years. The rock hosts a fantastic apple green and exceptionally rare nickel carbonate mineral called gaspeite. This gaspeite formed at the Earths surface through fluid enrichment processes, concentrating nickel from within the komatiite. Not sure how old the gaspeite is, but its certainly not young. This fantastically coloured mineral is only really known from Gaspe in Canada and Widgiemooltha in Western Australia where this lump is from] ‘Brandy’ cask running scores: Port Charlotte CC:01 - 5/5 Balvenie 16 French Oak Pineau Cask Finish - 3.5/5 Arran Rare Batch 17 y/o Calvados - 3.75/5 Starward Cognac Cask - 3.5/5 Glenfiddich Orchcard Experiment Ponoma - 2.75/5 (Glenfiddich 12: 3/5)

Off the heels of six relatively new Tassies, as I finish my road to 200 Distiller whisky tastes I have another Tasmanian Port Cask. Nant has something of a sordid history, and is worth reading about. Corruption and intrigue abound. None the less, I am increasingly enjoying Tasmanian liquids, and a port cask is always a favourite for me. After six months sat on my shelf I finally decided to open and imbibe. N: Rich and luscious. Mulled wine, dark dense Christmas cake, brown sugar, a warming ginger and cinnamon spiced coffee, a hint of savoury pastry and I just about think the lightest of florals. How florals re coming through from the weight of the port is quite impressive. P: Soft, velvety and warming. Rich dark chocolate and coffee, honeyed barley sugar, slightly sweet ginger. Lip smacking stuff here. Malt develops further as banana and butter, red fruits push back on top. F: Surprisingly short. Juicy and fresh, red fruits and warm spices. A dash of water awakens a bouquet of florals on the nose. Wow, that’s a huge development. The shift from deep and dark to light and airy is marvellous. The down side; that same transformative water on the nose has decimated the palate and the finish is now non existent. That nose though! The difficulty of choice: drink or dash and sniff?! I like port casks, I really do. Last nights Tawny cask I gave a 4.5/5. This one, I think I enjoy more, there’s more to discover, but it’s not as good if I’m objective. The finish is a bit pants, and the best part of the nose needs a dash of water that kills the development of the palate. Even sadder, in my notes I had this down as AUD$122.50… it’s now AUD$174.99. It’s 500 ml too. Distiller whisky taste #197 [Pictured here with a 200 million year old “New Red Sandstone”. The NRS is a major rock unit comprised of sandstones, mudstones and evaporite beds deposited from the Permian (280 Ma) to the end Triassic (200 Ma) in a hot, arid environment like a desert or sabkha (a hot, evaporitic mud flat) that extended across what is now Scotland through to the southwest of England. This example of NRS is ~200 Ma from Penrith, Cumbria in the English Lake District]

, we have arrived. The end of another series. Another variable showing from an emerging Tasmanian heavyweight. We finish tonight on a Tawny (Australian Port) cask. I am of the opinion that port casks are typically good, if not just for the fact they can mask bad spirit. But, none the less, I am typically a port cask enthusiast and score them quite well, they just feel decadent to me. Anyway this final Hobart expression is a eparture from Hobart’s usual Bourbon and Fortified cask recipe. Here, the spirit was matured in a pair of 100 litre Tawny casks for three years before being transferred and finished for just under two years in a fresh 225 litre Tawny Port cask. The expression I’m drinking another hefty cask strength as 58.9% ABV. N: Decadent richness. Thick with brown sugar, plums, gentle allspice and some leather. Gentle barely comes through from underneath and pear/apple sweetness lifts things just enough to keep the balance en pointe. P: Yep, here we go: balance of a decadent silky mouthfeel and rich flavour profile. Deep toasted oak spice, leather, tobacco, bitter tannins. Orange zest savoury malt and a hint of menthol freshness. Sticky date pudding and mocha. F: Medium-long. Satisfying burnt sugar and molasses. Slight hint of bitter espresso, sweet cherry or plum. With no notion of high proof burn I was tempted to finish this without water, but to keep in check with the five before it, I dropped in a dash of water to the Tawny. It really doesn’t seem to do much, it pricks up the palate and draws the crisp apple/pear sweetness from the nose through to the palate and lengthens the palate into a dark chocolate-caramel. It doesn’t need it though. Where Port casks can draw criticism for being too dominant and masking low quality production or bad spirit here there is compliment not masking. The malt is just sufficient to get a show in as a supporting cast member, showing through in the sugary notes and an underlying malty presence that is ever present. Hobart has been intriguing and reaffirms my desire to visit the strange almost operate country to the great southern land I live on. The signature batch conveys a basic character built off of a desire to please the masses with consistency. The cask finishes though are where Hobart spirit apparently shines. I’m not sure I could recognise any one of these as related, suggesting they are beneficiaries of good wood choices,, and whilst the unfinished Muscat is slightly above middling at best, the sheer complexity of the Botrytis and depths of gooey goodness present in the Tawny, let alone the precise nature of the Chardonnay cask make this a brilliant one to watch. If only, if only Australia could chill the heck out on alcohol tax and allow 700 ml bottles to be affordable, then I would be stocking my overflow shelves with Hobart nectar. Slainte. Distiller whisky taste: #196 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5 Pinot Noir Cask: 3/5 Chardonnay Cask Finish: 4/5 Tawny Cask: 4.5/5

Number five for Hobart this evening and another as of yet unreleased finish. This one, Chardonnay finish. Apparently this is due to release later this year and that is the entire limit of what I know as I dive into this with an air of ignorance and a growing feeling of inebriation! N: Light and herbal/floral. Plenty of grassy and hay-bale notes lead the way. A slight oat and apple skins. I think there is some barrel char maybe, perhaps this is the ‘raw’ element that came with the label for this unfinished liquid. The malt is toasty and errs towards a milk bread type softness. I quite like the simplicity, it feels refined rather than basic. P: Big and bold there is plenty of bright fresh maltiness, green grassiness and sweet peach. A juicy texture with more toasted notes and a vanilla caramel comes creeping in the back end. The barrel spice is a little strong delivering waves of pepper and perhaps some chilli heat. A little raw I think, but I don’t mind it. F: Long. Butter and milk, milk and butter. White grapes and honeydew melon with oak and a spicy lift. A dash of water and things meld into a buttery white grape rich malty and silky liquid. Everything rough and raw is tamed but the trade off is a unifying meld rather than an amplification. Unique notes become slightly muted, but not in a subtractive way. The caramel extends to the finish and the spice calms. Again, as for the unfinished Muscat finish, there is possibly something really enjoyable waiting to hit the shelves. It has me excited for another chardonnay cask I have in on my samples shelf to enjoy in a month or two. I’m thinking that all the accolades Hobart whisky have won might be deserved, there is something special going on here. Distiller whisky taste: #195 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5 Pinot Noir Cask: 3/5 Chardonnay Cask Finish: 4/5

Number four in the Hobart series. I believe this whisky was bestowed with the tile of ‘Australia’s best whisky’. But this time around it has spent its entire life in a French oak Tasmanian Pinot Noir cask. I’ll start by saying, the colour is fantastic. A beautiful amber to burnt copper; it looks enticing and wonderfully rich. N: Crisp, but also musty and dark. Stewed dark fruits, bitter baking chocolate, something of an undercurrent of bakery spice and pastry but a more mature leathery and wood spice profile takes over. Over time, a little non-distinct. Hides is massive 62.3% ABV completely. P: Rich and tannic. Creamy with butterscotch and unripe green fruits (mango?). Blueberry and malt is a pleasant surprise. There is a vibrant and juicy citrus spritz that cuts through the richness before turning tannic and well spiced with plenty of oak. F: Medium. Bitter chocolate, a little coffee and some late malt presence. A drop of water unleashes a chocolate powerhouse with a slight sourness that lifts everything to a new level. I’m conflicted. In someways this is dull and uninspiring for such a behemoth ABV. Yet there are some curious characters working away, blueberry malt? Yes, more please, there isn’t nearly enough of that. The sour touches of green fruits and citrus lift are great, but they don’t pull their weight; everything stays dark and heavy. I suspect this is a case where the profile doesn’t fit well with my palate. I say (type) this reflecting on my relatively low (2.5/5) rating of another Tasmanian Pinot Noir casking (Hellyers Road, Distiller taste #69), my complaint there: forgeability. My complaint now, the best bits are forgettable under a weight of duskiness. Distiller whisky taste: #194 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5 Pinot Noir Cask: 3/5

Hobart number three. Here we have a three year ex-bourbon cask whisky finished in Tasmanian Botrytis casks for two and a half years. Hobart claim that this produces a rich foundation of sweetness and character with an infusion of intriguing florals and delicate riesling-esque tropical fruit. But wait, theres more… another six months back in American oak ex-bourbon to allow ‘the flavours to harmonise and reach their full potential’. Let’s find out. N: A heady bouquet meets me. Florals are everywhere, like walking through a meadow in bloom. The ABV is 52.2% and yet, I don’t know I’m nosing a cask strength whisky. Everything that follows is in equal measure: cereal, vanilla, raisin, bakery spices. I don’t get the riesling wine suggestion but I do get a little treacle, dry leafiness and a leathery citrus. One of the most complex things I’ve nosed. P: Sweet and wood-spice rich arrival. Earthy vanilla, porridge, creamy toffee. Sweet candied berries, some sherbet fizz (nothing like the previous Muscat finish though), almost a rye type spice profile, and a vegetal funkiness that adds a savoury depth. There is more here I suspect, its complex, and I’m not ashamed to admit it is likely beyond me to fully understand. Just picked up some fresh white peach too. F: Medium. Gentle and delicate pepper, Christmas mince pies, mocha. A little black tea bitterness. Wow. This is an ‘adult’ whisky if ever there were one, there are as many tasting notes to uncover here as whiskies there are to drink. The complexity is astounding and to be honest a little overwhelming. I don’t know if that is good or bad, but its one hell of an experience that much is sure. Both gentle and delicate it is also powerful and forthright. Water is a bad choice though, and makes things somewhat sticky and soapy and makes the nose a little sickly. Apparently this was released on the virtual this evening. I think even at the likely borderline AUD$200 price tag and 500 ml bottle that will be available, I’m going to need to get one. highly recommend this beguiling temptress even if the wood spice can at times come through a little heavy. Distiller whisky taste: #193 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5 Botrytis Cask Finish: 4.5/5

Number two for Hobart this evening this time an as of yet unreleased Muscat finish. Matured in ex-bourbon American oak this whisky is still finishing in a 500 litre Muscat butt. I think this will be my first ever tasting of an unreleased whisky. The only notes that came with this are that it has not been through any pre-bottling treatment and may have some char present that would be separated before bottling. In any case, Muscat is quite a popular choice for Tasmanian juice and I am excited going in. N: Quite dark and heavy, there is a mustiness to this that brings a slight leathery and dusty mahogany feel. Perhaps a little clove and pepper which ring of wood spice. The malt presence is gristy and grainy and projects a slightly rough youthfulness. Underneath this heavy brooding nose is though, something a little brighter and perhaps fruity. P: Oh dear. Recently I tried New Zealand’s new Pokeno whisky, and there was this fizzy carbonation to it. Wow is that even more present here. This is like a sherbet assault. There is an initial juicy fruit texture but it is smacked out the way by fizz, more fizz, and even more fizz. Underneath that is a glimmer of plum, raisin and maybe cherry. A dark chocolate and pepper is there if you search. F: Medium-Long. Mocha bitterness, raisins, heavy dark wood spice with a quite dry astringency. A dash of water, I thought might showcase the palate slightly and tame the fizz. I was wrong. I just sneezed. Damn. I think there is a potentially exciting whisky finishing in a 500 L barrel in Hobart right now, but it’s not there yet. It’s difficult to really criticise or applaud something that isn’t in its final form, I don’t know enough to know where this is headed, what it still has to go, or what the intention is. What I can see, is that there is a huge potential here for a darkly complex and robust Tasmanian single malt with depth of character that could excite. But, and it’s a big but, a 500 l butt; the fizz must be tamed. Also, Distiller app team please let us edit listings; i just realised I entered this as “mart” whisky. 🤦‍♂️ Distiller whisky taste: #192 Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5 Muscat Cask Finish: 2.75/5

I was supposed to be sitting on a virtual tour of Hobart distillery tonight and sampling six of their current and as of yet unreleased offerings. Sadly life happened and I’ve missed the virtual. But, lets see what this amateur can do with these six. Situated in Hobart, Tasmania this family owned independent distillery was founded in 2014 and started producing in 2015. The distillery has been flying under the radar for quite a while now whilst creating enough stock to supply the high demand the market is throwing at them. The common theme for all Tasmanian whisky. Initially released as single cask runs the distillery is now concentrating on more consistent offerings. The distillery production is all performed in-house and maturation is predominantly in American oak ex-bourbon casks sourced from the United States. Whilst Apera (Australian Sherry) and Fortified wine barrels are more commonly used in the Australian industry Hobart whisky uses the ex-bourbon barrels for initial maturation and then if required applies a finish of another barrel type to create a range of whisky that they claim is unlike any other in Australia. Hobart Signature is a marriage of small carefully selected American oak ex-bourbon casks. The idea behind the ‘signature release’ is to make a whisky which is consistently produced to the same flavour profile each time. A whisky that is intended to represent the distillery for many years to come. N: A lovely autumnal feel of warm apple turnovers, really subtle cinnamon, honied malt and butter-creamy custard. The cinnamon spice turns slightly more woody over time. P: Juicy mouthfeel packed with oaky malt, almond, and vanilla cream soda. This is brilliantly clean almost to a fault, the texture is so simple its almost like a fresh cold water but there is a pleasant buzz from the oak spice. Eminently quaffable, albeit dreadfully simple. F: Surprisingly long. Creamy oak spice and some desiccated lemon. There is also the starting of a pecan pie and maple syrup development that begins to permeate the nose and palate also. A touch of water develops some vanilla on the nose but it also amped up the wood spice in the palate in equal measure to the nuttiness. The finish takes a slightly younger and grainy texture. I think this was bad to start with coming off the back of a run of somewhat lacklustre Speyside liquids. I have enjoyed the characters and individualities of the Tasman whiskies I have tried to date. I fear that in making something repeatable and accessible Hobart have stripped away some of the best parts of this [could be] lovely whisky. If the maple syrup pecan could ramp up, this would be a whisky to behold for its absolute drinkability. Price doesn’t affect score, but at $160 this simply isn’t worth the price. Note that prices are for 500 ml bottle. Distiller whisky taste: #191 [No rocks, do not have the energy for thinking about six captions in one sitting this evening]. Hobart distillery running scores Signature Batch (#14): 2.75/5

Chapter One introduced the The Ghost Piper of Clanyard Bay with the ‘Clanyard town’ themed release of Cool Ila. Chapter Two focuses on the Folk of Clanyard with a Linkwood 12. Chapter Three looks to the Moon with Dailuaine 11. Chapter Four is about ‘the Bay’ with a Benrinnes 12 year old. Now, Chapter Five the last in my Fable exploration (there are though six more). This chapter is about the hound, expressed through yet another speysider: Maccochmore. “The cave was left untouched until, one day, an old piper appeared, accompanied by a faithful, shaggy hound. The piper was surely the finest in the land.” Chapter Five has seen 18 releases going back to distillate produced in 2008 through to 2012. All are Maccochmore distillates matured in ex-bourbon refill hogsheads and released as single cask expressions at cask strength. The different releases range from 180-308 bottles each and have different global markets. This evening I am drinking the 5th release (cask number 13783) distilled 15/10/2008 and aged 12 years. 213 bottles were filled at 60.1% on 27/07/2021 and released to the Australian, Danish, and Filippino markets. N: A little rough but with some character. Hard pear cider, grassy and soft herbs, touch of honey toast, and maybe a fruit tea or tisane type bitterness that I suspect is wood presence but it also delivers a strawberry-esque lift. Woody-musty dry malt begins to dominate with time in glass and progressive nosing. P: Alright, alright! Oily to dryly weighty body. Pear and mango jump out and take the lead with a fruity and bright arrival backed by a buttery and tannic wood presence. More of that fruit tea from the nose but with less bitterness, a strawberry and cream lightness to it too. Plenty of malt but its not the main player and its joined by a walnut and just faintest presence of leather and cherry. F: Medium. Slightly oily finish, wood spice is sufficient to hold interest but not overpower. Brilliant honey splash backed by some mashed banana. Chapter five coming in clutch. The series is saved, and apparently my opinion of Speyside also. Look, I’m probably not even close to being in a position to criticise anyones craft not even 200 considered drams into my whisky journey. But, Fable did not deliver on the promise of enigmatic storytelling… until here. This is good sauce. Not great, there are some less than perfect balancing issues with the wood but thats ok. Just like the pipers hound, this could be a faithful and reliable addition to the cabinet (if it weren’t for the prohibitive pricing). Really though, with so much going on, so much vying for attention, there is a lot to consider and unpack, so perhaps the price is worth it for the finest piper in the land, well; their hound at least. Distiller whisky taste: #190 No rock picture for this Fable, just the bottle art. Check out the full story on my Chapter One and Chapter Two tastes. Fable running scores: Chapter 1 - Caol Ila 10, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 2 - Linkwood 12, 2010: 2.5/5 Chapter 3 - Dailuaine 11, 2010: 2.75/5 Chapter 4 - Benrinnes 12, 2009: 2.5/5 Chapter 5 - Mannochmore 12, 2008: 4/5