Amber Lane Destiny

Amber Lane tasting at The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 8 June 2022. Whisky #3 Nose: Sherry, plums, over-ripe figs, vanilla, honey, cognac, red berry coulis. A rich and heavy nose. A dash of water lightens it a little, but does not change the balance. Palate: A big arrival with glazed fig tart drenched in brandy butter. The development sees further big flavours arrive (black cherry jam, chocolate sauce, preserved stem ginger in syrup). The ginger note gains heat and spice with time and the texture is mouth-coating. A good dash of water tones down the intensity of palate. Finish: Medium. Spicy, chocolate covered preserved fruits. Amber Lane is a young distillery located in the Yarramalong Valley of New South Wales, mid way between Sydney and Newcastle. The distillery was founded by Rod Berry and Phil Townsend in 2017 and has had its first festival and event tastings this year. Destiny is the distillery’s first “official” release (Amberosia and Liquid Amber being preliminary expressions). It is a full-bodied whisky that is similar in construction to Liquid Amber, being composed from a combination of ex-Heaven Hill bourbon casks, Australian ex-apera (ie local sherry) casks and ex-Spanish PX solera casks from Fernando de Castilla. However the PX and apera components make up a greater proportion (38%) of this expression and the alcohol content is slightly higher at 50.6% abv. This combination does give it an intense profile that borders on being too spicy hot, but the saving grace is that this whisky not only takes water well, it actively loves dilution. Adding a teaspoon to the dram made it bloom immediately with released aromas you could detect from arm’s length. Like all Amber Lane whiskies it was matured for 4 years, which is twice as long as most Australian whisky. I enjoyed this whisky and it was the favourite of the night for many people at the tasting. It and Liquid Amber are equivalent stablemates in my opinion, each showing a different but equal facet of the Amber Lane house style. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)