Belgrove Hopped Malt Whisky

Nose: Elderflower, chamomile, honeysuckle, vanilla, eau-de-Cologne. An intensely floral nose with beery undertones. Palate: The arrival is equally floral and hoppy with malty herbal flavours. There is not much development apart from some cereal flavours reminiscent of white-bread toast and a little malt extract. The texture is full-bodied. Finish: Medium/long. Fruity, floral and malty. An interesting experiment but after the very good 100% rye whisky and the even better 100% rye cask-strength expression I found this a bit weird and unsatisfying. I’m not at all a fan of hopped whisky, having tried several such drams now, and this came across as little more than a curiosity. It was diverting to try on the day but I had no impulse to buy a bottle. This was created from several combined batches of IPA made by Tasmanian micro-breweries that were distilled and matured at Belgrove distillery. It says on the distillery website that “the beers were not up to their normal standards and would have gone down the drain if they had not been rescued”. The distillate may have been crafted in pursuit of a philosophy of zero-waste and self-sufficiency, which is all well and good, but that does not guarantee a great whisky. This expression was bottled on the 11th of February 2021 but there was also a 61.7% version two years earlier. I don't know whether they were entirely separate products or if this current expression is a diluted, more mature version of the first one. Tasted at the Sydney Whisky Show, 15 May 2021, my tasting #22 of the day. “Average” : 75/100 (2.5 stars)