Hellyers Road Double Cask

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #17 Nose: Malt, musky vanilla, toast, stewed fruits. Palate: Somewhat hard and spicy malt-centred arrival, with the development showing chocolate, porridge and ginger spices. The texture is OK. Finish: Medium/Short. Cereal, walnut skins. This is a quick-hit review of the only Hellyers Road product I tasted at the show. Double-Cask is a part of their new core range and the bottle design and livery have been revised as part of the brand makeover. Hellyers Road ran their first spirit in 1999 which makes them part of the original generation of Australian artisan distilleries, but even then they were one of the largest operations. They have been operating for long enough that a 19 year old release is also part of the new core range, but sadly that was not available for tasting at the show. I’ve always found their whisky to be inconsistent. The NAS expressions usually leave me unimpressed, as do some of the age statements, but they have had occasional flashes of excellence like the old 15 year Original and some of the vintage statement special releases. As for this new range, I need a lot more time to try them and decide, but to be honest this NAS “Double Cask” (it is definitely 5+ years old but is branded as a NAS) did not impress me. I assume it is positioned as the replacement for the NAS "Original" expression from the previous core range, and that one never did much for me either. “Average” : 78/100 (2.75 stars)