Hellyers Road Original Cream Liqueur

Appearance: Opaque saffron/beige with the faintest of pink hues. It’s more like milky coffee than milky chocolate in appearance. Aroma: Vanilla, nougat, chocolate, caramel, digestive biscuits, and a very light suggestion of whisky. Flavour and Texture: Malt, nutty nougat, a little white chocolate. Whisky is slightly detectable but even more so is neutral alcohol. There is a definite coconut presence that gains prominence over time. The texture is very thick and creamy, with an oily quality. Hellyers Road is a quiet achiever in the Australian whisky scene. They don’t get the sort of attention the press lavishes on other Tasmanian distilleries but since 2001 they have produced a range of good single malt whiskies that has been improving steadily over time. This cream liqueur appeared a few years ago and it has been sufficiently popular to remain a core product (there are also coffee and hazelnut variants). It is, as you would probably expect, rather like Bailey’s Irish Cream and the host of other creamy whisky liqueurs that are available. There is one particular characteristic that makes this a little different, however. It is not specifically listed in any of the press notices that mention ingredients, but I would bet anything this has coconut cream in it. The coconut aroma and flavour are subtle but quite apparent (although certainly not overwhelming) and the mouthfeel is thick, oily and slightly “particulate” – rather like almond milk or coconut milk. It is pleasant and rich but not quite good enough to describe as more than average. I'd be interested to try the hazelnut version some time. “Average” : 78/100 (2.75 stars)