Hobart Single Malt Tasmanian Pinot Noir Cask

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