Hobart Single Malt Whisky Tawny Cask

, we have arrived. The end of another series. Another variable showing from an emerging Tasmanian heavyweight. We finish tonight on a Tawny (Australian Port) cask. I am of the opinion that port casks are typically good, if not just for the fact they can mask bad spirit. But, none the less, I am typically a port cask enthusiast and score them quite well, they just feel decadent to me. Anyway this final Hobart expression is a eparture from Hobart’s usual Bourbon and Fortified cask recipe. Here, the spirit was matured in a pair of 100 litre Tawny casks for three years before being transferred and finished for just under two years in a fresh 225 litre Tawny Port cask. The expression I’m drinking another hefty cask strength as 58.9% ABV. N: Decadent richness. Thick with brown sugar, plums, gentle allspice and some leather. Gentle barely comes through from underneath and pear/apple sweetness lifts things just enough to keep the balance en pointe. P: Yep, here we go: balance of a decadent silky mouthfeel and rich flavour profile. Deep toasted oak spice, leather, tobacco, bitter tannins. Orange zest savoury malt and a hint of menthol freshness. Sticky date pudding and mocha. F: Medium-long. Satisfying burnt sugar and molasses. Slight hint of bitter espresso, sweet cherry or plum. With no notion of high proof burn I was tempted to finish this without water, but to keep in check with the five before it, I dropped in a dash of water to the Tawny. It really doesn’t seem to do much, it pricks up the palate and draws the crisp apple/pear sweetness from the nose through to the palate and lengthens the palate into a dark chocolate-caramel. It doesn’t need it though. Where Port casks can draw criticism for being too dominant and masking low quality production or bad spirit here there is compliment not masking. The malt is just sufficient to get a show in as a supporting cast member, showing through in the sugary notes and an underlying malty presence that is ever present. Hobart has been intriguing and reaffirms my desire to visit the strange almost operate country to the great southern land I live on. The signature batch conveys a basic character built off of a desire to please the masses with consistency. The cask finishes though are where Hobart spirit apparently shines. I’m not sure I could recognise any one of these as related, suggesting they are beneficiaries of good wood choices,, and whilst the unfinished Muscat is slightly above middling at best, the sheer complexity of the Botrytis and depths of gooey goodness present in the Tawny, let alone the precise nature of the Chardonnay cask make this a brilliant one to watch. If only, if only Australia could chill the heck out on alcohol tax and allow 700 ml bottles to be affordable, then I would be stocking my overflow shelves with Hobart nectar. Slainte. Distiller whisky taste: #196 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 Chardonnay Cask Finish: 4/5 Tawny Cask: 4.5/5