Morris Signature

Beautiful sweetness, really relaxed and easy drinking whisky. No smoke or saltiness to it. Very smooth.

Nose: Malt, leather, sherry, golden syrup, vanilla, caramel, dark dried fruits, roasted nuts, orange peel, over-brewed black tea, blackstrap molasses, liquorice. An intense (maybe over-intense?) nose with a definite sulphur note. The dry-glass aroma is earthy leather. There is something funky and rum-like about this, and also a suggestion of brandy. As the level in the bottle drops the nose veers towards a less heavy and syrup-dominated profile. Palate: Sweet, malty arrival with hints of oak very prevalent and the sulphur stain is again noticed, but less so than on the nose. When first opened it was all syrup, toffee and fortified wine but as it has oxidised the development has become dry. Dark fruits, red berries, tinned peaches, Christmas pudding (almost burnt), dark chocolate, treacle, kirschwasser and a tiny hint of char. The texture is dense and heavy. Finish: Medium/long. Malty, grapey cereal with a tang of spice and a hint of char and faint rubber in the aftertaste. This is a *big* whisky but it lacks nuance and there is a flaw in either the distillate or the casks. It was highly anticipated locally but I had not expected such a bludgeon of a whisky. It resembles a rather industrial version of Glenrothes, which is not a compliment. The nose was initially winey and leathery with huge rum and brandy aromas present. These notes have diminished with time (and lowering of the level) and the whisky has become less "busy", but it has undeniable sulphur notes that are not enjoyable. The palate has changed less. Morris of Rutherglen is a highly respected Australian winery that specializes in fortified wines. They have been making prize winning liqueur muscat, tokay, sherry (ahem, apera) and so on since the mid 1800s so these guys know their heavy wines and needless to say they have immediate access to an almost inexhaustible supply of top-quality fortified wine casks. The winery also has a quirky spirits still that dates back to the 1940s. It was originally used to make the spirit for fortifying their wines until it was mothballed about 30 years ago. It’s a weird combination of a pot-still and a big column in the one unit, but it's not actually a column still. Recently it was recommissioned to make barley-spirit and this whisky is one of the initial releases. The same still is used for both wash and spirit distillation. This is being released in big batches, in a 700ml bottle (HOORAY!) and at a very reasonable price. I’m very happy to see a big player winery with street cred get into the whisky business in this country – it can only be good for everyone. However at the moment this is not a particularly good whisky, in fact it’s a bit of a monster and all over the place. Like many other Australian whiskies it is not subtle and tends to pummel you with intense, funky aromas and flavours. At least it's not as overblown as some other recent releases have been (*cough* Archie Rose *cough*). “Average” : 78/100 (2.75 stars)