Sawyers Bay Unpeated Double Oak (UD02)

I probably should have started my Furneaux series here, the unpeated offerings; alas. Sawyers Bay is the product line dedicated to Furneaux unpeated expressions. Like the Flinders Island range, Sawyers Bay are 100% Tasmanian barely (pilsner malt) distilled in copper pot stills on Flinders Island. Supposedly the unseated expressions should highlight the smooth and sweet malt profile. (I hate the use of the word smooth, I’m annoyed already). The unseated expressions are expected to be one offs, with different casks at different times but a core theme that remains the same. In the glass now I have the Unseated Double Oak, UD02. This liquid was created from spirit matured for 3.5 years in two 100 l single casks blended post maturation; one French Oak ex Apera, and one American Oak ex-Bourbon (Heaven Hill). Only just released on the 26th of April 2024, 380 bottles were filled at 46.6% ABV. N: Bright, fresh, vibrant. Plenty of caramel and sweet candy. Juicy strawberries, honied malt, and a little clove spice. Sadly though, there is quite a bit of youth that comes across as slightly acrid baby vomit and raw spirit. P: Light and with a little oily-viscosity. Again, following the nose this is bright and juicy. The spices are warm, mouth filling and speak of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Bright orange spritzes and strawberries and cream are front runners that blend quite well with brown sugar, a hint of chocolate and runny caramel. The profile is simple and expected but what is not expected is the mouth watering juiciness and slightly odd sherbet sensation that is fizzing at the edges of my tongue. F: Medium. A little astringent tannin, toasty malt, buttery-oak, orange juice and more red berry. This one was a quick and simple flash in the pan. A little rough around the edges (almost literally) but simple well delivered and clean flavours. Knock of the whiffs of ethanol youth and bring the ex-Bourbon vanillins and toasty malt characters forward and this would be a well balanced, and very expensive, dram. Distiller whisky taste #277 [Pictured here with a chunk of quartzite from Cradle Mountain in the northwest of the Tasmanian mainland. This rock was formed from the massive dolerite intrusions that form pretty much 3/4 of Tasmania pushing up through Cambrian (~500 million year old) sediments during the Jurassic and heating them, and recrystallising them into a hard metamorphic rock]. Furneaux Distillery Running Scores Flinders Island Peated American Oak Ex-Bourbon: 3.5/5 Flinders Island Peated Double Cask: 3.25/5 Sawyers Bay Unpeated Double Oak: 2.75/5