@cascode That was very informative, thanks a lot for sharing all of these details! Many of these distillery names I have never heard before, but hopefully I will have the possibility to taste more Australian whisky in the future! Next on my list of reviews is Thomson Manuka Wood Smoke from New Zealand, I met the distillery manager last year in Oslo and liked their approach and dedication to produce a singular spirit. I wished I had visited the distillery when I was in Auckland in 2018.

@Slainte-Mhath Australian whisky is highly variable, and I would not say a common character or provenance has evolved yet, although it is beginning to happen and there are certainly some common influences. Bear in mind that this is a big country and we have a wide range of climate conditions. In some places it’s mild and cool, in others hot and dry, and in others temperate but with big temperature and humidity variations. The original distilleries in Tasmania created something like Scottish whisky, but not because that was their aim, more because they learnt to run a distillery by teaching themselves from Scottish manuals. It just ended up that way. As distilleries have emerged in other areas and as knowledge has increased the distillery styles have changed. Sullivan’s Cove was one of the first distilleries so it’s not surprising that you find a Speyside note in their product, and you will get that Speyside/Highland character in most Tasmanian whiskies. Our whisky is also strongly shaped by local market and industry conditions. The barley strains are all food or brewing types, and there are none of the well-known Scottish or Irish strains out here. There is also no peating industry at all, and the yeast available is exclusively brewer’s yeast. Added together these factors lead to a particular style of wash which is more “beery” than Scottish wash. Scottish mash-rooms smell somewhat cidery, ours smell more like breweries with a touch of cider. The generally hot climate with wide temperature variation (even in Tasmania) means that we cannot do long maturation of delicate spirit in most cases, unless it is in air-conditioned spaces or old cellars. The wood character becomes too dominant so 2-5 years is pretty common. This tends to lend itself to working with a more robust distillate so rye, wheat and other grains are increasingly being used. Our laws are much more relaxed than in Scotland or the U.S. and we have no legal distinction between blends, single-malts etc. Distilleries usually say that a whisky is a single-malt if that is in fact the case, but they are not obliged to do so. They can also use any cereal so an Australian single-malt whisky could conceivably contain malted barley, rye, wheat and corn. In practice, however, and by general agreement a “single-malt” here does mean just malted barley. We can also mature in any type of wood. Imported 1st fill bourbon or sherry casks are very expensive here, however 1st fill ex-wine casks, which are almost always coopered locally from American or French oak, are considerably cheaper. Consequently there has been a lot of use of such casks. When an Australian distillery says their whisky is matured in “American oak and finished in French oak” what they are really saying is that maturation was entirely in ex-wine casks, made from different woods. There have been whiskies matured in Jarrah, Ironbark, cherry-wood and mulberry wood, but these are rare. The options are enormous, and our industry is only just starting to look at this area. I think we will eventually see the predominance of a hybrid whisky style using several grain types and longer wine-cask maturation, because the distillate will take it and because we are about to have a flood of local refill casks available. Think something like a big, fruity American rye that has mellowed by long ageing in second or third-fill ex-red wine and sherry. That type of profile is certainly what a number of the younger distilleries are starting to explore.

@Slainte-Mhath These are the Australian distilleries that I know well, have visited, and have sampled frequently: Starward (https://starward.com.au) is affordable and worth a try, but I wouldn’t want to oversell it. It’s capable stuff and has been improving in quality since the distillery moved and installed new equipment, but you are looking at the often encountered Australian “young-NAS-with-a-red wine-finish” profile. Their philosophy is consciously aimed at volume and affordability. Archie Rose (https://archierose.com.au) is one to look out for – they are doing some very interesting things and are trying to develop something uniquely Australian. Their hybrid Malted Rye and Single Malt whiskies are very good. Fleurieu (https://fleurieudistillery.com.au) is one of my favourite distilleries. Along with Overeem (https://overeemwhisky.com) and Chief’s Son (https://www.chiefsson.com.au) they also often show that sherried-Speyside character that Sullivan’s Cove displays. Belgrove (https://belgrovedistillery.com.au) is one of the oldest Tasmanian distilleries and Peter Bignell, the owner and head distiller, has a passion for rye. They are arguably creating the best rye spirit in Australia and have done so for a while now. The Gospel (https://www.thegospelwhiskey.com) is a relative newcomer also specialising exclusively in rye whisky. Hellyers Road (https://hellyersroaddistillery.com.au) produce some of the oldest age expressions in Australia and bear a similarity to some French whiskies with a very "crisp" cereal quality. Their 15 year old Original Single Malt is excellent. Bakery Hill (https://bakeryhill.com) are similar in profile to Hellyer's Road, but instead of age statements they go for NAS single-cask cask-strength releases. McHenry (https://mchenrydistillery.com.au) produce just one single-malt, a 5 year old that is highland-scottish in character and very good [They also make the best gin I've ever tasted]. Lark (https://larkdistillery.com) is the oldest Australian distillery and produces a style that is like a highland whisky but with sweeter notes. Finally, Black Gate (https://www.blackgatedistillery.com) which is so small it makes Daftmill look huge, but they are producing one of the finest lightly sherried peaty whiskies I’ve tasted, and it is quite unlike anything else. There’s also: Shene Estate (https://www.shene.com.au) has been getting very good local reviews but I have not tasted anything from them – I believe they are going for a full-bodied style inspired by Irish whiskey. Chief’s Son (https://www.chiefsson.com.au/) is another well-reviewed newcomer that I have not sampled as yet.

Very interesting strategy @Slainte-Mhath . I have to agree that a single tasting usually produces an imprecise result, especially if it's in a bar/restaurant rather than a controlled environment. Usually I just revisit something later (if possible) if I think it might be worth a bottle or I might have gotten a non-representative experience and just accept that some of my tastings will be off-base. I admire your commitment to providing sound data :)

@cascode I forgot to ask how you would describe the character or 'provenance' of Australian whisky? Sulliavans Cove Double Cask was an OK whisky to drink, but in a blind tasting I would have taken it for a Speysider (which usually doesn't cost 200€ per bottle).

@ContemplativeFox Samples can be very helpful to taste a lot of whiskies without breaking the bank. However, I never judge an expression based on a single taste, so I always buy 2-3 miniatures of each malt to make sure I really get to know it before writing my review.

@cascode Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Not that much Australian whisky was available in Europe, but what would you actually recommend to try?

I'm disappointed to hear that Sullivan's has gotten so expensive that it makes the rest of the Australian distilleries look reasonable @cascode . That seems like it takes some effort.

It's all about the samples @Slainte-Mhath I'd have been out of money (and space) if I'd been buying full bottles of everything I've tried.

Among Australian whisky enthusiasts this is considered the least interesting Sullivan's Cove expression by a country mile, and also one of the least interesting contemporary Australian whiskies, full stop. It is produced as a money-cow - an "affordable" (LOL) expression to sell to tourists at the distillery door. I defend most of our local distilleries for their need to charge comparatively high prices, but to be honest most of us over here are abandoning this distillery. If only the occasional release of the cask-strength bourbon cask expression was not so damn GOOD!

@PBMichiganWolverine @ContemplativeFox Fortunately, I paid only 9 € for each of the sample bottles (bought three). Didn't regret it for the experience, but after my encounter with the French oak in this expression, I wouldn't bother to even try their French oak single cask.

I'd heard good things about Sullivans Cove off and on. I'm disappointed to read here that it's just above average and costs an exorbitant amount. Glad to know I don't need to go hunting for this one though.

@Slainte-Mhath and that was when i paid maybe $60-70. At these prices today, I’d be furious

@PBMichiganWolverine I just saw your old review, sounds like you were not overly excited about this expression as well.

@Slainte-Mhath totally agree...this was about $60-70 about 6-7 yrs ago, but at these prices now, just not worth it

Additional comment: In my opinion, this Tasmanian malt has several flaws: 1. the low bottling strength of 40% ABV; 2. a price tag of about 200-300€ per bottle (if you can even find it); 3. the backlabel of the bottle states it is a 'brilliantly balanced expression' - that, however, is a bold claim, as the French oak is quite overpowering; 4. in a blind tasting, I would have taken this Sullivans Cove for a Speysider - where is the Tasmanian identity? Ralfy mentioned characteristic 'earthy/clay notes' as the distinct feature, not something I could pick up in my tasting. With that being said, it is a very solid dram, but compared to Japanese whiskies, I do not think that the price tag is justified in any way.

Additional information: My review is based on several 4 cl miniatures bottled by La Maison du Whisky (Whisky In Tube). I would not consider buying a full 70 cl bottle at current prices, it's just not worth it.