Hello, whisky.

It’s said that the art of distillation has its roots back in the time of the ancient Babylonians. Evidence of distillation activity as far back as 2000 BC suggests humans have been on the drink for ages. These were crude spirits though, and it was not until thousands of years later, in the 15th Century, that this art would eventually bubble away in Scotland and Ireland and lead to a new spirit known as whisky. In these regions, barley was a readily available resource, and as a result barley based spirits (i.e. malt whisky) flourished.

Whisky distilling know-how soon spread to the new world. White settlers in America started to distill whisky using old methods. But the warmer American climate tended to favour other cereals like corn and rye. Naturally, distillers used whatever they could get their hands on, and so Bourbon whiskies (mostly corn based) and rye whiskies (obviously rye based) emerged as distinctive regional styles.

Whisky, meet Australia.

The modern era of Australian whisky began in the 1990’s when Bill Lark (of Lark Distillery in Tasmania) successfully lobbied the government to allow small distilleries to exist in Australia for the first time in more than a hundred years. There were distilleries before this time but most of them, including the infamous Corio Distillery, were in the business of pumping out massive quantities of poor quality product, ultimately tainting the image of Aussie whisky that is only now starting to heal.

The new Australian whisky movement has swung the other way, focussing obsessively on quality, so much so that local whisky is virtually always in high demand and short supply. Many brands, especially those exclusively releasing single cask whiskies, can often be incredibly difficult to find.

But change happens rapidly in a young and exciting industry. An influx of new distilleries being built has resulted in many more casks being squirreled away for ageing. Established distilleries are also slowly moving toward releasing 'house' styles with more supply. We're already starting to see the supply & demand equation tilting, which is great news for whisky lovers.

What's it taste like?

Australian distillers today have the luxury of using a range of ingredients and casks. Cereals can be imported or harvested locally. Peat, if it's used, is generally from local bogs, but we have heard of imported stock. Casks come in a myriad of sizes and 'flavours', with increasing numbers of Aussie distillers using old casks from the various wine regions around Australia. The point is, there are an unlimited number of permutations that each distiller has at their arsenal. Combined with what seems like a keen interest in exploring new techniques, this all means that there isn't yet a ‘typical Aussie whisky’ taste profile. Once again, this is great news for whisky lovers. The diversity in local whisky is truly exciting right now.

This Advent Calendar.

This advent calendar works like just any other, except that instead of lollies and nativity scenes, this one is chock full of premium Australian whisky. Behind every flap is a 30ml dram of the good stuff. Rip it out of its slot and taste a moment in history. Come back to this page to reveal some interesting facts about the liquid you’re sipping and the distillery that made it.

In this edition, after a short three day intro to corn whisky, we'll be focussing in-depth on just a handful of distilleries by tasting a broad range of their drams (rather than just one before moving on). The idea is to showcase the differences in styles and flavour profiles amongst even a single distillery.

To optimise the tasting experience, we recommend enjoying these whiskies in a Glencairn or wine glass. We hope you enjoy the journey as much as we did putting it together!

'Warndurla'

This year we teamed up with Melbourne based digital artist Josh Dykgraaf who's been illustrating since 2012. The 'Warndurla' artwork was made entirely from material shot while revisiting sites of bushfires in Victoria in 2020 and 2021, exploring themes of decay and regrowth.

Check out Josh's other epic artwork here: joshdykgraaf.com

Raymond B Pure Corn Whisky

Hoochery Distillery, WA

Surprise surprise: Hoochery Distillery makes hooch! Founded by the late Raymond Dessert III (also known as ‘Spike’) in 1995, the distillery is the oldest operating distillery in WA. Based in the pristine Kimberley with a plentiful source of fresh rainwater and great growing conditions for sugar cane, the distillery got off to a good start. The Ord Sugar Mill built by CSR in the same year provided the distillery with a cheap ongoing source of molasses to kick start their stock of ageing rum. Sadly, low sugar prices and poor yields forced the mill to close in 2007. With his primary ingredient suddenly gone, Spike shipped over a cane crusher from Colombia and started growing his own cane on the property instead. Now, over a decade later, we’re enjoying the fruits of Spike’s labour and vision.

But wait, aren't we meant to be drinking whisky? Well it turns out that in amongst the hundreds of rum casks that Spike laid down, he also experimented a little with whisky along the way. Raymond B whisky was first around when we started White Possum back in 2014, but due to dwindling stocks it was discontinued a couple of years later.

Fast forward to 2022: Hoochery re-releases the Raymond B. And it's just as good as we remember. This whisky is made using a 100% corn whiskey mash and is entirely paddock to bottle, made using Ord Valley corn grown behind the distillery. The mash is distilled to create a new make spirit then aged in heavily charred oak barrels for at least two years. After a patient couple of years, the spirit is filtered through locally grown and made mahogany charcoal.

Tiger Snake Sour Mash

Great Southern Distilling, WA

Close to 20 years ago, founder Cameron Syme set up a small distilling operation in Albany. This was a time before whisky was really back ‘in’ and certainly before Aussie whiskies became well regarded. Armed with a background in law and accounting, Cameron was well equipped for the commercial side of the business... he just had to learn how to make whisky! Attracted to Albany’s pristine location and access to quality local barley, he boldly set out to try and make the world’s best whisky and incidentally, some of WA’s first single malt. Great Southern Distilling has since become a major player in the Aussie market, with its signature Limeburners whiskies taking out a number of high profile awards.

Inspired by the smooth vanillin-influenced flavours of Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee whiskies, the distillery sought to create the first Australian sour mash whisky.

Sour mashing refers to a process of using some of the old ‘mash’ (ground grain mixed with water) to start the fermentation of the new mash, similar to the way sourdough is made with an old ‘starter’. In this whisky, the distillery has chosen to use a blend of Western Australian grown corn, rye and malted barley in the mash. For all intents and purposes, this is a Bourbon, but unfortunately can’t be called that if produced outside of the US.

The result of all the careful attention is a spicy yet smooth and creamy whisky, with vanilla influences reminiscent of a Bourbon.

Hybrid Whiskey

Twenty Third Street Distillery, SA

Until the turn of the millennium, the buildings and equipment on a substantial block in Renmark were part of a distillery, originally built in 1914 and designed to take advantage of the plethora of local fruit produce and turn it into brandy. But after such a long period of existence, things started to go south and in 2002, all fell silent. Twenty Third Street Distillery was re-born from its ashes in 2016 and has gone on to become one of Australia’s most prominent distilleries, producing spirits from its historical site once more.

Blended in Australia but distilled overseas, this interesting whisky is made by combining barrels of Scotch and Bourbon whisky to create a blend between the two: a Hybrid Whiskey. The Scotch is aged around five years and the Bourbon two years. The blend is then put back into Bourbon barrels for finishing. Technically this isn’t an Australian whisky... or is it? It’s a definition that’s divided opinion amongst whisky enthusiasts.

Upshot

Whipper Snapper Distillery, WA

Whipper Snapper Distillery is a tribute to two World War II veterans who flew fighter jets and drank whisky, although presumably not at the same time. Their shared love of the spirit resulted in one of them running a backyard moonshine distilling operation in Perth after the war. Eventually the recipes and distilling know-how were handed down to Al and Jimmy, the masterminds behind the distillery as it is today. They’ve keen to keep the operation a local affair, with all of the ingredients used to make their products sourced from WA.

Upshot is made in the traditional Bourbon style using a locally sourced mash bill consisting of 80% corn, 10% wheat and 10% malted barley. Every process from mashing to distilling is done in-house under the watchful eye of distiller Jimmy and distillery dog Copper. The spirit that drips out of their custom-built copper continuous still is matured for at least two years in charred, virgin American White Oak barrels. Upshot is a pleasant ‘everyday’ sipping whisky that also works wonders in cocktails such as the Manhattan.

Wheat Whisky

Whipper Snapper Distillery, WA

Today we're staying with Whipper Snapper and looking at a slightly different whisky style they've released more recently. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 4.

A generation in the making, Whipper Snapper's Wheat Whisky began with sourcing the best local wheat. They chose a Red Winter Wheat from the Armstrong and Blight farms near Narrogin in WA. High in protein, this wheat has silky soft, honey rich characteristics. The new make spirit is aged for four years in moderately charred virgin American White Oak barrels and develops flavours of vanilla, maple syrup and caramel.

Upshot PX Sherry Cask

Whipper Snapper Distillery, WA

We're tasting our third whisky in the Whipper Snapper showcase today and looking at a totally different version of Upshot from Day 4. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 4.

Upshot PX Cask bears little resemblance to its original version. It's made from the same new-make spirit, but that's the extent of the similarities between the two. The new-make is aged in ex-Sherry casks sourced from the local family operated MyattsField winery, located in a Perth Hills region which is renowned for producing world-class fortified wines. These particular barrels were previously used to age Pedro Ximenez (PX) and Muscat.

While many traditional single malt whiskies are ‘finished’ in sherry casks for part of their maturation time, Whipper Snapper has decided to age their new-make in these casks for the full four and a half years that they were in oak for.

The result is a bold, delicious blend of sweet syrup, raisins, dark fruits, chocolate, and hints of vanilla notes. Infused in a creamy texture.

Upshot Red Corn

Whipper Snapper Distillery, WA

We're tasting our fourth and final whisky in the Whipper Snapper showcase today, a rare red corn whisky, the only one of it's type in Australia. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 4.

Upshot Red Corn was created to highlight the many different varieties of maize. A rare heirloom variety known as ‘Jimmy Red’ was a favourite amongst southern U.S moonshiners in the early 1900s. Back in 2018 the team sourced this particular variety from the farmer who also grows their yellow corn in Kununurra.

With what started as an experiment, the team found that simply changing the corn type resulted in a significant flavour difference. Compared to the regular Upshot which uses yellow corn, red corn doesn’t carry the heavier vanilla or spice notes. A lighter character carrying new honey, apple, toffee flavours developed with a creamier mouthfeel.

Tasman Whisky Sherry Cask

Ironhouse Distillery, TAS

It's Day 8 and we're moving on to the Apple Isle, home of the modern Aussie spirits renaissance.

Ironhouse Distillery is an add-on project to Ironhouse Brewery which was founded in 2007 in northeastern Tasmania. Named after an old droving hut named 'Iron House' which stood on the distillery's current grounds, Ironhouse Distillery is where head distiller Michael crafts some of the newest Tasmanian whiskies on the market, sold under the 'Tasman' brand. Utilising a hybrid still, the first Tasman whiskies were laid down in 2015.

Tasman Whisky Sherry Cask is a single malt whisky aged for at least five years in a variety of ex-Sherry casks. Some of these casks come from Australian wineries, while some others have made their way over from France. The result is a nose of nectar and dried fruit followed by raisins, citrus and oak on the palate.

A note on ageing. You'll notice that many Tasmanian whiskies have been aged longer than their mainland counterparts. This is predominantly due to the colder and less variable air temperatures resulting in less spirit movement in and out of the wood over time. In many ways, Tasmanian conditions are closer to that of those in Scotland.

Tasman Whisky Pinot Cask

Ironhouse Distillery, TAS

Another nugget from Ironhouse Distillery today, a limited edition Pinot Cask Tasman Whisky. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 8

Remember when we said Ironhouse Distillery had evolved as an adjunct to Ironhouse Brewery? It turns out (and we didn't know this either), that there's also a third business, Ironhouse Vineyard, in the mix. The vineyard happens to make Pinot Noir and it's these ex-Pinot Noir casks that this Tasman Whisky Pinot Cask is finished in.

The main maturation is completed in 100L ex-Port casks sourced from Portugal. These casks are then decanted into 200L ex-Pinot Noir casks from their vineyard to age for just under a year. This is the 'finishing' step and it adds a whole new level of complexity and mouthfeel to the whisky.

Tasman Whisky Port Cask

Ironhouse Distillery, TAS

Today we're stripping back what we tasted yesterday to reveal Ironhouse Distillery's Tasman Whisky Port Cask. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 8.

Tasman Whisky Port Cask is one of the distillery's core expressions. As with the Pinot Cask expression (which is essentially the Port Cask with a Pinot finish), the new-make spirit is matured in 100L ex-Port casks sourced from Portugal. These casks arrive in Australia in a much larger size, but are re-coopered down to the 100L format by the Tasmanian Cask Company, a specialised spirit cask cooperage. There are a few reasons for re-coopering to a smaller size, such as allowing a greater wood to spirit ratio (and hence faster maturation) and providing an opportunity to rework and char some of the otherwise untouched oak.

Tasman Whisky Bourbon Cask

Ironhouse Distillery, TAS

This fourth and final instalment of our Ironhouse Distillery showcase is all about the Bourbon. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 8

It would be amiss not to mention the mutually beneficial relationship between the distillery and brewery. Before the distillery was built, the brewing team considered exporting as an option to make use of their excess production capacity. Michael realised beer wash was essentially whisky wash, so he established the distillery to turn it into new-make spirit. Win-win!

Tasman Whisky Bourbon Cask is another of the distillery's core expressions. This time, the new-make spirit is aged in ex-Makers Mark Bourbon barrels from the US. Bourbon is legally required to be matured in virgin oak casks, so the used casks are no longer useful to Bourbon distilleries. Useless doesn't mean worthless though - an entire industry has sprung out of moving used Bourbon casks to other places in the world where they're used to age a variety of other whiskies, such as this single malt.

900 Standard

Chief's Son Distillery, VIC

The McIntosh family set up a new whisky distillery on the Mornington Peninsula as a nod to their Scottish heritage (McIntosh means 'son of the chief' in Scottish Gaelic). With a vision to becoming a main-stay in the Australian whisky industry, they’ve always had a long-term vision for building up a sustainable stock of aged whisky. To this end, they've been quietly making whisky since 2012, but only launched in 2019. Who said making whisky was easy? Often it involves a big investment that’s only starts to pay off many years down the track.

With only one still, a 4000L copper pot beauty, the distillers at Chief's Son need to climb in and clean it out every time they switch from a wash run (distilling the wash into low wines) to a still run (distilling the low wines into new-make spirit).

900 Standard is Chief Son Distillery's flagship single malt whisky, the 'workhorse' as head distiller Stuart calls it. The new-make spirit is distilled from wash made by the Mornington Peninsula Brewery, then aged in a range of French Oak ex-Apera casks, before being married in a large 4300L vat. Marrying the aged whisky in a much larger vat increases consistency across batches, vital for a whisky seen and promoted as the flagship dram.

Barrel 135

Chief's Son Distillery, VIC

Today we're staying at Chief's Son Distillery and breaking down the previously tasted '900 Standard' to an individual cask level. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 12.

This barrel, internally coded as '17110135' is a 106L French Oak ex-Apera cask that was destined to be emptied into a vat to be turned into the '900 Standard'. We just kind of intercepted it along the way! Distilled in November 2017, the new-make spirit inside this cask was aged for over four years and decanted in June 2022.

Distilleries such as Chief's Son require used casks like this one to be delivered relatively 'fresh' and wet, since dry casks lead to a higher chance of leakage later on and require much more work needed to hydrate them initially. As such, these ex-Apera casks are often delivered with quite a few litres of wine still inside them (the 'dregs' if you like). Stuart showed us a couple of new arrivals when we visited and needless to say, they smelt amazing and the wine inside was super intense!

Barrel 204

Chief's Son Distillery, VIC

Today at Chief's Son Distillery we're showcasing another unreleased single cask, this time with an American Oak flavour. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 12.

This barrel, internally coded as '18110204' is a 220L American Oak ex-Bourbon cask that was destined to be emptied into a vat to be turned into the American Oak expression of the '900 Standard'. A limited expression in itself, we were extra lucky to intercept this one before it got emptied. In fact, the distillery only fills a handful of American Oak casks every year.

You may be getting the hang of the internal coding by now. This cask was filled in November 2018. The spirit was aged over three years and decanted in June 2022.

Single Cask Porter Barrel

Chief's Son Distillery, VIC

Today is our final sampling at Chief's Son Distillery, and what a treat it is. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 12.

This rather special single cask expression started its journey as two consecutively filled casks, coded as 17040085 and 1704008 - filled in April 2017. Both were 106L French Oak ex-Apera casks, the typical ones destined to make '900 Standard'. In early 2020, these two casks were tipped into an ex-Porter cask and left to mature for a further two and a half years. The distillers don't have a set timeframe for finishing casks. Instead, they take regular samples until they feel it's just right. We hope you agree with their timing decision on this one!

Wheat Whisky 3.5YO

Yack Creek Distillery, VIC

If you thought a small town like Yackandandah couldn't possibly have a distillery, let alone two, well you're in a surprise. One of them, Yack Creek Distillery, sits on a plot of bushland with the Yackandandah Creek running through the property right behind the distillery building. The creek is home to the Murray Spiny Crayfish, whose silhouette is fittingly forms the distillery’s logo.

Head distiller and founder Jamie runs two stills; a 1200L copper and glass tower still and a 130L stainless steel column still. These are used to craft rum, whisky, gin and vodka (the latter two being more recent additions). A small orchard on-site supplies some botanicals for their gin.

All of Yack Creek's whiskies are started by mashing grain in a 2000L vat which is then sent to two 1000L open air fermentation tanks. Fermentation is run for between 84 and 108 hours before being transferred to the still.

This Wheat Whisky was made from 55% Victorian wheat and 45% malted barley. It was fermented, double distilled then aged in a 200L ex-Bourbon cask for two years, then transferred to smaller 120L virgin American Oak casks to be finished for an extra year and a half.

Head distiller Jamie provides these tasting notes: Beautiful soft subtle nose of vanilla, dark chocolate caramel overtones. On the palate, a soft mouth feel with very subtle flavors of vanilla, caramel, aniseed, toffee. A dark chocolate pleasant smooth finish.

Rum Finished Malt Whisky 4YO

Yack Creek Distillery, VIC

Our second whisky sampling from Yack Creek Distillery is an interesting style that we haven't seen much of in Australia so far. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 16.

This dram is a single malt whisky, made from a mixture of smoked Australian malted barley and ale malt, that's been aged in ex-Bourbon casks then finished in one of the distillery's own ex-Rum casks (these casks were used to age Yack Creek's blackstrap molasses rum). Prior to ageing rum, these casks were used for maturing red wine. Rum finished whiskies are not all that common in Australia, something we think is a bit of a missed opportunity given how much rum we make as a nation.

Ex-Bourbon Cask Single Malt

Yack Creek Distillery, VIC

Today we try a third whisky from Yack Creek Distillery that's quite different to what we've tried so far. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 16.

This dram has been drawn from a single ex-Bourbon cask filled with single malt whisky, made from an Australian pilsner malt. This particular cask was first used by Buffalo Trace, a favourite amongst fans of Bourbon, before finding its way to Yack Creek. This whisky was left to mature for four years, a relatively long time considering the hot summers experienced in Yackandandah.

Ex-Red Wine Malt Whisky

Yack Creek Distillery, VIC

Our final Yack Creek whisky today and it's a different beast yet again. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 16.

This single malt whisky has been double distilled then filled in a smaller format 80L ex-Red Wine cask. The cask itself was originally made of French Oak, but upon re-coopering the heads (circular ends) were switched out to American Oak and the whole cask was re-charred to open up more fissures in the wood. Re-charring a cask tends to re-activate it and give it a little more life. Specific coopering decisions like these just go to show how many aspects of whisky making are somewhat arbitrary variables, all of them working to turn the process into more of an art than a science!

Jamie's tasting notes: On the nose you immediately get transported to an orchard filled with sweet slightly overripe red apple, along with newly cut orchard trimmings of said red apples. The palate leads with light citrus peel turning into hints of ginger. The charred barrel comes through warming and coating the mouth via a pleasant oily sensation. There's a long finish with timber characteristics along with red wine in the background.

Port Cask

Overeem Distillery, TAS

The signature Overeem whisky brand was founded by Casey Overeem as a hobby in their family home. Casey quips, “many people had micro-distilleries in their cellars and I really admired them, so I started experimenting when I got home”. His distillation techniques and equipment were heavily inspired by traditional Scotch production. The result was a brand which became synonymous with world class whisky at a time when Aussie whisky wasn't yet highly regarded.

The brand was sold to Lark Distilling in 2014 but was bought back by the Overeem family in 2020 and is now run by Casey's daughter Jane, who also runs Sawford Distillery and White Label Distillery. To say whisky runs in her blood would be the understatement of the year.

Overeem whiskies are matured in 100L French or American Oak casks, the vast majority of them ex-Sherry or ex-Port, and matured for a minimum of 5 years. This ex-Port cask is one of their core expressions and has long been a favourite amongst whisky enthusiasts. As with all of Overeem whiskies, this one isn’t chill filtered so you may notice some floc (natural oils which precipitate out of the whisky over time).

Sherry Cask

Overeem Distillery, TAS

Today we explore another core range in the Overeem portfolio. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 20.

This Sherry Cask is made by maturing the spirit for at least five years in 100L French Oak ex-Sherry casks that have been re-coopered and given a heavy char. It's cut back to the 'distiller's strength' of 43% using water from South Wellington.

Head distiller Jane reckons you should look for dark chocolate, caramel, rum and raisin on the nose. On the palate, more chocolate, dark fruits and a little nuttiness. The finish is nutty with stewed apricots lingering.

Muscat Cask

Overeem Distillery, TAS

Today we're thrilled to showcase a recently released limited edition Overeem whisky. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 20.

Muscat Cask was released in mid-2022 to great fanfare. Aged for a total of eight long years in a combination of casks, this really is a treat of a whisky. To make it, the distillers took 20 ex-Port and ex-Sherry casks, each of them 100L in size, that were five to six years of age and transferred them into several 500L ex-Fortified Wine casks. One of those casks was a rather unique ex-Muscat cask from the Barossa Valley.

As the story is told, back in 1985 during the infamous vine pull era of the Barossa, wine industry icon Carl Lindner was insultingly offered $150 per tonne for his premium Shiraz. Instead of agreeing to the price, he decided to process the grapes himself, fortify them with spirit and backfilled a number of old fortified kegs. He then spread these barrels out through numerous sheds to sit dormant until one day he may call upon them. It was 11 years later, when he and two friends gathered up 12 of these barrels that held this 1985 fortified Shiraz, and over the years depleted the stocks until one day, it was decided the balance would form the base of what is today Langmeil’s 25yr old Liquor Tawny.

Overeem Distillery sourced four of these casks directly from the winery in 2018, and although the original origins of these casks are unknown, it is thought that they significantly predate this story, and additionally have held numerous fortified parcels throughout their lives. Some of these casks are still at rest in the distillery's bond stores. This Muscat Cask however, was thoroughly critiqued, and unanimously selected to be bottled.

Ramblings of a Madman #1

Tasmanian Independent Bottlers (TIB), TAS

Established in 2015, Tasmanian Independent Bottlers (TIB) is the brainchild of Tim Duckett, the owner of an environmental consultancy business by day and whisky craftsman by night. Having sat on the board of directors of Lark Distillery (Tasmania's first distillery in 150 years), Tim was constantly tasting all the whisky that the distillery lay down to mature. Realising that the whiskies being aged by Tasmanian distilleries were beginning to develop into high quality drams, in 1999 he set up acclaimed independent bottler Heartwood Malt Whisky and purchased a number of casks from several distilleries, leased a warehouse and left them to mature.

Heartwood is known for its extremely limited bottlings, sometimes only around 100 bottles if a cask has leaked or evaporated aggressively over the years, and releases whiskies at cask strength only. As a result of astute cask selection and in some cases well informed blending of multiple casks, Heartwood whiskies are now some of the most sought after drams amongst whisky connoiseurs and often fiendishly difficult to acquire.

TIB was established to change that. Aimed at a broader market and designed as everyday sipping whiskies, TIB drams are made in the same facility as Heartwood and draw from the same cask 'bank', but are cut back to a more approachable strength, generally hovering around 50% ABV (in contrast to Heartwood which is regularly over 60% ABV and has hit over 70% ABV on occasion).

According to Tim, 5-10% of their barrelled whisky are of a suitable quality to release as single cask single malts. About 50% are suitable as blends and about 40% are not of a suitable quality to release. The 40% of casks are often married together and result in instant improvement and allowed to integrate over time. After this, some of the married whisky is placed into another first fill cask for a second stage of maturation. In the case of 'Ramblings of a Madman', the original (non-performing) casks were ex-Sherry and ex-Port and the finishing cask was a 50 year old first fill ex-Port cask. Bottled March 2022.

Peated Vatted Malt #2

Tasmanian Independent Bottlers (TIB), TAS

Sticking with TIB, today we're exploring one of Tim's lesser favoured cask types that he has managed to turn into a beautiful drop. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 23.

Perhaps most intriguing about Heartwood and TIB whisky are the production methods employed to make them. Sometimes casks will age quickly and gracefully towards maturation with no dramas. But other times casks will, for any number of reasons, age badly and require some stiff intervention to 'fix' the whisky. Some signs of bad whisky include excessive bitterness or sulphurous notes. Tim goes to great lengths to fix any flaws in a cask before bottling. One of the methods used involves moving a cask from the concrete warehouse, which in winter is sometimes hovering around 0 degrees, to a room with big windows facing the sun, which acts as a bit of a greenhouse clocking over 30 degrees during the day, then back again. These rapid temperature changes force the whisky further into and out of the oak staves, naturally filtering and enhancing certain flavours within the spirit. Another method is to pour the whisky out into a vat, 'bash' it with a paddle and leave it sitting around with no lid on. This introduces oxygen into the whisky and can drive off undesired flavours as a portion of the whisky evaporates - obviously it isn't ideal to leave the vat open too long, but sometimes losing whisky is necessary for improving it.

Peated Vatted Malt #2 is the second generation of the Peated Vatted Malt, a concept designed around the necessity of using some ex-Bourbon casks to age their stocks of new-make spirit. Tim dislikes ex-Bourbon casks but the soaring prices of ex-Sherry and ex-Port casks (in part because the world isn't drinking enough of these sweet wines) are tipping the scales. Nevertheless, Tim has managed to find a way to make it work by combining two ex-Bourbon casks with a peated second fill cask and an ex-Sherry cask thrown in for good measure.

Sawford Release #1

Tasmanian Independent Bottlers (TIB), TAS

Merry Christmas! As you'd expect, we've saved a very special dram for the big day. It's another TIB whisky and this time it's one that well and truly sold out long ago. For more information on the distillery itself, refer back to Day 23.

Remember the story behind Overeem Distillery (Day 20), how Casey's daughter Jane brought it back into family ownership? Prior to this, she founded Sawford Distillery with her husband Mark. With the Overeem brand back in their hands, Sawford became a convenient powerhouse to keep Overeem production going well into the future. As Tim notes, "Sawford Distillery is the precursor for the second coming of Overeem".

Using Sawford new-make spirit, TIB has created this dram out of ex-Tokay and ex-Port casks. Tim settled on a bottling strength of precisely 50.9% ABV, a point at which he says showcases the whisky optimally. He got something right here, as it's been one of the fastest selling TIB releases so far, with the whole lot selling out within days.

From all of us here at White Possum, have a very merry Christmas. Just remember to drink and dance, not drink and drive. We hope you enjoyed this advent calendar as much as we did tasting the leftovers after bottling. Please send us any feedback to support@whitepossum.com.au. Bye for now!