Southern Coast Distillers Batch 002 Single Malt Whisky (700ml)

The Southern Coast Distilling company was formed in May 2004 by three friends and their partners as a vehicle to build a South Australian Single Malt Distillery that will form a lasting legacy. The actual distilling first took place in January 2005 utilising the small 80 litre still built by the proprietors and named 'Monty' because it looked a bit like the cartoon character Monty Burns. They filled their first 50 litre cask from Tasmania in April 2005. Encouraged by their small success, "We realised that we could make passable spirit and that our worst case scenario of having large quantities of whisky to drink in our retirement if the endeavour failed was probably behind us. We immediately set about building a 600l still called Homer. Homer was commissioned on the 27th of June 2005 and charged with a wash of molasses to make rum the same day."

To date, all the company’s activities have been carried out during spare time and funded, effectively with pocket money.

Refilled into cask #25 with haste from cask 11 when it wouldn’t stop leaking because a hoop fell off, this is effectively a double-wood whisky. Cask 11 was a French oak port cask that has been retired to service as a muscat cask, and cask 25 is an American oak port cask. Both are 100 litre casks re-made and re-furbished from larger casks.

Tasting note: [Batch 002 tasted] Deep burnished copper colour. Opening aroma is varnish / shellac. Brief aeration releases attractive fruity notes (dates / sultana) over vanilla, clove and spice. The palate is generous and creamy with a mildly spicy, sweet, malty / dried fruit mid palate, becoming gently bitter as spices, fruit cake and cocoa persist. Soft, gently warming mouthfeel. Clean, dry, fruit cake aftertaste. 46% Alc./Vol.

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