Southern Coast Distillers Batch 006 Single Malt Whisky (700ml)

Whisky fans should keep an eye out for new releases from the Southern Coast Distilling company, a small venture formed in May 2004 by three friends and their partners. To date, all the company’s activities have been carried out during spare time and funded, effectively with pocket money, however the group are already producing some of Australia's most compelling examples.

Filled in March 2007 this was bottled in May 2012, having spent 5 years in a heavily toasted French oak port cask that had been refurbished and reshaped into a 100 litre cask by SA Cooperage. For two of those years this cask suffered extremes of temperature that included a heat wave with daily temperatures in the mid 40s before being relocated to the Adelaide hills more docile climate.

Tasting note: [Batch 006 tasted] Deep brassy gold appearance. Attractive scents of sweet dried fruits combine with barley sugar, sawn pine and liquorice strap. A soft, light entry gives way to a concentrated, semi sweet, spicy mid palate. Flavours of barley sugar and molasses are followed by some drying oak to balance. Concludes pleasantly spicy and gently bitter with subtle sweet molasses and barley sugar notes persisting with remarkable length. Some palpable Demerara Rum moments make for a highly idiosyncratic Australian effort. Rivals some of Smith’s best. 46% Alc/Vol.