This month gave me the opportunity to dive into a sample I had received a while ago, the contents of which come from the whisky Mecca of Australia, the shark tooth state of Tasmania! This specific expression is from the Adam’s Distillery, a rather young establishment that started their business in 2016, an interest that was born out of a holiday to some of Scotland’s distilleries back in 2013, followed by a ‘pot still worth‘ of hardwork and research!

This specific expression is said to be matured a bit differently, though aged in european port casks, they aren’t filled to the brim but rather left with some free space for the contents to move in and about while it is being transported around the distillery. These craft, new age distilleries leverage a host of unorthodox techniques to season their barrels; from the usual Port, Rum and Brandy to the deviation – Kahlua, seasoning one of their expressions with the liqueur and then maturing their whiskies in these barrels in small batches, interesting aye?!

ABV : 47%

Eye : Tawny | Non Chill Filtered, No Caramel Colouring

Nose : Oak wood infused with caramel, raisins and rum. Rich port wine with medicinal nuances, interleaved with dried figs, grapefruit, and crushed green pepper, cloves and cinnamon.

Taste : Caramel, nougat and red grapes, with plums interleaved with moist woody notes; tawny with a bit of dryness on the palate, some smoke, white pepper, and herbal nuances.

Finish : Medium to long | Tawny with plums and the spice of cloves

The Port cask takes me to a moist rum ‘n raisin cake, drizzled in a red wine reduction with a distinct medicinal after-taste, that is intriguing, warm and welcoming. Coming in with good depth and a satisfying breadth of flavours, the whisky is a bit heavy and sweet, serving more like an aperitif and hence best limited to a drink or two at a time. Bottom line, a distinct and spicy port influenced whisky that is both satisfying and very inviting. I did have a check on their official website and noticed this expression was no longer available in the market, ran a quick check with the distillers and it appears stocks have been gobbled up a while ago.

Well…I hope to try out more from this distiller and see potential in their oddly unique and unorthodox styles in the effort of being ahead of the curve. Let’s hope the distillers come out with something similar soon!

Slainte!