A four hour drive down south from Perth brought the opportunity to acquaint myself and the family with some of Western Australia’s rich history – the whaling station, the Brig Amity replica amongst the few while also playing tourist, crossing out a few “must watch” spots that Albany had to offer. And it was during this weekend vacation, I got the chance to sneak in a quick visit to the local craft distillery, named after the creek nearby and the rich limestone aquifers that feed its water needs.

The Limeburners Distillery was founded by the Great Southern Distilling Company in 2004 and commenced production a little over a year later in 2005.  The distillery has since then opened at two other locations  – Margaret River and Porongurup. They source most of their barley from southern parts of the state, with the area also being home to peat, used to dry/smoke their malted barley. Their ex-bourbon casks come from American Bourbon producers such as Jack Daniels, Heaven Hills, Woodford Reserve and Four Roses, and most of their sherry casks are procured from local wineries.

The Limeburner American Oak as the name suggests, is completely aged in 200 litre second fill American ex-bourbon barrels. The bottling comes void of age; however the distillery believes the spirit should average between 5 and 8 years old. Matured using the solera system, the spirit is regularly topped with younger aged spirits after an equal amount of older aged spirits are extracted from the bottom, to be filtered and bottled. 

ABV : 43%

Eye : Pale gold | Non Chill Filtered, Natural Colour

Nose : Vanilla essence, infused with virgin oak wood  shavings and charred honeydew. Fruity with bits of spice, savory sundried tomatoes with a welcoming sweetness from cereal and golden raisins.

Taste : Sweet vanilla cake interleaved with aromatic bay leaves and freshly cut wood, You get hints of marshmallows, along with citrus zest, ground coffee and traces of spice.

Finish : Virgin oak shavings and vanilla

You can easily tell off the spirit’s young nature with its light and crispy character. There is however a mild viscosity and an unsaid order that possibly comes from the older, more mature spirits. The cantaloupe and largely one dimensional nature of this spirit reminds me of a younger, milder ‘Hellyer’s 12 YO Original‘, that being said this is more palatable with an unorthodox yet interesting play of wood. However, having said that I believe giving it a bit more time would have lended a more rounded character, a bit more breadth and complexity, intensifying the profile on the palate.

A daily sipper is what we have here, simple and straightforward, sweet with mildly fruity nuances all cupped in the hands of virgin oak.

Slainte!