After the success of our first Australian whisky series, we're back with another selection of distilleries from ‘down under’ as well as a couple of hopefully now, familiar faces. It’s also a chance for us to get our ‘return to Oz’ yellow brick road on the labels…
I’m sure you’ll all remember the rich distilling history of Australia that I told you about in our last release.
There will be questions on that later…
There are currently 318 Australian distilleries in operation; producing whisky, gin, vodka, rum and other spirits according to The Whisky List - when we released our first collection of Australian whiskies in 2021 there were 294
A couple of things to remember;
In Australia, the minimum age for whisky in wood is 2 years.
Australian Sherry style wines are known as Apera. Apera casks are regularly used in whisky maturation
Australian Port style wines are known as Tawny. Tawny casks are also used in whisky maturation
This release consists of eight single malts, one rye whisky, and an Australian Brandy. There are six brand new labels from the ever talented Emily Chappell telling stories from the distillery and distillers themselves, and our in-house
If you recall, our first collection of Australian whiskies had the Southern Cross constellation theme running throughout the collection of labels. There was also a Lark on each of the labels where the ‘godfather’ of modern Australian whisky, Bill Lark, had played an important part in the distillery’s history.
We wanted a new theme to this second collection. As Australia seems to have the majority of the most dangerous animals, insects, and reptiles in the world, for our Return to Oz collection, we’ve decided to assign each label with a deadly animal that can be found around the area where each distillery is located.
There are some pretty nasty buggers that you really don’t want to get too close to if you’re heading to Australia!
Every themed release is accompanied by some bangin’ Scotch whiskies and we certainly won’t be disappointing you with our ‘Return to Oz’ collection.
Oh, and let us not forget Boutique-y Rum! Boutique-y Pete has chosen three fabulous Australian Rums, and a fourth that you may have come across before from Thailand. You can head over to That Boutique-y Rum Company to find out more on that!
THE RETURN TO OZ
HEADLINERS
Chief’s Son Batch 1, 5 Year Old Single Malt 52.1% abv 462 bottles rrp £139.95
The distillery, located on the Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne, Victoria, was founded by husband and wife, Stuart and Naomi McIntosh in 2016 after an inspiring trip to Scotland. The distillery is named Chief’s Son after the Scottish Gaelic name for McIntosh, Mhic an Tòisich, or ‘son of the chief’.
This really is a micro-distillery - with an annual capacity of just 5000 litres! Their wash is sourced from the nearby Mornington Peninsula Brewery, and they have just one 4,000 litre capacity, electrically heated still. Our Chief’s Son is a 5 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, that’s been matured in an ex-Sherry (Australian Apera) cask.
N: Rich, malty, and with a wood char smoke note drifting in and out. Cedar wood cigar box, toffee apples, cherry Tunes, with just a hint of liquorice too.
P: A rich, mouth filling whisky. Burnt mint toffee, stewed plums, oak spices, and some soft earthy peat too.
F: Medium length with spices and a gentle smoke.
Corowa Batch 1, 4 Year Old Single Malt 48.5% abv 592 bottles rrp £109.95
Corowa is surrounded by the Rutherglen wine region, home to many fortified wine makers and the source of many of Corowa’s barrels. The area north of Corowa is a renowned grain growing region, and the founder’s grandfather is a pioneer of organic grain farming in Australia.
Our Corowa is a 4 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, That’s be matured in an ex-Tawny (Australian Port) cask.
N: Toasted granary bread with a rich dark marmalade note. Dark Chilli Chocolate, with some woody spices.
P: The rich dark marmalade comes through on the palate, a sweetness balanced by bitter dark chocolate, sour cherries, and oak spices
F: Chocolate lingers in the spicy finish.
Fleurieu Batch 2, 3 Year Old Single Malt 65% abv 428 bottles rrp £144.95
A welcome return to one of our Australian distilleries from our first series.Fleurieu, around an hour south of Adelaide, is run by husband and wife team Gareth & Angela Andrews. They have a great following in Australia. Being ex-brewers they work with a variety of malt types, including some which are commonly used to brew real ales.
Our second cask from Fleurieu is one of their peated malts. It’s been matured in an ex-Apera cask named “Mary Ann Watkins”. It’s a 3 year old that we’ve been bottled at natural cask strength
N: Sweet plums, dark toffee, roasted nuts and hints of gentle smoke and sweet iodine peat.
P: Deep raisin and fig sweetness, lead a briny coastal, umami, maltiness. Sweet smoky toffee, dried fruit, and hints of roast nuts and spicy oak.
F: Sweet, spicy, and a lingering smoke that slowly fades.
Launceston Batch 1, 5 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 62.5% abv 187 bottles rrp £149.95
This Tasmanian distillery is located in the historic Hangar 17 at Launceston airport. Built in 1932, Hangar 17 is the oldest surviving aviation building in Tasmania. It was used as a passenger departure point until the current terminal was built in 1968.
Local ingredients, local people, local production. Everything is matured in Hangar 17 too. Our Launceston is a 5 year old single malt that’s been matured in an ex-Bourbon barrel.
N: Custard cream biscuits with hints of green banana and charred pineapple.
P: More sweeter banana notes with caramelised brown sugar, and a spicy, leafy herbal note
F: Medium length, with a lingering vanilla sweetness.
Limeburners Batch 1, 5 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 51.5% abv 434 bottles rrp £144.95
The Limeburners Distillery is in the south-western corner of Western Australia, in the Margaret River region. The area is famous for wine production, and also hosts an annual event of the World Surf League. The site was chosen for its cool climate and access to high quality water.
It’s another small distillery, with an annual capacity of just 120,000 litres of pure alcohol a year. Our Limeburners is a 5 year old single malt, that’s been matured in an ex-Pedro Ximenez Apera cask
N: Rich and Oily. With raisins, dark molasses, maraschino cherry syrup. Some savoury notes too; ancho pepper and bitter dark chocolate, with just a hint of lavender.
P: Rich and weighty, but beautifully balanced. Velvety dark chocolate, mole sauce, black cherry and tobacco notes
F: Long, with lots of rich chocolate notes lingering, until that lavender note returns.
Overeem Batch 3, 5 Year Old Single Malt 50% abv 522 bottles rrp £159.95
Overeem was the first Australian distillery we bottled, with two small batches released back in 2015/16. Founded in 2007 by Casey Overeem, Overeem was the fourth ever whisky distillery in Tasmania. Casey taught his daughter Jane how to distil, and she shadowed him at shows.
In 2020, much to the whisky world’s surprise, Jane and her husband Mark announced they’d reacquired the Overeem brand from Australian Whisky Holdings, and Casey is continuing as a casual brand ambassador for the new venture.
So Overeem is back! With a solid pedigree behind it, and there’s a new hope. Our Overeem is a 5 Year Old Single Malt Whisky, matured in a ex- Apera cask.
N: Rich dark chocolate, dried fruits, plums and raisins, with notes of hazelnuts, nutmeg and cinnamon, and just a hint of mint coming through the chocolate.
P: Viscous, bold, intricate and incredibly well balanced. Dark chocolate leads hazelnuts and raisins, followed by peppery spices.
F: It’s a deliciously long, spicy finish.
Riverbourne Batch 2, 2 Year Old Single Malt 51% abv 260 bottles rrp £99.95
Another welcome return to one of our Australian distilleries from our first series. Riverbourne, located 60 km southeast of the capital -Canberra, is run by Australia’s oldest distiller, Martin Pye. Two types of barley are predominantly used, heavily peated Scottish malt, and a local malt from Australia. The casks are sourced from an Australian cooperage called Roll Out The Barrel, ROTB manufactures casks from recycled wine staves, stripped and charred in a similar process to STR.
Our 2nd cask from Riverbourne uses that heavily peated Scottish malt, and has been matured in a ‘Roll Out The Barrel’ 100 litre cask, made from American and French oak staves.
N: There's an immediate iodine hit, slightly earthy, and medicinal too, but softens to reveal heather honey, and hints of tangerine creams.
P: Big, and chewy! With waves of sweet smoke,candied citrus, and creamy vanilla toffees, followed by some earthy peat with a pinch of salt.
F: Long and lingering, with a salty quality to the earthy peat smoke.
The Gospel Batch 1, 3 Year Old Rye Whiskey 58.6% abv 434 bottles rrp £74.95
From a distillery set in the backstreet’s of Melbourne’s eclectic Brunswick neighbourhood, a 3 Year Old Australian Rye Whiskey, that started life in a new American oak cask, as would be specified for a US rye whiskey. However, our cask has been given an Australian red wine cask finish which adds a very fruity dimension!
Distilled from a mash bill of 51% Australian unmalted rye, and 49% malted barley, which has been cultivated and nurtured by a single farmer in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia.
N: Buttery dark rye bread, with hints of spice and light toffee, all with an underlying cherry compote note.
P: More rye bread notes, with caramel vanilla, sweet allspice, clove, pepper and rich red fruit
F: Dry and lingering. Dried red fruit and crème caramel, with woody spices.
Tria Prima Batch 1, 2 Year Old Single Malt Whisky 51.2% abv 232 bottles rrp £139.95
The Tria Prima nano-distillery is run by Brit, and Boutique-y Whisky fan Paul Shand, and his wife, Trang. In 2017 they founded their distillery in Mount Barker up in the picturesque Adelaide Hills, launching their whiskies in 2021.
Our 2 Year Old Single Malt will be the first independently bottled Tria Prima, and it is a whisky by Australian definition. It’s been matured in a first fill, Grant Burge, Tawny (Aussie Port) cask.
N: Rich and fruity; Plum and Apricot with Dried fruits; sultanas, raisins, and peel. Sweet caramel toffee with a nuttiness coming through.
P: Rich and mouth filling. Again, quite fruity,with figs and dried plums leading a high cocoa content dark chocolate. There’s a spicy savoury note too, Balsamic-BBQ sauce-like..
F: Medium length with fruit and nut chocolate, turning dry
Sullivans Cove Brandy Batch 1, 9 Year Old 66.5% abv 246 Bottles rrp £159.95
You wait almost 10 years for That Boutique-y Brandy Company to come along, and then two get presented in quick succession! Yes, we introduced TBBC, albeit with a Calvados, in our last collection. This time it’s a Brandy from the much lauded Sullivans Cove Distillery.
Sullivans Cove in Tasmania could hardly be further from Scotland, but in double-quick time it has established a record that most distilleries around the globe would envy.
N: An incredibly rich, dense nose. Loads of aged brandy notes, spicy oak, wet earth, baking spices, and maple syrup. Lots of dried fruit, too; currants, figs, apricots and prunes. Spices; clove, liquorice, and a hint of black cherry pipe tobacco.
P: Sharp spices, rich and sweet oak, toffee and dark chocolate, light wood smoke char, and a really nice rancio.
F: Deep and long lasting. Rancio, lots of dried fruit, light smoke, and even some dark chocolate.
THE Scotch Whiskies
Every themed release is accompanied by some bangin’ Scotch whiskies and we certainly won’t be disappointing you with our ‘Return to Oz’ collection.
Presenting seven succulent Scotch whiskies we have;
BLENDED WHISKY
A long awaited second batch of our Blended Whisky #3. It’s a 26 Year Old this time. Bottled at 45.2% abv, a release of 460 bottles. RRP £109.95
GRAIN WHISKY
Invergordon Batch 22, 25 Year Old. Bottled at 55.5% abv, a release of 340 bottles. RRP £69.95
SPEYSIDE
Craigellachie Batch 14, 13 Year Old. Bottled at 53.3% abv, a release of 446 bottles. RRP £54.95
Glen Elgin Batch 7, 16 Year Old. Bottled at 55.5% abv, a release of 408 bottles. RRP £59.95
Speyside #4, Batch 1, 24 Year Old. Bottled at 47.8% abv, a release of 3,589 bottles. RRP £79.95
HIGHLANDS
Macduff Batch 9, 21 Year Old. Bottled at 51% abv, a release of 1,733 bottles. RRP £119.95
ISLAY
Caol Ila Batch 22, 6 Year Old. Bottled at 54.1% abv, a release of 260 bottles. RRP £49.95
WRAP UP
I think you’ll agree, that’s a pretty impressive collection of whiskies
Cheers!
Boutique-y Dave x
These latest releases will be available from all the finest retailers now!
Off-trade/on-trade enquiries should be directed to our UK distributor; Maverick Drinks.