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Welcome to the Southern Wild

Posted by: Nick and Ted

Yes, Ted hit his thumb with a hammer

Compared to the glut of distilleries in the Southern region of Tasmania, the North West has been fairly light-on for dram making. To be accurate, hitherto there has actually been just the one producer (although they make up for that by being the largest in the Southern Hemisphere). Thankfully, that paucity is set to change with the opening of a new kid on the block – say hello to Southern Wild distillery.

Based in Devonport, Southern Wild is the brainchild and consuming passion of one George Burgess. We first met George at a dinner in 2014 where he confided to us his dream of establishing a distillery in his home town and “teaming up with other passionate specialist Tasmanian producers to create small batch varieties of unique hand-crafted and seasonal/rare finest quality distilled spirits and liqueurs”. Our response was ‘nice one, it’s good to have dreams’, but boy has he really followed through with that threat!

George: one day this will be whisky!

A food technician by trade, George has already spent years developing the skills and know-how that has allowed him to dive deep into the world of distilling. He loves discovering new ingredients for his gin-making and tinkering about with different flavours and scents. In fact, the name Southern Wild was inspired by the raw natural beauty of the places he finds some of his botanicals. “I’ll be going down some rough bush track, no phone signal and a nagging feeling of lurking cannibals. Suddenly the bush will clear and you’ll find yourself in this beautiful location encircled by nature and meet the most friendly, down-to-earth folk tending this amazing locally-grown produce.”

Formerly known as Devonport Distillery, Southern Wild has moved about a bit over the years – and its shiny new venue is not even its final location! Devonport has been going through a bit of an identity crisis of late which has led to the creation of what is known as the ‘Living City’ project. In a nutshell, this venture aims to knock down chunks of an inefficient and spread out CBD and rebuild them with a focus on fresh local produce, performing arts spaces and, eventually, a foreshore precinct. The former will be housed in a glamourous farmers market known as Providore Place, with small pods for local producers such as Southern Wild Distillery to sell their wares. A brand new building will be created for the distilling as the current home is a converted loading bay at the back of the council building – however we must admit, for a loading bay it scrubs up rather nicely.

Stills and suspended plants make for the best distilleries

The room is dominated by the shiny new still, while a gleaming bar is a hive of activity with recently hired bar staff making fancy cocktails. Overlooking the entire room is a mezzanine with space for a band to play – a highlight for George when he first sighted it, telling us his response was “you had me at mezzanine”. Behind the music/hangout area is what looks like a mad scientist’s laboratory, but in reality is the space where George creates and tinkers with his product.

While there are currently a few barrels maturing several intriguing varieties of what will one day be called whisky, George unfortunately doesn’t have any ready yet. Instead he is focusing on what is truly his pet project: his gin. Ever since we’ve known him, George has been raving about his passion for gin and now he’s created not one, but three, each uniquely Tasmanian. Named ‘Dasher & Fisher’ after the two rivers which flow into Devonport’s own waterway, the Mersey, he has created ‘Mountain’ gin, richly flavoured by Tasmanian pepperberries, ‘Meadow’ gin, containing a strong hint of lavender and ‘Ocean’ gin, intriguingly salty with notes of wakame seaweed. While Ted loved the London dry style of the Mountain, Nick was more into the coastal aromas of the Ocean.

The Ocean gin, surrounded by its botanicals

While this is only the beginning for Southern Wild, it certainly has a bright future ahead of it. It will be fascinating to watch the evolution of the distillery as it transitions from its temporary residence to its permanent home and the inspiration that provides George in his creations. And of course, being Whisky Waffle, we are particularly looking forward to the moment when we can share a dram. From the sneak peak we’ve had though, we are confident that Southern Wild will be releasing whisky that truly speaks for the place it was made, just as its maker intended.

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The still-maker, the still-man, and two idiots who are still waffling

Whisky Waffle launch Islay Week

Posted by: Nick

port-nahabhain

Whether you live in Scotland or Australia, December is a good month to be drinking peated whisky. In the Northern Hemisphere the locals are battening down the hatches and preparing to ride out another winter with a smoky dram warming the cockles in the evening. Here in the southern reaches of the world summer is upon us and with it the scent of BBQ smoke drifting across the country.

With this in mind, Whisky Waffle are excited to announce our biggest event week yet, reviewing drams produced on that iconic whisky island: Islay. Throughout the week we shall fill in a few shameful gaps in our reviews catalogue, reflect on our respective trips there and celebrate the 200^th birthday of a favourite distillery of ours.

It’s going to be a huge week and one that every whisky fan will need to check out. Log on each day leading up to Christmas for a new article – think of it as a peated advent calendar. So let’s raise a smoky dram and kick off Whisky Waffle’s Islay Week!

Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask

Reviewed by: Nick and Ted

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This is it ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Whisky Waffle review the greatest whisky in the world.

But wait. Hold your horses there, Whisky Waffle. Due to the unique nature of single barrel releases, the French Oak bottle we tasted was not drawn from barrel HH525, the release that won 2014 World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards. Our bottle came from barrel HH595 (noted in case it wins next year!).

So then, the whisky we are drinking is not the best in the world. But it’s pretty damn close.

Sullivans Cove is the creation of Tasmanian Whisky pioneer Tasmania Distillery. Among their releases is a bourbon-matured American Oak expression and a blended Double Cask, but it is this one, matured in ex-European oak port casks, which is the most revered.

The nose is intriguing, with elements of caramel, cinnamon, overripe apples and the salt spray you may receive when standing on the stretch of coastline which bears this bottle’s name. The palate is light, but complex, with burnt toffee and leatherwood honey delicately balanced against earthy terracotta outdoorsy notes. The finish evaporates off the back of the palate and yet leaves a gentle caramelised linger.

Despite not being the exact bottle which received a plethora of honours all over the world, in tasting this edition it is easy to see where the judges were coming from. This is a superbly balanced drop and showcases all that is great about Tasmanian whisky.

★★★★

Tasmanian whisky: One state. Three ingredients. Unlimited flavour.

#TasWhiskyWeek

The 2014 Waffle Awards

Posted by: Nick and Ted

As the year draws to a close, it becomes a time for reflection and philosophising. It also becomes a time to drink lots of whisky in celebration of the fantastic drops consumed over the past 365 days! We here at Whisky Waffle have been doing just that – and have singled out some of the highlights. So ladies and gentlemen, don your black tie and formal gowns, don’t die wondering with the complimentary champagne, and present your golden invitation at the door; you are formally welcomed along to: the first ever Waffle Awards Ceremony!

The Isle of the Drammed Award for the best Tasmanian Whisky

There can’t be too many whisky awards that have an entire category for whiskies from only Tasmania – but as it is one of the key focuses of our blog we thought we could justify it (plus we’re just outrageously proud of the whisky we produce down here). So it gives me great pleasure to announce that the inaugural winner of the Isle of the Drammed Award goes to:

Hellyers Road Port Cask Matured

This bottle is a truly deserving winner. Its contents possess the unique buttery Hellyers Road flavours, but mix them with sweet, bold fruit and toffee notes. It’s a stellar dram. We’re also hoping that after this award, its value goes up immensely, as there are very few bottles left, and both us Wafflers own one.

The Tartan Slipper for the best Scottish Whisky

Scotland is indeed the spiritual home of the water of life. So our awards night naturally must contain a category for the best dram made in the motherland of whisky. Plus, we wanted to ensure there was a category that Yamazaki could not usurp from the Scottish. So without further ado, the Tartan Slipper goes to:

The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old

The first Balvenie we ever tried was the Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old – and we loved it. It was our favourite expression from the distillery for a long time – until we tried this one. It still contains the unique fruit and vanilla flavours found in the 12, but the smoothness and complexity has been dialled up to ten. No: seventeen! This is a tricky drop to get your hands on, but if you find it, boy is it worth it.

The Pocket Pleaser Award The perfect pick for the parched penny pincher

We’re not going to lie to you – buying bottles of whisky can be an expensive business. It took full time jobs for us to realise the step up in quality from a Ballantines to a Balvenie. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate a bargain when we see one. So without further ado, may I present the Pocket Pleaser Award to:

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old

This whisky has everything you want from a single malt. Character, complexity, sweetness and flavour galore. And better still, it will not break the bank. If you find a bottle for under $50 in an Australian bottle shop – don’t think – just buy it!

The Weirdsky Award for the most WTF Whisky

Let me clarify right now that this award is by no means a bad thing. We’re a fan of whiskies of all shapes and sizes – and when a whisky completely bamboozles us, we cannot help but go back for more. So with that in mind, the The Weirdsky Award for the most WTF Whisky goes to:

The Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask 10 Year Old

Yes, you read correctly. This whisky has not been matured in Château Cissac barrels, or Château d’Yquem casks. Nor has it spent six months in Tamar Valley Pinot Noir barrels. No, Glen Moray has chosen to age this whisky purely in plain and simple chardonnay casks. And it’s not bad! It has an intriguing nose and some really curious flavours, but slides down nicely all the same. It really is a perfect sunny day dram, and one that may be consumed in some quantity this summer.

The Bill Lark Award for outstanding service to Tasmanian Whisky

If there is one man alone with whom you can credit kick-starting the Australian whisky industry, then it could only be Bill Lark. Labelled the Godfather of Tasmanian whisky, his vision is the reason that we are here today (in the case of some of us: literally!). This award goes out to recognise an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the Tasmanian Whisky industry. So now, it gives me great pleasure to announce the inaugural winner of the Bill Lark Award is:

Bill Lark

Well, who else could it be? For all the reasons previously mentioned, this man thoroughly deserves to be this award’s first winner. Everyone raise a Glencairn and toast to this man’s incredible achievements!

The Golden Dram for the best dram whisky in the world!

The final award of the night is the big one! Just a quick disclaimer: for this category we’re using ‘golden’ in its traditional sense, meaning ‘of great value’; none of this ‘Macallan Gold’ entry level nonsense. And it goes to, quite simply, the best whisky we’ve tasted this year. There are no other requirements, such as country, age – or even single malt. It is simply our favourite whisky of 2014. Drum roll please. The winner of the 2014 Whisky Waffle Golden Dram is:

Octomore 06.2

How can a couple of peat lovers go past the most heavily peated whisky in the world (at the time). But this whisky is more than a gimmick. Jim McEwan at Bruichladdie has created a whisky that is complex and intriguing and flavoursome – and has the longest lasting finish of any that we have ever tasted. The 06.2 version is a tricky one to find – anywhere – but it has the edge over its 06.1 brother. This is the whisky to get – if you can find it. Maybe it will be the whisky of 2014 and no more. But out of all the drams in the world – 2014 has got a special one.

What do you think of our awards? What would be your own picks for the same categories? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Reviewed by Ted

Balance. Subtlety. Lagavulin 16yr old. As George Takei would say: “Oh my…“.

Heralding from Islay, that near-mythical island of Scottish whisky making, the Lagavulin 16 is aged for most of its life in American oak bourbon casks, then finished in European sherry oak. The maturation sheds of Lagavulin distillery bear the full brunt of the winds and spray of the Atlantic Ocean, and these caress the barrels, imparting their spirit into the developing whisky.

The delicate nose of the Lagavulin 16 has wonderful hints of brine, sea air and mineral salts balanced against a warm brush of smoke and caramelised fruit. The colour is a very light amber, with almost a hint of green, like the first blush of patina on bronze.

After an initial warming hit of peat, the seaside elements make a return with engagingly salty, bitter, metallic notes tempered by nutty caramel and pear. Finally the lovely peat smoke glides across the back of the tongue and down the throat, leaving a peppery finish. This isn’t the usual hearty, roaring bonfire that so typifies many Islay whiskies, but rather the gentle, delicate smouldering of a seaside campfire in the soft golden light of a still dawn. A moment to reflect and savour.

If any of these flavours were too dominant, particularly those drawn from the ocean environment, then this expression of Islay would be diminished, perhaps even unpleasant. Yet in balancing all the parts so precisely against each other, and weaving them so subtly together, a magnificent tapestry is created. The skill of the Lagavulin distillers laid bare. This is a whisky for those quiet, contemplative moments in life, and a truly worthy addition to any collection.

★★★★★

Whisky Appreciation and Nosing Collective – Night 1

Posted by: Nick

The experience of drinking whisky is elevated immensely when shared with another person. Logic dictates therefore, that it improves further when shared with multiple people. And that concept was proved to be correct when we put out the call to our whisky drinking friends that some much esteemed single malts and much loved blends were lined up on the bar, ready to be sampled.

All our merry band required was a name, so inspired by our detractors (namely: the girls, who claimed we spouted streams of absolute smack whilst under the influence of the water of life) we formed the: Whisky Appreciation and Nosing Collective.

Think about it.

The first night we held was a quiet success. After a visit to our local distillery Hellyers Road (how fantastic is it to have a local distillery?!), we settled in to a night of tasting Scottish and Tasmanian whisky. There were many stand-out drops, including the two Lark single malts, as well as the surprisingly impressive Balvenie Doublewood. The highlight of the night, however, was the unveiling of our two new and expensive purchases, in my case, the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and in Ted’s case, the Lagavulin 16 year old.

In hindsight, we probably sampled these in the wrong order. The overpowering peat of the Laphroaig was a revelation coming straight from a finely balanced Speyside single malt. The Lagavulin, on the other hand, was equally appreciated, although some of its complex subtleties may have been lost on the night. Come bedtime, with our heads slightly spinning, we could not decide which our favourite was.

Fast forward to the present day, and it is still a debate that rages. Though we are now armed with more knowledge than we possessed in those formative days of our whisky drinking, we still struggle to separate these two distinctive Islay malts. This serves as proof that information and experience are not crucial to the enjoyment of whisky: it is simply how it makes you feel in one particular moment. And on this night, that particular feeling was pure elation.