While we often talk about the Big Three whisky nations (Scotland, Ireland, USA, or Big Four, including Japan), nearly every country makes whisky. So, today, I’m going to taste and discuss a 20-year-old single-malt from one of the countries less known for making whiskies: Australia.
Unlike most other small whisky-producing nations, Australia has over 300 operational distilleries, although not all make whisky. Today’s dram is from Hellyers Road Distillery in Tasmania — “a remote state on the bottom of an already remote continent.” The island of Tasmania is home to some of Australia’s oldest craft whisky distilleries.
Hellyers Road Distillery is in a remote corner of that remote state. From the west coast of Tasmania, the nearest landfall is Patagonia, all the way in South America — 10,000 miles across the ocean.
Originally a dairy farm, Hellyers Road opened as a whisky distillery in 1997 thanks to Bill Lark (of Lark Distillery), who realized that Tasmania’s local ingredients were nearly identical to those in Scotland. Hellyers was Australia’s third legal craft distillery before the gin boom. Hellyers Road is the only distillery in Australia with high-aged stocks, credited to the fact that its owners made their profit from dairy, not booze — affording them the luxury of allowing the stock to sit and age.
So, what is Rare Hare? Rare Hare Spirits is a subsidiary of Playboy Spirits, an independent bottler of exclusively high-end spirits. It joined forces with Hellyers to produce this rare single-malt whisky. Rare Hare “The Tempest” is a 20-year-old Tasmanian single malt clocking in at 42% ABV, matured in ex-fill French oak Port barrels from the Barossa Valley — barrels that held wine for 50–70 years.
Tasting Notes
Color: Medium honey in the glass
Nose: Strong notes of green unmalted barley, hot chocolate mix, and a subtle undertone of red wine.
Palate: Peppery chocolate, green unmalted barley, faint red wine, straw, and a more mellow vanilla.
Final Thoughts
All in all — this is an interesting dram, and even if it’s not my favorite, I look forward to seeing more from Hellyers Road and Tasmania in the future!
Originally published on Wine & Whiskey Globe. Free sample received — receipt of sample did not influence this review.