Hellyers Road Aged 22 Years, 21 Years & 12 Years (Tasted #702 - 704)

Happy New Year! Hope you all managed to get some downtime over the holiday period (hopefully with a dram or two in hand).

We're back into it for 2026, kicking off where we left off, with a few more Australian whiskies...

My two trips to Tassie last year (after a 17 year absence) gave me a great opportunity to get back into the Aussie whisky scene I’d been away from for so long - to try a bunch of new distilleries, rediscover old ones, and to connect and re-connect with some great whisky folk in Tassie.

One of those people was Mark from Whisky is my Jam - arguably one of the most knowledgable, passionate and connected people in all of Tasmanian whisky, and also a genuinely great bloke.

On a few occasions Mark took me through a range of Tassie whiskies - some I was experiencing for the first time, and some I hadn't tried in over a decade. In the latter camp was Hellyers Road, which in a "full circle" kind of moment was actually the very first two whiskies I ever wrote about on this blog (over 13 years ago)!

Mark put me in touch with David from Sales & Promotions at the distillery (someone I'd been following on IG for years), who was kind enough to send me a few well-aged samples to re-acquaint myself further. Included were:

• American Oak Aged 22 Years cask #2325.03 (80 bottles, full maturation, 56.5% ABV)
• World Whiskies Awards 2025 Best Australian Single Malt winner Peated Cask Finish Aged 21 Years Cask #20F05C01 (301 bottles, 17 years in ex-Bourbon then 4 years in an ex-peated Hellyers Road cask, 52.5% ABV)
• World Whiskies Awards 2022 Best Australian Single Malt winner American Oak Aged 12 Years (fully matured in 1st Fill ex-Bourbon casks, 46.2%)

Let's dig in...

 

Hellyers Road American Oak Aged 22 Years (Cask #2325.03) (56.5% ABV, Single Malt, 22yo, 1 of 80 bottles, Tasmania, Australia, $1,450AUD)
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Colour: Amber sunset.

Nose: Big and complex - orange / citrus notes and perfume, with some slight hints of peach, treacle and oak.

Palate: Immediate zesty orange peel, followed up by whole orange slices. Some oak spice & marmalade, ginger, and a slight grassy herbaceousness. It's complex, and it all works well. 

Finish: Long, marmalade, stone fruits.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). 

Hellyers Road Peated Cask Finish Aged 21 Years (Cask #20F05C01) (52.5% ABV, Single Malt, 21yo, 1 of 301 bottles, Tasmania, Australia, $1,350AUD)
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Colour: Golden sunset

Nose: Keeps the citrus oil and perfume of the 22yo, but with a subtle underlying campfire note, and more tropical notes (passionfruit mostly).

Palate: The peat smoke is more pronounced on the palate, but the passionfruit and oranges (whole) are there too, in perfect harmony.

Finish: Residual BBQ smoky meatiness, with some final orange zest. Long and lingering.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). Peated cask finishes sometimes don't work too well, but I'm glad to say in this case it works very nicely.

 

Hellyers Road American Oak Aged 12 Years (46.2% ABV, Single Malt, 12yo, Tasmania, Australia, $260AUD)
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Colour: Light golden sunset.

Nose: Bubblegum and Juicyfruit, orange oil, oaked passionfruit

Palate: Follows the nose, with big citrus oil notes, passionfruit, chocolate orange, hints of cinnamon, strawberries and a slight savoury note.

Finish: Long, with a lovely citrus zest that lingers.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100 (Martin). Complex and tasting - wonderful to see how far the spirit has come over the years.

It was great to revisit the distillery that I kicked off this blog with all those years ago, and even better to see the spirit come so far in that time. Thanks Mark for the intro and David for the generous samples.

Cheers,

Martin.

Benriach New Range [Tasted: #545 - #551]

Benriach has had a long history. It started off as Longmorn's sister plant in 1898 (four years following the establishment of Longmorn). Founded by the entrepreneurial John Duff, the Speyside distillery was then known as Longmorn No 2. Benriach's initial fate was fairly short-lived when it closed in 1900 and it wasn't until 65 years later that it began to distil whisky again. In the intervening years, Longmorn went through various cycles and though it officially bottled as a single malt, those releases were never as startling as Longmorn or Glen Grant.

In 2003, Benriach was once again mothballed. This time by Pernod Ricard and at the time, it looked like Benriach had jinxed its fate once again. However, this time was different, Benriach was bought in 2004 by a South African consortium, led by former Burn Stewart managing director, Billy Walker. Walker and his team launched a series of different malts including rich, heavily peated whiskies. Over the subsequent years, Walker grew Benriach into one of the most fascinating distilleries in Scotland which led Benriach to be known for carrying complex, spicy, and rather exciting quality on the palate.

Thanks to a long-standing tradition of distilling three styles of whisky; classic unpeated, Highland peated and triple distilled, together with an eclectic selection of casks from around the world, Benriach has been known to be able to explore different flavour possibilities of single malt.

This tradition continues today, under the guidance of Master Blender, Rachel Barrie and Rachel has been instrumental with Benriach's latest portfolio of single malts. The new portfolio of single malts and the new look is inspired by the distillery’s creative heritage and presents a rather diverse, versatile, fruit-laden style and a range of spectrum of whisky flavours that Benriach is known for.

On the new range, Benriach Master Blender, Dr Rachel Barrie said:

“The new range perfectly marries tradition and innovation that is central to Benriach’s story. Inspired by the 1994 bottling of the Original Ten, with its fruit-laden complexity and smooth, rounded taste, the new range re-imagines the 1898 origins of Benriach, brought to life in the 21st century through fusing distilling styles with extraordinary casks.

The new Benriach range is for those open to new possibilities, building on a wealth of experience and tradition. I invite the drinker to join me on this creative journey, as we explore the rich rewards of Single Malt whisky.” 

The core range is made up of four different expressions from a three cask maturation process

• Benriach "The Original Ten"
• Benriach "The Twelve"
• Benriach "The Smoky Ten"
• Benriach "The Smoky Twelve"

"In the new Original Ten, a more richly flavoured, rounded malt character might be discerned, whilst The Twelve balances richly sherried malt with added layers of fruit complexity, reaching a pinnacle at twelve years old.

The new Smoky Ten and Smoky Twelve explore the sweet smokiness of Benriach, enriched through innovative combinations of rum, virgin oak and marsala casks interwoven with more traditional bourbon and sherry." Barrie says

In addition to the core range, there are also three premium releases and two travel retail releases:

• Benriach "Twenty One"
• Benriach "Twenty Five"
• Benriach "The Thirty"

• Benriach "Quarter Cask" (Travel Retail)
• Benriach "Smoky Quarter Cask" (Travel Retail - note the change from peated to smoky)

In addition to Benriach The Original Ten, the Core Range will feature a new recipe for Benriach’s richly sherried twelve-year-old whisky, including port and bourbon casks combined to add to the complexity. The sweet smoky whisky distilled in the distillery’s smoke season also features in the new Smoky Ten and Smoky Twelve Year Old expressions.

The premium set sees the Twenty One, Twenty Five and Thirty Year Old Single Malts that have been put together through a diverse selection of oak casks (four different casks in fact) to provide additional layouts of complexity and richness.

The new range offers something for everyone, in particular with the core range where there are two different takes of the 10yo and 12yo that offer both, classic Speyside style malts or a smoky variant. I particularly enjoyed both the Twelve expressions and found both to be rich, creamy and quite intriguing on both the nose and the palate. The premium range, with its four cask style, provide a very unique profile. Rachel Barrie has created a very balanced yet intriguing set of whiskies, in particular across the older age profiles.

The new range; the 10yo, 10yo Smoky and 12yo will roll out this month. The 12yo Smoky will be released after Christmas time. The premium range; the 21yo, 25yo and 30yo will not land on our shores until 2022.

Benriach "The Original Ten" (43%, Speyside, Scotland, A$85) 

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Nose: The nose is rather fruity, there is apple, vanilla, sweet bread, maple syrup, sticky honey. It is quite fragrant and rich.

Palate: The palate is ladened with caramelised burnt sugar, nutmeg, nectarine or citrus, there are oranges and dry, peppery spices. There is a hint of smoke.

Finish: The finish is long and there is a level of soot and smoke

Rating: 91/100 

Benriach "The Smoky Ten" 10yo (46% ABV, 10 Year Old, Speyside, Scotland, A$95) 

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Nose: The nose has apple, peat smoke, golden maple syrup covered pancake, pineapple, crumpet, honey. It is also quite creamy on the nose.

Palate: The palate follows the nose, it is creamy, viscous and smooth. There is sweet honey and the smoke is now weaning though it is still pleasant. There is caramel and some ginger spice.

Finish: The finish is long, there is the smoky campfire

Rating: 91/100 

Benriach "The Twelve" Triple Cask (46% ABV, 12 Year Old, Speyside, Scotland, A$97) 

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Nose: The nose is filled with forest fruit, oak spices. It's peppery though balanced with some sweetness from raspberries and wild berries

Palate: The palate is rich, mouth-coating followed by some citrus and a mix of spiced elements; pepper, nutmeg, cherries

Finish: The finish is dry with some spices that remain

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Smoky Twelve" (46% ABV, 12 Year Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available post Christmas 2021) 

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Nose: The nose is filled with apple, vanilla waffles followed by a subtle bonfire smoke and cherries

Palate: The palate is creamy, viscous, round and mouthful. It's a very rich mouthfeel, almost like tasting chocolate. There is moreish smoke, some cocoa and burnt orange

Finish: The smoke gently disappears into pepper and spices

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Twenty One" (46% ABV, 21-Year-Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available in 2022) 

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At twenty-one years old, Benriach takes on an elegant character, elevated by long maturation, four cask types and a combination of Benriach's unpeated and peated styles. The characters of aged bourbon, sherry, virgin oak and red wine casks intertwine to present a range of flavours.

Nose: The nose is filled with sour citrus, some fresh pine forest. Then there are gummi bear lollies, fruit, and berry fruits

Palate: There is more of those berries, citrus notes, some cocoa, peppery spice and rose water. The palate has a subtle smoke

Finish: There is a subtle smoke that remains

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Twenty Five" (46% ABV, 25-Year-Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available in 2022) 

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A rich single malt, interwoven with mellow smoke and curation of oak. After twenty-five years, it is then enhanced by four cask maturation in sherry, bourbon, virgin oak and Madeira wine casks. An appealing dram for sherry lovers

Nose: smoked apricot, dark cherry chocolate, hazelnut toffee and a mixture of dark fruits, raisins and currants. 

Palate: baked fruit, toasted oak spice, orange and cinnamon spice, finishing with rich caramelised smoke. The peppery spice builds up from then on.

Finish: Long, oaky, the cinnamon and spices continue to linger for some time

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Thirty" (46% ABV, 30-Year-Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available in 2022) 

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The final malt in the premium portfolio. This expression continues the four cask maturation tradition in sherry, bourbon, virgin oak and port casks. The final product offers a deep aromatic complexity in flavour. 

Nose: The nose is buttery, filled with vanilla, honey, citrus and dark fruits; plum, figs and raisins. Cinnamon doughnut anyone? There is nuttiness that follows with subtle smoke.

Palate: The buttery, honey prevails, so too is the cinnamon doughnut. There are more raisin notes, followed by orange, citrus that followed. Some intense spices start to build at the end.

Finish: The finish is subtle, long and sweet and leaves an oaky, smoke that remains for a while.

Rating: 93/100

Cheers

Hendy

Thanks to Brown Forman for providing us with samples from the new portfolio.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo Sherry Cask launch dinner [Tasted #470]

The Singleton doesn't get a lot of attention in Australia, but it certainly does in parts of Asia - in Taiwan especially (where we're told it's the #1 selling single malt brand), but more recently Hong Kong, where the brand and its three distilleries are rapidly gaining a large profile.

Those three distilleries are Dufftown, Glendullan and Glen Ord, and it's the latter which recently gave us a new release for the HK market - The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo Sherry Cask, released just last month.

To celebrate the new whisky, The Singleton held an elaborate dinner at the St Regis Hong Kong's Astor Ballroom, with a menu by lauded Singaporean chef Justin Quek.

The dinner saw 5 Singleton whiskies paired with a variety of dishes, many of them surprisingly well-matched (particularly given how hit-and-miss whisky pairings can be).

What was more unusual however, was the non-food pairing. A booklet on our table told us that we'd be given an "interpretive dance recital", telling the story of the whisky, with three dancers each interpreting the "European Oak Sherry Casks", "American Oak Bourbon Casks" and the final "Sherry Casks" used for marrying the whiskies together.

I'm not sure I really "got" the interpretation of cask type in dance, but it was certainly a unique and interesting take on the whisky dinner format, which often follows the exact same formula time after time.

At the front of the elongated, twin-tabled room was a chef's station where Chef Quek talked the 120 or so guests through each dish, with a live feed being broadcast over screens throughout the venue (it was significantly less Owellian than it appears in the photo below, and actually a nice touch).

You can tell when a "whisky pairing" dinner has been thrown together, and that certainly wasn't the case here. It was clear much thought had gone into matching the whisky with each dish, such as the trio of starters (House cured salmon/Royal Oscietra Caviar, Light Smoked Hamachi Fillet/Konbu & Gillardeau Oyster Fritter/Spanish ham/Mushrooms) which Chef Quek explained were specifically chosen to match elements of the whisky - the Oysters to represent Speyside, the Hamachi to represent the subtle smoke in the whisky, and the salmon to represent...The Singleton's logo! Fair play.

Taste-wise, the combo worked well with the new 12yo Sherry Cask, as did Wok Fried Maine Lobster with The Singleton of Glen Ord 15yo, with the whisky adding a sweetness to the Lobster that worked very well.

As is often the case, the dessert pairing (Chocolate variations and Singleton Whisky Ice Cream, paired with The Singleton of Dufftown 25yo) worked a treat. It's not hard to get a dessert and whisky pairing right, but this one worked particularly well, with a creamy, fruity sensation coming out in the whisky that wasn't as prominent on its own. The Singleton infused ice cream was a nice touch as well.

Despite enjoying 15, 18, 21 and 25 year old expressions of The Singleton, it was the Sherry Cask 12yo we were all there to celebrate, and I thought it fitting to give it a proper tasting on its own, before the dinner.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo Sherry Cask (40% ABV, 12yo, Highlands, Scotland, $548HKD)
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Colour: Deep copper/amber with hints of red.

Nose: Candied brazil nuts, cherries, with hints of cloves and a slight berry-laden wood spice.

Palate: Initially light, but quickly settling into rich berry notes (raspberries, cranberries) then a dustry dry-rub spice. Cherries, fresh raspberries, caramel and and hints of oak are rounded out with a subtle underlying smoke.

Finish: Longer than you might expect, with hints of oak spice and pot pourri and dried raspberries.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  88/100. A solid dram. It's nice to see a new release carrying a decent age statement for a change too.

MHDHK and their PR partners PRime Asia don't do things by halves here in Hong Kong, and this dinner was no exception - a beautifully curated event to suit an evening of highly enjoyable whiskies.

Cheers,

Martin.

TimeforWhisky.com attended this event as guests of MHDHK.

Tasted #352: Ardbeg 21 (2016 release)

If there's a trend present in recent distillery-bottled Ardbegs over the past few years, it would be that they're all on the (relative) younger side. Not "young", not "immature", not even "simple"....but when the oldest age-statement whisky in a core range is 10 years old, I think it's a fair comment. Of course, there are older Ardbegs (the distillery has bottled quite a few old single casks over the years, there are plenty of 21 year old independently-bottled Ardbegs, and there was even an OB 21 year old from years ago), but in recent years, if you wanted an OB age-statement Ardbeg, the 10 year old was it.

...so it was all the more exciting then, when late last year Ardbeg announced an official bottling of a 21 year old, from a parcel of casks Moët Hennessy (LVMH) acquired with the distillery in the late '90s. You may remember we originally brought word of the new release back in September.

The whisky for this 2016 release was distilled in 1993 and 1994 and comes from ex-Bourbon casks, bottled at 46% ABV with no chill-filtering. It was available in Australia for $565AUD...for about 90 seconds, as it literally took that long for the 90 allocated bottles to sell out. 

Luckily, we got our hands on one, quickly brought it to HK, and immediately cracked it open.

More photos from @TimeforWhisky.com on Instagram

Ardbeg 21 year Old 2016 release (46% ABV, 21yo, Islay, Scotland, $565AUD RRP but now sold out)

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Colour: Yellow gold.

Nose: Tropical, like many older Islay bottlings, but perhaps not as full on as some Ardbegs from the '80s. Peach, peat and mango at first. Then blackberries, fresh laundry, sea air, and (with time) a slight earthiness.

Palate: Smooth and light initially. There's citrus tingle, and then comes the peat, wrapped in a chewy caramel layer, followed by some chocolate orange. There's some damp earth, and everything is in perfect harmony. A drop of water brings hints of mandarin and mint. A mixed bag, but one that brings everything together beautifully.

Finish: More like the modern-day Ardbegs we've come to know. Ashy BBQ peatsmoke, with a hint of citrus zest. A little oak.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  94/100. It would be easy for the distillery to produce an average release, and still sell out in a matter of minutes. But they haven't. They've produced a beautifully balanced, complex Ardbeg, with plenty of brand DNA, but enough differentiation to make it a unique whisky - and a beautiful one at that.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #301: William Grant & Sons "Rare Cask Reserves" Araid 21yo...and your chance to win a bottle!

Everyone knows Glenfiddich, the world's best-selling single malt (or second best when The Glenlivet takes over - it's always close), and many know The Balvenie, Grants, Monkey Shoulder and Tullamore D.E.W. Plenty of you would know Kininvie and Girvan too.

...but did you know William Grant & Sons (responsible for the aforementioned whiskies, bar Glenlivet) also produce a series of blends which they typically release in travel retail (aka Duty Free) markets only? 

This is one example (a 26yo blend from closed distilleries), and this bottle we've tasted here is another - a 21yo blended Scotch, bottled on 19/4/2015 and limited to 3,400 bottles. Whilst the distilleries (grain and malt) aren't mentioned, we can probably assume there may be some Glenfiddich, The Balvenie and/or Kininvie in there, and most likely some Girvan grain whisky too. There wouldn't be any Ailsa Bay as the distillery doesn't currently have any 21yo whisky yet.

We've recently collaborated with DFS Hong Kong, who are giving away one bottle of this whisky in Hong Kong via our Instagram page. You can find the link to the competition here (entry is open to HK residents aged 18 years or older only), but we wouldn't be involved in promoting a competition for a whisky we didn't like...so what did we think? Read on...

William Grant & Sons "Rare Cask Reserves" Araid 21yo blended Scotch whisky (43% ABV, 21yo, bottle #973 of 3,400, blend, Scotland, $1,290HKD)

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Colour: Honey with a (very) slight pinkish hue.

Nose: The sherry influence hits you straight away - very pronounced. Flint / matchheads initially, then damp earth, cola bottles and whole oranges.

Palate: The sherry influence continues - earthy with a slight hint of sulphur, but also strawberries and hints of port. There's oak (but not too much), cherries, and even some grapefruit zest. Overall it's incredibly smooth (we wouldn't mind a little more ABV, but it doesn't feel "thin" at all). Caramel creaminess rounds out the palate.

Finish: Short to medium (longer would be better), with a slight earthy smoke that stays to the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A very enjoyable blend, and one that sherry heads will enjoy, but not exclusively - there's something here for everyone.

Entry in the competition (run by DFS) must be via the @TimeforWhisky Instagram, and will be open until 19th June.

Cheers,

Martin.