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.

Tasted #13: Hellyers Rd Pinot Noir Finish (#101drams)

Continuing to work my way through my #101drams list, at the Tasmanian Whisky Expo recently I was lucky enough to try Hellyer's Road Pinot Noir Finish single malt. Hellyer's Road was actually the first whisky I tasted for this blog (see post) and it was great to re-visit it, especially in Pinot-finished form (being a big fan of Pinot Noir).

Hellyers Road Pinot Noir FInish (46.2% ABV, 700mL, $80AUD)

Nose: There's that signature Aussie whisky nose. A tad biscuity, a tad coconut-y...rich but not overpowering.

Palate: Big mouthfeel, sweet...but not like a sherried Speyside. Unqiue. The Pinot casks (I'm curious as to where they came from) really give it a unique, slightly berried character, and the ABV again feels spot on (I find some whiskies at 40% could be so much better at around 45%. At 46%, this is perfect).

Finish: Similar to the "Original" - not overly long, and with a touch more sweetness. Enjoyable to the very end.

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

Cheers,
 - Martin.

World of Whisky's Tasmanian Whisky Expo

Australian Whiskies are on the rise, gaining world recognition and winning awards (some having only been bottling for less than a few years). Whilst almost every state in Australia is represented, none is better known than Tasmania, with a number of active distilleries and an increasing reputation as a world-class whisky distilling region.

In recognition of this, World of Whisky in Double Bay (a specialist shop selling nothing but whisk(e)y) held their annual "Tasmanian Whisky Expo" last Saturday, with representation from four Tassie distilleries:

• Lark Distillery
• Old Hobart Distillery (makers of Overeem)
• Hellyers Road
• Tasmania Distillery (makers of Sullivans Cove)

To emphasise the focus on Tassie produce, the guys also had a number of Tasmanian cheeses and salmon for tasting (including a fantastic whisky-cured salmon which I could've eaten all day...)

Each distillery had their key expressions available for tasting, including one from my #101drams list (Hellyers Rd Pinot Noir Finish), and staff/management from the distilleries on-hand to answer any questions and have a yarn about all things whisky.

The event also coincided with the recent launch of the "Tasmanian Single Malts" plinth (pictured above), which will be rolled out to various bars and shops to promote Tasmania whiskies.

The event was a great way to get word out about Tassie whiskies, and was a great chance for whisky fans (and newcomers alike) to meet, enjoy a dram or two and discuss their favourite tipple. I'm looking forward to seeing this again next year (hopefully bigger and better)!

Cheers,
 - Martin.

PS: World of Whisky run a great show, and to see this on a much, much bigger scale, check out their "Whisky Show 2013" which was mentioned in this post.

Tasted #1: Hellyers Rd (Tasmania, Australia) - Original and Peated

Hellyers Road Distillery, based in Tasmania, Australia, bill themselves as "Australia's largest distiller of Australian single malt whisky". Part of a growing and highly praised Australian whisky industry, Hellyers Road (like a lot of other Tasmanian distilleries) produce a number of whiskies, liquers and even vodka.

It's the whisky we're here to taste today though - specifically the "Original" and "Peated" varieties.

It could be said that the bottles, labels (and names for that matter) aren't the most original, but consistency has to count for something, and besides - it's what's inside that counts right? So on with the tasting...


Original (46.2% ABV, 700mL, $80.50AUD)
I've always found Australian whiskies to have a unique taste. It's hard to put my finger on, and it's not something I've ever noticed in whiskies from any other region (except NZ), but it's a sweet, distinctive taste which (to me at least) instantly identifies an Aussie whisky. Coconut perhaps? Anyway, to me Hellyers Rd has that taste in spades (not dissimilar to the standard offerings from other Australian distilleries like Lark and Sullivans Cove).

The ABV content feels spot on - not overpowering, but not underwhelming either. A nicely balanced, easy-drinking whisky. If you've never tried Australian whisky before (and I suggest you do!), it would be an excellent place to start.

Rating: 88/100.


Peated (46.2% ABV, 700mL, $86AUD)
The Peated variety, on the other hand, has none of the standard "Australian" taste mentioned above. It's almost like they've taken out that taste (whatever it is), and replaced it with smoke/peat. Not to an overpowering extent, but peat is definitely the dominant characteristic.

I found this one to have a relatively short finish, unlike some Islay peat monsters which can linger around long after the dram is gone. If you enjoy a cigar with your whisky, this would be a match made in heaven (Dalmore's Cigar Malt Reserve was actually developed with a particularly short finish to allow it to be enjoyed with a cigar. I found this somewhat similar.)

If you're a fan of Islay whiskies (which I very much am), you'll probably really enjoy this. It's the right balance of flavour, smoke, and it's great to see an Aussie distillery mixing it up a bit.

Rating: 92/100.

Cheers,
 - Martin.