Tasted #359: Heartwood "Mediocrity be Damned"

I've realised that despite being a huge Heartwood Malt Whisky fan, I haven't really posted many reviews yet. Time to fix that...

More photos from @TimeforWhisky.com on Instagram

"Mediocrity be Damned" is a single cask, peated ex-Oloroso Sherry whisky, distilled at Lark Distillery and matured/bottled by Heartwood Malt Whisky at 7 years old (at a Heartwood-esque 67.2% ABV).

Heartwood "Mediocrity be Damned" (67.2% ABV, 7yo, Cask #LD530, Lark Distillery, Tasmania, no longer available)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colour: Bright, rich, red-amber.

Nose: Big, of course, but not quite as big as the ABV suggests. RIchard dark chocolate, cherries - Cherry Ripe! There's a freshness, a "floral mossiness", oak, and some marzipan and nuts. WIth water, a touch fresher, more citrus and a little less oak.

Palate: A little closed at first (no surprises with the ABV - Tim Duckett of Heartwood suggests these are enjoyed from a wine glass). After some air, there's a caramel nuttiness and some fruitcake. It's slightly drying, but not cheek-puckeringly tannic. There's a buttery oakiness present throughout too. WIth water, there's a little more marzipan, whilst chocolate, dried fruits and almonds also come to the fore.

Finish: Medium legnth. Chewy, the tannins linger, along with fruit and a little earthy smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. 

More photos from @TimeforWhisky.com on Instagram

Cheers,

Martin.

This week in whisk(e)y #15

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph & I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...

Whisky...in the sky?
No it's not a new method of whisky maturation (although we've seen space and sea maturation, so why not?) No, this is a unique event being held in Tasmania to attend a whisky tasting suspended 50 metres in the air.

"Imagine mingling in a clear roof VIP Marquee near Hobart's stunning waterfront before being lifted into the sky, 50 metres above ground level (higher than both the Marine Board & Hydro buildings) to watch the Sydney to Hobart Yachts cross the finish line. 

Guests will relax in their comfy recliner to take in Tasmania's stunning scenery, while sampling some very rare Overeem Single Malt Whisky supplied and presented by Casey Overeem himself. Accompanying the whisky will be selections of mouth-watering Tasmanian cheeses. 

The tasting table is suspended by a crane installed by a team of accredited professionals.
There will only be two whisky elevations. Casey Overeem will present on one, and Bill Lark (Lark Whisky) will present on another.

December 28 at 3:00pm - 4:00pm (Boarding from 2:30pm) - Lark
December 28 at 4:15pm - 5:15pm (Boarding from 3:45pm) - Overeem 

This is an exclusive event. Tickets are on sale now and will not last long! There are only 19 spots for public per elevation"

I love Lark and Overeem and can't think of a better way to enjoy them. If we were in the country, I would have been pretty keen for this. Tickets are available from here and are $290AUD each (18+ only).


It's a Laphroaig "Smoky Christmas" at The Wild Rover
The Wild Rover, and their Campbell Corner Whisk(e)y Co-Operative (which we've featured a few times on this site) are hosting a Laphroaig 'Smoky Xmas' on Friday 19th December, from 4pm-6pm. Dan Woolley and Michael Nouri will host an afternoon of whisky, cocktails, live music and freshly shucked oysters from Ralston Bros Oyster Farm.

The boys at "the Rover" know how to throw a bloody good party, and we have no doubt this one will be no different. Details on their Facebook page. We won't be able to be there, so have a 'phroaig for us!

"STORM" Malt Scotch Whisky
A few weeks ago at the HK Wine and Spirits Fair we came across a curious bottle of whisky called "Storm", from Lombard Scotch Whisky. Not having heard of Lombard, I enquired further and learned they have been in the industry since the 60s, as independent bottlers but also blenders, and previous suppliers to blenders. "Storm" is a vatted/pure/whatever the industry is calling it these days malt (i.e. a blend of malt whiskies only, no grain whisky) and whilst distilleries aren't provided, whiskies are described as being "influenced by the salt air and the sea" (which granted, could be one of many distilleries).

Lombard also do a number of single cask releases under their "Jewels of Scotland" label, and I was impressed to see the variety of distilleries available, some of which showed they've clearly been keeping casks for a long time (such as Brora). To quote the company:

"The collection covers the 6 areas: Speyside, Highland, Lowland, Campbeltown, Islay and Islands.  Ages range from 18 years to 42 years."

I wasn't able to take proper tasting notes of the small sample I tried at the show, but hopefully I'll be able to track the "Storm" down again (and a few of the single cask releases) and post up a proper review.

Cheers, 
Martin.

This Week in Whisk(e)y #11

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week (or other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph & I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...


Lark Distillery wins national business award
Not all these news items are about new whiskies (or furoshikis - see below)....sometimes they're about celebrating the great work small independent distillers have done. Especially when one of those distillers is effectively the "founding father"of Whisky in Australia. I'm talking of course about Bill Lark, of Lark Distillery who was awarded the Small Business Award at the 2014 Telstra Business Awards in Melbourne earlier this month.

Will Irving, Group Managing Director of Telstra Business and Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, said:

“Lark Distillery is a trail blazer that initiated the development of the Australian whisky industry and has now matured into a premium player on the international whisky stage.

Lark Distillery is the quintessential small family business success story. Starting with no plant, no finance and no customers, and needing to get the law changed to even start their business, Bill and Lyn Lark have been pivotal in founding whisky distilling in Australia. 

Their focus on high quality ingredients, authentic production methods, product innovation and the overall customer experience, has put Australian Whisky on the map as an internationally recognised success.”

Well deserved accolades indeed.

Suntory Whisky and Akira Isogawa celebrate the Art of Giving
Back in May we blogged about the excellent Launch of Suntory Whisky in Australia event at Sydney's Art Gallery of NSW. Good fortune found me standing next to the very friendly Akira Isogawa (renowned international fashion designer), who as we mentioned in the article, mentioned he was collaborating with Suntory on limited release packaging/scarves - details of which are now available.

To quote the press release:

Suntory Whisky has partnered with renowned Japanese-Australian designer Akira Isogawa to celebrate the Art of Giving. The multi-award winning distillery has worked with Akira to create a limited edition traditional scarf used to wrap gifts, known in Japan as “furoshiki”, which was designed exclusively for the Suntory Whisky Australian range.

Having recently expanded its luxury offering in the Australian market, Suntory Whisky is launching this exclusive collaboration in time for Father’s Day and the Christmas season. The Japanese distiller celebrates the Art of Giving each year; a concept that centres on acknowledging the joy found in offering gifts to loved ones and the power of a thoughtfully chosen gift.

“The partnership between Suntory Whisky and Akira was a natural marriage; one of Australia’s best designers coming together with the leading Japanese whisky. We are aiming to celebrate quality craftsmanship and the importance of honouring those you love with a truly unique item,” said Suntory Australia managing director, Ian Atherton. 

“With our extended range of Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki whiskies now available in Australia, we see the luxury range as the perfect gift for those who appreciate fine spirits and the limited edition furoshiki as a beautiful finishing touch.” 

Like origami, furoshiki is considered an integral part of Japanese culture. For 2000 years, the furoshiki served as a special pouch to hold personal items. Today, the ancient custom has become fashionable in Japan as a beautiful eco-friendly, lasting wrapping for gifts.  

Just 300 of the ‘Akira for Suntory Whisky’ furoshiki have been produced. The limited edition scarves will be available in selected specialty retailers around Australia from August 2014 ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday 9 September. The furoshiki will be available as a gift with purchase to wrap one of the hero whiskies – Yamazaki 12 years old, Hakushu 12 years old or Hibiki 17 years old."

As if you needed an excuse to enjoy Yamazaki, Hakushu or Hibiki, but if you're looking for a unique Father's day gift, this could be one to consider. The furoshiki will be exclusively available as a gift with purchase in the following retailers from now:

New South Wales:
- Oak Barrel; www.oakbarrel.com.au
- World of Whisky; www.worldofwhisky.com.au

Queensland:
- Cru Bar + Cellar; www.crubar.com

Victoria:
- Nick’s Wine Merchants; www.nicks.com.au
- The Wigs Cellar; www.thewigscellar.com.au
- Sea Breeze Cellars; (03) 5987 0877

South Australia:
- Fassina Liquor Merchants; www.fassina.com.au
- Parafield Airport Liquor Store; www.palsliquor.com.au




Johnnie Walker Blue Label presents "The Gentleman's Wager"
OK, so this one didn't exactly "come to us" as a press release, but it is very cool, in a "that's completely unrealistic, but damn I wish that was me" way. Watch below:

Cheers, 
- Martin.

Tasted #63: Australia Day Special - Heartwood "Release the Beast"

Happy Australia Day, Australia!

Given the proliferation of excellent whisky we have on our shores, I figured today's tasting had to be an Australian whisky, and what better than one from Heartwood Whisky?

Fans of Australian whisky might be familiar with Heartwood, but for those who aren't, think of them as an Australian independent bottler, who only deal in (high) cask strength, high-quality whiskies.

Without going into too much detail (given this is a "Tasted" post), Heartwood currently have 10,000+ litres of Australian whisky maturing away. A lot of it is from Lark Distillery (where Tim who runs Heartwood also sits on the board), but some of it comes from other Australian distilleries too, such as Tasmania Distillery.

When Heartwood decide the whisky is ready they release it at cask-strength, which (due to the unique climate in Tasmania and cask storage conditions forcing the water to evaporate faster than the alcohol) often results in an ABV% higher than when the new make entered the barrel. Seems they have some tee-totalling angels in Tassie!

Whilst some releases are bottled at a mental ABV% like 72.5% ("The Convict Redemption", an excellent dram by the way), this one here was bottled at a slightly less insane 65.4%, after maturing in two port barrels and being finished in an Australian Sherry (aka Apera) cask. The website states NAS, but I've heard this one is around 7 years old.

Oh, and a final note - if you're reading about any Heartwood release, there's a good chance it'll no longer be available. While there are a few available at the time of writing, these whiskies do sell out very quickly. Not hard to see why...

Heartwood "Release the Beast" (65.4% ABV, NAS, Tasmania Australia)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heartwood on the left, a 40yo Glenrothes on the right.

Colour: Deep, deep copper. Rich, red. One of the darkest whiskies I've tasted for the site.

Nose: Big sherry hit at first - reminds me of the Kavalan Soloist which I tasted early last year. In addition to the obvious sherry notes, a fruity, nutty, sweet nose comes through. Complex and sweet.

Palate: Big, clearly strong, but also incredibly smooth. Very, very drying. Hints of hazelnuts. But dry, so dry. Absolutely no burn though - a whisky that has been matured and cared for well.

Finish: Still dry, with long berry notes. Hazelnut notes show through at the very end again.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100. Not for the faint of heart (ha), but certainly not rough or unapproachable in any way. Incredibly smooth, reasonably complex and with some delicious notes. Try it with a drop of water and watch the flavours explode. All the Heartwoods I've tried have been excellent, and unique, so if you're a fan of different, interesting, quality Australian whisky, give them a look.

Thanks to Cooper from singlema.lt for the sample.

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.