Note: this is for a 23 yr old French cask New Zealander whiskey, not the one labeled here...but I was anxious to leave a review, and they didn't have this particular one listed (they're extinct now anyway). This is from a 3cl sample (another one of the many that I had bought last year during a UK business trip.) I love trying samples from closed distilleries. There's one part emotion of knowing that these are truly limited and will probably never be made again (especially a New Zealand one, where all it's distilleries closed.). it's really a rarity. The only other closed distillery I ever tried were from two amazing legacies--a 30 yr old Brora and a 21 yr old Rosebank. This one doesn't match up to its extinct Scotish cousins, but it's up there. Nose is like an Irish whiskey. Fruity, like gauvas and passion fruit. Exotic tropical fruits. Taste carries through really smoothly without the oak influence for a 23 yr old. It's more tropical fruits. More mangoes and gauvas, lime and oranges as well. This is amazing. I feel like I'm having one of the best lowlanders. Finish Is of eucalyptus and honey. Now more of a Speysider. Half of it is definately the thought of having a piece of history. The other half is just plain good craftsmanship.
About this bottle
Willowbank Distillery in Dunedin, which is now mothballed, is the flagship whisky in the New Zealand Whisky Collection. Willowbank, which opened in 1974 by the Baker family, was sold to the alcohol producer Seagram’s in the 80's who began to market the whisky as Lammerlaw, named after the famous mountain range of Central Otago. It was sold once again to Fosters in 1997, but the beer company saw no use for whisky and sent the stills to Fiji for rum production. The remaining casks remained stored, maturing in their American ex-bourbon casks until the New Zealand Whisky Company saw fit to purchase them, and reignite the whisky of New Zealand. They have released several bottlings of different ages, and in some cases, different cask finishes. This single malt, however, was left in those American oak ex-bourbon cask for 21 years.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 2 parsed reviews.
I was lucky to try a sample of this a few years ago and it was one of the first bottles I purchased. It had such a beautifully delicately vanilla note. At Dramfest I mentioned to the distillery rep I still had a bottle and was told it was now worth around $700USD which given I paid $120 was a great return on investment but sadly I think it may have to be turned into my first investment bottle rather than drunk!
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
