Sullivans Cove Double Cask

Nose: Mild orchard fruit, mild cereal, mild vanilla, a hint of mild citrus. Mild … mild … mild … Palate: Soft, smooth clean entry. Dried fruit compote (apricots, figs, pears) reconstituted with honey-water. Chestnut and hazelnut butter with a little spice (sweet cinnamon, clove, mild ginger). Some soft cereals and tannins. The mouthfeel is velvety and agreeable but the whisky lacks density and presence. The structure is fragile and it falls apart very easily with dilution. Finish: Medium. Semi-sweet fruity but well balanced aftertaste. This tasting was from batch DC076, distilled in 2001 (under Bill Lark’s watch) at the old Sullivans Cove distillery and bottled in 2014 at 40%. The casking was 40% French oak ex-port casks and 60% ex-bourbon. The bottle was gifted to me by a friend who is not a whisky drinker but had received it from his brother-in-law some years ago. It's a clean and highly approachable whisky with a profile that is similar to several mid-shelf highland and Speyside scotch single malts, in particular it bears a resemblance to Balvenie. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it – in fact it is a very nice whisky, however it is absurdly over-hyped and ferociously overpriced. This is the “affordable” Sullivans Cove whisky (at around AUD$400-600). Their contemporary core-range American Oak expression is around AUD$800-1,000 and the French Oak AUD$1,200 or more. In my opinion nothing they produce is worth the prices they charge. I could buy 5 bottles of Balvenie 12 (or anything in that price range) for the cost of one bottle of this and I'd be getting whisky that was at least equivalent if not better. Sullivan’s Cove is a complex whisky to review – more so than you might think. Since its founding in 1994 the distillery has gone through three distinct changes of ownership, declared bankruptcy twice, and moved its physical location (in 2004). Each change has seen an almost complete overhaul in distillery staff and the “recipe” for the core range products has completely changed several times. When all this happens at a small artisanal distillery that has only existed for 27 years it is inevitable that the product will be extremely batch-variable, and so is the case here. There should really be a different entry for every batch of Double-Cask – I’ve tasted many and they vary greatly – almost shockingly. It should also be noted that the whisky is steadily getting better overall and is more consistent nowadays under the very capable management of Heather Tillott. The whisky sold by the original owners was utterly dreadful and Sullivan's Cove did not shake off its poor local reputation until the early 2000s, when the "2nd Generation" distillery's spirit (designed by Bill Lark) started to hit the market. This is the stuff that won all the medals and was highly rated by Jim Murray. For better or worse that put Sullivan's Cove and Tasmanian whisky in general on the map but the result was the same as for many Japanese distilleries - huge demand and little stock. BTW - the official Distiller scope notes for this listing are incorrect in a couple of details. Double-Cask was 40% abv up until 2017 at which point it increased to 45% or 47.5% which greatly improved the expression. The distillery only has one still (not "stills") which is used for both wash and spirit runs. She's called “Myrtle”. Double Cask is always a combination of French oak ex-port and American oak ex-bourbon, but the proportion varies for each batch. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

Nose: Fresh and breezy aromas of cereal, malt, good oak and orchard fruit (pears, apples). There is a grassy and slightly resinous note and a little vanilla. With a few drops of water added the nose shows previously hidden floral and honey notes and becomes less tense and more inviting. It improves even more with time in the glass. Palate: When tasted neat the arrival is initially sweet and malty but is then rapidly overtaken by sparkling spice notes of cinnamon, clove and a dusting of white pepper. These subside in the development as fruity cereal and honey become dominant. The texture is oily and pleasant. Adding water relaxes the whisky and more honey and deep malt notes are apparent. Water also makes the texture very creamy. Finish: Medium. Spicy malt that fades to a leafy ale-like aftertaste. Sullivans Cove has one of the most Scottish profiles of any Australian whisky. It reminds me a lot of Speyburn, Glen Grant, Glenmorangie and any number of other lighter-bodied Speysiders when they are matured in ex-bourbon. It also brings to mind Auchentoshan sometimes and the palate has some things in common with Limeburners, from Western Australia. Double Cask is the baby of Sullivans Cove’s core lineup. They also produce an expression fully matured in refill ex-bourbon and another in 1st fill ex-bourbon, another fully matured in refill French oak and their most expensive which is fully matured in 1st fill French oak. The 1st fill ex-bourbon is my favourite but it's almost twice the price of this Double Cask. All their whiskies have been steadily improving over the years and the recent batches are the best I have tasted. I reviewed a bottle of Double Cask Batch 076 here four years ago and this is the first bottle of Double Cask I’ve tried since then. I think the old batch (which was bottled in 2014) was softer and fruitier, but it was bottled at 40% and that did the whisky no favours. Double Cask is now generally 47.5% and it greatly improves the profile. The best news is that after a decade of low stocks and intense buying due to crazy hype, things are calming down with stocks being easily available and prices dropping substantially. 10 years ago you could only get this whisky through a ballot system direct from the distillery and it cost around AUD$400 a bottle. I bought this current bottle from my preferred online store and it cost AUD$250. It’s amazing and wonderful to see this happening. Classic whisky from the second oldest distillery in Australia. It’s not quite a 4-star dram, but pretty close. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

It's Aussie so must be good! OK - I'll put my patriotism to one side and give this an objective review. Nose is pleasant with sweet fruits, vanilla , hint of floral notes some esters like bananas in the background. Taste is creamy, rich and forward loaded with stone fruits, french vanilla and ending in mild spice and light tannin. Not a long finish has to be said. This is a whisky where all the action is up front. OK so if you can find a bottle and also afford it you do get a very pleasant and kind of old school whisky experience. A bit like a Glenmorangie in many ways. In the end very decent and doesn't put a foot wrong but it is also in many ways not very complex or exciting. When you factor in the price it becomes a bit of a non starter. Having said that it is stone cold proof that Australia can make really good whisky but maybe not enough of it to keep the price connected to planet Earth. Big thanks to Cascode for the sample!

What do Sullivans Cove and Japanese whisky have in common? Well, both are shockingly expensive and highly sought-after. The nose of this 'Double Cask' opens up with tinned pears, lychee and wood spices, supplemented by orange peel, sourdough and hints of tobacco. Stewed fruits, honey and a touch of brandy sparkle in the arrival before a crescendo of French oak drives the taste into a ditch. Resinous, dry and chocolaty, the finish recovers with juniper, mint and fruit tea. There is quality in this dram for sure, but I cannot pinpoint a Tasmanian identity. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Nose - plum pudding, toffee, manuka honey Tongue - stewed pears, honey, vanilla, little bit of spice. Something I cant quite pick, but tastes absolutely amazing Beautiful very smooth and easy drinking; all the flavours work together so well. Great drop, would recomend

Bought this at the distillery after the tour & tasting. At $50 including tastings, if you're in Tassie this is a must do!. It was described to me as their "Breakfast Whisky". Lighter than its big brother the French Oak but flavour is still there. It's also a lot cheaper!