[42.3%・NAS・Bottled Circa 2017・Twenty Third Street Bottling・General Release]

Nose:

Tight nose initially, feels quite spirit-y and young with a strange mothball note.  It opens up to honey water with vanilla from the bourbon component.

Palate & Finish:

Sugary water, brown sugar to be specific.  A quick bite of spices with hints of vanilla, chocolate and artificial raisin flavouring.

Thoughts:

I imagine Dame Maggie Smith frowningly questioning what exactly does a “Hybrid Whisk(e)y” mean in that dowager countess tone..

Well the front of the label says “Australian Craft Distillery, Renmark“, but the finer print on the side reads as follows:

“Bottled in Australia using imported ingredients by Black Bottle Distilling…”

So there you go, a “Scotch with Bourbon“!

In all seriousness though, this seems like a missed opportunity for the company not blending local grain and single malt whiskies for an “Australian hybrid whisk(e)y” release.

Instead what we have been served is a product that frankly does not revolutionise one’s perception on Scotch with Bourbon..

-Nicholas