New and Emerging Whisky Distillers
There is a new generation of whiskies put forward over the last Ten years or so, with whiskies being produced in countries other than Scotland. Lately with growing interest in Malt Whisky there have been products coming from India, Twain, China and of course Australia which the subject of this article.
The Whiskies of Modern Australia
The emerging Australian whisky industry started with Bill Lark’s struggle to get Tasmanian government to see his point of view regarding Spirit production needs no further explanation. Without Bill’s forward thinking and support from fellow Tasmanian’s the modern Australian whisky industry might not have seen the light of day.
The Tasmanian distillers that stand out to me are Bill Lark and Casey Overeem. Casey is a quiet achiever, for many years producing one wash a week and producing what I consider one of the finest whisky’s I have ever tasted, whihc is quite a lot. And let’s not forgetting Sullivans Cove.
The rest of the Australian whiskies are now produced in all states. To mention all of them would be a daily update, as every week there seems to be another coming on line, just as frequently as Microsoft updates.
In South Australia, Ian Schmidt started up his operation round ten years ago. Since then there have been an explosion of registered stills popping up all over in suburbs and country locations including the Southern Vales and Goolwa. Not forgetting the Smith’s family in the Barossa whose production stretches back further than that. Some of their distillations included the 8 year old, which is harder to find than hen’s teeth.
In Western Australia, Limeburners stands out winning awards and accolades.
In Victoria, Starward with the American style warehouse all painted black, emulating the American style of maturation are producing a product at a very fair price product in Australian retailers, against all the costly excise and government regulations in Australia.
For those I have not mentioned I apologise. Australian Whisky like all countries has a distinctive flavour profile. So, enjoy your Whisky wherever it comes from, as I have said on many occasions the best whisky is the one that you like drinking.
Roger Gillard, Your Laird