23rd Street Distillery Hybrid Whisk(e)y

Initial scent is very faint and spirit-forward. Gradually, gentle citrus, apple, and vanilla notes become apparent, yet it remains distant and uninspiring. Taste begins with sweetness, primarily vanilla and cereal. The progression reveals some timid honey and dried fruit, but little else. The consistency is somewhat creamy. Aftertaste is medium to short in length. Grassy cereal and a subtle woody citrus note are present. This distillery was established in Renmark, South Australia in 2016 and has recently launched its inaugural single malt. To fund operations while the malt matured, they produced a variety of brandy, rum, gin, and vodka. Eager to introduce a whisky-like product promptly, they also devised this unusual dram, available for a couple of years but understandably not widely recognized. It contains scotch whisky that is "an average of 5 years old." It's unclear if it's malt or grain, but it's highly probable it's entirely grain whisky. The other element is an unspecified bourbon that is "an average of 2 years old." The resultant blend is matured in former bourbon barrels for an undisclosed duration. Their website offers minimal concrete details about this expression, filled with marketing jargon, and their lack of openness is almost insulting. The aroma takes time to develop, and even then, it stays thin and uninteresting. It smells like a low-quality blended scotch with an excessive amount of young grain whisky. Faint caramel notes are detectable in the distant background. The taste is light and unobjectionable but makes little impact. Overall, it resembles a cheap blended scotch with a small addition of mediocre bourbon. The only reason this isn't rated lower is that despite its blandness, it lacks any significant flaws. However, this product is strongly discouraged, especially considering its rather high price, which is about three times its actual value. Tasted from a 200ml sample bottled by the distillery. "Inferior": 67/100 (1.5 stars)