Archie Rose Red Gum Smoked Single Malt

Nose: Smoked eucalyptus firewood, a hint of vanilla, stewed red apples, red wine, dried peaches or apricots, and a touch of menthol. Adding a generous amount of water and letting it rest brings out more subdued fruity notes along with an unusual, somewhat unpleasant herbal quality. Palate: A fiery, spicy arrival with chili and black pepper that evolves into a burnt-wood flavor, though it's not truly smoke or peat. It presents as over-brewed black tea and bitter chocolate. The texture is pleasant but not quite substantial enough. Diluting it slightly softens it and introduces some sweetness, but the core character remains. Finish: Medium/short. It leaves a lingering taste reminiscent of licking a bushfire-charred stump. This whisky, as previously noted by another reviewer, strongly evokes the smells and tastes of an Australian campfire breakfast: eucalyptus aroma, smoke, wood ash in the eggs, and overly sweet billy tea. It's charming and evocative, with the subtlety of a physical assault. Like most whiskies from this distillery I've sampled, it lacks nuance and complexity, despite their meticulous production processes. This distillery seems to aim for unusual expressions packed with numerous elements, perhaps in pursuit of complexity and maximum impact. Ironically, they often fall short, resulting in a spirit that is brash rather than big, and complicated rather than complex. Occasionally, as with their Hybrid Rye or Six Malt New Make, they produce exceptional results, but these are exceptions, and this Red Gum Smoked expression is not one of them. I wish they would simplify their process, focus on nuance, and age the distillate in refill bourbon casks for a few years. Great whisky is made by mastering the fundamentals, not by prioritizing innovation. There's a very small distillery in rural New South Wales called Black Gate. With a fraction of the resources and attention of Archie Rose, they produce a smoky single malt that is vastly superior. I recommend checking them out if you have the opportunity. Tasted from a sample kindly shared, I was pleased to have the chance to try this limited release, though I wouldn't buy a bottle or recommend it beyond its novelty value. "Average": 77/100 (2.5 stars)

From the Distillery Website: “The seventh bottling in our Trials and Exceptions series, and the initial part of a two-part collection, this remarkable spirit marks a significant point in our history and our pursuit to source all seven of our malt types from within NSW. With only 2,005 bottles produced, Red Gum Smoked Single Malt Whisky utilizes native NSW red gum for smoking the NSW-grown and malted barley from our associates at Voyager Craft Malt. It honors one of Australia's most impressive eucalypt trees and delivers. Stemming from a long-standing dedication to create a definitive smoked whisky, Australian in both method and taste, fulfilling an ambition to substitute Scottish peated malt with Australian wood-smoked malt, it is made from a five-malt mash bill, including a local malt infused with native red gum wood smoke, and aged for two years in Australian Apera casks.” From my amateur perspective: I've been reluctant to open this bottle. Only 2,005 bottles exist. Should I open it or save it? I decided to take a chance and open it. I believe it was the right choice. Nose: jasmine tea, gentle and damp woody smoke, rich with savory meatiness; after some time in the glass, a fruity orchard note emerges. Palate: sharp smoke hits upfront with charred meat, salty bacon (similar to Talisker), more jasmine tea. Strangely, the palate has a sensation akin to popping candy. A little water brightens it and reveals the smoky herbal and vegetal notes. If you've ever seasoned your campfire grill with rosemary, you'll understand the idea. Finish: medium-short, dominated by herbal smoke and mineral salts. I don't detect much else. Overall: This delivers a powerful impact on the nose and palate, and I'm uncertain if the five distinct mash bill components are distinguishable. I haven't sampled the standard single malt from the same mash bill for comparison, but I suspect the complexity has been overshadowed by the intensity of the smoking process. What is present is distinctive. It truly evokes an Australian campfire, the glowing embers in the morning after a rain shower. Emerging from your tent and stoking the fire to prepare a bush breakfast. Eucalypts all around. Vegetal, herbal smoke and damp wood mingle with charred meat and salty breakfast bacon. It's direct and makes its presence known with an undeniable force. Perhaps I lack the experience to fully appreciate this spirit, but I find it to be straightforward. It's not bad, though; what it offers, it offers effectively. I'm left wondering: is this the finest Australian whisky? No, it isn't. Is it the most Australian whisky? I believe it might be.