Bakery Hill Peated Malt

Nose: Pears, apples, mild peat smoke with a heathery floral quality. It has a fresh and "windswept" character with an almost briny note, which is odd considering the distillery is 40km inland from the coast in outer metropolitan Melbourne. Adding water brings out a soft musky tone to the fruity and floral aromas. Palate: Smooth and sweet upon entry with well-balanced cereal flavors. Smoke isn't immediately obvious but appears after a moment as the palate develops, though it's certainly not overpowering. Lightly sweetened orchard fruits on the developed palate with a pleasant hint of leather and tobacco. The texture is creamy and silken with just a touch of caramel and vanilla. Finish: Short. The basic pleasant cereal quality fades quickly with a small puff of smoke on the aftertaste and a tiny briny note. Another relaxed Sunday afternoon, another relaxed Australian whisky. This is the second peated expression I've had from Bakery Hill (the other being their more pungent "Sovereign Smoke"), but this one is much more laid-back in style. I believe this is exactly what the distillery intended to achieve. The nose seemed familiar at once and I quickly compared it to Kilchoman Machir Bay. It has the same fresh, breezy quality, but this whisky is sweeter on the nose. Machir Bay is also more complex, whereas this has a simple cereal profile but is very friendly and approachable. The palate focuses on crisp, sweet cereal flavors rather than rich maltiness. It's a "breakfast" palate, not for dessert. I did notice the absence of any rubbery, plastic sulfurous notes. The distillate is clean, and in my opinion, Bakery Hill could teach several Scottish distilleries a lesson in how to operate a still. This is a very gentle style of whisky and doesn't require water to be approachable. A common trait I observe in almost all Australian whisky (and also in American single malts) is a lack of harshness and alcohol heat. This expression is 46% ABV, but the ethanol is barely noticeable. Adding water softens the profile to the point where it becomes dangerously easy to drink, but I preferred it neat. My criticism of this whisky is that it's too simple and reserved, but it would be a good whisky for a novice. It lacks the depth needed for a truly interesting whisky, and the finish, while pleasant, is quite short. If it were just a little broader in all aspects, I'd happily rate this 4 stars. It's certainly pleasant and easily the best of the core-range 46% Bakery Hill expressions. It's interesting that instead of using local Australian barley, this is made with 100% peated Scottish malt (I think it's imported from Bairds in Inverness, but I don't know the barley variety). Also, like all Australian whisky, there's the very high price to consider. At AUS$160 for a 500ml bottle of NAS whisky, it simply can't compete with imported peated whiskies; most 10 or 12-year-old Scottish expressions are literally half the cost. Tasted from a 50ml distillery-bottled sample. "Above Average": 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Personally, I need to be in the right mood for peaty whisky, so I had some initial difficulty. The aroma reminded me of something from the highlands, which piqued my interest! It was easy to drink, though the smoke overshadowed much of the complexity for me. Add a dash of water, and the entire drink transforms! Like Clark Kent removing his glasses, a whole new beverage appears, with toffee sweetness still present alongside the lingering smoke and warmth. It's incredibly fascinating to find something like this produced so close by!

Color: Golden. Light amber. Cling: Clings lightly. Nose: Sweet & malty. Butter. Hint of peat. Taste: Initially sharp but settles. Crisp. Light smoke & salt. Malty, sweet. Slight butteriness. Apricot!..or something else. Water: Smoother. Less sharp. Summary: Great stuff! Nice long finish. Water or neat Score: 8.5 Tasted: Feb 2010. Barrel 6209

This one is quite intriguing. I would typically dislike this whiskey as it's a lighter, sweeter, less full-bodied dram. However, it had a very distinct profile compared to Scotch whiskies - very light but carried flavor exceptionally well. The alcohol content was well-balanced.

I wasn't anticipating much peat from a Scottish distillery where peat is nonexistent and must be brought in. Just the faintest hint of peat/smoke on the nose and palate. Tasted like a much milder, subdued version of Laphroiag...

Strong upfront with peat, but a sweet syrup aroma and flavor comes through.