Battery Point "Old Fashioned" Cask

Tasting notes from Battery Point Distillery in Hobart on Monday, August 10th, 2024, for Whisky #4. Smell: Citrus zest, vanilla, and whisky. Taste: Citrus zest, vanilla, bitters, sherry, nuts, and honey. Aftertaste: Medium duration. Lingering notes of burnt honey and orange. This spirit was made exclusively for the 2024 Tasmanian Whisky Week. The distillery took some of their whisky, which had aged for two years in a PX sherry cask, and moved it into a small ex-bourbon wood cask for a six-month finishing period. This 20-liter cask had previously held 20 liters of Old Fashioned cocktail, created as an exclusive for the 2023 Dark Mofo Festival. Only 43 bottles were produced. Was this whisky with a finish or a flavored whisky? Was it intriguing? Was it even a sensible idea? I can't say. It was pleasant enough to drink but entirely forgettable. Besides the promotional buzz and novelty, I saw no real purpose and would have preferred to taste a freshly made Old Fashioned. However, to be fair, Battery Point is a very new artisan distillery (their annual production is about 20% of Daftmill's) and they are still in their experimental phase. We also sampled a whisky they matured in a whey stout barrel and another that was finished in an IPA barrel. I understand Battery Point intends to relocate to a larger facility (the current distillery is minuscule). If they can successfully scale up and establish a signature style, they have a promising future. "Average": 75/100 (2.5 stars)