Battery Point Triple Cask (Batch #3)

From a Battery Point Distillery tasting in Hobart on Monday, August 10th, 2024, this is Whisky #1. The nose is dominated by sweet aromas of golden syrup, caramel, fortified wine, and vanilla, with some nutty notes appearing later, especially after reduction. The palate offers a soft, sweet, winey arrival with abundant fruity flavors like cranberry, raspberry, grape juice, and raisins. As it developed, I detected walnut skins, pistachios (!), and morello cherries. A strong fortified wine presence is consistent throughout; while not unpleasant, it overpowers the malt and cereal notes. The texture is creamy. The finish is medium/short, with wine and stewed fruits, but turns slightly metallic in the aftertaste. This is a dessert-style whisky, sweet, with Christmas cake-like fruitiness and richness. It was matured in a mix of ex-bourbon (70%), ex-sherry (20%), and ex-port (10%) casks. I neglected to confirm if the wine casks were genuine sherry and port or Australian equivalents like Apera and Tawny. However, given the small cask sizes observed at the distillery, it's probable they were local, likely first-fill due to the intensity of the wine influence. We tasted Bottle #38 from Batch #3, which was bottled at 46.62% ABV. Current batches range from 45-50% ABV, but Battery Point aims for Triple Cask to be a core range expression with consistency. I don't anticipate significant profile changes over time, and the ABV might eventually be standardized. The wash, made with Tasmanian Punnet barley, was created for Battery Point by Last Rites brewery. It's a palatable whisky with good complexity and reasonable balance, but I felt the casks dominate the profile. It could benefit from longer aging in larger, more subtle casks. This is a distillery and whisky to watch. If they can elevate this expression further, it has the potential to be exceptional. Rated "Good": 83/100 (3.5 stars).