Belgrove Hopped Malt Whisky

Nose: Elderflower, chamomile, honeysuckle, vanilla, eau-de-Cologne. An intensely floral nose with underlying notes of beer. Palate: The arrival is equally floral and hoppy with malty herbal flavors. There's not much development beyond some cereal notes reminiscent of white-bread toast and a little malt extract. The texture is full-bodied. Finish: Medium/long. Fruity, floral, and malty. An interesting experiment, but following the very good 100% rye whisky and the even better 100% rye cask-strength expression, I found this a bit peculiar and disappointing. I'm not a fan of hopped whisky at all, having tried several such drams now, and this came across as little more than a novelty. It was interesting to try that day, but I had no desire to purchase a bottle. This was made from several combined batches of IPA from Tasmanian micro-breweries that were distilled and aged at Belgrove distillery. The distillery's website states that “the beers were not up to their normal standards and would have been discarded if they had not been saved”. The distillate may have been produced following a philosophy of zero waste and self-sufficiency, which is commendable, but that doesn't guarantee a great whisky. This expression was bottled on February 11, 2021, but there was also a 61.7% version two years prior. I'm unsure if they were entirely separate products or if this current expression is a diluted, more aged version of the first one. Tasted at the Sydney Whisky Show, May 15, 2021, my 22nd tasting of the day. "Average": 75/100 (2.5 stars)