Black Gate 520s Peated Cask Strength

Whisky Tasting: The Oak Barrel, Sydney, January 19, 2021. Whisky #6 Aroma: Orchard fruits, mild smoke, honeysuckle, cooked beef, charcoal, toffee, flamed orange rind, scorched butter, a hint of licorice. The aroma is extremely concentrated and very spirited when undiluted, requiring water to reveal its full potential. Taste: Sweet syrup, toffee, caramel, malt extract, plum pudding, almost overripe tropical fruits. That's just the initial impression. The development brings raspberry and blackberry preserves, maple-glazed barbecue, sweet tobacco, and buttery soot. The texture is full, heavy, rich, and coats the mouth. Finish: Extremely long. Smoked Christmas cake. What an incredible whisky – it's like a combination of two specific expressions, and yes, you read that strength correctly. This is 71.3% alcohol by volume. The remarkable aspect is that it's not only drinkable neat at that strength (but caution is advised!) but it's also delicious. It's like consuming highly smoked, intensely flavored diluted molasses. A particular Australian distillery is rapidly becoming one of my preferred producers. Operated by two individuals, it's a small venture with a growing devoted following. They are situated in a rural area where the daily temperature can vary by up to 40 degrees Celsius. Their stills are small and directly heated, producing a slick, potent, highly flavorful new spirit with notes of toasted grain and caramelized sugar. The spirit is aged in small barrels (some incredibly small) and yet, while the distiller manages to extract maximum flavor and aroma from them, he somehow avoids tannins. The malt for this bottling was heavily smoked and sourced from Scotland. The spirit was aged in five 20-liter (!) used ex-apera casks that were combined for bottling. Like many Australian whiskies, this one is costly at the equivalent of US$170 for a 500ml bottle, but for once, the expense is warranted. This is a very good artisanal whisky and it was the highlight for me at the tasting. “Very Good”: 89/100 (4.75 stars)