Flinders Island Peated American Oak Ex-Bourbon Australian Single Malt Whisky

There's been a quiet period lately, with a house full of a new baby's sounds and the quietness of losing our dog. This evening, however, I found a rare hour to sit and think about the first two drams from a six-dram series by Furneaux Distillery. "On an island off an island, where you can fly across the sounds or sail past treacherous craggy rocks, you find Furneaux Distillery. Our passion is to create a unique Peated Single Malt Whisky that speaks of its maritime environment. Through deep care and respect for our provenance, we want to bring the spirit, beauty, and ruggedness of Flinders Island to every bottle we distill. Flinders Island sits north east of Tasmania; a remote island in the Furneaux Group, a mere 62 km from top to bottom. Exposed on all sides to the wild and unpredictable elements of Bass Strait, it means living by the natural order of harsh contrasts. A sense of isolation that brings with it a can-do, rugged attitude that permeates the local psyche. Rugged, raw, real beauty." For those curious, there's a nice origin story for these Furneaux spirits at: https://www.furneauxdistillery.com.au/about. I managed to get a tasting pack when I saw one offered through a specialist group in Australia; my interest sparked by Furneaux and their connection to my favorite Tasmanian whisky maker, Launceston Distillery. Anyway… before the kid wakes up… This pour is from the third batch (FPB3) of Flinders Peated Single Malt, distilled from 100% Flinders Peated Tasmanian Pilsner Malt. The spirit aged for 3.5 Years in one 100 l American Oak Ex-Bourbon cask from the Tasmanian Cask Company. 180 bottles were released in October 2023 at 47.9% ABV. Nose: This is the definition of light. Fresh, bright, and incredibly sharp. Soft, slightly sweet oak and wood shavings blend perfectly with juicy pears, allspice, fragrant citrus, and the lightest caramel. The peat is just a hint, a grassy, vegetal presence that hides a slight tar note if you look for it. Palate: A medium body with a slightly drying grip. The peat smoke is more noticeable and adds liveliness. Still vegetal, but moving towards minerality and a wonderful touch of saltiness. Caramel is richer and a bit darker with a brown sugar crunch. An oily nuttiness comes through with a bit of grittiness in the underlying malt that carries more wood shavings. Finish: Medium-short. Juicy pear, grassy herbaceous smoke, warm tannic spice, and mineral-earthy smoke. A strong initial showing for this new distillery. Nothing overly ambitious or questionable from the cask choices, and not pretentious; just a pretty well-made whisky with an honest character. The youth is apparent, as not much depth has been drawn from the malt or cask, but what's present is clean and quite exact. It actually reminds me of a young, simple Talisker: salt, minerality, cooling smoke. It lacks, of course, the peppery kick and the promise of a stormy embrace that a Talisker would have. Still, this is Australian maritime whisky, and I believe there's great potential if they take their time and don't get too caught up in marketing… [Pictured here with a Tasmanian classic, crocoite. This orange beauty is a rare lead-chromate mineral formed as a secondary replacement of ultramafic rocks. From the famous Adelaide Mine in Dundas, Tasmania and with a genesis dating back around 485-444 million years.] Furneaux Distillery Running Scores Flinders Island Peated American Oak Ex-Bourbon: 3.5/5