Watkins Whisky Co. Single Malt

Nose: Resinous wood with a dusty quality (oak and pine), orange zest, overripe tropical fruit, freshly cut hay. A gentler sniff from a distance reveals sweeter notes, notably toasted marshmallow and baked banana. As it sits in the glass (and especially after a splash of water), caramel, toffee, jasmine, and lavender emerge, complementing the initial resinous character. Palate: A sweet, vibrant entry (with a slight touch of bitterness) that transitions into tropical fruit. It has flavors of wine gums, bright, tingling oak spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), and dried fruits in its development (dates, plums). Later palate notes include toffee, banana, and dark fruit flavors akin to brandy or armagnac. The texture is full but not oily, becoming creamy when slightly diluted. Finish: Medium to short. Fresh and preserved tropical fruits that fade into subtle oak and leather. Mt. Uncle Distillery was established in 2001 by Mark Watkins in Walkamin, Atherton Tablelands, approximately 50km southwest of Cairns. It stands as the sole distillery in Australia's far north. The tablelands region offers a milder, cooler climate compared to the nearby Whitsunday coast, making it feasible to produce aged whisky in a technically tropical zone (angel's share averages 5%). The distillery also crafts a range of acclaimed rum, gin, and liqueurs. This whisky originated from a spirit run conducted by Mark in 2011. It was aged in hybrid casks made from staves of ex-French oak red wine barriques and ex-bourbon barrel heads, then bottled in 2018. I suspect this might have been the distillery's only malted barley spirit run, though I'm not entirely sure. This whisky is now extremely difficult to find outside of the distillery itself, and I understand their inventory is diminishing, but I'm unaware if they have further aged stock maturing for future release. It's a distinctive whisky, though slightly unbalanced. While it has a prominent resinous note, it doesn't appear over-oaked or dominated by intense cask influence. The hybrid casks impart an elegantly light, bright, and youthful wood character, and the blend of American and French oak creates a profile unlike any other Australian whisky I've sampled. I purchased this bottle from a local liquor store. It was the last one available, and it was marked down by 40%, making it a great deal. I enjoyed the whisky and would recommend it to those interested in exploring the less common side of Australian whisky. However, at its usual retail price, I likely wouldn't buy another bottle. It's a good whisky that falls just short of being very good. "Good": 83/100 (3.5 stars)

N: thick and powerful, reminiscent of the lush opulence of a well made port cask whisky. Thick with darkest toffee and caramel, dusty leather bound books, mashed banana and honey. A delicate floral note comes through if you are patient lavender or maybe just generic potpourris? Remarkably, no hint of overtaking that one might expect from seven years of tropical ageing, instead perhaps just the slightest spice note. P: Rich and dense. Spicy oak and perfume (literally like a perfume spritz on the tongue). More oak spice as heavy all spice. Toffee and juicy banana milkshake. Red fruits of plume and red grape. This is interesting and packed with flavour, but I find it unbalanced or at least not well integrated. An early thickness and richness of flavour gives way rapidly to a thin and watery very perfume heavy late palate; is it possible for a whisky to split? F: Medium. Refreshing with some lingering jasmine perfume and bakery spice backed by supple leather. I honestly don’t know what to make of this. A challenging and curious whisky with some supremely delicate notes and rich depths. The balance and integration is off to me though, and that interrupts my enjoyment. The nose is great, the finish is lack lustre and the palate is like Mr Hyde dragging you deep down into the darkness where you then meet Dr Jeckyll for some light merriment. Thanks again to a friend, you’ve challenged me more than I expected.