Waubs Harbour Original (Batch 02)

Sydney Whisky Show May 20th 2023. Whisky #19 Nose: Malt, caramel, peanut brittle, and a subtle maritime note. With time and a drop of water, hints of raisins and floral red fruit emerged. Palate: A sweet arrival of salted caramel and toffee. Evidence of first-fill bourbon maturation is strong, with vanilla, coconut, and a tiny hint of banana developing. Freshly-baked oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips and raspberry pieces appear in the later palate. The texture is creamy. Finish: Medium. Malted milk and caramel with salted red berries in the aftertaste. This distillery was founded in 2018 at Bicheno on the east coast of Tasmania. Built on the site of a former oyster hatchery, some of the old buildings were renovated to become part of the distillery. It is situated literally on the waterline, similar to Bowmore on Islay, and like Bowmore, it also matures its casks by the sea. The distillery is deliberately aiming for a maritime influence on their whisky and is adopting Scottish production methods suitable for stable low temperatures and high maritime humidity. They are also cultivating their own liquid yeast strains, which is an excellent development for the local industry, which has been limited by the use of commercial dried brewer's yeast for decades. This expression was primarily matured in ex-bourbon barrels, with some spirit fully matured in Australian tawny (port) casks. It's a core part of their range but is released in batches of a few hundred bottles, so some batch variation is expected (and should be celebrated). This young Tasmanian whisky was thoroughly enjoyed. It is well-balanced and, much like the Cape Byron whiskies from northern NSW, it strongly follows the tradition of Scottish maritime whisky without being a mere imitation. This is precisely the direction hoped for in many other local distilleries. The only criticism (which did not affect the rating) is that it is excessively expensive. AUD$170 for a half-litre bottle is unreasonable; that's equivalent to $238 for a 700ml bottle, and for that price, one could purchase a bottle of Ledaig 18 year old plus a 6-pack of Belgian trappist ale. No contest, unfortunately. "Good": 84/100 (3.75 stars)