Price: $250 AUD
Purchased From: Sullivans Cove
ABV: 47.7%
This is a 2023 release from arguably one of Australia’s most famous distilleries with a mix of 10 different casks, all clearly stated on the label. No mention of what type of barrels they were, but they tend to use a mixture of ex-Bourbon and ex-Tawny for their Double Cask releases. Youngest barrel was filled on 24/07/2017 and bottled on 02/09/2023, which makes this 6 years old, with a total of 1,378 bottles.
I do like the small information labels Sullivans Cove provide and they’re quite transparent. What I don’t like is how they’ve become the pinnacle for whisky flipping in this country. For years every release was done via ballot, with many of those ending up on the secondary market for absurd prices. With demand decreasing and the whisky industry as a whole in a downturn worldwide, recent times have seen stock available on the website regularly at RRP.
Nose
Lots of fresh fruit, particularly tropical – I find this initially in a lot of the other Double Cask releases I’ve tried. Vanilla, caramel and a touch of oak. Water didn’t do much for me on the nose.
Taste
The oak comes through first, but it quickly dissipates. Again this is something I notice a lot with Sullivans Cove, initial wood notes that don’t linger. This is followed by that sweetness – honey, green apples, plenty of vanilla – which gives me the impression the majority of casks in this are 1st-fill ex-Bourbon. The finish brings out the spice and cereal notes: bran flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Just like the nose, water didn’t add much extra for me or open anything up.
Conclusion
A good whisky that does well to showcase the style of Sullivans Cove. For mine some of the other releases are miles above the Double Cask, but you’re paying a lot more money for them. All things considered, the Double Cask releases are good value at $250 if you can get one at RRP. Plenty of other Australian distillers are charging a lot more and usually for less (in 500ml bottles). This does what it’s meant to as an entry level release – give you an idea of what Sullivans Cove is about at a reasonable price (for Australia).