So whisky from down under? in New Zealand? well, yes, and no. There is currently no ACTIVE whisky distillery in NZ, but once there was: the Willowbank Distillery on the southern island in New Zealand. Sadly it was closed down in 1997 and mothballed in 1999, but apparently (and luckily) their aging stocks were bought in 2010 by the New Zealand Whisky Company, who bottles them now, and and sells memories from that period.
I am lucky to have quite a few of whisky loving friends, one of which is Erik Burgess who’s an old twitter buddy and the New Zealand Whisky Company Brand Ambassador in Great Britain. Erik kindly sent me (and a few other bloggers) 3 samples of whisky from his company’s line of NZ whiskies, and thanks to Yoav who visited the UK in August and was kind enough to carry the stuff back to Israel, I was able to sample these three intriguing whiskies. So thanks buddies, for your help!
I will be a 15 year old (blended) , 21 year old south island, and a 23 year old 1990 vintage single cask, starting today with the 15 year old…
New Zealand DoubleWood 15 Year Old, 40%, £85 (The whisky Exchange)
This is an interesting whisky , made of a blend (a 70% single malt, 30% grain whisky produced from unmalted barley. Aged for 6 years in American Bourbon barrels, before finishing in French Oak New Zealand wine casks).
Nose: A rather vinous nose, with evident wine notes, but nothing too powerful,a hint of citrus fruit, and maybe some red berries marmalade.
Palate: oh yea, wine finish you say? that’s right. the palate says WINE FINISH out loud. big time. the tannis are flying high up, alright. quite sweet, with some dirty meaty note, pepper, and dough.
Finish: Spicy, oak, tannins and wine gums.
Conclusion:
A nice blend, quite enjoyable, although not very complex. quite high malt content would explain it. if you’re a wine finish lover, this one is up your alley. As a blend this is indeed of high quality. I have high hopes for its “older” brothers. As for pricing, i am afraid the 85 quid pricetag is too steep. It’s true the distillery is long gone, and this is a niche product, but a 15 year old blended whisky for almost 90 quid is a lot of money. If price is not an issues, i’d love a bottle of this wine finished blend on my shelf!
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