Hellyers Road Distillery Peated Single Malt Australian Whisky (700ml)

In 1996 the Australian Dairy Industry was deregulated. Betta Milk Co-operative then identified a niche in the domestic market for the production of whisky and vodka products. Hellyer's Road Distillery, named after a local landmark and explorer of note, was established and an all new purpose built operation was established on the Betta Milk site in Burnie, Tasmania. A cursory tour of Hellyer's Road leaves no question that this is a serious business, employing state of the art equipment and capable of large scale production. This peated expression was produced from imported peated barley, matured for around eight years in ex-bourbon oak.

First tasted August 2010 Pale straw colour with water like hue. The nose is very similar to those of Islay. Fresh peat smoke, salt, kelp, liquorice, honey, vanilla butter menthol. A drop of water reveals a layer of fresh apples, very ‘Ardbeggian.’ The palate is again, quite rich and plush, though without the mid palate toffee sweetness one typically associates with Ardbeg. Smoky, salty flavours hover above a subtle layer of apple and cinnamon, the sweetness from the peat very evident. Long smoky apple and spice aftertaste. A big, fat Hellyer's expression and an astonishingly good tribute to Islay. 46.2% Alc./Vol. 92 points