And now for one thing fully totally different…

Playboy Spirits’ Uncommon Hare line focuses on ultra-luxe, ultra-expensive whiskeys, to this point together with a bourbon and an outdated Canadian bottling. The third installment within the collection hails from, of all locations, Tasmania, Australia. And it’s 20 years outdated.

Right here we go:

Should you didn’t know that Tasmania has a storied historical past of manufacturing excellent single malt whiskies, you’re not alone. This small, rugged island south of mainland Australia and east of New Zealand is extra famend for its pristine microclimate and distinctive wildlife than its distilleries. However for whiskey aficionados, this island harbors a particular secret: it’s a veritable Eden for small batch whiskies. Likelihood is, you aren’t going to discover a Tasmanian whisky on the again bar of your favourite watering gap and even at your native purveyor of effective spirits. With solely a handful of craft producers scattered throughout the island, the search for Tasmanian whisky requires exploration.

Tasmania skilled its personal Prohibition, from 1830 till the Nineties, stifling all manufacturing till a Scotch-loving land surveyor, impressed by a fishing journey within the Tasmanian highlands, efficiently lobbied the federal government to reverse the ban. Centuries-old manufacturing strategies have emerged from hibernation and are actually being acknowledged and awarded at spirits competitions across the globe.

In its quest to ship its fourth ultra-premium launch, Uncommon Hare partnered with one of many pioneers of Tasmanian whisky making, the acclaimed Hellyers Highway Distillery, certainly one of Australia’s oldest and most revered distilleries. Hellyers Highway Distillery is Tasmania’s first single malt whisky producer to emerge throughout this renaissance, and its aged expressions are solely now turning into accessible on this post-prohibition period. We named this particular expression “The Tempest,” a nod to Shakespeare’s story of nature’s energy and deliverance. The Tempest is clean and mellow but delivers a tour de power of flavors and an extended end to savor. It’s the excellent embodiment of Tasmania’s temperate maritime local weather, the place scorching summers, quick chilly winters, ample sunshine, and low humidity create the right storm for producing distinctive single malt whiskey.

Hellyers Highway Distillery employs a centuries-old pot nonetheless distillation course of that spans three days, adopted by a secondary gradual nonetheless distillation to yield a whisky of unparalleled high quality and character. The air currents that convey rain to Tasmania’s western shores originate in Antarctica, touring 1000’s of miles throughout the open ocean earlier than reaching the island. The ensuing water supply is akin to comfortable rainwater, a novel attribute not present in different areas producing single malt whiskies. The malt and barley used to create this small batch elixir are domestically sourced and profit from the wealthy soil and distinctive Tasmanian local weather.

Whereas most Tasmanian whiskies are aged in small barrels to speed up maturation, Hellyers Highway Distillery aged this whisky for seventeen years in standard-size bourbon casks, after which aged it for one more three years in Port casks.

“It’s not usually you get to expertise the primary run of one thing this distinctive and distinctive,” mentioned Alex Moore, Grasp Blender for Uncommon Hare Spirits. “Tempest is a celebration of the Tasmanian terroir. It ought to be on the bucket checklist of any critical whiskey collector.”

So, spoiler alert: This is without doubt one of the most original and distinctive whiskies I’ve encountered in years. It defies simple categorization, with a candy and perfumed nostril that might simply be mistaken for brandy and even an outdated rum. I can’t consider one other whisky I’ve reviewed with such a floral nostril, presumably ever. Orange blossoms, tea leaf, and hibiscus are all represented, tamped down by aromas of rum raisin and fresh-baked shortbread cookies.

The palate tempers the florals and focuses extra on baked items — ache au chocolat, Walker’s shortbread, and almond biscotti. A chewier, barley-driven character comes into focus briefly order, providing notes of toasted bread, barrel char, and a few moist leather-based. A touch of mushroom provides the late sport a extra seductive and austere high quality, the whisky finally beginning to present its important age. With time in glass and time to quiet down, the end hits deceptively like a traditional single malt Scotch, well-aged and just a little dusty, like an outdated tweed jacket with the patches on the elbows. The lingering fade-out evokes orangey sherry greater than Port — there’s actually no Port affect right here in any respect that I can discern — however it’s scrumptious all the identical.

I discovered this whisky arduous to place down — and straightforward to return again to after lastly leaving for dinner and coming again to it afterward. The Uncommon Hare collection has had ups and downs, however this could possibly be the most important — and most shocking — spotlight to this point.

84 proof.

A / $999 / rareharespirits.com

Playboy Spirits Uncommon Hare The Tempest Tasmanian Single Malt

$999