LARK DISTILLERY Limited Release Christmas Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky 44% ABV, Tasmania

The Macallan Double Cask 15 Years Old is a balanced single malt whisky created by bringing the perfect harmony of two oaks into one exceptional single malt whisky. Sherry seasoned American oak adds delicate vanilla to the subtle spice of European oak, delivering a whisky with a sweeter, warmer taste and character.

Appearance: Oloroso, brilliant clarity, 8/10 viscosity.Nose: Big baked stone fruits and dark vanilla, old oaked sherry, and warm caramel with crisp toffee. Very old oak and sweet tobacco.Taste: Very big, round and smooth, concentrated dark malts with sherry, a hint of dark chocolate, brittle toffee and licorice.Finish: Long, warm sherried and old oak

Deep wood aroma, maltose, nectar, blueberry, Mizunara oak, milk coffee; Oily, ripe fruit, lemon peel, leather, cinnamon, ginger. Finished with a hint of sweet malt with aromas of wooden barrels and a touch of fruity flavor. This is richer in taste than the 10-year-old whisky. The sweet aftertaste is outstanding; Mizunara Barrel brings out different levels of spice flavors. Deep floral woody scent is also full of vitality.

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such may have some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. Actual product pictured. Whisky is big business in Japan with Scotch whisky being especially popular, yet with their own history of brewing and sake production, it's only logical that the Japanese are now making whisky too. What began as a conscious imitation of Scotch, now has a style all of its own, and since commercial production began in the early 20th century, the quality has been steadily improving. Today, most of the malt whisky produced in Japan is for blending but Japanese distillers generally don't trade casks in the manner that Scottish distillers do. Consequently, it's up to each distillery to produce a diversity of styles that will form the base components of 'house blends' that offer unique and complex flavour profiles. Some Japanese blends will even include a percentage of Scotch whisky, rather than whisky from rival local distillers. This jealous reluctance to exchange is considered one of the major obstacles holding the industry back from the prominence it deserves: In a number of blind tastings recently organised by Whisky Magazine , which have included Japanese single malts in the lineup along with malts from distilleries considered to be among the best in Scotland, on more than one occasion, the results have had Japanese single malts scoring higher than their Scotch counterparts. After a long absence from the Australian market, we've finally managed to secure some world class Japanese whiskies from the Nikka distillery, Japan’s second largest whisky producer after Suntory. Now owned by the brewer Asahi, the company was originally set up by Masataka Taketsuru, who built Yoichi distillery in 1934, having previously spent two years studying the art of distilling in Scotland. (He also developed the now famous 'Yamazaki' distillery in Kyoto for Suntory which he managed for ten years). Yoichi typically produces rich, peaty and masculine malts. The whiskies get their distinct aroma and body from direct heating distillation, in which the pot stills are heated with finely powdered natural coal - a traditional method that's hardly used today, even in Scotland. Tasting note: Nose: Pronounced, astonishingly fresh, dry, peat. Palate: Mint creams, then orangey. Finish: After the creaminess, the peat surges back. Clean, sweetish, soft smokiness. Comment: This is a wonderful whisky at 10 Years Old. I love the almost shocking hit of heavy peating. Rating: 9/10 . - Michael Jackson, www.whiskymag.com

From the town of Togouchi, made by Chugoku Jozo in underground tunnels. Chugoku Jozo is a Japanese brewery located near Hiroshima. It has been making liqueurs, sake, and the traditional Japanese spirit shochu since 1918. For decades, Chugoku Jozo has developed a knack for making some of the most beautiful spirits in the world. But it wasn't until 1990 that the brewery decided to dabble with whisky by creating its Togouchi line. The master blender carefully chose the distillates (malt and grain) which would be sent to Japan, grown, and blended in the Japanese fashion. The 9 years old refers to the minimum time each whiskies in the blend spent in barrels. NOSE: rather intense and pleasant, dispersing aromas of yellow fruits. Palate: sweet spices, with the appearance of fruity flavors of citrus. In the end, peat and smoke come nicely together. Good stuff.

Ardbeg's Corryvreckan replaced the discontinued Airigh Nam Beist . Unusually dry for Ardbeg, otherwise an utterly brilliant, unique expression of Islay. Tasting note: Dull gold colour with pale straw hue. quite an unusual nose for an Ardbeg. Rich chocolate, vanilla, lemon butter and spice above a smoky salty layer, the only evidence that it's Ardbeg is the end note of terracotta/clay/wet charcoal. With time in the glass, fresh smoky characteristics emerge, but do not dominate. The intense palate is initially rich and creamy, quite heavily peated, rich chocolatey flavours mingle harmoniously with the lemon butter before the unusually overt oak grips dry and the peat explodes - softly! The back palate is dry, firm, overtly oaky, and extremely spicy. Excellent balance at cask strength. Warm, tingly, spicy finish. Lemon, dry cocoa, strong spice and gentle smoke dominate the lengthy aftertaste. Austerely dry by Ardbeg standards but one of their best on record. 57.1% Alc./Vol.

Lagavulin, pronounced 'Lagga-voolin' (meaning 'the hollow where the mill is') is distinctive and powerful. Once described as 'liquid bandaid' for its strong medicinal character, it is perhaps the most assertive, complex and intensely dry of all the Islay malts.The palate overwhelms like an ocean wave with powerful peaty, salty overtones that re-emerge on the finish. The taste sensation lingers long in the mouth. On a cold wet winters night, there is perhaps no finer tonic than a dram of Lagavulin.

Tasmanian Single Malt Sherry Cask Matured. Colour: Dark Copper Nose: Caramel & raisins Palate: Lifted floral notes, caramel and dried fruit sweetness with some white pepper savory hints Finish: Delicious long and slightly dry finish which is indicative of some very fine old wood. A slightly smokey note that suggests peat but comes from the heavy cask charring

Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky. Aged in ex Makers Mark Bourbon Cask Nose: Immediate sweet notes of vanilla and crème brulee with fruity and herbaceous undertones. Palate: From a bright and sweet opening the flavours build across the palate to a rich, clean alcohol-driven crescendo culminating in a big, warm and comforting glow of spicy tannin hints and peach flesh. Finish: Long and warm with the afterglow fading into semi-sweet caramel and lingering stone-fruit tingles