Co-created by one of Scotland’s most awarded Master Distillers, Jim McEwan, together with Cape Byron Distillery Co-founder and distiller Eddie Brook are two new Australian takes on a classic Scottish single malt. Many readers will already know of Jim McEwan who has more than fifty years of experience in the whisky business, having worked at Bowmore for 38 years, before overseeing the rebirth of Bruichladdich and most recently helping to get new Islay distillery, Ardnahoe, off the ground. Two editions are on offer: A Chardonnay barrelled limited edition, and this, the Cape Byron 'Original', aged in Scotland's traditional vessel of choice: American oak x-Bourbon casks. Says Brook, “They go together like a match made in heaven. [The whisky is] not overly dominated by the oak, it’s letting the spirit sing, and we’re seeing this marriage.” What partly accounts for the distinctive style is that the pair have resisted the temptation to use smaller barrels to ‘accelerate’ the ageing process. It's the opposite approach of most Australian distillers. “...We’ve got this climate that gives us faster maturation. Now that’s great, but it can also get too much, you can get too much tannin and then over-oaking in your whisky, ” Brook explains. "To avoid this, we only mature in full format barrels, between 200 to 300 litres in size". Specially designed warehousing facilities further offset Byron’s temperature extremes. According to McEwan, another factor is the distillery's proximity to the coast. “Walk down the barrel room... you’re getting that marine character and influence coming through" he says. "That moisture is falling on the oak staves, and slowly but surely, there’ll be a residue of salt and eventually as the whisky moves in and out, as the temperature increases, the alcohol will expand and it will touch the salt, and pull it back, and that brings a unique marine freshness to the spirit – quite different from anything else...” No surprise that McEwan reckons fans of Bruichladdich might taste some similarities in the Cape Byron spirit. “They’re not dissimilar. There’s no peat, [Eddie’s] using American oak, I used a lot of American oak Bourbon casks as well. I’ve used wine casks – and you’ve got all the wine casks there. There’s a similarity there between what I was doing in Islay and what Eddie’s doing here." As for the taste? Can't say there are many like this - either here or abroad - but you can appreciate why McEwen draws comparisons with Bruichladdich. Cape Byron's Original is a creamy, near voluptuous malt that defies its age. Peaches and cream come through with sweet barley and shortbread on the nose. The co-mingling of dried mango and juicy malt with the Bourbon vanilla aspects is nicely done, and there's a spicy edge adding vibrancy. At the finish, more peaches and cream, dried mango and a little grilled pineapple, pepper and coastal freshness develop. It's a whisky less about overt complexity, all about generous mouthfeel and precocious flavour. No doubt that equation will change over time. Right now, the creative forces behind the project have guaranteed one of the more compelling Aussie releases in recent years. Matured for three years in 200 litre ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks. 47% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Batch 001 tasted. Notes from the producers... The colour of a Byron Bay sunset. The palate offers soft vanilla, creme brulee and biscotti characters, layered over distinct notes of pear, coconut and buttery macadamia.

"I have tasted some superb Penderyn Celts over the years. But this one is in a Welsh league of its own." - Jim Murray This gently smokey Penderyn is finished in ex-peated quarter casks. Jim Murray clearly adores these expressions.

Note: New blue packaging, not old brown packaging. While the twelve year old is a relatively non-descript malt, older Glenfiddich bottlings are now gaining high praise including one award as the world's best single malt Scotch whisky. However, as a representation of the house style, the 18 year old pretty much nails it. Always a centre-piece of the portfolio, the company has further emphasised its place by redesigning the packaging to give it a more superior look than its 12- and 15-year-old stablemates. The Glenfiddich distillery lies on the river whose name it bears. 'Fiddich' refers to the fact that the river runs through a valley inhabited by deers – hence the company's logo which features a stag. A proportion of the whisky in this version of Glenfiddich is supposedly even older than the label suggests. Tasting note: Deep gold colour. Moderate aromas include honey, clove and vanilla laced malt. On the palate, dried apricots and spice are augmented by soft peat, adding depth to the toasty malt. Plush mouth feel. Clean, dried fruit and spice finish. Rich and round, in the mainstream of Sherry influenced malts. 40% Alc./Vol.

"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.

"Unquestionably one of the great malts of the year...in spite of itself". - Jim Murray Tasting note: Deep gold / brass. Muted at first; builds with a PX top note almost overwhelming the expected distillery aromas; if only momentarily. Brandy soaked raisins and dark chocolate amid flashes of sweet peat and pepper. Three to four minutes exposure draws out smouldering cedar, cigar box and hints of elastoplast, accenting fruit cake in later inspections. Terrific balance in the sweet, smokey-malt mid palate; vanilla and Christmas cake add richness to the finish. Concludes prolonged and lozenge-like with Laphroaig's trademark medicinal edge and pepperiness breaking through late, finally checked by the sherry. Big PX influence here but deftly handled - think of it as drunken Christmas pudding, Islay-style . 48% Alc./Vol. Normally travel retail exclusive. Extremely limited stocks.

This Limeburners is matured in second fill bourbon barrels and finished in very old, small sherry cask. Exhibiting spice and fruit aromas when neat, a splash of water unleashes malted barley, aromas of sherry and vanilla with hints of honey, raisins and buttery caramel. 43% 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.

“The elemental opposite of the sophisticated Lord of the Isles.” Perched on a wave washed, rocky headland, the Ardbeg distillery was founded in 1815 by the MacDougalls of Ardbeg. The distilleries scattered white washed buildings are reminiscent of a Dutch settlement and add to the dramatic coastal landscape. Ardbeg has had a chequered history and in recent times had been closed down for many years. Glenmorangie acquired Ardbeg in 1997 and has set about restoring the distillery to its former glory. First launched in 2003, “Uigeadail” (the loch from which all Ardbeg water flows) this cask strength, heavily peated Ardbeg is produced from a mix of bourbon casks and older sherry casks. The combination gives this whisky a velvety texture, with a sweet and smokey finish. Tasting notes: Bright gold appearance. Big, sweet sherry influenced nose offers dried apricot and marmalade scents over menthol and sweet cedar smoke. Some ripe green apple notes emerge with time in the glass. The palate is off dry with a rich, dark chocolate entry becoming heavier and fudge-like with orange chocolate, sweet cereal and the peat continually reinventing itself - at once dry and sooty, then tarry and finally kippery on the finish. Excellent balance at cask strength. Boiled lolly and spice aftertaste with a subtle spearmint fade. Latest batch tasted October 2010.

Lindores Abbey is the officially recognised site of the first recorded distillation of Scotch whisky. It was back in 1494 that King James IV commissioned Brother John Cor at Lindores Abbey to make aqua vitae with eight bolls of malt. For more than 100 years, the preservation of the ruined abbey has fallen to Drew McKenzie-Smith and his family. Several years ago he learned of the abbey’s significance to the industry after visiting a website called Connoisseur Scotland . Further inspiration came when he was shown a copy of the late Michael Jackson’s book, ' Scotland and Its Whiskies .' In it, Jackson wrote of Lindores, “For the whisky lover it is a pilgrimage”. Following fifteen years of careful planning, construction work began on a new distillery that would not only capitalise on this whisky connection but also provide the means with which to preserve the abbey for future generations. In 2017, after five centuries of silence, the stills at Lindores Abbey began flowing again. There are actually two releases now in Australia: Lindores MCDXCIV and the MCDXCIV Commemorative First Release. They're essentially the same liquid, distinguished by a subtle notation on the label. Both come aged in a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and STR red wine barriques from Burgundy. Both are three and a half year old Lowlanders. You might expect Lindores to be on the lighter side, however it's more like a young Speysider, nicely balanced and not shy on flavour. There's even a nod to Linkwood on the nose where the aromas show surprising weight; Cream tea biscuits, pear drops, light beeswax, cocoa and citrus are echoed with impressive purity, depth and texture of the palate. A fine astringency checks the length, but it's auspicious as far as inaugural releases go - all that's needed is more time to add further layers of complexity. 46% Alc./Vol. Tasted from a 15ml sample.

Launched in mid 2022, 'Surge' is another duty free Talisker delivering spice and honeyed red-fruits alongside the distillery's trademark salt'n'pepper and smoke. It's a no age statement expression, aged in ex-bourbon casks, but the decent ABV means you should get good intensity. 45.8% Alc./Vol.