Australian Whisky
Australian whisky is still relatively unknown in the U.S. due to its general youth — the oldest distillery in the country, Lark, was founded in 1992 — but it actually has more than 100 whiskey distilleries on the island, with about 1/4 of them located on Tasmania. Australia dabbled with whisky in the 1800s to early 1900s, but these distilleries ultimately focused on low-grade products which were eventually shunned in favor of higher quality imports. Today, Australian whisky is largely made in the single malt style with a clear nod toward Scotland, with local barley and wine finishes both popular.
Kudos to Douglas Smith for putting together this event, easily the best installment of the Whiskies of the World show that I’ve experienced since I started this blog six years ago. Loaded with whiskies you rarely see in the U.S. or even at whisky shows, WotW 2012 also had plenty of long-time favorites on hand…
Folks are making whiskey all over the world, even in far-flung places like Tasmania, Australia, where Lark Whiskey hails from. The company makes a variety of spirits but the highlights are three single cask, single malt whiskeys produced in the Scottish style of Islay, with local barley and, yes, Tasmanian peat over which it is…