When we first embarked on our independent bottling quest some 5 years ago, Spring Bay distillery was one of the first names on our lips, such is the quality of their whisky. Affectionately dubbed ‘Little Springbank’, owners and distillers Cam and Suzy Brett have created their very own slice of Tasmanian, sea-side heaven releasing whisky with a subtle maritime profile sharing a similar terroir with the iconic Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland.

We selected one super dusty 100L Apera cask for maturation that was procured from Willie Smith’s, a 4th generation apple brandy maker. The etymology of the cask started as a 225L vessel that was masterly coopered down to 100 litres and given a light toasting. The result left us in reflective pause with the wooden vessel offering delicious wafts of molasses dripping in sticky, sherry goodness with distant licks of maritime funk. It’s one huge pour and once again we make no apologies for the roaring and barbarous nature of the expression aimed at the seasoned whisky palate for your raw enjoyment.

With the cask giving up her angels share as mostly water; the whisky weighs in at 65.8% ABV with a yield of 112 bottles. And like our other Aussie bottlings, we used a simple quarter inch steel sieve that you can hold in the palm of your hand when bottling to catch any pieces of wood or char from entering the bottle. This means all the ‘good stuff’ that creates a viscous and full-bodied flavour missile remains in the bottle rather than on the whisky room floor.

A Spring Bay for the ages, dark, decadent and quintessentially Australian!