Whisky: Amber Lane No. 1 Noble Lane Special Release Cask 007/147

Country/Region: Australia/New South Wales

ABV: 59.8%

Cask: Bourbon, Australian Botrytis Semillon

Age: 4 Years (Distilled 2018, Bottled 2022)

Nose: Grain forward and vegetal, sweet cereals, lantana, green vines, roses and lilies, tart apples, bergamot and cedar.

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, malty sugars, dried berries, oaky vanilla, toasted brown sugar, mild cream, pastries, peach, wood, a touch spirited.

Finish: Medium-length and peppery with dried berries and vanilla.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Pastry Chef in the Garden

Narrative & Notes: The aroma drifted somewhere between a botanical garden and a perfume merchant— perhaps two notions that are not always dissimilar. Grain forward with sweet cereals and malty sugars, the nose had an underlying vegetal and green quality. Jungle vines, maybe miconia or flowering lantana, mixed with more floral notions of roses in bloom and lilies. Fruitier elements hung further in the background, though tart apples, bergamot, and a subtle woody cedar occasionally appeared. Medium-bodied with an oily viscosity, the flavor profile was brimming with malty sugars, dried berries, and oaky vanilla. Toasted brown sugar and almonds arrived with a vanilla cream— perhaps a buttery pastry stuffed with vanilla custard! Charred peaches slowly emerged with dried berries as the vegetal notes on the nose coalesced into something more tea-like with hints of bergamot, cedar, and wolfberries. A touch spirited at times, oaky tannins and vanilla lingered at the end. Medium-length, the finish was peppery though still sweet with dried berries and vanilla.

Another new distillery for me and another member of the new wave of Australian distilleries founded beyond the shores of Tasmania. I love that the distillery has embraced maturation in several interesting casks and not just stuffed everything into new oak as we often see in the US or red wine, which I have discovered is common in Australia. Nothing is wrong with utilizing the resources around you— lots of American cooperages specialize in new oak barrels, and thanks to the gorgeous Australian wine scene, you have a lot of wine barrels present. Still, finding a distillery willing to strike out and try something different is always fun.

Maybe that spiel above will seem odd as this Australian single malt did have a year or so finish in an Australian wine barrel. That wine, Botrytis Semillon, shares a lot in common with Sauternes. Of course, since it comes from Australia, it is not Sauternes. Still, the antipodean dessert wine has much in common with its more well-known French cousin.

I thought the aroma was fascinating once it had time to settle. I found the whisky a touch spirited on the nose and toward the finish, though a few drops of water helped. It was initially all cereal and malty sugars, but a lovely vegetal or floral quality gradually increased in intensity. It occasionally reminded me of a bit of a Rosebank on the nose. However, the palate was entirely different as more wood and wine sugars drove the affair.