Hellyers Road 10 y.o. The Iberian

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 48.3% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

The Iberian brings together two separately matured whisky components: one spent its entire maturation in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks, the other in Australian port casks more than 50 years old. This is therefore more than a finish. Once blended, the whiskies were given ample time to marry. Sugars from the wood contributed additional sweetness, which also appears as a delicate sweet note in the finish. The name refers to the Iberian home of both wine traditions.

Sultanas, cooked fruit and subtle floral accents complement the chocolatey, spicy character. The Oloroso casks contribute notes of nuts, leather and tobacco, while the tawny port casks add dark chocolate and mandarin oil. This ten-year-old single malt is bottled at 48.3%, without chill filtration or added colouring, in a 0.7-litre bottle supplied with gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose recalls fresh brioche, fruit compote and dates. Orange and cocoa combine to suggest sponge cake with orange jelly and chocolate.
• Palate: On the palate, dark chocolate, dark sugar syrup and spices meet tangy mandarin. Sweet fruitcake notes linger.
• Finish: The finish is nutty and distinctly textured. Spicy orange marmalade lingers, accompanied by restrained woody notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

Hellyers Road Distillery is located in Havenview near Burnie in north-western Tasmania. Its roots lie in a dairy farmers' cooperative founded in 1956. The cooperative's wish to diversify into another business led to the establishment of the distillery in 1997. Experience in dairy processing helped shape the design of its unusual pot stills.

Hellyers Road produces its own fermented wash for its single malts. Fermentation takes an average of 50 hours, with cooling keeping the temperature at no more than 32 °C. During the subsequent slow distillation, the tall, cylindrical shape of the first still encourages reflux: some of the vapour condenses and evaporates again. Copper tubes in the condensers provide further copper contact. The warehouses stand around the distillery, some close to the Bass Strait. A cool, humid maritime climate and relatively small temperature fluctuations shape maturation there.

Facts: