Official tasting notes.
The deep mahogany hue carries forward a nose of solid peat smoke upon a
bed of raisins, spice and vanilla. It offers an inviting multilayer complexity of peat mixed with signature Apera and Tawny barrel characters. Immerse yourself in the wispy smoke over briny coastal iodine and sweet country infused malt and umami. This balance and integration mingles well through to the end, beckoning another sip to savour.
From Country to Coast Collaboration Release 1 700ml 48%
$199.00
A vatting of Tawny and Apera casks from Black Gate & Fleurieu Distillery that yielded 300 bottles
Details
700ml: 48%alc
Region: Goolwa, SA & Mendooran, NSW
Cask type: Tawny & Apera
Bottler: Fleurieu/Black Gate
Release Date: May 2020
Bottling Notes
This collaboration bottling brings two of very best mainland whisky distilleries together to produce an Aussie masterpiece. It’s a pairing of barrels, one Apera cask filled with peated new make distilled and matured at Black Gate Distillery in Mendooran NSW, the other a Tawny cask filled with peated new make distilled and matured at the Fleurieu Distillery in SA.
In early 2020 these two casks were brought together at the Fleurieu Distillery. Here with diligence and respect to their individual character they were carefully put through the process of being blended, rested, adjusted to 48% alc/volume, and given the working title of “The BFG” (Black Fleurieu Gate). After further maturation, this beautifully integrated whisky was then bottled with a yield of 300 bottles.
Whether you are in the country or on the coast, or anywhere in between, this ground-breaking release is a celebration of coming together after unprecedented times. A true Winter dram!
John Atkins (verified owner) –
I am not familiar with Black Gate yet, but I can taste the Apera cask here. If you’re a fan of Fleurieu – you’ll like this, no question. But I was drawn to try this because of the claim of Heavily Peated Barley. While I do get the peat. It’s not dominant at all. If an Ardbeg Uigeadail is char-grilled, this drop is sous vide.
An initial alcohol burn leads to orange peel. Not orange, but the bitterness of peel with a lingering sweet aftertaste and then some fennel. Aftertaste…when the sweetness disappears…there’s the peat. A background of BBQ smoke. Hidden. Fascinating. Where was it in the drinking? It’s quite a journey.
This is a collaboration. So is the sum greater than the individual parts? I’ve not had a Black Gate, but I enjoyed my Fleurieu so much, I’m not sure that is the case here. We start with the coast and the country and we end up in the middle of nowhere. (it also loses a star for the glass stopper. I dislike them that much – like nails on a chalkboard)