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Limeburners Single Malt Whisky (Cask M104)

$130.00

OVERALL
RATING

Whiskey Review: Limeburners Single Malt Whisky (Cask M104)

Tasting Notes:

About:
86 proof. 100% malted barley. There’s no age statement, but most Limeburners casks are aged from three to nine years. Pricing varies considerably by cask, but expect to pay at least $130, if not more than $200.
Appearance:
Gold with a very faint green hue.
Nose:
A gentle, but powerful floral bouquet along with smoked paprika, anise, yeast, and over-ripe pear.
Palate:
My immediate impression is of earthy, grainy, and malty flavors. Then a dry, sour Malbec flavor emerges, followed by a spicy, pleasantly bitter finish: think caraway. Final Thoughts: I’m deeply impressed with the balance of complex, lush flavors and, on the other hand, a rather subtle expression of those tastes and aromas. This is elegance in a glass. Score: 93/100
Finish:
think caraway.
Comments:

limeburners-single-malt-whisky-cask-m104-whiskyMy triptych of Australian whisky reviews took me to Tasmania’s Overeem, then to Victoria’s Bakery Hill, and finally to Western Australia for a pour of Limeburners Single Malt. I haven’t physically visited these places, mind you, but I’ve tasted Australia’s barley and the handiwork of their best distillers. That’s the only vacation I’m getting anytime soon, so try to just be happy for me, okay?

Speaking of barley, Western Australia is known for producing some of the best, which is perhaps why Cameron Syme thought it reasonable to leave behind a perfectly lucrative career as a lawyer to found the Great Southern Distilling Company in Albany, between King George Sound and one of the world’s greatest grain belts. After touring U.K. distilleries and picking up a few tips from Australia’s whisky pioneer, Bill Lark (whose name seems to permeate all discussions of Australian whisky), Syme got to work in 2004 and was selling product the next year. Limeburners refers not only to nearby Limeburners Creek, but pays homage to those early settlers of the area who made mortar in lime-burning kilns.

As of 2015, Syme and his team opened up a second distillery in Margaret River, a four hour drive west of the Albany flagship. This expansion allows them to increase production and face-time with the public (both locations offer tours), sure, but even with two copper pot stills (both made in Tasmania, by the way), we’re still talking about a very small operation—and prices in keeping with the handmade quality of their work.

Syme’s success owes much to a wise business decision: hiring master distiller Ben Kagi, whose work has in a mere decade made Limeburners one of the best known and most award-winning spirits in the land down under.

Limeburners sources all grain locally and depends on a nearby wind farm for power. Water is collected from local limestone aquifers and filtered rain water. This whisky, in other words, is what Western Australia tastes like. And it is delectable.

Perhaps an advantage of entering the whisky scene a century or two late is that distillers are free to make use of a world of information unencumbered by the rigors of any particular tradition. In this bottle, the influence of scotch whisky-making traditions is clear, but then there’s the taste of the ex-bourbon barrels from Tennessee and the hint of French wine, all with purely Australian ingredients and craftsmanship.

The result is fantastically rich, complex, and graceful. There’s a subtle, polished quality to its expression of wide-ranging flavors that I assumed was only possible in a spirit perfected over generations, but apparently talent and knowledge are sufficient remedies for a lack of experience.

You should know this, though, if you’re planning to procure a bottle: each cask has its own unique qualities. Not only does Limeburners create a range of products, but even the same product—like this Single Malt Whisky—will differ from barrel to barrel, much more dramatically than you may have come to expect in other “single barrel” products. That’s not a failure of quality control or consistency, but a reflection of this distillery’s focus on innovation and manual tinkering at every stage of the process. They don’t want the next barrel to taste like the last—they want it to be even better. Thus, if you’re scanning reviews, take careful note of the cask number, as prices and flavor profiles will both depend on it. This particular whisky was aged in an ex-bourbon barrel and finished in an Australian fortified wine cask.

Tasting Notes: Limeburners Single Malt Whisky (Cask M104)

Vital Stats: 86 proof. 100% malted barley. There’s no age statement, but most Limeburners casks are aged from three to nine years. Pricing varies considerably by cask, but expect to pay at least $130, if not more than $200.

Appearance: Gold with a very faint green hue.

Nose: A gentle, but powerful floral bouquet along with smoked paprika, anise, yeast, and over-ripe pear.

Palate: My immediate impression is of earthy, grainy, and malty flavors. Then a dry, sour Malbec flavor emerges, followed by a spicy, pleasantly bitter finish: think caraway.

Final Thoughts: I’m deeply impressed with the balance of complex, lush flavors and, on the other hand, a rather subtle expression of those tastes and aromas. This is elegance in a glass.

Score: 93/100

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