Highwayman Australian Whisky Sneak Preview!

Specifically, a preview of Highwayman's forthcoming releases - Batches 6, 7, and 8, which are due to be released sequentially over the next three weeks!

Even the most devout whisky fans outside of Australia will not have heard of Highwayman Single Malt Whisky - yet. This relative newcomer is the brain child of none other than Dan Woolley, one of the most widely-known names in the whisky scene in Australia, and one of the most influential people involved in that scene - I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the whisky scene in Australia would look very different today without this man's fanatical work across countless tastings, training sessions, masterclasses and events aimed at both the industry itself and the general population. Woolley has worked for a number of retailers, distributors and distilleries over a long career in the industry, most notably as the National Brand Ambassador for Beam Suntory's single malts - particularly his personal favourite, Laphroaig. Over those years he has amassed a huge following in both the industry and in the wider whisky community, so when he made the move to start his own company and release his own Australian whiskies, it was always going to be a roaring success. The name Highwayman refers to the incalculable mileage that Woolley has amassed over his nearly-30 years in the industry, travelling across the country and the world while working at distilleries, owning and running bars and working as a brand ambassador. But he has also quietly amassed one hell of a stockpile of casks filled with Australian single malt, which followed him home along those same highways to the coastal town of Byron Bay, New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia.

So far, there have been just five tiny releases of Highwayman Single Malt, all independent bottlings of single malt that was distilled at various Australian distilleries - including both Tasmania and the mainland. Those first five batches each consisted of less than 100 bottles, and each sold out in a matter of minutes. So for those playing overseas, you probably won't be able to get your hands on one of these whiskies, and (for once) you'll know how we Australians often feel when that situation is reversed! While the Highwayman releases so far have been independent bottlings of Australian single malt, the majority of their still-maturing spirit has been mashed, fermented and distilled in Woolley's own mash tun and copper pot still which are currently sharing space at Byron Bay's Lord Byron Distillery, who are producing their own high-quality rum, vodka, gin and liqueur. Once Woolley's own single malt spirit comes of age it will be Byron Bay's first single malt whisky, and as you'd rightly expect from this Islay fanatic there's also some peated single malt on the way - which will be very exciting! Plans are also afoot to move into a separate premises, since the existing cask racks are already looking a little crowded. Speaking of which, cask types are a somewhat eclectic mix of 20-, 50- and 100-litre casks from a range of backgrounds including ex-wine (some also heavily charred), ex-Apera (Australian sherry), ex-PX sherry, ex-Tawny (Australian port), ex-rye and ex-bourbon. This is definitely a distillery to watch!

What we're looking at today are sneak-previews of the next three instalments in the Highwayman story - Batch 6, Batch 7 and Batch 8. Batch 6 is due to launch tomorrow, Monday 17th August, followed by Batch 7 on the following Monday, and finishing with Batch 8 on August 31. I was lucky enough to receive samples of each so that I can share the love, and of course help boost your anticipation - as with the previous five batches, these whiskies will not last long at all! These three single malt bottlings were all distilled at the same distillery in central Tasmania (don't worry, it wasn't Nant!) in the same mash tun and copper pot still that now reside with Highwayman in Byron Bay. These are young, small cask-aged whiskies, that are also given a boost by the region's sub-tropical temperate climate - without the massive temperature swings of the southern states, but with much higher humidity. While not as hot or humid as it would be a little further north in Queensland, I can personally attest to just how toasty this warehouse can get in summer! All three of these releases are bottled at 55.5% ABV, and while the first five batches were cask finishes and/or marriages of different cask types, these three batches have been fully-matured in one cask type. While the images below don't show them, the back labels of these very pretty wax-dipped bottles do list the hand-written batch details, including bottle number, cask type, ABV and spirit information. As with all high-strength and small batch Australian whisky, these aren't cheap bottles in the grand scheme of things - so far each has sailed north of $200 AUD, but that's the going rate for such a product. In fact it's actually significantly cheaper than other Australian independent bottlings, let alone some of the bottlings from many of the more famous Tasmanian distilleries.

And with that, it's finally time to take a closer look at these forthcoming releases, because I can't wait any longer!

Highwayman Batch 6 has been fully-matured in 2 x 20-litre French oak ex-Apera (Australian sherry-style fortified wine) casks for over three years (2-years being the minimum age for Australian whisky), which yielded just 66 x 500ml bottles at 55.5% ABV. Expect this one to sell out in minutes, just like the previous five batches!

Colour: Very dark amber.

Nose: Rich, thick & intense. Butter toffee and spiced fudge, dark chocolate truffles (dusted with cocoa), gold raisins & currants. Eucalyptus branches, scorched hazelnuts & a clean mud-like earthiness.

Texture: Medium weight, big, rich & intense. No heat or harshness at all.

Taste: Rich & syrupy, with more butter toffee and chocolate truffles. Some rum & raisin chocolate fudge, and more hazelnuts. Some spearmint & leafy herbs in the background, along with some roasted coffee beans and burnt orange.

Finish: Fades quite quickly, with more roasted coffee beans, thick butter toffee and that eucalyptus note coming back through. A slight bitter wood tannin but it's very tame in comparison to most French oak 20-litre casks.

Score: 4 out of 5.

Notes: The Australian 'sherry bomb' doesn't get much better than this. The nose on this one is fantastic, as is the palate, although it does drop off a little in the finish, which I'm guessing would be down to its youth, but aside from that this Highwayman easily belongs alongside the big name Aussie sherry bomb whiskies, and it beats quite a few of them if you ask me!

Highwayman Batch 7 has been fully-matured in 3 x 50-litre American oak ex-Tawny (Australian port-style fortified wine) casks, again for over three years. At around 220 x 500ml bottles this is the largest batch of Highwayman to date, so it should - should - last a little longer than the previous releases before selling out. 55.5% ABV.

Colour: Dark again. Think Glendronach 18, but this is 3-years old!

Nose: Rich, thick & deep. Thick butter toffee again, but with more butter, and a big fistful of freshly toasted shredded coconut. Dark chocolate almonds, curry leaves and warm cinnamon. Dark cherry juice and cough syrup, slightly meaty in feel (but I wouldn't say sulphur-y).

Texture: Big, rich & intense. More powerful and aggressive, with a slight heat to this one. 

Taste: Softer entry but builds quickly with more cherry, and more chocolate but in a dessert sauce now. Almonds again, charred oak and fruity, sweet & thick BBQ sauce. More curry leaves and cinnamon hiding in the background.

Finish: Longer and more substantial here than #6. More dark chocolate, sweet & buttery charred oak, toasted almonds. The coconut comes back as well, but mixed in with cherry and chocolate dessert sauce here. A little drying wood tannin towards the end.

Score: 3 out of 5. Almost a 3.5 though.

Notes: A more powerful and more intense dram, but also with more tannins - which is interesting considering it's usually French oak that does that rather than American, but there's more tannin here than there was in batch #6. There's some more spirit showing through here, but I wouldn't call it raw. This one is more towards the 'typical' port cask-matured Australian whisky, which I personally am moving away from these days, while many others won't drink anything else - so consider the above score with that in mind.

Highwayman Batch 8 has been fully-matured in 2 x 50-litre ex-Maker's Mark bourbon casks, again for over three years. This is the first Highwayman to be fully-matured in ex-bourbon casks, which is still not a common thing for Australian whisky - although they can often yield the best results, in my amateur opinion, since the wood- and cask influence is usually more tame and less tannic, and more distillery character can show through. This batch consists of 150 x 500ml bottles at 55.% ABV.

Colour: Very dark amber. Almost the same as batch #6, but this is a bourbon cask!

Nose: Softer and more subdued in character - in comparison, which is no bad thing, but it's still rich & dense overall. Sweeter too. Thick melted butter, hints of shredded coconut and some sandalwood. This'd make for a nice cologne! Mocha coffee and caramel fudge, dry-roasted peanuts and toasted buttery oak.

Texture: Softer, more balanced and less cask-forward, but only in comparison. No heat to this one.

Taste: More balanced and more nuanced, with toasted buttery oak again, some powdery milk chocolate (think blocks of cooking chocolate) and more caramel fudge. Demerara sugar (a.k.a coffee crystals), melted butter and a little molasses.

Finish: Softer, but also longer than the previous two. More caramel, butter and coconut, sweet golden toasted oak, a little eucalyptus and an almost dark rum-like funk that is hard to pin down.

Score: 3.5 out of 5.

Notes: This Highwayman is unlike any ex-bourbon cask whisky that I've tasted to date, Aussie or otherwise, although the colour should've warned me that would be the case! That's no bad thing though, it's just interesting. This is still very much a cask- and wood-driven whisky, but it's the more balanced and the more 'integrated' of the three.



Overall Notes: Despite the intense and sometimes aggressive wood influence and cask influence in these three whiskies, the distillery character does show through, there's clearly a common backbone between all three - that's particularly clear in Batch #6 and Batch #8 though. Prior to tasting these I had expected to personally prefer Batch #8 over the other two, only because I often prefer ex-bourbon cask Australian whiskies these days to the wine- and fortified wine-matured varieties, but Batch #6 really won me over! The noses on all three are great, and each is very enjoyable of course, but with its own set of quirks, and no shortage of character. They're the intense, wood & cask-driven whiskies that is the Australian style, and that Australian whisky drinkers do love, but there's also less tannin, less heat and less overtly-aggressive spirit in these three Highwayman bottlings than there is in most other Australian whiskies at similar ages and strengths. It's clear that Woolley has been very careful here, and very "hands-on" in each step of the process, and as I expected he's done a great job!

These three whiskies are being launched in partnership with the Australian Whisky Appreciation Society, and are only available through joining their mailing list and website at https://www.awas.com.au/join-us/ . Don't procrastinate with these Highwayman releases either, if you blink you could easily miss out - Batch #6 will be sold out in less than 24 hours from the time of writing! Thanks to Dan Woolley and Highwayman for the samples of these whiskies, and a major congratulations on your success so far. I can't wait to see what else you come up with!

Cheers!