The Brisbane 5 Years Old Fusion Cask Strength Whisky – Adelphi (700ml)

Volume: 700ml           ABV: 57.5%           Age: 5 Years Old          Country: Scotland & Australia

Another wonderful collaboration from independent bottler Adelphi. Following up from ‘The Glover’ (a Japanese-Scottish blended whisky) and an Indian-Scottish whisky we see a collaboration between Scotland and Australia. Adelphi focused on sourcing three sherry casks from Starward in Melbourne and fusing them with two Spanish oak ex-Sherry Spanish oak hogsheads from Glen Garioch (Highlands, Scotland) and part of one ex-Sherry butt from Glen Grant. The result is a world first Australian hybrid malt whisky. Superbly packaged and bottled at 57.5% ABV.

What’s In A Name? Named after Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, an enterprising soldier and astronomer who left his native Scotland to serve as Governor of New South Wales in 1821.

Due to Scotch Whisky Association laws (SWA), Adelphi are unable to declare the ages of both the Glen Garioch & Glen Grant. The overall depth of this whisky suggests more maturity than the label. The Scottish malts were vatted in England prior to the final composition (consistent with previous Adelphi fusions). Again, this is reportedly due to SWA laws relating to Single Malt Whisky crossing borders in any vessel larger than a one litre.

Our Tasting Notes

Nose: Robust sherry aromas mingle with dark chocolate coated banana lollies, stewed dark fruits of plum, raisin and fig.

Palate: She’s big, oily and robust. Intense orchard fruitiness, Clooty dumpling and Christmas cake spice, bitter chocolate and freshly cracked black peppercorns.

Finish: Brandy soaked raisins, ripe stone fruits of apricot and peach, oily and intense.

An exciting whisky to experiment with or even to collect. Let’s hope it sparks more cross continent collaborations in the future.