Boutique-y Black Gate 3-Year-Old Australian Single Malt Whisky Batch 2

A 3-year-old from Black Gate distillery, bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company. 

This is Batch 2 that indie bottlers, Boutique-y, have sourced from the distillery; part of the Wine Cask Series MMXXI. Matured in a solera-style vatting of ex-tawny casks, bottled at 46.1% with 345 bottles in the run. 

This is the successor to the wildly popular Boutique-y Black Gate Batch 1, which formed part of the Australia Series. As with the first release, this is on the lighter side for a Black Gate (an aperitif compared to some of the monsters that have emerged from the distillery), however, the distillery character is still very much present; lending an industrial weight from the direct-fired stills to the fruity, chocolate-laden palate.

Official Tasting Notes

Nose:Fragrant, with Summer hedgerow blossom, fruit syrup, and nutty chocolate bars.

Palate:Fruit syrup with plum, cherry, and hints of wild strawberry. Fragrant pipe tobacco and hints of burnt sugar.

Finish:Herbal notes in the finish.

From Boutique-y: 

"The distillery building is located next to their bungalow home. Kangaroos and emus are a common sight here, often getting onto the property and wandering around outside the distillery.

Their small dachshund ‘Frankie’ an unofficial mascot of the distillery has been found herding wandering emus off the property.

We’ve recreated some of Frankie’s night time  escapades on our label here."

"The Black Gate Distillery produces both Single Malt Whisky and Dark Rum (both brewed and distilled on site.) An annual capacity of just 3,000 litres of whisky means it can be pretty hard to come by! Our 231 bottle release equates to almost 4% of their annual production!

"The distillery is run by Brian and Genise Hollingworth. Brian, an ex school teacher, looks after whisky distilling but is an automotive mechanic by trade... He definitely knows what he is doing though, having learnt the art of distillation from Aussie distilling guru, Bill Lark, in Tasmania.

"The Black Gate Distillery utilise casks which whilst small in size, have a big impact on flavour. The arid, desert-like environment in New South Wales results in a fast, aggresive maturation."