Our first collaborative release with our good friends at Amber Lane!
The Amber Lane Oak Barrel Exclusive Release may not have a witty name, but it more than makes up for it in raw flavour. This bottling is the oldest Amber Lane to be bottled to date, with the spirit taking a journey through a trio of casks before we snagged it. The spirit started its life in ex-McWilliams Apera, before spending time in Virgin French Oak, and then ex-Heaven Hill bourbon casks… A duo that many will be familiar with from the ever popular Silk Road release.
The result? Our favourite Amber Lane bottling ever. Notes of Stonefruit, berry, and plum jams, with a richness on the palate that reminds us of Allens lollies, a common tasting note from Amber Lane, along with raisin, dried apricot, vanilla and nutmeg.
The finish is long, and lingers on the palate, with a developed oak spice that doesnt become overwhelming.
What can we say, this is an excellent bottling from an excellent distillery.
Amber Lane is a whisky distillery based in the Yarramalong Valley on NSW’s Central Coast. It was founded in 2017 by two amateur astronomers and friends, Rod Berry and Phil Townsend. The duo have since committed themselves to crafting excellent spirit and spared no expense in sourcing top quality, large format ex-bourbon barrels (primarily sourced from Heaven Hill) and bodega ex-Pedro Ximenez casks. They took their time with maturation, waiting until the whisky was ready for bottling, rather than rushing to market after the minimum 2 years.
Amber Lane’s Ethics: Consistent high-quality mash bill that creates pleasing new make with an emphasis on the original barley together with a creamy sweetness Double-distillation using a pot still designed to maximise copper-contact, thus producing more complex flavour chains; The very best seasoned barrels, sourced from premium producers of Spanish Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry and Kentucky Bourbon; Maximised ageing to produce more complex flavour profiles, using larger barrels than many other Australian whisky producers (mainly 200-250L casks) Skilled blending of individual barrels to produce consistently delicious whisky; Non-chill-filtration in all expressions to preserve as many of the flavour-producing esters and congeners as possible; and A conscious preference for releasing our whisky at higher alcohol strength.
