Award-winning Tasmanian distillery Sullivan’s Cove has released Australia’s oldest whisky, unveiling a remarkable 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill Barrel (HH0004). The stunning new single-cask release tops the Cambridge distiller’s own record, which it held for the 22-Year-Old American Oak Ex-Bourbon Cask decanted in 2022.
Laid down in just the distillery’s fifth year, the liquid has spent 24 years in the Sullivan’s Cove bond store, soaking up the rich oak flavours of the second fill barrel. According to distillery manager Heather Tillott, the sensory panel tasted HH0004 19 times in the past three years alone, ensuring the cask was bottled at the peak of its flavour and harmony.
“Being an American Oak, there is that hectic vanilla profile; it’s quite remarkable,” Tillott tells me. “This cask is a second-fill, so it was used and then decanted and sold before being refilled. Twenty-four years later, we’ve decanted it.”
“It’s a very, very full intense whisky. If you like big Jamaican estuary rum, like Hampton’s Estate, you’ll be at home.”
Bottled at 52% ABV, the 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill Barrel (HH0004) is a rich and flavoursome release that owes much of its character to the lengthy barrel maturation process. Spending so much time in American Oak, the liquid has taken on decadent savoury, floral and syrupy-sweet notes on the nose, giving way to an aromatic base of gingerbread, sweetened red bean paste and true cinnamon.
Most importantly, however, the new release stays true to the iconic Sullivan’s Cove style. Over the past decade, the brand has become synonymous with rich and weighty textural elements that are often lauded for their thick and oily mouthfeel. You can trace that lineage back to 2014 when the brand won the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards for a similarly full-bodied French Oak ex-Tawny cask. However, as Tillott reveals, endowing the 24-Year-Old with the label’s signature textural attributes was no easy task.
“It’s a very delicate liquid to work with because it’s in its 20s; there is a lot of oak in there, and it’s a very old spirit,” Tillott explains. “You don’t want to break it or dilute it. It’s been on our radar for as long as I have been with the company. There are very few left of that era.”
As Tillott reveals, the title of Australia’s oldest whisky is more than just a statement of age. The 2024 World Whisky Awards Distillery Manager of the Year explains that while the title is nice recognition, the 24-year maturation timeline was the true reward, describing the achievement as a testament to the patience and dedication of the entire Sullivan’s Cove team.
“With whisky, people tend to think the older the better, but that’s not necessarily the case,” Tillott explains. “It’s not always a per-year improvement the longer it’s in the barrel. This cask was a journey; we’ve been watching it, and it’s been teetering on the edge, but now it’s ready.”
“We aren’t rushed, it’s very much driven by the people and the team.”
“The modern Australian distilling industry is growing and developing. For us to be one of the earliest distillers founded in the modern Australian distilling scene, but also be producing whisky of significant age that is absolutely stunning, that to me is really special. And we all feel the same. It’s not just that we’re producing the oldest in Australia, it’s also seriously good.”
The record-breaking release comes at a pivotal time for Sullivan’s Cove. The Tassie distillery just nabbed six awards at the prestigious 2024 World Whiskies Awards in London and is in the midst of a 30th-anniversary celebration that will see an entirely revamped cellar door and warehouse upgrade completed in the coming weeks.
The Sullivan’s Cove 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill barrel (HH0004) is limited to just 335 bottles worldwide, available through an online ballot exclusively to Sullivans Cove mailing list subscribers. Priced at AUD$2,500, the ballot for HH0004 officially opens on 20 May 2024.
Sullivan’s Cove 24-Year-Old American Oak Second-Fill barrel (HH0004) Tasting Notes
Nose
Deeply floral, dark and treacly with nuances of anise and spice. An acutely integrated tapestry of savoury, floral and syrupy-sweet notes, the nose opens with buttered popcorn, dark, oaky maple syrup, and a deep cherry/strawberry jam note. Waxy tropical flower and tropical fruit notes (pineapple, frangipani, and coconut) come next, rising up. The oaky maple syrup note then progresses into rich cacao as the whisky receives air in the glass, and anise and clove weave throughout the layers.
Palate
The texture and weight of the spirit is incredibly thick and oily walnuts and hazelnuts dusted with icing sugar, toasted almonds, more maple syrup and rich cacao welcome the palate. Quickly met by a lathering of leatherwood honey, a burst of tingly oak spice, green peppercorn, and aloe vera. A herbal layer rests above (chamomile and mint), as savoury wafts of beef rendang and a prominent cinnamon/nutmeg note takes its place within the framework of the biscuity base. As the initial flurry of oak spices settle, the creamy and confectionery-driven side to the palate comes forward with taffy, Jersey caramels, marshmallow, and crème caramel.
Finish
A beautiful crescendo into the finish brings about deep leathery vanillic wafts, cantaloupe with icing sugar, dehydrated papaya and rose perfume. Profound length sees caramel sauce meet bright refreshing flickers of more aloe vera (as the palate) and sweet lemon lollies, as the finish.
