Morris of Rutherglen is an Australian winery and distillery located in the northeast of Victoria province. Founded in 1859 by the one of the more prominent winemaking families in Australia, Morris is now run by sixth-generation winemaker Madden Morris. The history of spirit making is slightly shorter at Morris, where a still was installed in 1941 – now nicknamed “Ella”- but lay dormant for decades until being resurrected in the 21st century. The head distiller is Darren Peck, who has been crafting whiskies there since 2015 from local Australian barley and water, and aging them in casks made on site and used to previously hold red and fortified wines from the vineyard. The Morris Australian Sigature is, as the name would imply, their signature expression and anchor of their core offerings.
Distillery: Morris of Rutherglen
Region: Foreign
Age: NAS
Strength: 44%
Price: $65.99
Maturation: ex-Australian red wine casks, finished in ex-fortified wine casks
Location: Rutherglen, Victoria
Nose: Plum, grain, wine yeast, sugar, cherry, vanilla
Palate: Fruit, smoke, oak
Finish: Tannin, fruit
Comments: Water adjusts things slightly but is not needed.
Adam – I appreciate how rich the Morris Australian Sigature is on the nose, in an understated way. There’s definitely a wine must sense to it, though not in an unpleasant way. Big stone fruits when you really get your nose into the glass. This carries to me a vestige of crisp autumn nights on the farm, before harvest but when the bulk of the heat was just starting to lessen and the reapings from garden and orchard can be put into jars or pies or any combination on the plate in front of you. There’s family and friendship and shared history here. The fruit on the palate is a shift from that in the nose, brighter than expected, and accompanied by some smoke and a more pronounced wine element in the grains. Some light tannins in the finish but the memory of wine from the nose and palate still carry you through long after the liquid is gone.
Henry – A fascinating nose of spiced stewed stone fruit with an undertone of vanilla and malted mash. The palate goes straight for the wine cask, with lots of oak and a drying astringency leading into a long, dry, but understated finish. This is a lovely dram for wine lovers and a very good value for the price.
Ben – I like the Morris Australian Sigature. The ROI especially is nice. It’s interesting.
This carries to me a vestige of crisp autumn nights on the farm.
Bill – The Morris Australian Sigature’s nose is heavy sugars, plum, and fruit-forward – giving way to caramels and vanilla. Oily mouthfeel, quick and dry. Palate is big vanilla and light fruit, creamy and….a little playful, in the right ways, with a finish that’s a tiny bit of leather and mustiness for me.
Mike – I like the wine influence on the spirit. The Morris Australian Sigature tastes like the muskiness from a grappa, which take the leftovers of wine and turns it into a liquor. For me, this is kind of like home. The kind of things I always enjoy. There’s a certain amount of personal nostalgia that struck me with this.
Evelyn – There are elements of cherries on this. Maraschino, not luxardo. You could make a really great cocktail with this, as it wouldn’t overpower the cocktail.
Sam – They seem to do a really good job of cutting their heads and tails. The randomness of their barrels is probably a feature and not a bug. Could be gat with a splash of good grenadine.
