Floral

Lark Single Malt

Lark Single Malt

The island of Tasmania has a history of whisky making yet there was a 150 year gap because of old 19th century laws that went unchallenged until Bill Lark founded Lark Distillery in 1992. Since then, Lark has been producing whisky and liqueurs. The distillery was the first in Australia to become carbon neutral in 2021 and while originally started in the Tasmanian capital, Hobart, production has recently moved to a new distillery in nearby Pontville. Before their portfolio expanded, the American market would only receive limited single barrel expressions, such as this Lark Single Malt bottled at 86 proof. Other expressions are different individual barrels at slightly differing proofages but remain the same base spirit. This particular barrel was aged in a small cask that formerly held Australian port.

Cowboy Country Gold Spur

Cowboy Country Gold Spur

We are in a renaissance of whiskey right now in almost any country, sometimes on multiple levels at once. For an example of this, one need look no further than Cowboy Country Distilling. When Tim Trites began distilling in 2015 and opened to the public on Valentine’s Day 2018, he did so as someone who had already spent decades in the industry at a major spirits company, after obtaining a master’s in chemical engineering. Whiskey, the magic of mixing science and art. Cowboy Country is a second act of sorts for Tim, as he is able to specifically make exactly the kind of spirits and liqueurs he’s always wanted to using narrow cuts to get the exact expression he’s looking for. The Gold Spur is a corn whiskey with a mash bill of corn, oats and millet. Like all Cowboy Country spirits, all the ingredients are from Wyoming and it is gluten free.

Jura 10 Year

Jura 10 Year

Jura distillery is a seeming cat of a distillery, founded in 1810 and possessed of nine lives, or at least a timeline of eight owners. The last major rebuild of the distillery was in 1963, from whence it has been producing a variety of single malts. The island of Jura is very difficult to reach, with the distillery being one of the few actual businesses on it (one road, one pub, one distillery). With approximately 200 Diurachs – the Gaelic name for the inhabitants – living on the island, most everyone there knows someone who works at Jura. In 2018, the complete core line of Jura was retired as the distillery decided to move in a new flavor direction. The Jura 10 is the cornerstone of that relaunch, aging in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished for an undisclosed time in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.