Lark Distillery Apple Brandy Finish

Matured initially in a re-charred old port quarter cask (LD264) and finished for about 3 months in an ex-Apple Brandy cask, this whisky was bottled exclusively for The Oak Barrel, with only 119 bottles released.

To smell: Initially quite narrow and shy, reminiscent of a dampened Australian forest floor following a downpour (we’ve had our share of rain lately; the scent of drenched leaves is quite unmistakeable). Wet bark, earth, foliage, dare I say eucalyptus (?!).

Bursts into sweetness of raisins, sultanas, plums and cinnamon. The port cask notes bump playfully up against a dessert-toned apple cider that adds a slightly acidic/bitter twist.

After some solid time in the glass the quietest notes of antiseptic, bandaids and assorted citrus remind me that I am in fact not on a leisurely bush-walk on a mild summer’s day.

To taste: Malty, full & oily, an interplay of sweet spice (ginger and cinnamon), vanilla, and granny smith apple with a feint of oak holding up the whole in the background for a considerably long finish of the most delicious of apple pies. It’s prickly on the tongue at 58% yet water never seems necessary.

This is the first bottle of Australian whisky I’ve ever owned and it is an absolute cracker! I can’t help but feel patriotic. I will certainly reach for this more often than not when feeling like something sweet. It could be my imagination but this just seems to have an element I’ve yet to find from any of the Scott’s works. Well done Bill Lark!