Every barrel has a first life. Ours had one in tawny.
For fifty years, the cask that now holds our newest release did something else entirely — it aged Chook Shed Tawny, slowly drawing in layers of dried fruit, spice and dark honey through half a century of use. Most barrels retire after a life like that. We had other plans.
From Fortified Oak to Single Malt
Eight years ago, we filled that same cask with a young Tasmanian single malt and left it to do what our wines have always done best: take its time. The fortified history of the wood didn't fade into the background — it became part of the whisky's character, folding vibrant malt into layers of mature oak, dried fruit and quiet sweetness that only decades of tawny could leave behind.
It's an unusual pairing — winemaking patience applied to whisky-making — but that's always been our way. We're curious about what happens when two worlds meet, and we'd rather follow that curiosity than stick to convention.
Tasting notes
The nose opens with caramelised orange peel, raisins, toasted almonds and dark honey, layered with vanilla bean, baking spice and polished oak.
On the palate, silky malt sweetness gives way to butterscotch, fig, dark toffee and roasted hazelnuts, rounded out by cocoa, cinnamon and the lingering signature of aged tawny.
The finish is long, warming and elegant — dried fruit, gentle spice and fine oak that keep revealing themselves. This is a whisky to slow down for.
A Rare Release
Patrick 8 Year Old Single Malt Tasmanian Whisky is a limited release of just 300 individually numbered bottles (375mL, 40% alc). Each one carries a piece of that fifty-year-old cask's history — and once they're gone, this particular expression won't be made again.
Shop the release here while bottles remain.