Celebrating 10 years of whisky production, Archie Rose Distilling Co. has announced the launch of its Single Cask Whisky Series, showcasing the high quality of the distillery’s whisky-making skills.
Batch Number One, the first three releases, will be available from June, comprising a Smoked Rye Malt Whisky, a Heritage Rye Malt Whisky, and a Single Malt Whisky. These will be followed by annual batch releases, with the team selecting exceptional whiskies to highlight the Archie Rose range.
Dave Withers, Master Distiller, outlined the appeal of this new series.
“These single casks are carefully selected because the production team found something truly remarkable in them. A quality that could not be diluted by other high-quality casks in a blend. Each one of these single casks had to be bottled on their own to let their beauty shine,” he said.
Each whisky is hand-selected by the distillery team from the 35,000 casks currently housed by Archie Rose. While most casks are best suited to blending with other casks, a select few exhibit their own high quality. This new range celebrates these excellent barrels, which are released unblended and at cask strength.
Archie Rose Founder Will Edwards said that the single cask release reflects the progress that Archie Rose has made in its whisky distilling journey.
“Respect for ingredients has always been at the heart of what we do, and these single-cask whiskies are the purest expression of those ingredients. Especially in terms of the painstaking work we put into selecting the best oak in which to mature our whiskies, each cask has a unique story, and a unique flavour profile. It’s an amazing thing to come across a cask and say, ‘This. This one right here. That’s the essence of what we’re trying to achieve.’ It’s a big step for us to be releasing these single casks as it represents a level of maturity for our whiskies, and the company as a whole, that we’ve been working towards for a decade,” he said.
Single Cask Whisky Batch Number One: Smoked Rye is a rye whisky made from NSW heritage rye grain, smoked with sustainably harvested Australian native stringybark, and matured in second fill French oak. The cask was set aside from the 2023 Trials & Exceptions series, and tasting notes describe a balance of sweetness, smoke, and spice, with flavours of campire, grilled peaches, and prosciutto.
The second whisky in the single cask series, Heritage Rye, utilises a heirloom Riverina rye grain, and, paying homage to the Australian fortified wine industry, is fully matured in an Australian apera cask. Tasting notes describe an earthy, fresh rye bread aroma, with toasty, biscuity sweetness and a spicy finish. This is paired with rich fruit notes from the apera cask.
Single Malt is the final whisky in the single cask release, made with Archie Rose’s six malt steam production process, aged in an apera cask. The four-and-a-half year old whisky is described as offering flavours of sweet raisins, strawberries, and pineapples, with layers of malt, roasted almonds, espresso and cacao.
The new release will be available from 10 June, exclusive to the Archie Rose website and cellar door.