Amber Lane Water Single Malt Whisky
Water is part of Amber Lane's Alchemical Series, which "explores the mystery underlying single malt whisky from the elemental perspectives of earth, fire, water, air & quintessence." Water is added slowly over weeks, diluting the whisky from full cask strength to 47.5%. It's an important factor, especially in making small-volume craft whisky, and many Aussie distillers have neglected the method. Water and alcohol don't naturally mix, so adding the water slowly, as you might add oil to a batch of homemade aioli, is critical for proper integration. Kudos to Amber Lane for pointing out something more distillers should be paying attention to. This whisky has been bottled from a single fortified wine cask, so lacking the bourbon-cask influence of the distillery's core releases, it has a lot more powerful, old oak on the nose with notes of antique furniture, roasted walnuts and vintage brandy. There's a nice buttery cinnamon note in there, too, but oak is the dominant player. Great texture and sweetness through the palate show how that slow dilution has helped to integrate all that oak into the spirit with no sharp edges. On the finish, the oak dominates again with powerful tannin, daring you to return for another sip of sweet liquid. Thankfully, it doesn't suffer from the rotten wood notes that often ruin Aussie whiskies in this style. If you like big oak, this whisky would be a wonderful addition to your shelf.
