We will be hosting our very first McHenry Distillery tasting and we are very privileged to have Samuel Lucardie, brand ambassador for McHenry on mainland Australia, to be presenting the whiskies to us. 

McHenry Distillery rests on the side of Mount Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. Mount Arthur overlooks Port Arthur, and if you went 5000km south, you will hit the South Pole, making it Australia's southern-most distillery. The cool moist maritime environment, makes it perfect for aging whiskies in the barrels. Aging here occurs quite differently to other parts of Australia, where the ABV actually drops (similar to Scotland). In fact, the weather is so ideal for whisky making, it converted Sydney executive, Bill McHenry to make the move down to Tasmania. So in 2011, Bill convinced his family and together they moved down to setup the McHenry Distillery.

McHenry has been distilling for close to 10 years now. Many would have tried one of the many award-winning gins that they produce. As for whiskies, there has been a few small batch releases. Many have been matured in ex-bourbon casks with varying ages. They were initially going to release a 10 year old this year, but because the spirit was not "ready", they decided to let the whisky take its time, and only release it when it is actually ready.

Presenting to us will be Samuel. We have known Sam for a number of years now. Even since his uni days, whilst his friends were partying and having shots at a nearby bar, Sam would sneak into The Elysian and try a bunch of whiskies, before heading out to join his mates. He might be one of the youngest brand ambassadors out there, but don't let that fool you, as his palate is far more mature than many people who have been drinking whiskies for a long time. Today, Sam overlooks all mainland operations including sales, marketing, distribution, corporate relations, events and the distilleries social media platforms. Recently he has also been giving inputs into casks selection and planning.

On tasting will be 6 x 15ml samples of:
 
1) Cask Sample of Cask MD134 -  2 years 8 months 230L French Oak Ex-Pinot Noir, 60.5%
2) Cask Sample of Cask MD50 - 4 years 5 months American Oak Refill MD1 Whisky Barrel, 66.2%
3) Cask Sample of Cask MD8 - 5 years 11 months American Oak Ex-Bourbon, 61.6%
 4) Current Release Cask MD20 - 5 years 1 month American Oak Ex-Port, Selected by Sam, 44%
5) McHenry Alpha (New Release) - 6 years 7 months American Oak Ex-Bourbon Tokay Finish, 46.1%
6) McHenry Sloe Gin - Best Australian Sloe Gin (World Gin Awards 2020), 23%

Tasting will be done via Zoom

When: Saturday, 4th of July 2020
Time: 3pm - 4.15pm (AEST)
Price: $65 per person (for 6 x 15ml samples)
There is a delivery fee of $8 when you checkout.