Irelands Independent Whiskey Distiller Wins 6 Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition

There may not be much hope of Ireland claiming any gold medals in the Beijing Olympics later this year but Cooley Distillery, Ireland’s only independent whiskey distiller, flew the Irish flag with distinction at the 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition claiming 6 prestigious Double Gold Medals.

This was the first time that an Irish whiskey distiller managed to collect 6 Double Gold Medals and the success did not end there for the Co. Louth outfit as they also claimed a Gold Medal for their Kilbeggan 15 Year Old Whiskey. Cooley’s Medal tally of 15 eclipsed all other (more…)

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Sally Gudgeon raises a glass to an exciting new industry.

AUSTRALIA has a young whisky industry but some of our drops are world class. Jim Murray is the world’s leading authority on whisky. His Whisky Bible 2008 ratings for some Australian whiskies show he considers them among the best in the world. Malt whiskies from Bakery Hill, Lark Distillery and Tasmania Distillery score in the 90s (out of 100). For a modern industry that dates back only to the 1990s, they are spectacular scores, particularly when few of the spirits have reached their 10th birthday.

Whisky production is not new to Australia. Spirits arrived with the First Fleet, and Governor Bligh brought the first stills in the early 1800s. Illicit distilling is still around today.

The Corio Distillery in Geelong, established by the Distillers Company of Edinburgh, operated at a time when there was a worldwide shortage of whisky.

Norm Phillips, who worked there for more than 30 years and was general manager when the distillery closed in 1980, was told the brief from head office was to “make whisky no better than the worst in Scotland”. This edict was followed religiously. In its heyday, a Corio and Coke was one of the cheapest shouts around, a rough, blended whisky not for the discerning palate.

These days the Scots are very supportive of the Australian industry and are willing to share their knowledge; Kristy Lark, of Lark Distillery, received a scholarship to Scotland to learn more about distilling. Australian whiskies haven’t just made a favourable impression - Lark’s method of peating malt (more…)

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Tasmania is gaining wordwide recognition for the superior quality of its single malt whiskies. The purity of the water and quality of the Tasmanian-developed and grown Franklin barley combine to produce a whisky worthy of comparison with the world’s best.

Trapper’s Hut Single Cask Malt Whisky was distilled, using a traditional copper pot still, by Tasmania Distillery in June 2000.

The spirit was left to mature in 200L American Oak Bourbon barrels until its decanting and bottling, without chill filtering or additives, and subsequent release in March 2008.

This first release is from a single cask (HH 350) and was bottled at 45% abv to maximize its exceptional nose and flavour attributes.

The resulting Trapper’s Hut Single Cask Malt is an unpeated whisky of outstanding quality.

A Brief History of Trapper’s Hut Whisky

In 2000 we purchased three barrels of newly distilled malt whisky from the (more…)

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