Overeem Single Malt Whisky Port Cask

Now this is what I call a stunner! Where I come from the phrase when you are knocked off your ass with awesomeness is 'Uff ho!'

I had the chance to taste this spirit from a sample bottling (which is why I don't know the cask number of this single cask spirit) and was completely blown away.

I'm pretty sure other casks will be in the same brilliant league as this sample.

Old Hobart got it's license in 2005 and is the brainchild of one Casey Overeem who tried his hand at micro-distilling many winters ago in Norway and decided that was his dream. And boy what a dream!

There are two versions of the same spirit served up at different strengths. One at a measly 43% and this one at a perfect 60%. Well, to be fair I haven't tried the 43% offering but I'm not sure if I want to after the 60%.

Matured in French Port Quarter Casks the spirit cannot be more than 8 years old. Could be younger but certainly not older given that the distillery started working in 2005. I'm guessing hot Australian summers are key to such intense maturation at a young age. Very much like the various Amruts out there.

Nose: Deep deep caramel, chocolate, roasted cocoa beans, mocha chino and dark oranges. Like stepping into a marmalade barista. Creamy and amazingly robust nose feel. Crumbling wet brown sugar with a hint of woody rose and dark honey. Finally warm clove to round off a stunning nose.

For want of a better I feel the nose is smack in the middle of Amrut Intermediate Sherry and Amrut Portonova. You'll know what I mean when you stick your nose in the glass.

Palate: Now let me tell you something. In my hometown there is a small bakery called the Bombay Bakery (no, I'm not from Bombay in case you're wondering). They have been there for over a hundred years and they sell the most amazing Coffee Cake you will have ever tried in your life! This palate is a carbon copy of that cake! It literally took me back to my childhood.

The creamy coffee cake explodes on your palate amid a shower of cloves and cardamom. Moist ginger digestives lathered in maple and chocolate syrup with a dusting of cinnamon powder. A beautifully textured experience.

Finish: Long and gorgeous. Lots of spice. Lot of chocolate. And, oh, that Bombay Bakery Coffee Cake.

I had heard good things about this whisky. Just how good it was going to be I had no idea.

It's December which means Christmas is right around the corner I figured I'd post some write ups on a few of my favorite whiskies that I've yet to review.

First on the block is Overeem. Specifically the cask strengths. I've posted reviews of the entry level Overeems which are quite enjoyable, but as with most things whisky related in my life, it's the cask strength where it's at.

I'd encountered Overeem at the Whisky Live Perth this last year, which is where I first tried their entire Overeem range. And I knew I needed some bottles.

This bottle is from cask 21, and as with the entire cask strength range of Overeem, sits at 60%. I'm going to guess that it's roughly 4 to 5 years old, and has spent it's entire life in Port barrels.

This is bottle 103 out of 125 bottles from the cask.

The nose is very lovely, as with everything Overeem I've tried, with spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, burnt caramel, vanilla, grapes, and some slight citrus on the nose.

Big on the palate, the 60% makes itself known, with big flavors. Some slight fudge, vanilla, lots of vanilla in fact, some of the spices, nutmeg more then cinnamon, grapes covered in vanilla, delicious.

The finish is big and spicey with the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and more vanilla.

Once again I have to be honest I'm surprised at how much Overeem has impressed me within the last 9 months or so. They literally came out of no where for me and have been consistently sitting at one of the top Australian distilleries in my opinion. Even better is that they haven't priced themselves too far out of the Australian whisky market with their entry levels running at around $130 and their cask strengths sitting at $180.

Tomorrow I review the Sherry Cask Strength, easily one of my favorite whiskies that is always in my cabinet!

Ok admittedly i could not help myself with the title for this particular review!

Stepping back for a bit, to date for me Australian Whisky has not been a go to when i consider my next whisky purchase. Now i have tried some very nice Australian whiskies, Limeburners from South WA produce some very good drops and Sullivans cove Cask Strengths are also very impressive. Unfortunately though each of these retail for a minimum of $180 - $400, and when considering the scotch alternatives within this price range i have never been able to justify this cost.

That was until I grabbed a sample of this fine little whisky from Ian at smwhisky.com.au ( a sly little advertising plug but hey he has looked after me in the past!).

Overeem Port Cask Matured 43%

Nose: damn this smells delicious, instant dark berry hit from the port, i can almost chew on the scent of the syrupy goodness. Vanilla and hints of charred cinnamon follow with an orange peel like finish off the back. Not overtly complex but rich in a good way. (23)

Palate: First taste was good, rich but hard to discern. Upon second tasting there is an initial caramel cream that excites but very quickly gives way to a more mellow flavour when you hold it in your mouth, plum cake and a flavour that i can not really describe except to say that the port shines through (upon doing some research they describe a nougat flavour which would definitely match this). (22)

Finish: The finish starts with caramelised orange peel and quickly becomes dry, memories of chai spice come to mind. It is very tasty but unfortunately quite short. hmm if only that flavour stayed on longer (20)

Balance: The balance is good, it is a young whisky and you can taste that, however this melds with the rich port flavours and flows in good harmony with nothing out of place . (22)

Total Score of 87

By far one of the best Australian whiskies I have tried to date and certainly changed my mind on the potential here on the South side of the Equator. Since this tasting i have found some other greats (Starward and Heartwood both on my wish list and the cask strength version for this is just spectacular), and i will most definitely be getting a bottle of this for my bar of happiness sometime in the near future.

Overeem first came to my attention at Whisky Live Perth. I'd heard of this distillery in Tasmania, as oh so many Australian distilleries are located, but I'd never tried it before.

While at Whisky Live Perth I was chatting with the owner of Sullivan's Cove, I'd just had his whiskies which I'd enjoyed, and he was running the stand for Overeem, which is a very common thing over here for the Australian distilleries to share one another's stands and talk about everyone's different whiskies.

I was blown away by the Overeem range, with the sherry cask matured cask strength instantly becoming my favorite whisky of the event. I had to know more about these whiskies so I contacted Overeem about purchasing some samples and pretty quickly they arrived.

Tonight I'm starting the tasting with Overeem's Port Cask Matured, non cask strength.

It's from cask 45 and is bottle 121 out of 168. That's right, all of the Overeem's are small batchs and they are no age statements. I'm honestly going to guess that the whiskies are between 4 and 6 years old.

I crack the first bottle open and pour it into it's glencairn.

Let's see what we shall see, shall we?

You definitely get the port casks influence with the whisky being a wee bit spicey with cinnamon and nutmeg, heaps of fruit, strawberries, vanilla and caramel, hint of nuts (hazelnut I'd say) and a small amount of cocoa.

Nice, very nice!

Let's see if the palate matches the nose.

Loads of vanilla, heaps of it in fact, more caramel, strawberries, hint of coffee and a wee bit of dark chocolate.

Delicious!

There's a soft finish to the whisky, mild and easy going with faint fruits, cocoa and again the vanilla dominating.

Very nice!

And from memory my favorite Overeem was the Sherry Cask strength. I think I'm going to enjoy the next few days quite a bit!

If you're looking for a good Australian whisky, I'd suggest giving any of the Overeem's a shot. A bottle of the non cask strength Port cask will run at around $130 a bottle which is a reasonable price for how good this whisky is. If you get a chance to try any of the Overeems do so!