Australian Whisky Reviews

Australia's whisky scene is still young, but it's moving fast. Modern production only really kicked off in the early 1990s, when a change to excise law made small-scale distilling viable again and pioneers like Bill Lark got started in Tasmania. That's still where most of the country's distilleries are based, Sullivans Cove, Lark, Hellyers Road and Overeem among them, but we're seeing more boutique producers pop up on the mainland too, in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

A few things make Australian whisky its own thing rather than a copy of Scotch or bourbon. Distilleries here usually mature in smaller casks, often around 100 litres versus the 200-litre-plus casks common overseas, which speeds up how much flavour the spirit pulls from the wood. Our warmer, more variable climate does the same thing, so age statements don't compare directly to whiskies matured somewhere cooler. Plenty of distilleries also lean on ex-fortified-wine casks, port, sherry, muscat, sourced from Australia's own wine industry, which gives a lot of local whisky a real richness.

Below is every Australian whisky we've tasted and reviewed, with our full flavour profiles and tasting notes.