Backwoods Wild Rye

Review

Quite a step away from your typical single malt, which makes sense as this is a rye whisky made mostly from heritage ryecorn. The first thing we noticed was how clear it is in the glass, almost like a white spirit, so we really weren't sure what to expect. On the nose there's oats and rye bread with a hint of sweet aniseed, and the palate carries that aniseed through with spicy undertones and a peppery kick at the end. It's a very enjoyable whisky that is surprisingly more complex than we were expecting. We enjoyed it more on our second tasting, once we knew what we were in for, and were quietly impressed by the very different but equally complex flavours. This may suit those wishing to diversify their range, but it may not appeal to more traditional single malt drinkers. The very first batch picked up a Bronze at the Royal Australian Spirit Awards in 2019, a nice early nod for a young distillery doing things its own way.