Sullivans Cove French Oak was crowned World's Best Single Malt at the 2014 World Whiskies Awards — the first time the title had gone to a whisky outside Scotland or Japan. The award shocked the whisky world and put Tasmania on the map as a serious whisky-producing region. The whisky is matured in ex-tawny French oak casks from the Australian wine industry, and each bottle is a single cask release.
The French oak maturation is the key to Sullivans Cove's distinctive character. French oak imparts a different set of flavours from the American and European oak used by most distilleries — more spice, more tannin, a darker fruit character. On Sullivans Cove's clean, malty spirit, this French oak influence creates a whisky of unusual complexity and depth.
Sullivans Cove French Oak changed the global whisky conversation. Before 2014, Tasmanian whisky was a curiosity; after the World Whiskies Awards, it was a category. The quality of the spirit, the distinctiveness of the French oak maturation, and the Tasmanian terroir combine to create a whisky that deserves every award and accolade it has received. A milestone whisky and a genuinely magnificent dram.
