Not too long ago, one would hardly think to look at Australia — let alone Tasmania — for whisky. But the region’s distilling industry has proved itself as a power player in recent years — a large part of that owing to two major coups by Sullivans Cove at the prestigious World Whisky Awards. Now the Tasmanian distillery is back in the limelight, this time for a record-breaking sale of its 2018 “World’s Best Single Cask Single Malt” winner at Luxury Week of British auction house Christie’s.
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Sold at £6,600 (S$11,840), the bottle in question — bottle number 88 of the American Oak Single Cask #HH0351 — is said to be the highest priced Australian whisky ever sold. It was distilled in June 2000 and decanted in January 2017 and matured in a 200L American Oak ex-bourbon barrel. Only 136 bottles of it were produced, making it one of the rarest single malt whiskies in the world. It had never left the distillery after being bottled and carefully cellared.
Managing director Adam Sable was understandably delighted by the sale. “There’s been significant interest from collectors around the world looking to acquire a bottle from the award-winning cask, so we’re hoping this can have a big impact,” he said. All proceeds of the sale were donated to The Alannah & Madeline Foundation: a charity that aims to keep children safe from bullying and violence.
It’s an exciting time for distilleries Down Under, as many believe Australia is finally seeing its own golden age of whisky. Sullivan Cove’s island of Tasmania has quickly become the country’s whisky capital, thanks to an abundance of fresh raw ingredients and access to some of the cleanest water. Not bad at all for a state that only lifted its ban on whiskey production some 20 years ago.
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