One of my all-time favourite Tasmanian whisky producers, who is responsible for my favourite non-malted barley whisky, in this case with a little help from my all-time favourite Tasmanian whisky producer, Heartwood. Exciting stuff!
Belgrove is a tiny Tasmanian farm distillery located just outside the town of Kempton, about 45 minute's drive north of Hobart. Situated in a small stone building on mad scientist / farmer proprietor Peter Bignell's family farm, Belgrove is easily one of the world's most sustainable distilleries, if not the most sustainable. From making his own bio-diesel for use both on the farm and at the distillery, and growing his own rye grain on said farm, to direct-firing his still with the used fryer oil from local food outlets, and using water from the farm's own dam or collected from the roofs of the distillery & farm buildings, with any subsequent waste water then recycled and put to use on the farm. Oh, and the spent grain is then fed to the farm's sheep after distillation, who provide fertiliser for the crops in return. Peter also made his own copper pot still, and re-coopers, toasts and chars his own casks, and is a keen sand- and ice-sculptor in his spare time. He has a degree in agricultural science, and has also studied physics, chemistry and microbiology. The term 'multi-talented' doesn't quite cover it, so "mad scientist" will have to do! I've covered the distillery in more detail here, following my inaugural visit to Belgrove back in 2016, and it is an experience that I cannot recommend highly enough. This is not a polished or rehearsed corporate visitor's experience, this is a no-frills working farm distillery that is absolutely unique, and you'll see, learn and taste - and be able to buy - things at Belgrove that you absolutely will not find anywhere else. Just make sure youemail ahead to schedule your visit, as all tours are by appointment only.
While he does dabble in single malt whisky and a number of other spirits - from a white spirit distilled from ginger beer named Ginger Hammer, to experimental rye whiskies where the rye was smoked with sheep dung, or where the cask itself was smoked with peat rather than the grain, and many others - rye whisky is Peter's main focus. Although a couple of mainland distilleries have since followed suit, for quite some time Belgrove was producing Australia's only rye whisky, and this is still the only distillery in Australia to grow, malt (where applicable), mill, mash and ferment their own rye on site, which is also then distilled, matured and finally bottled on site. And as you can probably guess, nothing here is chill filtered or artificially coloured, or mucked with in any way. These whiskies and the other Belgrove spirits have the sustainability, terroir and "trace-ability" that larger distilleries can only dream of! While American rye whiskeys such as Rittenhouse and Michter's are only legally required to be made from at least 51% rye grain, with corn, wheat and/or barley making up the balance, Belgrove's rye whiskies are made from 100% rye, generally all malted in Peter's converted industrial tumble-dryer. Likewise American rye whiskeys are required to be matured in virgin oak casks, while Belgrove is almost unlimited in that regard. Each release is as unique, funky and quirky as the distillery itself - and the man behind it. I'm not a fan of bourbon or corn whiskey / whisky, generally finding it too sweet and too woody, while I find rye whiskey / whisky to be more up my alley thanks to the spicy and often earthy notes that the rye grain imparts, generally with less sweetness and less overt impact from virgin oak. Belgrove's rye whiskies have without doubt been some of the best that I've ever tasted, and are a big step apart from your typical American rye whiskey. And also from the other Australian rye whiskies, for that matter - to date, none of those have been made from 100% rye.
The majority of Peter's rye whiskies are aged in ex-malt whisky casks, from 50- to 200-litres in capacity, sourced from other Tasmanian distilleries such as Lark, Overeem, Old Kempton (formerly Redlands Estate) and Sullivan's Cove, among others. Others are matured in Australian wine casks, such as Pinot Noir or Shiraz. But this particular Belgrove rye whisky has been matured in something very special. Regular readers won't be surprised to hear that I'm a huge fan of Tasmania's Heartwood, one of Australia's few independent bottlers, and the cream of the crop in my opinion. I've visited the mad alchemist "Mr. H" a few times now (see here and here for more details), as well as reviewing nine of his whiskies so far with a tenth not far away - quite possibly more than any other whisky blog. This Belgrove rye whisky has been matured in an ex-Heartwood malt whisky cask, specifically the cask used for the 'Any Port in a Storm' blended malt (reviewed here) that was released back in 2015. That very tasty whisky was a mix of 95% 15-year old Sullivan's Cove and 5% 7-year old Lark single malt, and had been fully-matured in first-fill ex-port casks. So this is essentially a Belgrove rye whisky that has been matured in a second-fill port cask that previously held Tasmanian malt whisky, but the fact that the previous contents were a Heartwood whisky immediately put that cask on a different level. This is actually the second Belgrove rye whisky to be matured in an ex-Heartwood cask, with the first being bottled in mid-2018 which was matured in the sherry cask used to finish / marry Heartwood's "Release the Beast" that was bottled in 2014. This particular Belgrove, from the ex-Heartwood Any Port in a Storm cask, was bottled in November 2019, which puts it in the range of 3-4 years of age, at a cask strength of 62.7% ABV. At the time of writing it's surprisingly still available for purchase from Belgrove's website for $230 AUD, and also for $240 AUD from The Old Barrelhouse- the source of the picture below. The sample for this review came from a fellow whisky geek, and fellow Belgrove fan. Let's get to it!
Belgrove Rye Whisky, ex-Heartwood cask. NAS, 62.7%. Tasmania, Australia.
Distilled from 100% rye grain, grown on Belgrove's own farm. Matured in ex-Heartwood 'Any Port in a Storm' malt whisky cask for 3-4 years. Cask strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour.
Colour: Medium gold.
Nose: Minty, sweet and spicy. Dry rye spicy-ness, and some dank old stone buildings with packed earth floors. Some honey, sweet mint, and sweet stone fruit - apricots and nectarines in spiced honey. More dry spice and sweet fruit. There's a little alcohol nip, but it's a young whisky at nearly 63%, so that's to be expected.
Texture: Medium-heavy weight, rich & fatty. A slight heat, but not excessive for the strength.
Taste: More sweet stone fruit in honey, then a flash of mint before the dry rye spice comes through. Dry, lightly toasted rye bread with a few spices - ginger & all-spice - mixed in, and a little fresh chilli.
Finish: Long length. The raw chilli carries through, then the spices and toasted rye bread return, followed by that dank, earthy, dusty, old stone walled farm building - which is exactly where this whisky was matured. Some woody cologne, roasted nuts - peri peri peanuts, and honey behind the spicy rye grain.
Score: 4 out of 5.
Notes: Very good stuff. In more ways than one, Belgrove is Australia's Springbank. With those dank (dunnage warehouse) notes, the grain (rye) character, and the texture and character showing through nicely. This whisky takes you straight back to the distillery, that old, dirty stone building on the working farm in the middle of Tasmania. Right through to the smell of the farm, the rye mash, and the dusty old bond store (warehouse). Excellent stuff, and the unique and incredible story behind it just adds to the experience. This particular Belgrove is delicious. Yes, it's a little raw, but for a young whisky at nearly 63% it's full of depth and character that many significantly-older whiskies can't manage. I'd say the ex-Heartwood cask has added a bit of extra sweetness and stone fruit, but don't go looking for any overt port cask influence - which is no criticism by any means. It's allowed the character of the spirit itself to shine through, and all the better for it. Great stuff Peter!
The previous ex-Heartwood cask Belgrove rye (the ex-Release the Beast cask) had more overt cask influence and more complexity, and was a little less "raw", but that just makes for a different experience. You'd be hard-pressed to find any Australian whisky - rye or otherwise - that is this unique, and that shows this level of character. And when you remember the who, where and how of its production, this is one absolutely unique Tasmanian whisky experience. If you haven't tried a Belgrove whisky before, and you don't mind a quirky, flavoursome and characterful dram, you need to track one down. And if you're heading to Tasmania any time soon, you'll need to setup a distillery visit. Just make sure you have some luggage space to spare!
Cheers!
