We bring you Antipodean rivalry at its best. Contests between NZ and Australia have always had a frisson about them, built on decades of fierce rivalry over anything and everything.
Both countries have developed significant whisky industries. Back in 2014, ex-Wallaby player and rapt whisky novice Adam Freier was asked to do a blind Australian versus New Zealand whiskies tasting where NZ was defeated on the basis that in general, he felt the flavour of NZ whiskies was lighter than that of Australian. You be the judge.
It’s nothing but light, so for the July whisky of the month, Tattersalls is blending up the Thomson Two Tone New Zealand Whisky:
Colour: Slightly darker shade, prob due to the red wine cask
Note: Picture yourself eating summer pudding with berries and vanilla ice cream
Palate: A malty dram. The nose leads to the palate nicely and there are berries galore mixed with freshly made vanilla caramel. Hints of chocolate and soft peppery spice, think strawberries in a brandy snap basket
Water: Just a few drops and it becomes smooth and easy to drink
Finish: A little bit of citrus on the finish, very soft and easy to drink with a medium finish
Two Tone refers to the two kinds of cask used for the maturation of this whisky; European oak which formerly held New Zealand red wine and American white oak used exclusively for whisky. In place of an age statement, the infinity symbol marking on the bottle is symbolic of the marriage of casks. This is the perfect dram to salute when the All Blacks beat the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup this month!
For more information on the whisky club, please contact the team at membership@tattersallsclub.org.
