Rare Hare Spirits has announced its latest limited release from the island of Tasmania, Tempest.
The brand partnered with one of the pioneers of Tasmanian whisky making, Hellyers Road Distillery, one of Australia’s oldest and most revered distilleries. They are Tasmania’s first single malt whisky producer to emerge during this renaissance, and its aged expressions are only now becoming available in this post-prohibition era.
Hellyers Road Distillery employs a pot still distillation process that spans three days, followed by a secondary slow still distillation to yield a whisky of unparalleled quality and character. The air currents that bring rain to Tasmania’s western shores originate in Antarctica, traveling thousands of miles across the open ocean before reaching the island. The resulting water source is akin to soft rainwater, a unique characteristic not found in other regions producing single malt whiskies. The malt and barley used to create this small batch elixir are locally sourced and benefit from the rich soil and unique Tasmanian climate.
This expression is named as a nod to Shakespeare’s tale of nature’s power and deliverance, While most Tasmanian whiskies are aged in small barrels to accelerate maturation, Hellyers Road Distillery aged this whisky for seventeen years in standard-size bourbon casks, and then aged it for another three years in port casks.
“It’s not often you get to experience the first run of something this unique and exceptional,” said Alex Moore, Master Blender for Rare Hare Spirits. “Tempest is a celebration of the Tasmanian terroir. It should be on the bucket list of any serious whiskey collector.”
Tasmania has a storied history of producing single malt whiskies. It experienced its own prohibition, from 1830 until the 1990s, stifling all production until a land surveyor, inspired by a fishing trip in the Tasmanian highlands, successfully lobbied the government to reverse the ban. Production methods have emerged from hibernation and are now being recognized and awarded.
Rare Hare’s Tempest is available online and at select retailers for $999.
