Hellyers Road Original

So I’m at a tasting. And I showed up with a whisky to lower everyone’s overall scores. This was requested.

I bought my bottle of Hellyers Road Original on a whim. I hadn’t had an Aussie whisky ever. Wait, is that English? Let’s try this again.

Me not have Australian whisky yet. Then I forgot about it. Then I tried to bring it back to the LCBO. And then they had d-listed it, which is a nice way of saying that it not there now.

Enough silly English. What’s Hellyer’s Road Original all about?

Hellyers Road is named after Henry Hellyer, an explorer and cartographer, who discovered the trail in 1827. Jump ahead a century and some change, and some dairy farmers who owned the land opened up a whisky distillery, taking his name.

Hellyers Road is now Australia’s biggest selling locally crafted whisky. And their entry malt is matured in American Oak, no artifical colouring, and no chill filtration. Add to that this is a single malt that uses a special distilling process to enhance the flavour.

However that’s what they say, as Whiskyphiles says. On the other end, I was told to bring this along to ensure a lower score. However I’ve never had it. And frankly, I should decide the taste for myself.

So let’s see how this tastes, shall we?

Price: No longer available at the LCBO

Region: Australia

Abv: 46.2%

Colour: 10Y 9/6

Nose: Honeydew melon that’s been left out too long, ammonia, funk, apple

Very light. Eventually some fruit, some ammonia, and some funk. It’s quite funky. Takes awhile to really open up. I’d recommend letting the bottle air out a little. And letting your first couple pours sit a little longer.

Yeah, the nose is lots of fruit after a bit, but it’s young.

Taste: Cinnamon, apple, cocoa, dusty

Some spice, some sweetness from the American oak. Lots of dusty notes. The wood is doing a lot of work on the taste. Not as much fruit as before.

You know, like parts of New York after it’s been “cleaned up” and is therefore “better” for society.

Much like those parts, it’s not very fun to be around in those places. Unlike those places, don’t bring your kids, alcohol is bad for them.

Finish: Cocoa, smoke, powdered pumpkin spice, young yeast sourdough

The finish is quite short, with lots of spice. It isn’t a nice spice flavour. Lots of grainy notes. Actually all of it is powder, grainy flavour.

Conclusion: Yeah, it was pretty rough. Simple. Nose is the roughest part, though it’s light. Then the taste is pretty light. And then it’s grainy.

So it’s a rough start to a lineup. I can see what they are going for here. It’s going to need some time. I wonder what the Pinot Noir or Peated versions, or even the age stated versions do.

62/100

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