Australia's best wine, spirits, beer and cider of 2017

As seen in the Financial Review. Thanks Max Allen for a great write up.

Black Gate Distillery, Cask #22 Single Malt Whisky, Mendooran 500ml $175

We're not in Scotland any more, Toto. Or even Tasmania, considered the hub of Australian craft whisky. This single malt, bottled from a single barrel, is made and matured at a small distillery in Mendooran, about five hours drive north-west of Sydney. It's hot here in summer, and the barrels of spirit are stacked against the north-facing wall of the shed, helping them mature faster and develop deeper, bolder flavours. Cask 22 (an ex-tawny barrel) is the latest release and it's a cracker: powerful flavours of honeyed malt and toasted nuts tumble across your tongue. When I visited the distillery I also tried some fantastic peat-smoked whisky still maturing in barrel that'll be lapped up by the aficionados when it's bottled in a year or two.

Read more: http://www.afr.com/brand/afr-magazine/top-20-australian-drinks-2017-20171013-gz0kov#ixzz4zodpIES9 Follow us: @FinancialReview on Twitter | financialreview on Facebook