Rare Hare debuts 20YO Tasmanian whisky

US-based Playboy Spirits has released a 20-year-old Australian single malt, produced in Tasmania, under its Rare Hare brand.

The Rare Hare Collection is designed to introduce drinkers to rare and unique spirits from all over the world, from Japan and Scotland to Australia.

For the fourth expression in the collection, named The Tempest, Playboy collaborated with Hellyers Road Distillery, one of the oldest distilleries in Australia, located on the island of Tasmania.

The whisky was named after Shakespeare’s The Tempest, as ‘a nod to a tale of nature’s power and deliverance’, and is described as the ‘perfect embodiment’ of Tasmania’s temperate maritime climate, which sees an abundance of sunshine and low humidity.

Alex Moore, master blender for Rare Hare Spirits, said: “It’s not often you get to experience the first run of something this unique and exceptional.

“Tempest is a celebration of the Tasmanian terroir. It should be on the bucket list of any serious whisky collector.”

Hellyers Road aged the whisky in standard-sized Bourbon casks for 17 years – a shift away from the small barrels typically used with Tasmanian whiskies – and then finished it in Port casks for a further three years.

The distillery used a centuries-old pot still distillation process, which took three days, followed by a secondary slow still distillation.

The whisky’s tasting notes range from ‘freshly baked biscotti and vanilla nougat’ to ‘elderflower and citrus marmalade’. The finish is smooth, harmonious and long.

Bottled at 42% ABV, The Tempest is available for US$999 from Rare Hare Spirits’ online store and nationwide in Australia.

Playboy Spirits is a joint venture between Plby Group, the owner of Playboy magazine, and XL Ventures, an affiliate of alcohol beverage group Spirits Investment Partners (Sip).

In January last year, it secured US$13m in funding to accelerate the growth of its limited edition products.