Two winters ago my partner & I went to Tasmania (southern Australia) in our winter for the winter solstice, our shortest day, the longest day in the northern hemisphere. Anyway I did the nude winter solstice swim but we also enjoyed a great winter festival which show-cased produce from Tasmania including the whiskey. They have good rainfall down there and beautiful / pure water which I assume is why the whiskey is so good. We both fell in love with the whiskey down there and I have enjoyed since. The only trouble is that it is expensive so drinking ordinary whiskey is challenging.
My mum's dad loved a whiskey, was not a beer drinker except on a hot day after harvesting. He was not a drinker (German heritage, go figure) but enjoyed a whiskey before bed. My dad was a beer drinker but enjoyed a whiskey in the winter. I have found as I age I have found the enjoyment of whiskey.
Have others found this? Is it aging? Or have I finally matured? (I turn 64 tomorrow ..... haha)
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- RO
RobMar 22, 2026My enjoyment of whisky started in Ireland with a tour of the Jamieson Distillery. I still enjoy a Guinness or a glass of red wine but I'm a big fan now of Single Malt from Scotland. Heading there in a couple of months for 2 weeks. Looking forward to having a dram or two.
RobReactReply - AS
Anonymous StarfishMar 28, 2026Is aging a thing? Absolutely. Whiskey spends time in a charred barrel of sorts. As it ages, it absorbs the carmelized wood sugars from the char. The more one pulls from the barrel, the darker the whiskey.
Also, as the whiskey ages, it releases alcohol to the angels - aka The Angels' Share. Over time, the alcohol content drops inside the barrel. In Scotland, we toured one distillery and were blessed to try a 51-yr-old scotch. Over a half-century in the barrel, there was about 45% of the liquid remaining. The angels over Alness are quite happy! I don't recall the final proof, but it was well under 130.
I will have to look out for Tasmanian whiskeys! I have not tried them nor seen them. Bourbon, scotch, Irish, Tennessee, and Ryes have been my heavenly nectar over the last 30 years.
ReactReply - RORobMar 29, 2026
So many of the distilleries are add grain alcohol and carmel colouring to their product to make more profit, its a shame big business ruins such a unique tradition.
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