Lark Distilling Co. has released Rare Cask Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz, the third single malt whisky in its Rare Cask Series, in partnership with the Brokenwood Winery in the Hunter Valley.
The single malt has been finished in a cask that once held Brokenwood’s highly celebrated 2018 Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz, named both “Shiraz of the Year” and “Wine of the Year” by the 2021 James Halliday Companion.
Brokenwood’s position at the forefront of the ultra-premium Australian wine category was elevated even further with the Shiraz also recognised as “Exceptional,” the highest level on the Langton’s Classification of Collectable Australian Wines.
Lark’s passion to produce small batch, handcrafted single malts is matched to Brokenwood’s Single Vineyard expression for each grape variety. The result is a rich single malt with some sweetness and depths, designed to pick up the complexity in the oak of the Rare Cask Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz casks.
With only 505 bottles available, the whisky is sweet and fruity on the nose, with hints of fresh blood plums, mulberries and a cocktail of allspice, cardamom, earth, black pepper and cinnamon. The unmistakable oak and wine tannin gives the spirit a dry, yet refined finish with the complexity of a freshly opened spice drawer.
“Australians are leading the charge in consuming red wine cask matured whisky and really contributing to its growing global popularity,” Lark head distiller Chris Thomson said.
“Our customers are loving how flavourful red wine casks can be, partially an expressive Shiraz such as Brokenwood’s. There’s great drinking to be had here with the whisky offering richness, boldness and a hint of tannin leaving behind exciting notes of the Shiraz’s past lives. The notes of red spice and bramble really let those beautiful Hunter Shiraz notes shine through.”
“Brokenwood senior winemaker, Stuart Hordern and I have been watching the emergence of the ultra-premium Australian whisky sector and Lark’s position as a key player in the industry for some time,” Brokenwood general manager Geoff Krieger said.
“We absolutely jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with the Lark team. Both Stu and I agree that a single malt whisky distillation, using a Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz cask is an exciting addition and complementary to the current Brokenwood range.”
With this purchase, customers will have the opportunity to own a part of Lark’s history with a copper medallion included, handcrafted from a decommissioned Lark copper pot still.
For those who may want to keep their 700ml bottle unopened, a complimentary 100ml bottle is included so customers can taste, enjoy or keep it at leisure.
Rare Cask Brokenwood Graveyard Shiraz is available for a limited time only, exclusively from Lark Distilling Co.