Which Waubs Harbour whisky should I try?

One of the things we love about whisky is that there are so many unique flavour profiles and always something new and exciting to try.  There’s no one size fits all approach to buying and there’s no precise answer for which whisky is ‘the best’, it’s a matter of personal opinion.

Yet, here are a few guiding principles which we follow when both making the whisky we know we’re going to love and also being able to gift a bottle of whisky to others.

1. Cask type:
In general, ex-Bourbon casks will produce a lighter, easier drinking whisky than an ex-fortified cask, such as Tawny Port or Apera Sherry.  If you or the person you’re buying for is new to whisky, we’d recommend an ex-Bourbon cask whisky like our Waubs Original Whisky. While being beautifully balanced & delicate for the whisky enthusiasts' palate, it’s 43% ABV (relatively low) with notes of vanilla and salted caramels making it accessible to all. Our maritime character shines through in this special single malt.

2. Provenance
Take a look at where the whisky was made & matured. Often Scottish whiskies will produce a lighter, easier drinking whisky that’s made in large quantities. Some can also be heavily peated.  Tasmanian whiskies are known for being richer, more viscous and are made in smaller batches.

Our Port Storm whisky was made, matured & bottled on the edge of the ocean in Bicheno, on the far east coast of Tasmania. It’s full of rich character from maturing in ex-Tawny Port French Oak casks, beautifully balanced by the influence of just a touch of ex-Bourbon American Oak matured whisky with a mineral element from its maritime maturation. A great whisky for someone who appreciates a complex yet easy drinking single malt whisky with a unique provenance that shines through. 

3. ABV
In general, the lower the ABV (strength of the alcohol), the easier drinking the whisky. Whisky ABV can range anywhere from 42% to 63% and above. For beginners, we recommend starting at a 42-45% ABV whisky like our Waubs Original.

For whisky enthusiasts who appreciate the complexity of flavour but also enjoy the extra impact of the high ABV, we suggest a whisky such as our Founder’s Reserve whisky which sits at a cask strength of 62%. It’s a big, bold whisky, matured in our highest quality ex-Tawny Port casks.  Like desert in a glass.

4. Craftsmanship
Take a look at how the whisky was produced - was it made in large vats with thousands of bottles produced at a time or was it made in small batches with each batch having its own personality? There’s no correct answer however at Waubs Harbour, we believe in small batch, intentional releases, bottled as each batch comes ready.  As a small distillery and with our Head Distiller’s years of experience making Tasmanian whisky, we’re able to experiment with different flavour profiles by doing things such as cultivating our own yeast in house and smoking local, coastal peat as well as experimenting with malting barley in house. It’s all part of what makes Waubs Harbour, Waubs Harbour.

See all of our Waubs Harbour whiskies here and join our incredible email community of whisky lovers to see behind the scenes at the distillery, hear more of why we do what we do and receive priority access to Limited Releases (which tend to sell out straight away!). Join via the box below.