A Toast to Tassie: One Non-Bourbon-Pour of Sullivans Cove

2025-08-07

This week on Aussie Bourbon Lovers, we go off-book – literally – and dive into something local, legendary, and a little bit special: Sullivans Cove from Tasmania. Why? It’s Tassie Whisky Week, and what better way to celebrate than with a 14-year-old single cask from the distillery that put Australian whisky on the global map? H pours us the very last drops of bottle TD0275 – a second-fill American oak cask filled in 2008 and bottled in 2022. As we sip, we talk through what makes Tassie whisky unique, why Sulliva...

This week on Aussie Bourbon Lovers, we go off-book – literally – and dive into something local, legendary, and a little bit special: Sullivans Cove from Tasmania. Why? It’s Tassie Whisky Week, and what better way to celebrate than with a 14-year-old single cask from the distillery that put Australian whisky on the global map?

H pours us the very last drops of bottle TD0275 – a second-fill American oak cask filled in 2008 and bottled in 2022. As we sip, we talk through what makes Tassie whisky unique, why Sullivans Cove has such a cult following, and how this pour compares to a typical bourbon. From re-coopered barrels and pot stills to honey-sweet tasting notes and nostalgic Tassie trips, this episode is full of love for our southernmost state.

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: Screw tops & false expectations
0:28 – Drinking Sullivans Cove, not bourbon
0:58 – TD0275 bottle stats: 14 years, 48%, American oak
1:32 – It's Tassie Whisky Week – here's why we're celebrating
2:10 – Tasmania’s whisky climate & reputation
2:43 – First tasting notes: harvest, grains, sweet nose
3:40 – Light colour explained (second fill vs. bourbon)
4:01 – Honey explosion on the palate
4:30 – Last pour of the bottle – no regrets
4:45 – How Sullivans Cove won World’s Best Single Malt in 2014
5:50 – Impact on the Australian whisky scene
6:33 – Pot stills, double distillation, and creamy finish
7:20 – Re-coopering: how they prep used bourbon barrels
8:20 – Why 14 years looks different in Tassie than in Kentucky
9:00 – Why we love Tassie (whisky, food, time away from the kids)
9:53 – Final toast to Tassie Whisky Week