The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
The Oamaruvian
(Credit: New Zealand Whisky Company)
New Zealand Whisky Company is unique among independent bottlers because it exists in a country with no active distilleries, and their stock in trade is whisky made by a single distillery, Willowbank, that was shuttered in 1997.
The Oamaruvian story starts with Dunedin DoubleWood, which in turn began with 200 ex-Bourbon barrels of grain whisky. This was dumped and transferred into New Zealand red wine barrels made from French Oak for a second round of maturation, hence the “double wood” designation. The best casks were kept for bottling as The Oamaruvian, a 16 year old single grain cask strength whisky.
The Whisky
In the glass, this single grain shows its high strength and wine barrel aging in its deep red, amber coloring and thick legs. The rich nose is loaded down heavily with caramel, toffee, old leathery wine and rosewater.
The flavor sits in a moodier place. It’s rich and has plenty of that big bodied, old wine and toffee character too, but then a spicy, dry woodiness washes up at the back. The finish is warm and full of drying tobacco leaves.
The Oamaruvian is a flavorful, sumptuous dram that manages to offer a little complexity despite its heft and richness. All of this comes from grain whisky, no less, which is so often associated with lightness. It serves as another case in point that the malt snobs get it wrong in disdaining grain whisky so.
The Price
It’s listed at $150 in New Zealand Dollars, which comes to roughly $110 USD.
Lovely Whiskey. A bit over the top at 122 proof but even neat it is a treat. You want to sniff this one a good long while. There is a strong sweetness tasted on the fingertip after wiping the bottle rim after pour. Floral and fruit are strong and the heat and mist are in character for such a strong proof. Experimenting with small ice chips brought the heat more under control and allowed a smoother sip. In my experience only a little will suffice to keep this wonderful whiskey largely in character. Shame about the price here in the States. At least they ship here unlike Tazmanian Nant which offers some of the best, most complex, yet smooth drinking whiskeys I have ever tasted.
I recently invested in a bottle of Oamaruvian Cask Strength Doublewood New Zealand whisky. I wonder if I had been supplied with a defective bottle?
Regrettably it is without doubt one of the worst I have ever tasted. Contrary to the tasting notes there was no hint of “rich toffee flavour” and the “floral nose”, was non-existent. Lacking also was any hint of a “creaming soda mouth-feel.”
What was strongly present was the presence of esters, commonly associated with amateur home made attempts at manufacturing whisky. In short it was dram that promised much and failed on all levels.
I sadly agree. I was left a bottle in a Hotel room a couple of Drams shy… I though sweet 9yrs 500ml gotta be good. Went home, Google the bottle. Over 100 has to be sweet as.
Well I had a tipple , expecting I’m not a whiskey connoisseur but I know what Bowmore tastes like.
I expected something close.. please.
Some said they know what Vinager tasted like. I was shocked to read such a comparative.
Mine icomparison is a bottle of Wilson’s
What a let down. Glad I didn’t waste a hundred bucks but this guy did and that’s why he left it behind. Not to be savored.
This would be one of the worst whiskeys I have ever tasted! It’s was that revolting that I had to add some Coke Zero to try to make the taste pleasant enough to sip. Large mouthfuls made me screw my face up with disbelief.
I can understand why it was last on the shelves at duty free.