Nose: Vanilla fudge, sultanas, and milk arrowroot biscuits. Quite a bit of peat comes through as well.
Palate: Dark dried fruits – lots of berries and sultanas; along with hints of vanilla. Surprisingly sweet. Traces of smoke all through – but not overpowering.
Mouthfeel: Thick and creamy. A little bit dry.
Finish: Christmas cake with hints of smoke. The finish lasts forever.
Bottled exclusively for the RTD Spirits Covid-19 Black Gate whisky tasting that took place (virtually) on the 20th June 2020. This special-release whisky was bottled at a cask strength of 68.8% ABV with no colouring and no chill filtration in 500ml bottles. 10 bottles were released at this cask strength.
BG069 was aged for 3 years and 2 months, and was fully aged in a 100L 1st fill ex-Port cask from McWilliams in South Australia after being re-coopered by SA Cooperage. The cask was filled with spirit that was peated at Bairds in Scotland – the same batch of peated barley that also filled BG072. Although quite a peaty whisky, this one doesn’t smack you in the face with it as the BG072 does.
This was my least favourite of the 3 whiskies from Black Gate that we sampled during the tasting event; however in saying that it was up against BG047 and BG072 – which were both just utterly brilliant. Any other day of the week, this whisky is one that I would happily go back for seconds and thirds. It is a very very good whisky that had the unfortunate chance to be up against two whiskies that put the ‘extra’ in extraordinary.
The Black Gate distillery is is run by the husband & wife duo of Brian and Genise Hollingworth. The distillery is located in the Central West region of New South Wales, in the town of Mendooran – which is approximately 45 minutes north of Dubbo by road, about 6 hours north of Canberra by road, and about 5 hours north-west of Sydney by road.
I’d say you should definitely grab a bottle of this, but with so few bottles made available, and only sold on the night to people who were part of the tasting, it will be extremely unlikely that you will find a bottle. I will definitely be getting a bottle of the standard release of BG069 from Black Gate though!
Would I Drink It Again?
Total Score
I'd love to - although the tiny release will make that unlikely.