SAN FRANCISCO — As the market for imported whiskeys heats up, Australia’s Morris Whiskey, in partnership with distiller and importer Hotaling & Co., today announces its official US launch, presenting connoisseurs with a unique Whiskey style that captures the origins, climate, and terroir of Australia. Due to their distinctive flavor profiles, whiskeys produced in Australia have enjoyed significant popularity and growth in recent years. To date, Morris is the third Australian whiskey to be made available in the United States and marks its debut with the launch of two notable, award-winning whiskeys: Australian Single Malt Signature Whiskey and Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel Whisky.
Led by Head Distiller Darren Peck, who has worked under the tutelage of one of the world’s most renowned whiskey makers John McDougall (Springbank, Laphroig, Balvenie amongst others), Morris combines decades of tradition with modern techniques to craft a distinctive style of Australian singles malt whisky. Crafted in Victoria, Morris Whiskey is crafted from 100% locally sourced ingredients and aged in award-winning fortified wine casks, creating a maturity, depth and richness of flavor normally reserved for longer-aged whiskeys. With hot days and cool nights, Australia’s Mediterranean climate allows the liquid to mature faster than whiskeys matured in cooler climates, allowing richer and more robust flavors to develop in less time.
“At Morris we have created a unique style of whiskey that suits our home in Rutherglen. Crafted from Australian barley and pure, filtered water from the Snowy Mountains, Morris Whiskey not only reflects the premium fortified casks, but also its regional Victorian heritage,” said Darren Peck, Head Distiller at Morris Whisky. “The Rutherglen region has a climate with hot summer days and cool nights, which not only provides ideal conditions for the production of world-class wines, but also for the aging of exquisite whiskey in casks.”
A brilliant sipper, Australian Single Malt Signature Whiskey presents a light topaz hue and reveals aromas of orchard fruit profiles, macerated black cherry and biscuit, with notes of zesty jam, lingering cocoa and dark berries for a pleasantly rounded mouthfeel. Aged for a minimum of three years in ex-wine casks at an ABV of 44%, the signature expression delivers a rich finish that lingers on the palate.
Premium Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel Whiskey is designed as a whiskey best enjoyed neat. It reveals flavors of dates, figs and dark molasses with a complex blend of dried figs, sweet malt, vanilla and spices on the palate. Also made from Australian barley malt and aged for three years in American and French oak barrels at 48% ABV, the Muscat Barrel expression reveals a reddish copper tone ending with a creamy finish.
Both Australian Single Malt Signature Whiskey and Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel Whiskey have been certified Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Awards and World Whiskey Masters for the last two consecutive years, and have received Platinum and Doubles respectively at the most recent SIP Awards -Gold awards.
Production of these two whiskeys began in 2016 using the original copper still and column installed at Morris Winery in 1941 when used to make base spirits for Morris fortified wines. Maturation took place on site in the purpose built cask house using ex-wine casks handcrafted using a specific process in Morris’ private cooperage. The liquid is aged in a combination of American and French oak casks, ex-Shiraz and Cabernet red wine casks carefully selected from family-owned wineries in the Barossa and Coonawarra regions.
Founded in Rutherglen in 1859, Morris originally began as a family winery and has since grown into one of the most renowned fortified wine producers in the world. Generations of craftsmanship in blending, aging and creating world-class wines inspired Morris to introduce a line of single malt whiskeys to be launched in Australia in 2021. With over 160 years of winemaking experience, Morris combines decades of tradition, a historic copper still, and aged fortified casks with modern techniques to create a whiskey that is a true expression of time and place.
“The global popularity of Australian whiskey in recent years has provided Hotaling with an opportunity to introduce Morris Whiskey to American consumers, becoming only the third Australian whiskey to enter the U.S. market,” said Dan Leese, President and CEO of Hotaling & Co “We are delighted to add these two exceptional single malts to our whiskey portfolio, which round out our global whiskey offering.”
Hotaling & Co. Imported Morris Australian Single Malt Whiskey is available at select retailers in California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Georgia, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Washington DC, Maryland with possible availability in Arizona, Nevada, and Missouri in the coming months. The Australian Single Malt Signature Whiskey has a suggested retail price of $59.99 for 750ml and the Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel Whiskey has a suggested retail price of $89.99 for 750ml.
More information on both whiskeys can be found at www.morriswhisky.com.
About Morris Australian Single Malt Whisky:
Founded in 1859, Morris of Rutherglen is one of the most renowned makers of fortified spirits in the world. The craftsmanship of blending, aging and creating world-class fortified wines has been passed down through six generations of the family, putting the distillery perfectly positioned to produce exceptionally flavored Australian single malt whiskey. Located in the Rutherglen region of north east Victoria, Australia, the distillery boasts the Snowy Mountains to the east. This natural spring provides the purest water year-round, allowing the true flavors and characters of the whiskey to shine through.
The Morris Whiskey range currently consists of Australian Single Malt Signature Whiskey and Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel Whiskey, with future releases planned. The exceptional flavor comes from access to American and French oak wine casks, carefully selected from Casella family wineries in Australia’s Barossa and Coonawarra regions. These casks are all prepared by hand in our private cooperage using an individual shaving and toasting process for optimal maturation. Together with the local climate of hot summer days and cool nights, these conditions are perfect for single malt aging. Then the whiskey is finished
a combination of fortified Morris of Rutherglen wine casks, some containing the most highly awarded fortified wine in the world, to create the unique and distinctive flavor profile of Morris Whisky.
For more information visit: https://www.morriswhisky.com/
About Hoteling & Co.
Hotaling & Co., the premier distiller and importer in San Francisco, creates, curates and builds artisan brands of unmatched character and quality. Hotaling & Co., originally called the Anchor Distilling Company, was founded in 1993 and is credited with releasing America’s first craft whiskey (Old Potrero) and American craft gin (Junipero Gin) after Prohibition. In 2010, the Anchor Distilling Company was sold to a business partnership that included Tony Foglio and London’s oldest wine and spirits merchants, Berry Bros. & Rudd, and began expansion to incorporate a collection of premium craft spirits drawn from the were imported from all over the world. In 2017, Anchor Distilling became Hotaling & Co. The new name is a nod to one of Anchor Distilling’s most popular small-batch whiskeys (Old Potrero Hotaling’s Whiskey) and San Francisco gold rush legend AP Hotaling in the West quickly came to be one of the country’s most respected liquor retailers. Today, Hotaling & Co. is celebrating exciting growth and success; It’s the 29th year of distillation and the 12th commercial year of bringing like-minded distillers from around the world together to share the passion and raise the bar.
The Hotaling & Co. portfolio includes Luxardo Liqueurs & Cherries, Nikka Whisky, Junipero Gin, HINE Cognac, Convite Mezcal, Kavalan Whisky, Denizen Rum, HIRSCH Selected Whiskys, Writers’ Tears Whisky, Old Pulteney Whisky, Speyburn Whisky, Balblair Whisky, Arran Whisky, Old Potrero Rye Whiskey and more. Visit www.HotalingandCo.com for a full list of brands.