Morris of Rutherglen

Morris is a watershed producer for Australian whisky, combining the production capacity and approachable pricing of brands like Starward and Archie Rose with the big, juicy Australian fortified wine character of classic (and very expensive) Aussie single malts like Lark, Overeem and Sullivans Cove French Oak. A relatively new venture in terms of whisky, Morris is the same producer that's been bringing us outstanding Rutherglen fortified wines like Muscat, Topaque and Tawny since 1859 – a producer that James Halliday calls 'One of the greatest of the fortified winemakers.' Morris used those outstanding wine barrels to make some exceptional, inexpensive Australian single malt whiskies. Think of Morris like the Glenfarclas of Australia – a storied, family-owned business making cask-forward, juicy, sweet single malt whiskies dripping with the influence of high-quality fortified wine. And, like Glenfarclas, Morris doesn't always put out the most complex or technically detailed whiskies in the world, but, as with its wines, you can’t get better value for money. Morris also employs a unique barrel-charring program that introduces smokiness into its whiskies without using smoked grain (as is standard), resulting in a clear smoked character across its releases that's unlike anything on the market. I have complete confidence that this range will improve continually over time. An easy-to-understand range comprising an inexpensive blend, an affordable flagship single malt and then 4 premium malts all at similar pricepoints, all the while representing the 4 main styles of fortified wine it produces: Sherry (apera), Tokay (topaque), Muscat and Port (tawny). -FRED SIGGINS