Cradle Glass

Cradle Glass

$49 AUD

The imbibing of a good whisky is for most just sheer enjoyment but for an increasing number of devotees it has become almost an art form.

Whilst there can be no greater pleasure than nursing your favourite dram at home, preferably in good company, more and more of the slightly adventurous amongst us like to get out there and sample new or rare whiskies at different locations, including in the distilleries themselves.

And the not so obvious question arises as to whether one should have one’s own tasting glass or simply rely on whatever is offered at the point of consumption, whether it be a bar, club or distillery tasting room.

Experience tells us that having your own tasting glass presents very clear advantages. First of all, it demonstrates that you are a serious whisky buff and that should earn you a little respect from whoever is pouring your whisky, whether you are paying for it or you are there as a guest. More importantly, however, it enables you to ensure consistency in your whisky tasting outings, since the range of glasses employed by different establishments and well-meaning hosts can detract from the overall experience in terms of capturing and then displaying a particular whisky’s core elements of colour, nose, palate, finish and body. It also ensures that either you yourself pour the whisky or you observe what is being poured for you as your glass remains firmly in front of you and that has obvious advantages, not least when it comes to quantity!

The question then arises as to which glass is best in terms of delivering the most satisfying result. The range of glassware is bewildering and much has been written about the various options, but one important element, which they invariably overlook, is the portability of the glass so that you can take it with you safely on your travels.

After some – enjoyable – research we concluded that the Cradle Glass satisfied our criteria in terms of dealing to best advantage with the five core elements when socialising with a particular whisky, as well as winning hands down on portability as it comes with a handsome durable carrying case. Added advantages were that a) some serious research and trialling had gone into creating its unique design, and b) its Tasmanian heritage is beyond question, being the brainchild of the resurrected Cradle Mountain Whisky Company.

Accordingly, MyWhiskyJourneys has entered into an arrangement with the latter to promote the glass on the MyWhiskyJourneys’ website in both its generic form and in a series of Tasmanian distillery logo versions. The latter can be found under the individual Tasmanian distillery pages or at Whisky Memorabilia. There is more about the glass itself at the Cradle Mountain Whisky Company’s website www.tasmanianwhisky.com.au.

Ideal for enjoying the Tasmanian product but it is equally impressive with any fine whiskies.

 

Distillery

CRADLE MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY

Cradle Mountain Whisky has a long and colourful past of over 30 years, with several name changes, and variations in shareholdings and locations. The constant element, however, is the Cradle Mountain Whisky brand, which first became popular for a time under the ownership of The Small Concern Whisky Distillery Pty Ltd.

Cradle Mountain claims to be the first commercial whisky distillery in Australia of the new era, dating its foundation at Ulverstone in the Northwest of Tasmania, back to 1989. It was then known as the Darwin Distillery, a creation of Brian Poke, the well-known distilling consultant, who subsequently played a vital role in the distillery’s rebirth nearly 30 years later. The name was changed, briefly, to Franklin Distillery after the local barley strain of that name, before becoming The Small Concern, backed by a few local investors. The company again changed ownership and name when the Lahra family purchased the company “lock stock, websites and barrel”. After a chance tasting of the 17 year old Single Malt whisky while travelling overseas, Joe Lahra, now master distiller of the new era Cradle Mountain, declared that “the whisky was so good we immediately had to buy the company”.

Truth to be told, so good was the early product that in true coals to Newcastle fashion, one of the team of original investors had the temerity to turn up with samples of the spirit at the long-establish Scottish whisky house of Wm. Cadenhead (owned by Springbank Distillery), who quickly pronounced it fit to carry their very distinguished label.  Frankly, this was a remarkable achievement.

That is all in the past and we celebrate here those pioneering days with some of the oldest locally bottled Tasmanian whiskies, plus a selection of the Cadenhead bottlings, the scarcity of which has been enhanced by the Cradle Mountain brand having been relaunched, albeit at its new location in the Tamar Valley, and using new equipment, but undoubtedly continuing the traditions of its original founders.

Other Cradle Mountain Whiskies