Blogpost: Water of Life - Tin Shed Distlling

Water of Life - Tin Shed Distlling

I have sung the praises about Tin Shed Distillery and their product of formidable artisan whiskies before.

Given the meticulous attention not merely when it comes to the ingredients of their limited batches, i.e. the sourcing of locally produced grain and peat along with Mallee stumps to smoke it, and their integrity when it comes to the avoidance of additives, it is not further wondrous that their rich emissions are highly sought after.

Stating that Iniquity produces flavourful drops is an understatement par excellence. Having redefined “hands-on micro distiller” by having started their distillery from scratch has resulted in Tin Shed being decorated with a myriad of accolades in a range of World’s Best categories.

Batches of Iniquity usually sell out within days – and it is not too hard to grasp why: Their batch #14 hits the nostrils with a gentle and perfectly calibrated melange of honey, notes of wood and toffee and prepares the palate, which will be tickled by what the nose promised. Warm and rich, heavy on the plums and other stone fruits and the character of the sherry barrels playing a dominant role.

The finish is something that I have grown to look forward to as Iniquity has yet to underwhelm in that department: Oaky with nuances of fruits on the sour side, bitter bits with mellow sweet fruity flavours rest on the foundation of full-bodied red wine that make this another complex and interesting exercise in master distilling.

Now, while Iniquity’s whisky plays in a league of its own, in this case the book can be judged by its cover: The attention to details extends to the bottle and packaging design.

Artisanal in nature, Batch #14 came in a beautifully constructed, sleek black box with silver printing and black foiling adorning the outside and the bottle features a hand-made wax seal, below which silver branding has been screen-printed direct to the bottle. The fact that a batch specific paper label on the front is used, should not further surprise.

In essence, a feast for the eyes that is good and simple yet sophisticated at the same time, not unlike the whisky it houses.

Iniquity whiskies come with a label, which contain a code that upon scanning with your smart phone, take you to their HQ, where head distiller Ian Schmidt sheds light on the overall approach, distilling process, barrels used and tasting notes of the respective expression you have purchased.

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Photos by T