Posted on October 27, Drinks Adventures
By JAMES ATKINSON
Morris has introduced Sherry Barrel as the third permanent whisky in its range, while declaring its commitment to historic naming conventions for Australian fortified wines.
Bottled at 46 per cent ABV, Morris Sherry Barrel was matured in ex-red wine casks prior to finishing in barrels that had previously held Morris’s Mia Aged Amber Apera, an elegant fino-style apera produced predominantly from palomino grapes.
Like the other Morris core range whiskies, it has been designed as a well integrated and approachable expression that will have broad appeal for whisky drinkers.
“It’s not a ‘sherry bomb’, it’s a lighter, drier style of sherried whisky,” Morris Whisky’s Michael Sergeant told Drinks Adventures.
“The whisky is made to complement the sherry rather than the sherry overtaking the whisky.”
‘Sherry’ versus ‘apera’
Sergeant said that while Morris is using the Australian term ‘apera’ in marketing collateral, it decided Sherry Barrel was the most appropriate name for this product.
Simiarly, the distiller opted for Tokay Barrel – rather than ‘topaque’ – on a previous release this year.
He noted that distillers are not beholden to the 2008 trade agreement forcing Australian winemakers to relinquish their use of ‘sherry’ and ‘tokay’.
“We’re marketing whisky, we’re not marketing wine,” he said.
“A lot of these barrels pre-date those wine labelling changes. We’re all about our roots, and our roots were in sherry and port back in the day.”
The expanded Morris Whisky core range
Sergeant said he understood the argument for using the Australian terminology, “but at the same time, those names were just plucked out of the air”.
“For us it’s about ease of communication. We are a global brand, so we don’t want to confuse people by using ‘Apera Barrel’,” he said.
“We’re competing with international brands, both in the domestic market and globally.
“Why would we want to do that with one hand behind our back?
“We want to give ourselves the best chance of success by appealing to more people.”
Morris Whisky discount code
Sherry Barrel joins the Signature and Muscat Barrel expressions in the Morris core range, and follows the limited editions Smoked Muscat and Tokay Barrel so far this year.
“Muscat will always be our hero whisky, and we’ll have different iterations using different barrels over time,” said Sergeant.
Morris Sherry Barrel is available direct online, priced at $145 for a 700ml bottle.
Morris Sherry Barrel – Tasting Notes
Nose: Spun toffee, baked fruit flan with peach compote and fresh sherry cask notes.
Palate: A well-structured whisky with subtle spice, toasted nut and clean oak characters.
Finish: Delicious, candied lemon with gentle sage and marjoram herbal profile.