Malts of the Earth

Sullivans Cove Double Cask Single Malt Whisky 
Making use of Tasmania’s superior water quality — hell, they even bottle their rainwater for export — and malted barley that’s been grown for local breweries since the 1800s, Sullivans Cove has been crafting its pristine product since 1994. No two batches are the same, but the double cask single malt is a honey-colored beauty: Aged in French and American oak barrels and a little smoky, it’s easier to track down than Sullivans’ world’s-best-winning French oak single cask.

Indri Trini The Three Wood
India has a complicated relationship with booze. Presently, a handful of states are dry, and some liquors are for export only. Yet the Piccadily distillery, which runs entirely on renewable energy in the foothills of the Himalayas, is putting Indian single malts on the map. Under master distiller and blender Surrinder Kumar, its brand Indri works with indigenous six-row Indian barley grown in Rajasthan — aging its product in bourbon, sherry, and French wine casks — to make The Three Wood, a caramel-colored pour with a hint of tropical fruit (mango!). It’s available stateside but often sold out, so grab one if you find it.

Three Societies Ki One Korean Single Malt Whisky 
Korea’s nascent whisky industry already has a terrific ambassador in Three Societies, the country’s first craft single malt distiller, founded in 2020. With Ki One, its debut batch, the Scottish-Korean-American team has made a dram in virgin American oak barrels that’s smooth, buttery, and a little spicy (this is Korea, after all). The distillery is located in the city of Namyangju, 40 minutes north of Seoul, which cycles through sweaty summers and subzero winters — extreme temps that lead to quicker whisky maturation. Expect more spirits to hit the market soon.

Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky Madeira Finish 
The story of Penderyn begins, like all good entrepreneurial tales, with a group of friends in a pub. Their assets: access to fresh natural springs in the foothills of South Wales, a single-pot copper still designed by a descendant of the physicist Michael Faraday, and a dream to open Wales’s first whisky distillery in 100 years. A Madeira cask finish became the company’s signature, and soon, this single malt — with its golden color, vanilla notes, and soft finish — began its meteoric rise. Two new Penderyn distilleries have opened since 2021 with an all-women distilling and blending team.

Mackmyra Svensk Ek Swedish Single Malt Whisky 
This origin story starts with a group of friends in a mountain cabin in Sälen back in 1998. After discussing, over rounds, the dearth of homegrown whisky, they established Mackmyra Whisky, taking local pride to a new level. Inspired by a Swedish proverb — “Why cross the river to fetch water?” — Svensk Ek Swedish Single Malt is about as Swedish as a whisky can get: Swedish barley; water from the Valbo ridge, naturally filtered through pebbles; Swedish oak casks that add hints of dried ginger and black pepper. Not that the Mackmyra team isn’t open to experimentation: Their Kaizen uses casks saturated with Japanese tea, and Intelligens claims to be the “world’s first AI-created single malt whisky.” The future is Swedish.