This release is from some of our first casks filled on the island. We turned our copper pot stills on for the first time in September 2019, and filled these casks not long after, the oldest in April 2020. A very strange time, when Tasmania has just entered a statewide lockdown, giving Flinders Island a new level of isolation. We spent that time with doors closed but stills running, filling casks for the future.

Many years later the whisky has developed into a lovely expression of smoky, Apera cask whisky.FPB4 is another great iteration of the style that inspired Furneaux’s existence, and an example of why peat and bourbon casks work so well together. The caramel and bright white confectionery notes from the casks - like milk bottle lollies and Fads - provide the perfect counterbalance to the earthy maritime peat smoke.

This spirit was made from 100% Tasmanian barley, cold-smoked on Flinders Island in our modified box trailer peat kiln. It was distilled back in 2022, when we were located at The Flinders Wharf in Whitemark. Much has changed since then in our operation, but our rainwater source, coastal bond store and process is still the same, and this whisky remains our reason for being.

Maturation took place in a series of 20L American oak ex-bourbon casks from the Tasmanian Cask Company, with medium toast and medium char to activate the timber and caramelise the sugars. We haven’t filled any first-fill 20L casks since this run, with the majority of our whisky now maturing in larger-format casks, but I still love the result that small-format maturation can deliver. As always, decanting, resting, and allowing the spirit to breathe for some time before slow proofing gives this 2.5yo whisky a texture and balance far beyond its years.