"With a climate to rival the isles of Scotland, Tasmania is producing some of the best whisky in the world. There are at least 22 distilleries on the small island just below the Australian mainland, but its best is Sullivans Cove. Founded in 1996, Sullivans Cove put Australian whisky on the map in 2014, when it released a French oak cask single malt that garnered several awards and much acclaim. Today, Sullivans Cove bottles easily command a price upward of $200 and are considered rare since only around 70 casks are filled each year. Distilled in Tasmania’s capital of Hobart, which was once a penal colony where British convicts were sent (its motto is “Distilled with Conviction”), Sullivans Cove uses only Tasmanian-grown barley and pure Tasmanian water. Its small-batch whiskies are aged in either American oak ex-bourbon barrels or French oak ex-tawny barrels (or both) anywhere between 9 and 18 years." - Devorah Lev-Tov