One for Australian motor racing fans, fast-growing Melbourne-based whisky label, NED Australian Whisky is thrilled to announce the exciting release of its special-edition SOUNDS OF BATHURST range.Put simply, when whisky matures, it ages in barrels. This occurs due to a chemical relationship between the spirit and the barrel, which over time pulls the beautiful flavours of oak from the barrel, softening and smoothing the spirit to craft an indulgent whisky. Like other liquids, chemical reactions can occur and be sped up by adding an energy system.

One of the simplest ways to speed the process of whisky ageing is by using vibrations. A notion that intrigued the NED Whisky team, enabling them to develop the nifty idea of escalating the chemical reaction by purposely vibrating its barrels with the sound of none other, Bathurst.

Earlier this year, Australian motor racing team, Kelly Grove Racing recorded the mighty roar of its incredibly powerful and loud V8 supercars whilst running laps of Mount Panorama. The team at NED Whisky used these recordings to blast the vibrating sound of the supercharged cars through the reserve grade NED Australian Whisky barrels for 50+ hours per week over the course of several months, delivering one of the most unique whiskies ever made.

“It sounds crazy but there is a lot of research around how sound can age whisky. We had the idea to record the whole race of the first season of Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama and started playing it into the reserve barrels over the past few months to speed up the ageing process. Even though we knew it would work, we were blown away by how amazing the whisky has turned out, it tastes incredible. The batch is ready just in time for the final race of the season,” says Sebastian Raeburn, NED Australian Whisky Master Distiller.

The whisky has the aromas of toasted oak and sticky caramel, with hints of toffee tones and a long length finish of maple with structured body.

With only 1,743 bottles produced, the very limited batch comes in two iconic designs inspired by Kelly Grove’s #7 and #26 race cars to be released for the last Bathurst race of the year.

The limited-edition Sounds of Bathurst 500ml whisky bottles are now available online at nedwhisky.com.au/
until sold out.