The Inaugural Morris Single Barrel Whisky: A Historic Moment for Australian Malts
Published: 4 Aug 2025
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It's not unusual for makers of whisky and wine to allude to a certain level of heritage and history when it comes to the drams and drops they produce. However, few come even remotely close to the extraordinary provenance of MORRIS, which has an astounding 166 years of unmatched family craftsmanship emanating from the northeastern Victorian town of Rutherglen. In fact, it would be fair to say that every bottle MORRIS has ever produced is a small piece of Australian history.
Established in 1859, MORRIS started as a vineyard producing some of Australia's finest wines before expanding its offering to include remarkably premium whiskies. Many of these have drawn much of their unique flavour from a finishing process that uses the very barrels that once held their sibling wines. In this way, producing both wines and whisky has enabled MORRIS to offer a sense of terroir that others can only dream of.
Rutherglen Morris Durif Single Barrel | Image: Morris of Rutherglen
Now, MORRIS is celebrating the rich legacy that has led to it becoming Australia's most-awarded wine and whisky brand via the release of its inaugural Single Barrel. The MORRIS Family Durif Single Barrel is a newly revealed Australian Single Malt Whisky – a category within which MORRIS has long been considered exceptional.
This incredible new release demonstrates how MORRIS simply never stops honing the approach that has seen it become so widely renowned. At the same time, it pays tribute to Australian whisky craftsmanship and captures the structure and complexity of the Durif grape alongside the rich Rutherglen soils surrounding the distillery.
Let's take a closer look at this hand-bottled marvel, limited to just 258 bottles.
Rutherglen Morris Durif Single Barrel | Image: Morris of Rutherglen
Rutherglen Morris Durif Single Barrel (58.5%)
Sometimes, we all deserve to indulge in a touch of decadence, and we can think of no better way to do so than via the MORRIS Durif Single Barrel, a burnished gold liquid containing rich, malted layers that are sure to delight.
Proceedings commence with a superb nose of malted biscuits and dark chocolate crème, followed by a palate of creamy chocolate fondant and dark cocoa. Each sip concludes decadently courtesy of a layered finish of chocolate orange, vanilla, and dried fruits. It's nothing short of a triumph worthy of MORRIS' 166-year legacy.
Plus, deep and complex flavours from the iconic MORRIS Durif barrel enhance rather than overpower the spirit. This difficult-to-achieve harmony stands as a testament to both meticulous barrel preparation and exceptional craftsmanship.
Rutherglen Morris Durif Single Barrel | Image: Morris of Rutherglen
Where Luxury and History Meet
As we've already mentioned, this extraordinary expression is hand-bottled, enveloped in premium labelling containing details about its origin, including the barrel number, bottle number, and the signature of the MORRIS Head Distiller. Further, each bottle comes packaged in a luxury gift box, making for the perfect present for someone special (or a welcome addition to your own whisky collection).
Even in light of the 166 years of expertise and passion that go into every bottle produced, Australia's finest whisky and wine makers have somehow outdone themselves with this MORRIS Family Durif Single Barrel. It makes us pause and wonder about what other liquid miracles they might materialise over the coming months and years.
Given the limited nature of this release, we encourage whisky collectors and enthusiasts to express their interest early – we'd hate for you to miss out. Here's to a further 166 years of tantalising drams and drops!
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