‘Destiny Returns’ Special Release Australian Single Malt Whisky
This release marks our third exclusive release with Amber Lane, and one we’ve been trying hard to keep under wraps until now.
For those who have been with us for a little while, here’s what’s changed at Yarramalong Valley since we last collaborated with Rod and Phil, and what’s waiting for you inside this very special bottling.
FOUNDERS ROD BERRY & PHIL TOWNSEND
ABOUT THE DISTILLERY
It has been a big year for Rod Berry and Phil Townsend, to say the least. Since we last featured Amber Lane in 2025, awards have kept landing on the doorstep of their little distillery in the Yarramalong Valley, to the point where it’s getting near impossible to keep count. Equinox took out the country’s top prize at the Royal Australian Spirit Awards, and has since found its way onto twice as many bars as before. Overseas, Sherry Lane and French Kiss picked up two of the highest scores ever awarded to an Australian whisky at a major international spirits competition, and Silk Road was named the country’s best small batch whisky in London. It’s the kind of awards run most distilleries can only dream of.
What’s more telling, though, is how Amber Lane goes over with everyday drinkers rather than judges. At whisky shows around the country, their whiskies are consistently rated among crowd favourites, regularly outselling far bigger international names on the tasting tables. It’s a good indication that all those trophies aren’t just for show, they reflect whiskies that people genuinely enjoy drinking.
Behind the awards and the accolades, this is still very much a local story of two mates who took a shed and a shared astronomy obsession and turned it into something their local region has gotten behind.
“It’s the kind of awards run most distilleries can only dream of.”
That local following shows up at the brand new cellar door too, which has grown into a proper destination in its own right. Visitors can now enjoy a dedicated bar and tasting space for private tastings and blending classes, along with regular Open Days for anyone who wants to wander through. Guests can also say hello to the distillery’s herd of miniature highland cows, who welcomed three new calves this year and have become something of a mascot for the place!
Behind the scenes, production hasn’t slowed either. The original bond store is now full to the rafters, with a second build underway, giving Amber Lane more room to mature barrels and to bottle and label on site. It’s clear that demand is soaring and Phil and Rod are more than happy to invest in growing and future-proofing their supply to ensure they can keep up.
And as the whisky itself gets older, edging toward eight years in some barrels, Rod and Phil keep hearing the same thing from drinkers: how balanced and easy-drinking it is, even at a decent strength.
ABOUT THE WHISKY
Back in April 2022, when Amber Lane was still finding its feet, Rod and Phil wanted their very first release to say something to the world. That whisky, after dozens of blend trials, became Destiny, a name that felt fitting for two friends who’d bonded over astronomy long before whisky was ever on the scene. It sold out quickly, built a genuine cult following, and set the scene for what whisky lovers could expect from the Amber Lane team for years to come.
They’ve been asked (read: begged) to bring it back pretty much ever since. This month, for Barrel Lane members only, they have finally caved.
Destiny Returns follows the same idea as the original, a marriage of whisky matured in a mix of Bourbon and sherry casks, but with quite a few years of extra maturity behind it. Some of the casks in this whisky are twice the age of what went into the first release, bringing smoother and more rounded notes, having shed some of the sharper, rawer notes that can dominate a younger dram.
The casks have changed a little too. Alongside the Bourbon and Pedro Ximenez casks, this release introduces Oloroso casks for the first time, a drier, more savoury style of sherry cask that adds an extra layer of depth without tipping the whisky into overly sweet territory. The sherry casks themselves come from Fernando de Castilla, a historic bodega in southern Spain that’s been perfecting sherry for close to two centuries, so the casks arrive already carrying decades of flavour. The Bourbon casks, sourced from Heaven Hill in Kentucky, bring the honey, vanilla and citrus notes that give the blend its warmth, while a smaller portion of French oak Apera casks add extra richness and colour.
The whisky matured for five to six years at Amber Lane’s bond store in the Yarramalong Valley, with a number of those casks moved through Amber Lane’s elevage system along the way, a Cognac-inspired technique where casks are periodically vatted together and refilled. You can read more about this unique maturation process over on page 14. From there, Rod and Phil brought the various casks together, tasting and adjusting until the whisky felt just right, before diluting to a 46% ABV sweet spot. It’s a strength they’re fond of for exactly this reason: strong enough to carry all that cask character, but gentle enough that anyone newer to whisky can enjoy it without being overwhelmed.
On the nose, expect something warm and inviting, honey, apricot and butter with a touch of oak spice. The palate is generous and a little indulgent: buttery pancakes with maple syrup, cinnamon, dried apricot, raisins and white chocolate, with a mouthfeel that lingers pleasantly. It finishes long, with notes of vanilla nougat, cinnamon and honey trailing off slowly.
You don’t need to do anything special to enjoy this one. Neat is a perfectly good place to start, though if you’re curious, try adding a few drops of water and see how the aromas open up. It holds its own over ice too, if that’s more your style, and makes a lovely match for a cheese board or something vanilla-forward for dessert.
“From approachable everyday drams to adventurous cask-strength releases, Amber Lane’s range shows just how far their craft has come.”
OTHER PRODUCTS IN THE RANGE
If Destiny Returns has you curious about the rest of what Amber Lane makes, their everyday range is a good place to start. Equinox is their approachable, easy-drinking dram, in the style of a mellow aged Scotch like a 12-year-old Glenfiddich, while Liquid Amber leans further into sherry cask territory, closer to a Macallan, for something richer and more indulgent.
From there, things get a little more adventurous. French Kiss and Sherry Lane are both cask-strength small batch releases that have picked up serious international recognition this year, real proof of how far the distillery’s craft has come. There’s also a handful of Noble Lane bottles still in existence, matured in ex-botrytis casks (a sweet highly concentrated desert style wine) for a 52% ABV whisky that tastes uncannily like crème brûlée.
And there’s plenty still to come. Expect a new single Oloroso cask and the return of the festive favourite Sleigh Bells later this year, along with whispers of a peated release using Laphroaig casks sometime in 2027. Longer term, Rod and Phil are quietly building toward an XO-style release to mark ten years of Amber Lane in 2029, using some of their oldest and most prized casks yet.
