This week in whisk(e)y #20 - Teeling Whiskey, Boilermaker House, a newway to try Whisky in Australia, Ardbeg Space Aged Tour and TheGlenlivet Founder's Reserve

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph, Hendy & or I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...

Teeling Whiskey Distillery officially opens its doors
We've talked about Teeling Whiskey a bit on this site in the past, and found it to be extraordinarily good value, and a perfect example of a "new age" of Irish whiskey distillers (although the company is also selling aged expressions from a previous era of the distillery).

To firmly establish themselves as a distillery that's in it for the long haul, TWC have recently opened a brand new distillery - the first in the city of Dublin for 125 years.

Quoting the press release:

"The Teeling Whiskey Company (TWC) today officially opened its brand new distillery and visitor centre in The Liberties, Dublin. The €10 million distillery is the first in Dublin in over 125 years and the only fully operational distillery in the city at present.

As well as fully functioning distillery, there is a state-of-the-art visitor centre which will host whiskey tasting tours, a café, a bar, a private event space for hire and a gift shop. The visitor centre will officially start taking paying visitors from Saturday, 13th June and will be open from 9.30am - 5.30pm 7 days a week. 

Founded by Jack Teeling in 2012, TWC was set up to revive his family-old trademark of Irish whiskey and bring distilling back to Dublin, where Walter Teeling had a distillery on Marrowbone Lane in the 18th century.  The Teeling Whiskey Company is run by Jack together with his brother Stephen.

The opening of this new distillery means that TWC has complete control of all aspects of its whiskey production, from grain to bottle, so that it can truly lead the category in terms of innovation and build on the company’s ever growing reputation of producing some of the world’s best whiskeys. Most recently, Teeling Single Malt was named ‘World’s Best’ at the 2015 World Whiskies Awards and Teeing Small Batch was awarded ‘Best Blended Irish Whiskey’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Irish whiskey is currently experiencing a surge in popularity both at home and abroad and is the fastest growing spirits category in the world. According to an IWSR/Just drinks report*, Irish whiskey is expected to grow by +60% between 2014 and 2019 and it is estimated that 96m bottles of Irish whiskey will be sold globally by 2016.

Jack Teeling, founder and managing director of the Teeling Whiskey Company commented: “Today is a momentous day in the history of our company and something we have been working towards for the last three years. We are delighted to officially open our brand new distillery and bring back the tradition of distilling to Dublin.  We are also looking forward to opening our doors to our first official visitors this weekend and we’re confident that our distillery will become a must-visit destination for tourists to Dublin from all over the world."

For more on the Teeling Whiskey Company and its award winning Irish Whiskeys, visit www.TeelingWhiskey.com"

Boilermaker House opens in Melbourne
We've always been big fans of Sydney's Eau de Vie bar, their sister bar in Melbourne, and in fact most of what Sven Almenning and his team have come up with over the years (including their partnership with Bakery Hill,  their pre-batched cocktails and their own Smoked Bacon Bourbon). So although we haven't been yet, we have no doubt that the latest venture, Boilermaker House in Melbourne's CBD, will be a huge success. With almost 700 whiskies, 12 craft beers on tap and good as well, how could it not be?
As the bar claims....

"Boilermaker House is a whisky and craft beer venue that serves up Eau de Vie standard cocktails, dinner until late and also boasts a meat and cheese bar, all of which are open to 3am every day. WIN!

We have close to 700 whiskies from all over the world on the back bar, 12 craft beers on tap, and another 30 odd in the fridge. And with over 40 varieties of cured meat & cheese, the combinations are endless.

We're open 7days from 5pm, and Thursday to Sunday you can also check us out for lunch from midday."

Boilermaker House is open now and can be found at 209 Lonsdale St, Melbourne.



TheWhiskyOrder.com.au - a new way to try whisky in Australia
Whilst we're not affiliated with this business, nor do we have any commercial interests in the Australian (or HK) whisky scene whatsoever, we do appreciate new or different approaches to whisky appreciation, and one such recent example from Australia is TheWhiskyOrder.com.au, who are offering subscription-based taster packs to open Aussies to new and interesting whisky expressions they otherwise might not get to try.In Steve (the founder's) own words:

The Whisky Order is a whisky sample subscription box that sends out 4-5 unique samples each month. Each month is themed (e.g.; world whisk(e)y, peaty monsters, sherry bomb) and a range of whisky is chosen to give each subscriber an overview of the taste spectrum.

I get a nice tasting mat made each month and try to include as much as possible in the little parcels of whisky goodness. For example last month I worked with Mornington Peninsula chocolates to do a taste paring with some nice chocolates that were included for each subscriber.

www.thewhiskyorder.com.au is the address and they ship Australia-wide.

Ardbeg Space Aged Tour
The Ardbeg team have done it again in pushing the innovation boundaries. A slightly different twist this time around with the preview of a space-aged whisky. Supposedly, after NASA heard about Ardbeg's Supernova, they sent a note to Ardbeg to see if aging whisky in space is an idea worth exploring.

So why send a whisky to space? Apparently to study the effects of maturation in zero gravity.. and also to celebrate the fact that Ardbeg can! David White, International Director of Ardbeg & Glenmorangie explained that the maturation experiment also allowed the study of zero-gravity on whisky terpenes. Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation and Whisky Stocks, who led the research explains:

“Ardbeg is known for taking risks in its development of some of the most coveted whiskies in the world, so it is fitting that it is the first Distillery ever to go into space. We are now close to finding answers to something previously unknown which is truly exciting. We hope to shine new light on the effect of gravity on the maturation process and are very excited to bring the Ardbeg Space Aged Tour to Australia, as one of only ten countries around the world”

The vial of Ardbeg has made its way to space from Kazakhstan, aboard the International Space Station (ISS) from 2011 through to 12th September 2014, spending roughly 3 years in zero-gravity orbit.

Quite a young whisky indeed spending with only a mere three years in zero-gravity maturation though this youngster will be one of the most (if not the most) expensive Ardbeg at €10,000 just for the vial (and that's only for the starting bid for the auction of this space aged vial).

This vial, along with its unique, floating ‘zero-gravity’ display case will be exhibited at Dan Murphy’s, Double Bay NSW through to 16th July 2015. 

The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve

The Glenlivet Founder's Reserve has arrived in Australia and will set to replace the ever-popular and classic Glenlivet 12yo.

Hendy was fortunate enough to attend the launch of this new expression and he will be posting up his thoughts on the Founder's Reserve in the next few weeks. Until then, here's a bit of info on the new expression:

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve launched in Australia on 1 July 2015, and will become the new, permanent benchmark expression in the brand’s core range.  It has been created as the ultimate tribute to founder George Smith’s original vision to craft the definitive, smooth single malt whisky. The announcement has come in the wake of an unparalleled year of growth for the brand, with new expressions and continued innovation underpinning its success. According to Anne Martin, Marketing Director for Pernod Ricard Australia, “Founder’s Reserve brings to life the heart and soul of The Glenlivet. We are very proud to introduce this new expression during what has been an incredible twelve months for the brand, which will enable us to meet increased demand for super-premium spirits with something unique to offer. The Glenlivet has the largest share of the Australian Single Malt Market, at 26 per cent*.” With Founder’s Reserve, The Glenlivet house style is skilfully complemented with a creaminess and sweetness from the addition of First Fill American oak casks, resulting in a malt of exceptional smoothness; the very quality for which George Smith’s The Glenlivet was widely admired and appreciated in his day. 

The introduction of Founder’s Reserve follows on from the recent historic release of The Glenlivet Winchester Collection, the world’s first collection of 50 Year Old single malt Scotch whiskies. Launched in Australia in October 2014, the collection is anticipated to become one of the most sought after and priceless whisky collections in the world and epitomises the brand’s commitment to innovation in crafted Scotch whisky. 

This newly launched Glenlivet Founder's Resrve will be available in Australia starting from this month, for A$64.99.

Until next time...

Cheers,

Martin & Hendy. 

A little more sherry for Chivas Extra (Tasted #144)

The Chivas Regal blended scotch family is one that has been known for its intimate yet quality expressions. The introduction of this new expression (the first outside the travel retail market in almost 10 years), aptly named "Extra", hinted that there would perhaps be something more to this release.

The launch of the new Chivas Regal Extra was held at the equally elegant and intimate Eau de Vie Sydney, with the tasting held in the private "whisky locker" room behind the main bar area. Upon entering the bar, the first thing I noted was the distinctly unique Chivas Regal Extra bottle. Both the bottle and the box were emblazed with the famous royal-esque Chivas Regal crest and notably finished in the distinct colouring reserved for the Extra, red and gold.

As our host Colin Scott, the Chivas Regal Master Blender attested, this new expression is one of the richest and most discerning offerings presented. The secret of this particular blend (and most other blends for that matter) would never be disclosed though Colin did suggest a composition of somewhere between 30-50 different whiskies. Similar to other Chivas expressions, the dominant, cornerstone whisky used in the Extra is the full bodied, nutty single malt whisky from the Strathisla distillery. The new Extra expression has been tweaked with a considerable portion of Oloroso sherry cask-matured whiskies to give the blend its inherent richness and depth.

I had the pleasure of tasting the Extra the night before at The Barber Shop and what a pleasant dram it was. It was smooth (as you would normally expect from a well-blended whisky), deep and rich and quite a remarkable contrast to the lighter 12yo. Although not officially tagged with an age statement, the Extra has been pitched to sit comfortably between the 12yo and the 18yo. Colin explains that the "Extra" relates to the "Extra" latitude that the expression profoundly exhibits from the collection of fine and rare single malts that have predominantly been matured in sherry casks and added into the blend. Personally, I believe that Chivas Regal has hit the mark with the Extra and it was definitely my pick from the three expressions offered on the tasting board on the day - 12yo, Extra and 18yo.

 

The Extra also proved to be an effective base for a number of Extra-inspired and infused cocktails. Curated by Max Warner, Chivas Regal's Head Mixologist, we were presented with three different cocktails that incorporated the Extra. This particular spring-fitting, Rob Roy-inspired Sunset Boulevardier combined a touch of the Extra, Regal Rouge, Lillet rose, cherry liqueur, peach and orange bitters, and was simple, warming and quite delightful. 

So, with all that Extra talk, how did it really pan out on its own?

Chivas Regal Extra (40% ABV, NAS, Scotland, $54.95AUD / not yet available in HK)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colour: Dark toffee
Nose: Dates, sweet, fruit, honeydew, pear
Palate: Subtle, balanced warmth, pear, cinnamon, vanilla.
Finish: Medium.
Rating (on Hendy's very non-scientific scale): 90/100

- Hendy.

Ed (Martin): Despite missing out on the above launch (I was back in Sydney that week, but missed the event by one day!), I managed to taste the Extra thanks to a bottle kindly being sent to me by Pernod Ricard Australia. For comparison, here are my notes:

Colour: Deep, orange copper.
Nose: Rich, oranges, some cherries. Perfumed.
Palate: Spicy, drying (slightly tannic). Raspberry jam on toast. Some cinnamon. Rich in taste but initially a bit "thin" on the palate.
Finish: Medium to long, smooth, nutty with a hint of spice - paprika?
Rating (on Martin's very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Seems great minds think alike.

Cheers,
Martin.

This Week in Whisk(e)y #13

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph & I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...

The NZ Whisky Company release 25yo Whisky
The NZ Whisky Company, whom we visited back in January 2013, have just made NZ the first nation outside Japan and Europe to release a 25yo single malt whisky.

"Oamaru, New Zealand– Oct 7, 2014 – New Zealand has become the first nation outside Japan and Europe to mature and release a 25 year old Single Malt whisky. Following extensive barrel selection, the company has released a limited quantity of just 484 bottles onto the market. 

'We are so grateful for the international support of the world’s whisky community over the last four years, which has given us the confidence to launch our 25 year old,' says company CEO Greg Ramsay. 'We are already humbled by the pre-orders and glowing feedback of those who have taken their first sips.

The 25 year old, made from 100 per cent malted New Zealand barley distilled in the lost Dunedin distillery, has been aging in American Oak, ex-bourbon barrels from Four Roses Distillery  for a quarter of a century. The rich flavours have softened and sweetened into a complex array of tropical fruits, butterscotch, toasted orange peel and a hit of sea spray.

The 25 year old is a salute to the craftsmanship of those early distillers, including Cyril Yates who played a hand in this newly released drop. 'It’s got to be made properly all the way through from the farmer growing barley to the cooper sealing up the staves, and then it does the magical maturation in the barrel before coming out as liquid gold,' explains Yates who dedicated 40 years of his life to the New Zealand whisky industry. 

Following an international design competition, the packaging for the 25 year old emerged. Greg Walko and Petra Kosik, hailing from a small Hungarian design studio took honours, trumping a strong international field. With its contemporary styling, the packaging brings a quarter-of-a-century-old drop into the modern day. 

As well as regaining the foothold once held across New Zealand by Wilsons, the whisky is now exported from Oamaru and available across Canada, the UK, Australia and Europe. The 25 year old is now available for pre-order at www.thenzwhisky.com"

anCnoc 2000 vintage arrives
We've featured anCnoc on the blog previously, and now the Knockdhu Distillery has just released another new offering in the form of the 2000 vintage (no age statement provided though presumably 13-14 years). No word on AU or HK pricing yet.

"anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is proud to announce the release of Vintage 2000, another remarkable single malt in the line of exclusive vintage releases from Knockdhu Distillery, celebrating the art of whisky-making with a modern twist. It has become a tradition at anCnoc to annually offer vintage releases from consecutive years to the most dedicated whisky fans around the world. 

Only 1,000 cases of anCnoc Vintage 2000 will be made available in select markets from September 2014. The whisky was selected and bottled with the most discerning whisky drinker in mind and will offer a wonderful insight into the distillery style and the impact of on-site maturation in a combination of Spanish oak ex-sherry butts and American oak ex-bourbon barrels. 

anCnoc Vintage 2000 has been bottled non chill-filtered, at its natural colour and at the premium strength of 46% ABV. 

Hot copper in colour, the whisky is dark and masculine on the nose. A surge of ground Oriental spices, burned vanilla and unrefined cocoa beans gradually relaxes its grip and subtle aromas of lemon grass, orange peel and fragrant cut flowers come to life, unmistakably highlighting the provenance of this remarkable Vintage. On the palate it is smooth but firm-structured, envelops the mouth in creamy vanilla, spicy sherry notes, pralines and silky tannins. Lively citrus follows shortly after leading to a long, balanced finish, finally revealing a whiff of wood smoke. 

anCnoc Assistant Brand Manager Stephanie Bridge commented:
'The unique taste profile of the Vintage 2000 is set to be a hit with malt enthusiasts everywhere. Releasing the next Vintage in the anCnoc collection marks the end of a very exciting spring and summer for the brand. I’m confident that the exclusive expression will be a welcome addition to anyone’s malt collection.' 

anCnoc Vintage 2000 will be available in the UK, Sweden, Japan and Russia, to name but a few markets, at a recommended retail price of £55."

Eau de Vie launch "Malt Masters Club"
In a similar vein to The Wild Rover's CCWC, TimeforWhisky.com favourite Eau de Vie (one of the first Australian bars to feature a serious whisky backbar before it became "a thing") are will soon be launching their own whisky club.

"Eau De Vie will soon be launching a Whisky Club, memberships cost $75 and this gets you access to a whole range of exclusive offers. Upon registering for our Malt Masters Club you will receive an Eau De Vie whisky journal of 40 select Whiskies as a true representation of malt, you will then be entitled to 20% off this selection at Eau de Vie Sydney and Melbourne.  

Eau de Vie Malt Masters is a whisky club aimed at raising the awareness of the malt whisky category and with the goal of encouraging our guests to explore the wonderful world of malt whisky. Once you have made your way through all 40, you will officially be made an honouree Malt Master and have access to our reserve cabinets at a heavily discounted price. Send your contact details to Jamie-lee@speakeasygroup.com.au to be the first to know more."

Eau de Vie offer unique The Glenlivet experience in-bar
Eau de Vie again...this time, offering a unique in-bar experience with a cask of The Glenlivet. Word is the cask is not "live" (apparently, it's lined and the whisky therefore doesn't continue to age in the cask), but still, an interesting concept nonetheless, especially with the whisky not being sold by the glass or bottle, but by 350/700mL portions recorded in a "whisky ledger".

Having previously had our own bottle of whisky at Eau de Vie, Steph and I can personally vouch for this sort of thing being a fun experience.

"Eau de Vie has partnered with Glenlivet to create a truly unique experience, we have joined forces to provided two bespoke whisky barrels exclusively available at Eau de Vie. 

The Glenlivet 16 year old is a cask strength whisky, which can be sampled and experienced only in Eau de Vie. Just as if you were visiting a distillery itself, the casked whisky will be sold in 350ml or 700ml portions and written up by hand in our custom made whisky ledger. 

The whisky ledger will be used as the sole record for the experience, where after the initial purchase, the participant will arrive and withdraw the amount he or she will be consuming and logged thereafter as a running tally. The whisky will be drawn from the barrel through a whisky thief, more commonly a "valinch", embodying and authenticity, then disbursed into crystal decanters for their table with all the trimmings, crystal or Glencairn, ice and water. 

For pre-purchase contact Greg in Melbourne at greg@eaudevie.com.au or Julian in Sydney at Julian@speakeasygroup.com.au"

Glenfiddich Culinary Degustation - tickets available now
We've attended Glenfiddich dinners in the past and they've always been a fantastic experience - great food, great whiskies and innovative matching. Now it's everyone's turn to get in on the action, with an upcoming dinner at the lovely Centennial Parklands, Sydney.

"This unique six course degustation will be carefully matched to the Glenfiddich range. Each dish will be created from this years Glenfiddich Pioneers Chef finalists who are represented from restaurants around Australia.   

Music, wine and cocktails will also be in plentiful supply, while the final Pionneer Chef winner is decided based on the scoring of all diners on the night. 

Location: Centennial Parklands, Sydney
Date: December 1, 2014
Time: From 7pm 

For more information on the event and to book your ticket please use the link below.
Tickets are $100 + booking fee. All proceeds go to www.soldieron.org.au"

LABEL 5 release LABEL 5 Gold Heritage
LABEL 5 is a blend that we haven't featured (or tried) on this site before, but have certainly heard about (and seen all over the shelves at certain bottlos). Regardless, it's sold in more than 100 countries, ranks "10th on the worldwide Scotch whisky market" (in terms of sales presumably) and is blended by Graham Coull, (who we met just over a year ago at the Glen Moray tasting in Sydney), so we figure it's worth a look in. Personal tasting notes to follow.

"Bathgate, Scotland, 22 October, 2014 - LABEL 5 expands its range with a new expression: LABEL 5 Gold Heritage. This new offer will be unveiled at TFWA Cannes next October. LABEL 5 Gold Heritage has been created to delight Scotch whisky lovers who are looking to explore LABEL 5’s character in more depth. 

Graham Coull, LABEL 5 Master Blender, crafted a unique and rich whisky. LABEL 5 Gold Heritage is a rich blend of exceptional whiskies that includes malts aged of more than 20 years. Created with passion and care, LABEL 5 Gold Heritage presents a unique profile which lies between the smoky and peated flavours of the old malts whiskies and the creamy vanilla notes of the grain whiskies. The smooth character which is the trademark of LABEL 5 whiskies has been accentuated with subtle woody hints and spicy notes. 

'LABEL 5 Gold Heritage is a personal achievement for me. Building on the traditions of LABEL 5, I have hand-selected whiskies from different ages and casks which marry together to produce a wonderfully balanced blend. The result is an exceptionally smooth whisky loaded with fruit, spice, warm vanilla oak and subtle smoke, which offers a unique taste experience.' said Graham Coull."

LABEL 5 Gold Heritage is being released in the US initially, followed by China and Australia (RRP TBC). The whisky was recently awarded with a double gold medal at the China World Spirit Awards.

Cheers, 
- Martin.

Tasted #108: Smoked Bacon Bourbon by The Experimental Spirits Company

Readers of this blog may know that Steph and I are big fans of Sydney (and Melbourne) bars Eau de Vie and the impact that owner Sven Almenning has had on the Australian drinks industry. After years running Australia's largest Bar consultancy outfit, in addition to setting up "3.5" incredible bars (Eau de Vie Sydney, Eau de Vie Melbourne, The Roosevelt and the new Eau de Vie Apothecary), Sven branched out into the packaged drinks market with a range of bottle cocktails (which we featured here), available from Vintage Cellars (if you haven't tried the Cold Drip Negroni, based on the Cup o' Camilio from Eau de Vie's menu, I highly recommend it!)

Not one to stand still, Sven has now launched "The Experimental Spirits Company", with plans to release a range of...well, experimental spirits. 

First up will be the "Smoked Bacon Bourbon", which "Dr" Phil Gandevia (the creation's "chef") gave us a little taste of on a recent visit to the Apothecary. Having made my own bacon Bourbon a few years ago (which was OK, nothing special) I was interested to hear they use a whole 350gm of bacon per bottle and an onerous filtration process to ensure the product is both unique and tasty, but also fit for sale. This is hand-made (right in Sydney), small-batch stuff, but it ain't no home kitchen job. These guys are pros.

The bars use it in a range of cocktails, and of course it's perfect for making your own "Benton's Old Fashioned" (if you've never tried one, Google PDT Benton's Old Fashioned recipe and thank me later), but how does it taste neat? Well, a little something like this...

The Experimental Spirits Company Smoked Bacon Bourbon (40% ABV, NAS, USA, $70-80AUD)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nose: Sweet maple syrup. Salty, but with all the hallmarks of a good, smooth sipping bourbon. Big vanilla notes to complement the maple syrup notes, and no clash with the saltiness.

Palate: Very sweet, very dry. Chewy, meaty, and really very smooth. Not as much salt as the nose, but enough to distinguish this from a regular Bourbon, without a doubt. Phil wouldn't give up the name of the distillery producing the Bourbon, but it's clearly a quality base product.

Finish: Short, with a beautiful mix of sweet and salty.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Great neat, great on ice, and no doubt fantastic in a number of cocktails.


Sound good? You bloody bet. If you want one, you'll need to head over to Pozible where The Experimental Spirits Company are seeking funding to procure the equipment required to continue to produce this fine liquid, and ultimately achieve their goal of national distribution both on and off-premise:

http://www.pozible.com/project/183200

A worthy investment in our opinion, and one we've already funded.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

This Week in Whisk(e)y #3

We get a fair few interesting press releases here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week. So on with it then...

Old Hobart Distillery release Overeem Bourbon Cask

Old Hobart Distillery, producers of the hugely popular Overeem whiskies, have released their long-awaited Bourbon cask finish (to join their Port and Sherry cask range).

The first release will see only 170 bottles released, with bottle #1 put up for auction (link to e-mail bid here). Bottles #2 - #75 will be available in a limited gift pack with two Overeem Glencairn glasses for $220AUD. The remainder will be sold in a cannister for $200AUD. All are 700mL and 43% ABV (no word yet on a cask strength release). We're hoping to have tasting notes up shortly. Orders can be made by contacting Jane Overeem at info@oldhobartdistillery.com.

Eau de Vie releases small batch cocktails

We mentioned pre-batched cocktails the other week (here) and now the legendary Eau de Vie bars have joined in, releasing their first two small batch bottled cocktails - The "Cold Drip Negroni" and salted "Coconut & Rum Banana Old Fashioned". The former is based on the "Cup o' Camilio" which is a personal favourite on the current Eau de Vie menu.

The cocktails are made by Eau de Vie bartenders and come in 120mL, ranging from 1.6-1.8 standard (Australian) drinks each. It's pretty clear the guys have cut no corners in bringing these to market - with quality labels, design and excellent attention to detail (like the Eau de Vie logos on the caps). Of course it goes without saying the liquid inside is top-notch.

Eau de Vie were kind enough to send us a sample of each recently, and we can assure you they're as good as they sound. While the cocktails are currently only available via the bars (both Sydney and Melbourne), there are plans to release them (and others) in bottleshops, hopefully in the near future. We'd love to see a bottled version of the "Honey Buttered Old Fashioned"(with butter fat-washed Elijah Craig 12yo Bourbon) personally!


Old Pulteney releases 1990 vintage

Old Pulteney is a whisky that features on our #101drams (3 times in fact), that we haven't managed to tick off yet. It seems there'll be another Old Pulteney to try now, with the recent release of the 1990 vintage (was 1990 really 23 years ago? Wow...)

"Old Pulteney 1990 Vintage is a mature and full-flavoured addition to the portfolio. It's bursting with the coastal maritime character, the depth and the complexity found in other expressions, while offering an interesting twist which is sure to excite and delight single malt drinkers around the world. The 1990 Vintage was matured in both American ex-bourbon casks and Spanish ex- sherry casks which were previously used for ageing heavily peated malt. This residual peatiness has added an unexpected dimension and allowed the whisky to develop an exquisitely rich and exciting taste profile.

Old Pulteney 1990 Vintage is bottled at 46% ABV. The whisky has not been chill-filtered and is presented at its beautiful natural colour. It's a strictly limited offering, only 900 cases of this unique spirit will be made available world-wide from November 2013. The recommended retail price in the UK is £120 [no word yet on Australian pricing or release dates]."

Starward Whisky - Meet the makers

Starward Whisky is one we've featured a few times on this site, and we're genuinely big fans of what the guys at New World Whisky Distillery are doing (we were also very kindly treated to a personal tour of the distillery a few weeks ago - write-up to be posted soon).

If you're keen to learn more about Starward, meet the makers and try some special Starward whiskies not released to the public, NWWD are hosting a series of events in Melbourne throughout Nov/Dec, as follows:

"The team at Starward partnered with Australian Wine and Food at the Rialto Towers last week to showcase Starward Whisky which proved to be very enjoyable couple of days. 

Therefore we have decided to spread the Starward word further and will be in a number of venues  throughout November and December in the Melbourne CBD. We will be offering visitors a taste of our third release of Starward, along with some special treats from the bond store.

Also available will be Degustation Dinner and Whisky Master Class Packages - an ideal gift for Christmas.

Come say hi to our Founder & CEO David Vitale who'll be at the stall - every visitor goes into the draw to win a hand signed bottle of Starward. Our first event will be Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th of November in the  foyer of the Ernest & Young Building, 8 Exhibition Street, Melbourne from 12am - 6pm. However if you cant make that then pop by at a later date! Our stall will be in the foyer of the Melbourne venues below from 12pm-6pm:

November

• Thursday 28th & Friday 29th at St James, 555 Bourke Street

December

• Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th at Freshwater Place, Southbank 
• Thursday 5th & Friday 6th at 452 Flinders Street
• Tuesday 10th at 120 Collins Street
• Thursday 12th & Friday 13th at 530 Collins Street
• Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th at 367 Collins Street
• Thursday 19th at Melbourne Central Tower, 360 Elizabeth Street"
  
  

Cheers,

 - Martin.

Tasted #24: Jack Daniels Unaged Tennessee Rye

Unaged, or "white dog" spirits are becoming increasingly popular these days. I even saw Buffalo Trace White Dog at my tiny, local suburban bottle shop the other day. Is it the increasing interest in spirits and how they're made, the need to differentiate product lines, or simply an easy way for a distillery to gain extra revenue without the hassle of the aging process? Whatever it is, we think it's fantastic. Now if only I could get my hands on some Islay new make...

At Eau de Vie recently I noticed a bottle of JD Unaged Tennessee Rye on the shelf. I hadn't seen this in Australia before (its release in January 2013 was mostly a US-centric one), so jumped at the chance to try it.

Jack Daniels Unaged Tennessee Rye Whisky (40%, unaged, Tennessee USA)

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Nose: Bananas and bubblegum (Steph says "metho").

Palate: Smooth! That was a surprise. No real dominant flavours - still hints of banana, and clearly extremely young (Steph says "metho").

Finish: Short as expected. Reminds me of a young, but not completely unaged rye. Still a bit of complexity evident to the end. Obviously needs (a lot) of time, but it wasn't horrible. (Steph still says "metho").

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 79/100. Let's be honest - whisky gets aged for a reason, and whilst this wasn't something I'd drink every day, it was an interesting way to see what JD rye is like before it ever sees a barrel. And it wasn't horrible by any stretch of the imagination - I'd happily drink it again (just not if a nicely aged whisky was on offer).

Before finishing off the night, Steph and I enjoyed a dram from our (sadly now very low!) bottle of JD kept for us at Eau de Vie, as part of Brown Forman's fantastic "Jack Daniels Embassy" program.

Cheers,
 - Martin.

Tasted #23: Bakery Hill Blend 46 for Eau de Vie (#101drams)

Last week I wrote about Eau de Vie's partnership with Bakery Hill Distillery to create a bespoke whisky for use in their "Bobby Burns" cocktail. Soon after that post we popped down to Eau de Vie in Darlinghurst (Sydney) for a taste (and maybe a cocktail or three...) following an invite from owner and Sydney bar legend Sven Almenning.

(I later remembered that #97 on my #101drams list is "A special bottling made specifically for a bar", so I was getting the chance to tick another dram off the list too!)

Charlie (champion) was manning the bar when we arrived on a cold Wednesday night, and was quick to pour out a taste of the new whisky. Here are our thoughts:

Eau de Vie / Bakery Hill Blend 46 for Eau de Vie (46%, Victoria Australia)

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Nose: Sweet, smooth, creamy. Almost like ice cream, but not that diet stuff - the full cream / full fun ice cream!

Palate: Sweet shortbread. Seems to have some youth, but very, very smooth. Morish - made me want to keep going back for more. A slight earthiness too. Very enjoyable.

Finish: Very short (presumably this works well for the cocktail, to allow the other flavours to have a say). The sweet (port barrel?) notes stay through to the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100. A great dram with some very specific characteristics (e.g. short finish) that should work brilliantly in the cocktail.

So with the whisky tasted and given both thumbs up, it was onto the "Bobby Burns" cocktail, which consisted of:

50ml Bakery Hillʼs Eau de Vie Whisky
20ml House blended vermouth infused with fig 
10ml D.O.M. Benedictine
1 dash angostura bitters
Stirred, served on an antique side plate with doily and short bread cookie

Yep, it was pretty clear these guys put some serious effort into selecting / blending the perfect whisky for the cocktail. Eau de Vie cocktails have always been perfectly harmonious, but this was just something else. Every ingredient just worked in perfect harmony, with no single spirit overpowering the others. A slightly bitter taste (brown, bitter and stirred - just the way a good cocktail should be!) was followed by a long, sweet (but never to sweet) delicious aftertaste. Perfect. Even the shortbread was a perfect match. Definitely add this to your list of "Cocktails to try".

A few cocktails, a JD unaged rye and a dram of our Gentleman Jack bottle later, it was time to head home (why can't Wednesdays be Fridays?) happy to have tried a fantastic whisky, ticked another off the #101drams list, and tasted near cocktail perfection.

Cheers, 

 - Martin.

PR #8: Eau de Vie and Bakery Hill partner up to create bespoke whisky

Anyone who's read this blog a few times would probably know that we're big fans of Eau de Vie - the Sydney and Melbourne cocktail bars who not only serve up arguably some of Australia's best cocktails and spirits, but are constantly pushing the envelope in terms of cocktail innovation.

So it came as no surprise to hear of their latest efforts - teaming up with Victorian whisky distillery Bakery Hill (whose Cask Strength Peated Malt we're big fans of) to create a bespoke whisky made specifically for the bar's "Bobby Burns" cocktail.

To quote the media release:

“The Bobby Burns is one of the worldʼs great whisky cocktails, and we wanted to do something special for our new cocktail list.” [Greg] Sanderson [EDV Melbourne Manager & co-owner] says. “Working with David Baker has been amazing and after a couple of months worth of sampling and experimentation I am very excited about the whisky blend we have created for our Bobby Burns.” 

“To craft a great cocktail not only is it important to have a vision as to what you are trying to achieve but also to develop the structure on which the cocktail itself is based. As the whisky is one of the most important structural components Greg and I spent months discussing, crafting and refining the flavour and aroma of the very whisky to be used as the foundation of this remarkable Bobby Burns”, says David Baker [Bakery Hill owner]. “Once this was achieved Sanderson applied his genius and the result is pure magic” 

Anyone who's been to Eau de Vie before knows they serve up some incredible cocktails, and the "Bobby Burns" is no exception. The whisky is stirred down with fig infused house blended vermouth, and a dash of D.O.M. Benedictine and Angostura bitters, and comes served with home-made shortbread. The full recipe is:

50ml Bakery Hillʼs Eau de Vie Whisky
20ml House blended vermouth infused with fig
10ml D.O.M. Benedictine
1 dash angostura bitters
Stirred, served on an antique side plate with doily and short bread cookie

For those who haven't heard of Bakery Hill, this quote from Jim Murray should sum it up:

"There are about 20 distilleries in Speyside that would die to be able to make whisky this stunningly integrated."

We'll be heading to Eau de Vie (Sydney) later this week to try the new dram - both neat and in the Bobby Burns cocktail. Expect a follow-up post shortly!

Cheers, 
 - Martin.

Tasted #4: Lagavulin 1995 Distiller's Edition (Pedro Ximénez Finish)

E.D.V isn't easy to find, but if you
head down Malthouse Ln in Melbourne's
CBD, and see this light, you're in the
right place

There's a little (read: massive) website over in the UK called Master of Malt who have an unbelievable selection of single malts, ship to Australia, and have very reasonable prices. Duty, shipping and import concerns aside, I've often thought about putting through an order, and top of my list will be the Laga '95 Distillers Edition (PX finish).

So when I saw it at E.D.V in Melbourne (sister bar to my favourite bar in the world, Eau de Vie in Sydney), I had to try it. The sweetness of Pedro Ximénez sherry, with the peatiness for which Lagavulin are famous? This had my name all over it.

As a bit of background, unlike some other distilleries, Lagavulin distinguish their "Distillers Editions" by the casks in which they're aged, rather than the strength at which they're bottled. In the case of the '95 (and others), the aging is done in ex-Spanish Pedro Ximénez (aka PX) sherry casks.

So how was it? As good as I thought! Read on...

Nose: Smoke/peat (yes this is still a Laga), but a hint of sweetness too. Call it raisins, caramel, whatever (actually, calling it PX sherry might be more accurate) - there's a definite whiff of sweetness.

Palate: Again, peat is dominant, but there's a definite sweet undertone. What the sweetness did for me was make the whisky much smoother. It's like a regular Laga, but much smoother and with a hint of sweetness, maybe toffee. A drop of water really accentuated the sweetness and toned down the peat too.

Finish: Long, lingering and smooth.

Ten word summary: Could sip this all night, but only if neat. Tasty.

I think I know what I'm buying myself for Christmas...