Tastes
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Nose (neat): Warm, soft, pillowy peat smoke supported by sweet fruity aromas of berry compote, rhubarb jam and stewed peaches. There is not the slightest hint of alcohol prickle on the nose. Fresh, maritime gusts from Loch Indall at low tide, carried over freshly-turned soil with a hint of a diesel tractor engine idling in the fields. A pinch of sweet citrus (orange? mandarin? tangello?) some lemongrass tea and a little coconut. Over time the nose becomes thicker, richer and more enticing. It’s damn near perfect for a peater with the sharp, forceful elements perfectly balanced by sweetness. Nose (watered): As above, but water initially unleashes the ethanol presence and sends the dram a bit berserk so if diluting give this a good swirl and 10 minutes to regain its composure, which it most certainly will, and it will come back even better than ever. Palate (neat): Sweet elegant and powerful, it’s a bewitchingly plush arrival. The peat smoke billows into sweet fruits, vanilla and gentle cooking spices (cinnamon, vanilla, clove, preserved stem ginger). There is an unctious brininess that reminds me of matjes herrings in oil (drool!) sprinkled with iodine and orange liqueur. The texture is creamy, mouthcoating and velvety like baked egg custard with stewed peaches and apricots. Cask notes are present, but very contained, and they form the foundation character of robust mature fruit that is the heart of this dram and the ideal vehicle for moderately high peating. Palate (watered): As above, and like the situation with the nose, dilution initially sets loose the sharper spicy notes in this whisky, but that is really nice as they balance the softness of the plump neat palate and then over time combine to create one of the best peated whiskies I have tasted. Finish: Long. Sweet lemon, ashy peat smoke and a hint of Laphroaig-esque iodine all lazing on a divan of stewed fruit. The aftertaste is soft, earthy, leathery and demi-sec. With dilution the sweet fruity notes become more prominent. Marvellous. An exquisitely deep, soft peated whisky. I understand this was aged in ex-cognac casks which is a treatment that can be amazing or just as easily go badly awry, but in this case the maturation was textbook. If this was the only whisky I was able to drink for the rest of my life I would not be sad. It is absolutely the sort of peated whisky profile I most enjoy and there is little more I can say other than to thank @DrRHCMadden for generously sharing this sample. It is unobtainium now but when it was first released in Australia you could buy this for AUD$170 a bottle. How I wish I had bought several cases at the time. I have no hesitation in giving this whisky a rating of … “Outstanding” : 91/100 (5 stars)
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Soltera Oro Barrel-Aged Cane Spirit (Batch 2)
Other Sugarcane — Cabarita Beach, Tweed Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed April 8, 2023 (edited May 1, 2023)Nose: Mild grassy and estery notes, white sugar, oak cask, very dilute golden syrup. Faint sunflower oil and a fleeting floral quality. Over time in the glass some honey, brown sugar and a hint of citrus comes forward. Palate: Soft and grassy with a little wood tannin and vanilla in the arrival, and some sharp, hot tannic notes almost like fresh ginger appear as it develops. The texture is supple and pleasant but like the first batch of this rum there is a slightly bitter note towards the finish, however it is less apparent here. Finish: Medium/short. Mildly oaky, grassy and with a faint tannic, almost coppery, tinge in the aftertaste. This is the second bottle of Soltera Oro I have had, this time from the Batch 2 release. I’ve made a new entry here because there are distinct differences between Batch 1 and 2, and once again this is technically cane spirit rather than rum by the definition of Australian law (even though in many countries it could be sold as “rum”). My bottle has “Batch 2, bottle 246” hand written on the label. Cabarita Spirits is located at Cabarita Beach on the north NSW coast. The owner and distiller, Keri Algar, handles all of the production process from fermentation through to bottling and marketing – the only thing she does not do is grow and crush the cane. I reached out to Keri and she said that Oro Batch 2 was matured in the same cask as Batch 1 (so therefore a refill-cask) and this definitely tallies with what I tasted in each case. The cask was originally a 200 litre ex-bourbon barrique but it was re-coopered to 115 litre capacity and re-charred with a medium burn. Batch 2 was actually in the cask for longer than Batch 1, but clearly quite a bit of the cask character had already been extracted by the Batch 1 distillate. The greater cask influence in Batch 1 made it more assertive so it was my preference for neat drinking or use in a rum n’ Coke or heavier cocktails. This Batch 2 is more subtle and better suited to gentle summery cocktails where it can be in balance with the other ingredients. For me it seems to be half way between Soltera Batch 1 Oro and Soltera Blanco in profile. I’ve substituted it successfully for moderate ester white rum and agricole blanc in cocktails that call for those spirits. Aussies who have only ever tasted Bundaberg and Beenleigh rum may find the light high-ester character of Soltera Spirits cane-spirit products a little unusual at first. However you only need a short while with Blanco or Oro to appreciate just how good they are, and I'd certainly recommend trying both. Cabarita Spirits' first "proper" aged rum is coming out maybe later this year or in early 2024, and I can't wait to taste it! After a lot of experimentation Mrs Cascode and I decided that a Painkiller is the perfect vehicle for this rum: 45 ml Soltera Oro 120 ml pineapple juice 30 ml fresh orange juice 30 ml coconut milk (or cream) Combine in a shaker and shake dry, pour over lots of ice and garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)85.0 AUD per Bottle -
Soltera Oro Barrel-Aged Cane Spirit (Batch 1)
Other Sugarcane — Cabarita Beach, Tweed Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed March 26, 2023 (edited March 27, 2023)Nose: Light, breezy toasted oak aromas over a base of crisp distillate. Fresh-cut grass, roasted nuts, brown sugar and subtle tropical fruit. Let this sit in a nosing glass for a while and you will start to get notes of honey and mint as it opens, and after a while maple syrup and toffee are apparent. Palate: The arrival, like the nose, starts with flavours contributed by the cask rather than the distillate (soft tannins and vanilla), but this gives way to subtle fruity and caramel notes. The texture is soft and pleasant, but a hard and slightly bitter note intrudes towards the finish. Finish: Medium/short. Oaky, grassy, fruity and trailing into a bright and slightly acidic aftertaste. This is the second product I have tasted from Cabarita Spirits. Like the Soltera Blanco I reviewed previously, this is technically cane spirit rather than rum under the definition of Australian law (even though in many countries it could be sold as “rum”). The estery, grassy agricole quality of the Cabarita Spirits distillate is still present, but here it has been modulated by several months of maturation in an oak barrel. This gives it a profile that is more like a cross between a young but funky Jamaican rum and an aged rhum agricole. My bottle has “Batch 1, bottle 10” hand written on the label. The entire batch was from a single ex-bourbon barrel that was re-coopered to 155 litre capacity, so we are talking about maturation in a comparatively small cask in a hot and humid coastal climate. Cabarita Spirits is a one-woman micro distillery located at Cabarita Beach on the far north NSW coast. The owner and distiller, Keri Algar, founded the distillery in 2020 and this product was the second she brought to market. Keri handles every part of the production process from fermentation through to bottling and marketing – the only thing she does not do is grow and crush the cane. This is an easy to drink and versatile rum (let’s call it that) which works well in cocktails, and although it can be enjoyed neat that is not where I think it shines. Personally I prefer a sipping rum to have real authority and an intense or even quirky profile, and this spirit has neither that sort of robust distillate character nor enough time in the cask. However that's certainly not meant as a criticism and I’m very much enjoying this bottle. In fact I've nearly finished it and I just ordered a bottle of Keri’s 2nd batch of Oro. It has been similarly casked but she filled the cask at lower proof and she says this has produced a product that is creamier and more honied. My favourite use for this is in a long drink that is my variation on the classic rum n' Coke, with a bit of influence from the "dark n' stormy": 45ml Soltera Oro 1 heaped barspoon of freshly grated root ginger 1 slice of lemon A handful of ice cubes Cola soft drink Muddle the ginger and Soltera Oro well in a large glass. Add the lemon and ice and stir a few times. Top up the glass with cola soft drink. Delicious. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)85.0 USD per Bottle -
Soltera Blanco Lightly Spiced Cane Spirit
Other Sugarcane — Cabarita Beach, Tweed Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed March 25, 2023 (edited March 27, 2023)Nose: Green vegetal notes (cut grass, sugarcane), asparagus, artichoke, green beans. Some very faint traces of caramel, mixed spices and a briny maritime quality. Palate: Soft, sweet, fruity and grassy. A light pepper note in the development with subtle spices (cardamom, a little clove, citrus peel). The texture is very pleasant and has a creamy, silken quality. Finish: Short. Grassy. Estery and funky, but not to the extent of a pot-still Jamaican rum. This has a character that is much more akin to unaged rhum agricole than English or Spanish style white rum. There is also a facet of the nose that is reminiscent of clairin and even mezcal, and I think this is coming from the intensity of the grassy aromas. Soltera Blanco is made by Cabarita Spirits, a one-woman micro distillery located at Cabarita Beach on the far north NSW coast. The owner and distiller, Keri Algar, founded the distillery in 2020 and this product was the first she brought to market. Keri handles every part of the production process from fermentation through to bottling and marketing – the only thing she does not do is grow and crush the cane. In many parts of the world this would be called “white rum” but Australian regulations require that to be called rum the distillate must be aged for a minimum of 2 years in wood casks. To get around this our local distillers call their young product “cane spirit”. This particular cane spirit is made from molasses sourced from the Condong Sugar Mill in Murwillumbah and the majority of the sugar crushed there is grown locally in the Tweed River region. Each batch is double distilled and a typical batch run produces 100 to 140 bottles. It’s a delightfully light, easy-drinking rum (heck, that's what it is so let's use the word) that is good neat at room temperature or with ice. One of Keri’s own favourite ways to use it is in a daiquiri (and I agree it makes a delicious base for that cocktail). She also has some great cocktail suggestions on her website https://cabaritaspirits.com/ however after trying it in many forms over the last few weeks my favourite use for this is in my own version of a ti’ punch. 45ml Soltera Blanco 10 ml light agave syrup 1 slice of lime 1 ice ball Pour the cane spirit and syrup into a tumbler (I like to use a Duralex cafe glass). Squeeze the lime by hand into the glass and drop it in. Stir and add the ice. For a longer drink, top up with soda water. Since discovering this spirit I have been using it exclusively instead of my usual rhums agricole blanc (Rhum J.M. or St James). Highly recommended. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)75.0 AUD per Bottle -
ARRAN RARE BATCH 15 YEAR OLD ARGONNE CASK
Single Malt — Island, Scotland
Reviewed March 23, 2023 (edited April 5, 2023)Nose: Full-bodied fruity and wine aromas, modulated by some excellent wood (cedarwood and sandalwood in particular). Stewed fruit compote of apples, pears and cranberries. Honey, orange water and an elusive almost-but-not-quite ashy quality which is most likely coming from what were probably very lightly toasted wine casks. There is a rich, encompassing quality to this nose that brings you back repeatedly. It’s also not a thousand miles away from the profile of Highland Park, which is never a bad thing, and adding water creates an explosion of honey and orange making the similarity even more distinct. An outstanding nose. Palate: Full but soft arrival, with some delicate spices (sweet ginger) and fragrant herbs dancing over honey and fruit flavours. The texture is voluminous, velvety and very satisfying. Porridge with salt, cream and fresh berries in the development which transitions to softly drying tannins towards the finish. The wine notes are present again contributing sweet and fractionally bitter aspects to the foundation. With water the palate gains a luxurious aspect that makes it dangerously compelling. An excellent palate. Finish: Long. Quiet and subtle spices, honey, sweet citrus notes and freshly prepared weak rose-hip tea. There is the faintest possible citric note in the aftertaste. Water does nothing to damage the finish, in fact I thought it actually made it longer and more languid. This is a re-taste, thanks to @DrRHCMadden. I initially tried this whisky six months ago but that tasting was from a 15ml virtual tasting session sample that was shipped in a plastic “juice bag” (we need to express our dissatisfaction with those gizmos - they are a wretched way to treat good spirits). If you can be bothered reading that review (it appears below) you’ll note that my comments are almost the same as before, but more enthusiastic now. This sample, which was provided in a proper 30ml glass sample jar, is clearly superior in every way. The finish in particular is significantly better and as this was my only big reservation previously I’m delighted to be able to revise my former score upwards. This time round the whisky seems much fresher, more alive and notably richer and more buttery/creamy. There is not the slightest sign of heat when it is neat (at 53.5%) and I did not feel the need to add water. However given the generous tasting dram I was able to split it into two glasses and taste them neat and diluted in comparison. Both glasses were delightful. As it sits and evolves in the glass this whisky draws more and more towards Highland Park in profile, and I would almost equate it in quality with HP18 year old, so I’m scoring it accordingly. “Excellent” : 88/100 (4.5 stars) ------------------------------------------------------------- Previous review, originally posted October 21, 2022 Nose: Fruity malt, white wine, tropical fruit, aromatic wood (cedar, sandalwood and teak), orange blossoms, cointreau and liqueur de poire. A richly enticing nose. Palate: Sweet and rounded arrival with the pears from the nose recalled and floating on a sea of gristy cereal and malt. Some tannin appears in the development, but it is not overdone, and it is balanced by a mélange of citrus, dried tropical fruit and sweet herbal tea. The texture is full, mouth-coating and satisfying. Finish: Medium/long. Some baking spices appear in the later palate and persist into the finish, accompanied by fresh and dried fruit flavours and a note of leathery honey. The citrus and tea flavors from the palate become a little over-emphasized in the aftertaste, leading to final sourness. A very pleasing single malt – I’m glad I tasted this after the Arran Bordeaux Oak expression because this is clearly the superior dram. The nose on this is worth 5 stars and is mostly composed of light fruit and malt aromas but they are given depth and interest by the excellent supporting cask notes. The palate is not far behind, well balanced at first and playing off those same light fruit notes against darker dried fruits, oak, malt and oak. However I find a fault in the late finish where it seemed to me to lose control and a sour, woody, citric note becomes overly apparent. Tasted from a 15ml sampler. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars) -----------------------------------------------------------500.0 AUD per Bottle -
Manly Spirits "Coastal Stone" Nor'easter
Single Malt — Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed March 22, 2023 (edited August 22, 2024)Nose: Eucalyptus, straw, stone fruits, daisies, briny cereal, tumeric, cumin and resinous cask. It’s an unusual nose with a slightly maritime quality. A dash of water mutes the brighter herbal and oak notes and lets the dusky, almost sandalwood-scented red wine casks speak more clearly. Palate: Pears, cereal (corn flakes? wheat flakes?), a hint of red wine, sour cherries, raisins, bitter orange peel. The texture is creamy initially but it loses density and eventually seems thin when taken neat, but once again a dash of water improves the dram by re-establishing the creamy texture and providing integration. Finish: Short. Leafy, walnut skins, pine resin fading to a bitter oak note when neat, sweeter and more balanced with water. This is a somewhat odd whisky that the local whisky press are praising, but just a bit too much I think. When tasting it for the first time I noticed occasional similarities to both Limeburners and Auchentoshan and I’m not the biggest fan of either distillery, however over time it has grown on me, particularly as a whisky for mixing. In my opinion it is also significantly better with a dash of water and a short time in the glass to rest. I’ve been following Manly Spirits since they first opened their doors and there is a lot of passion and talent at the distillery. Their gins, flavoured vodkas and liqueurs are very good indeed, but David’s dream is single malt. They produced several initial expressions at the end of 2021, all of which were interesting but none really grabbed me, and then more recently this Nor’easter appeared. For me it is a step in the right direction, and although there is still a way to go I would not be at all surprised if they suddenly brought out something very good in 3-5 years time. Worth a taste, but beware the dreaded Australian 500ml bottle size. Grrr. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)99.0 AUD per Bottle -
Aberfeldy 15 Year Small Batch Exceptional Cask Series
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed March 22, 2023 (edited March 27, 2023)Nose: Apples, pears, oatmeal, a waft of honeyed-vanilla, basil, thyme, a tiny hint of chimney soot and some weak black tea. There is a prickly alcohol nip and a definite, but quiet, sherry component. Over time the honey and sherry notes enlarge, but overall this nose left me feeling unsatisfied. It’s good, but very shy and more like that of an average blended scotch than a single malt. In fact, the older age statement Dewars scotches are better. Palate: Soft arrival, with orchard fruits and some red berries but the foundation is quite malty and dark with an earthy quality. I guess that’s the sherry casks (oloroso for sure) coming through with a leafy, vegetative, umami quality. Gentle notes of powdered ginger and pepper show up in the later development together with just a little tannin, bitter black coffee and walnuts. The texture is nice, but nothing to make a fuss about. Finish: Medium/short. Leafy. Cereal grist with a mild bitter spice flourish in the finish. Much ado about nothing, really. It’s certainly a capable malt and there are no flaws to speak of, but … exceptional? Nah. Maybe they meant the casks were exceptionally safe and ordinary? Adding even just a few drops of water kills the nose. It makes the palate less intense but that does allow the sherry casks to show through more clearly. I’m struggling to find something else positive to say about this malt and frankly I’m struggling to finish the dram. It’s just so … boring. This was a fairly limited release (4,800 bottles 4 years ago) so you probably won’t find a lot of it around. I certainly won’t be searching out a bottle. Originally it sold for AUD$140 which was steep at the time, and currently the few bottles I could track down online are selling for $200 and over. It's just not worth that much. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars)200.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Light grassy notes, cereal grist, and an oily, malty aroma. There is a sweet, almost floral fragrance that is reminiscent of vanilla, but I think it’s just the sweet aroma of neutral spirit. Palate: Very soft, light and sweet on the arrival. Cereal grains, yeast, a lactic note and some mild peppery spice like a subtle touch of Szechuan pepper appear in the graceful development, and there is an agreeable umami quality to the palate as well. Finish: Short. Sweet cereal notes that fade into a slightly sour aftertaste. This is the first shochu I’ve ever tasted so it’s hard to form a meaningful opinion. My immediate impression was that it reminded me of sake, but in a diluted form. Mix one part sake, one part vodka and one part distilled water … that’s what it’s like. It is far more interesting than vodka (what isn't?) and there is an aspect of both nose and palate that remind me strongly of jonge genever. That seemed odd for what I believed was a rice-based distillate, but I later discovered that this is actually made from 100% barley, so the genever connection was correct after all. I said above it’s like one third each of sake, vodka and water, well also add just a dash of white dog and you have pretty much summed this up. I tasted it neat at room temperature, then over a large ice-ball, then added a twist of lime, and then topped it up with soda water. It was very palatable in all these forms. I have not tried warming it yet but I imagine it would work just fine that way as well. I’ve settled into using this spirit as the basis for long low-alcohol drinks as we have been having some torrid weather just lately in Sydney and it's the right context for light coolers. It teams well when chilled with soda and fruit juice, and it’s a good accompaniment to lightly flavoured food. Not surprisingly it goes well with sashimi or a crisp salad with sesame-seed dressing. I probably won’t replace this bottle when it’s finished. It’s a pleasant drink but something of a niche for me, however I'll explore this genre of spirit further. It has a huge market share in Japan of course but we only see a few expressions locally, and my gut feeling is that in its particular field this one is something like the equivalent of Johnnie Walker Double Black, so I'm rating it the same. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)43.0 AUD per Bottle
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Tamdhu 15 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed February 24, 2023 (edited November 25, 2023)Nose: Luscious sherried dark fruits, brown sugar, dark honey, old oak, orange liqueur, strawberry jam, baked apple tart with spices (cinnamon and allspice), fresh raisin scones. With time it gains a lighter, sweeter quality (milk chocolate, butterscotch and caramel) and the aromas integrate while some light peppermint and anise aromas waft in. Very, very satisfying. Palate: An excellent arrival – exquisitely poised between sweet, earthy, deeply fruity and oaky. Christmas cake and Christmas pudding galore in the development. Butterscotch, chocolate, caramel, toffee, cherry and almond liqueurs and just a suggestion of salmiak (wow!). Lots of oak in the background but the tannins are superbly soft and the texture is luscious, opulent, chewy and chocolaty. Finish: Long. Dark fruit and chocolate float out of sight on a wave of sherry. Some busy spices in the aftertaste and a dry finale. After the last whisky I tasted (the slightly disappointing Craggenmore 1999/2020 special edition) I though I’d turn to a trusty old campaigner, and Tamdhu did not let me down. The official Distiller tasting notes nail it and there’s not much more I can add. Tasted from a 30ml sampler [bottle ordered]. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)173.0 AUD per Bottle -
Cragganmore 20 Year (2020 Special Release)
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed February 24, 2023 (edited February 27, 2023)Nose: (neat) Cereals, dusty malt and an ethanol hit that tweaks the nose on first nosing. Vanilla, oak and pears in the back but it’s hard to get past the alcohol. It’s not tight, just intense. After a few minutes resting in the glass it calms down a bit and a deeper nosing is possible, at which point you get a lot of oak aromas. Nose: (watered) Dilution does not change the profile a great deal, but it does ease the alcohol intensity. The cereals are baked now rather than raw, and there are some banana aromas, but that’s the only significant change. Even with 30 minutes rest after dilution this did not present much that was new. Palate: (neat) Sweet cereals, oatmeal, vanilla pudding with sultanas and tinned fruit. Some pineapple chunks in milk chocolate in the development. The texture is full and oily but there is that heat again. It builds but it’s not exactly what I’d call spicy – it's just plain alcohol heat biting the tongue. Palate: (watered) Like the nose the palate is not significantly different when diluted. The arrival is a touch softer and more rounded, the mouth-feel is creamier and for a second or two you expect the heat of the neat nose to have been conquered. However suddenly it roars forward again and the mid to late development is exactly as before. Finish: (neat) Medium. Cereal and green apples fading into a slightly drying and astringent metallic aftertaste (cold overbrewed black tea?). You sense the tin that held the fruit pieces that were on the palate. Finish: (watered). Not a great deal of difference. The metallic quality is still there but it's more muted, and there is a lingering taste like oatmeal. The official Distiller review sums this up pretty well but I take issue with one specific point. For me this is not a balanced whisky, in fact I’d call it thin, unbalanced and showing poor integration, which for me are all big faults. My overall sensation is that that this expression was too soft and demure for the alcohol content. 55.8% abv is not that high and I’ve tasted many whiskies in the 60%+ abv range that have great balance. The problem here is that the alcohol dominates and there is not enough character of aroma or flavour to support it. I don't think this would have worked that well at a lower abv either - it's just not a great vatting, IMHO. Tasted from a 30ml sample. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)230.0 AUD per Bottle
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