Tastes
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Nose: Fresh citrus, more like lemon juice than lemon peel, with juniper, caraway seed and coriander all easily discerned. There is a warm, restrained spice quality to the nose. Palate: Mild peppery juniper, citrus, and warm earthy spices. The texture is outstanding, with an oily quality that makes it smoother and more rounded in character than most gins. The palate is rich and satisfying and has excellent balance. Finish: Medium. Citrus and spice notes with a fruity hint in the aftertaste. Unlike many gins created over the last decade Plymouth does not try to bombard the palate with a barrage of juniper or overload the senses with a bushel of botanicals. The recipe is reputedly simple with just seven ingredients, all of which are distilled in a “one shot” process, as is the case with London Dry gin. In fact, Plymouth is essentially a type of London dry ... just made in Plymouth. "Plymouth Gin" used to be a protected regional designation that could only be used by gin made in Plymouth, England but that is no longer the case. The aroma and flavour are excellently balanced, but its outstanding characteristic is its texture. The mouth-feel is rich, creamy and full which makes the palate seem more intense than it actually is. The result is a gin that is full and satisfying but also delicate and relaxed. Whilst I very much enjoy exploring new gins I sometimes find myself gravitating back to Plymouth and there is often a bottle in the bar. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)72.0 AUD per Bottle
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Nose: Lemon and orange aromas - juice, zest, peel - at the beginning that's about all you can smell. After a while it shows a floral icing-sugar fragrance but the nose remains steadfastly centered on citrus. After a long time (and in the dry glass) there is some herbal complexity with lemon thyme and citronella appearing, but the juniper is light here. Palate: Very sweet and soft arrival with citrus flavours - orange, sherbet lemon, sweet lime, mandarin and a trace note of juniper way in the background. Less herbal on the palate than the nose but some mild warm spices do appear. The texture is thick and syrupy, plush and almost cloying. Finish: Medium. Sweet and citrus to the very end. If you handed me this blind and said it was a subtle lemon/orange liqueur I'd believe you, it's so sweet and easy to sip neat. You can instantly see how people lapped this up as a neat spirit in the old days. It is a very confectionery sort of profile - like lemon candy or lemon frosted spongecake. The hefty sugar presence makes for a very gentle and rolling finish, but as a mixer I'm on the fence about this. It does make a palatable and easy sipping gin and tonic (no citrus needed - just tonic) but it lacks the intensity of juniper I like. Texture is what this spirit has going for it so if used in cocktails that require syrup, try leaving that out - there may be enough sweetness from the gin and you might find your usual sweet cocktail gains a pleasantly dry aspect at the expense of some heft in the flavour profile. I'd recommend experimenting with old-time cocktails but it does not work so well as the base for a martini, it's too sweet. On the whole I enjoyed this gin. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)70.0 USD per Bottle
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Appearance: Bright amber/red. Aroma: Crisp sweet citrus with a bitter quality. It most definitely smells of grapefruit. Flavour and Texture (neat): Sweet with restrained citrus flavours. Quite gentle and with a tangello or orange quality. As it sits in the mouth, and particularly as you swallow, grapefruit becomes dominant. It has a restrained bitter quality and the texture is neutral. This is a fairly new apero, I believe. The main ingredient is ruby grapefruit and it does very much taste and smell of that fruit. It is easy to drink and has a mild and agreeable character. There is a light bitterness but it is not much more than that of a sweet grapefruit. I think there is also some herbal bitterness but I doubt they use wormwood - it is not that intense. It's probably gentian. You can enjoy this lightly chilled from the fridge, or over ice, or with a mixer. However I suspect it would be quickly lost in a cocktail with heavier flavours. I was enjoying my neat tasting sample so much I finished it off before trying it with any mixers. What a shame, I had to pour another. It's very refreshing with soda and a slice of citrus, and also works with sparkling lemonade. I suspect it would team spectacularly with brut or even a very pale and delicate Provençal rosé. Oh! I bet it goes with gin ... one minute ... yes! it does: Ice, 1 part gin, 2 parts Pampelle, top up with tonic and garnish with a slice of lime. Excellent! It's similar to Aperol, but more demure and restrained. It's not expensive and if you enjoy Aperol it is well worth trying as a change - you won't be disappointed. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)30.0 AUD per Bottle
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Dolce Cioccolato
Chocolate Liqueurs — New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed November 3, 2020 (edited November 4, 2020)Appearance: Opaque dark brown/grey. In some lights it looks olive-drab. It bears an unnerving similarity to a puddle of muddy water with an oil haze on top. Aroma: Milk chocolate. Flavour and Texture: Very sweet milk chocolate with a background note of caramel - rather confectionary in taste. The texture is syrupy to the point of being gloopy and cloying. We bought this last weekend from a pop-up stall where we also bought a bottle of limoncello. This is made by the same people (Cello), but on the bottle it is styled "Dolce by Cello". This is from their range of lower proof liqueurs that are milk based. The colour is unusual and not very appetising. It does not look like the colour in the thumbnail for this listing, being much more grey-green in tone. I expect it is actually a very natural product with the colour not being artificial, but in this case a drop of dark brown colour would not have hurt. The flavour is pleasant, but ordinary. They say this is milk-based and I would not be at all surprised if they actually used condensed milk - either that or there is some sort of cooking or pasteurising process going on because the milk definitely seems caramelised. Not very inspiring. I wish I could be more complimentary but this is a sub-par product and it's not particularly cheap. It's almost twice the price of Mozart Gold but it compares to that liqueur as Hersheys does to Lindt. "Inferior" : 68/100 (1.75 stars)40.0 AUD per Bottle -
Francois Voyer Terres de Grande Champagne
Cognac — Grande Champagne, France
Reviewed November 3, 2020 (edited July 15, 2022)Nose: Subtle, earthy, almost sweaty fruit - dried figs and dates. Apricot nectar aroma together with elderflower, honey, clove and vanilla. As it opens in the glass an herbal note emerges, and very surprisingly there is lingering jasmine on the dry glass. Overall it’s a soft, earthy floral profile. Palate: Very smooth and silken arrival featuring honeyed fruitcake and stonefruits. This expands into a warm and softly oaked development with mild cinnamon spice and vanilla. A hint of cocoa comes forward in the later palate, but it remains soft with just a touch of tannin. The texture is very pleasant, slightly drying, but the light sweet character is always present. Finish: Medium. The spice and tannin gently fade leaving a subtle aftertaste of vanilla and just a touch of herbs, licorice and oak. A better than average Grande Champagne cognac produced entirely from the 28 hectare Voyer estate. This is of at least 5 years maturity, making it effectively a VSOP, but there is content up to 15 years old. At the price it is good value and the equal of similarly priced cognacs I've tasted. The overall profile is well balanced but veers just a fraction too much towards sweetness. The body is light which is something I've noticed with other single-origin cognac (it’s a refreshing change) and the mouth-feel is pleasant. The only criticisms I’d make are that the spirit shows youth, simplicity and sweetness, however at the price point that’s not a deal-breaker for me. It’s acceptable for neat sipping and works well in cocktails. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)95.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Weird. Woody and cereal, more like cheap blended scotch than brandy. A tiny hint of raisins and sugar. It's not offensive, and even attractive in its own strange way, but it ain't brandy. Wow - this really does smell like Grant's blended scotch. Palate: I don't know what I'm tasting. This is a slightly sweet, vaguely brown-sugar and dark fruit flavoured alcoholic fluid, but incredibly dilute and lacking in character. There is a hard, hot and brittle sting of alcohol, even though it is only 74 proof. Finish: None. Some sweet sugary flavours that linger for a few moments. No, I've never heard of it before either. I grabbed a small 150ml flask of this today when I was at the liquor store because I was in the mood for a brandy Alexander after work and I didn't want to open the only bottle of cognac I have. There were alternatives available for a few dollars more, but ... oh well. We won't do that again, will we? I tried to find out something about this but there is zero information available. I can only presume it is the lowest grade of French brandy, imported in bulk and given a registered brand name when bottled. It tastes like ugni blanc eau-de-vie given a few months age in tired old casks and maybe hit up with some dosage. The pale straw colour would bear that out. No, I never got my Alexander 😞 "Bad" : 52/100 (0.25 stars)30.0 AUD per Bottle
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Appearance: Lurid dark purple/red. Aroma: Synthetic berry-flavoured cordial. Flavour and Texture: Intensely sweet generic berry flavours with a tart kick from citric acid. The texture is thick and syrupy. I don't really want to beat-up Monin specifically. This review could just as easily have been for any other commercial grenadine syrup. They are all pretty much equivalent and far removed from the genuine article. Even the best brands are concocted from flavourings and colour rather than pomegranate juice or concentrate and they all contain preservative, have a generic artificial "berry" flavour and often an aroma of vanilla, which is completely wrong. The bottom-shelf products can be truly wretched and have a synthetic appearance, smell and flavour. Real grenadine is very easy to make yourself, will cost you less than the commercial stuff and tastes infinitely better. Put 250ml of pomegranate juice into a saucepan with 250g of white sugar and 30ml of pomegranate molasses. Heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar is dissolved (don't let it boil). That's it. Let it cool, bottle it (the recipe makes just under 500 ml) and keep it in the fridge. It will last a couple of weeks. That's my recipe. Google it or search Youtube and you'll find dozens more. Once you taste the difference real grenadine makes to your cocktails and mixed drinks you will never turn back. There are many syrups, extracts, infusions, macerations, tinctures and liqueurs you can easily make at home, and it's very satisfying to transform a good cocktail recipe into a great one by using ingredients you have made yourself. Oh - and as for Molin grenadine syrup, it's one of the better ones so it's ... "Inferior" : 65/100 (1.5 stars)16.0 AUD per Bottle
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Cello Limoncello
Fruit Liqueurs — New South Wales, Australia
Reviewed November 1, 2020 (edited November 2, 2020)Appearance: Opaque bright yellow. Aroma: Strong aroma of lemon zest. Oily rather than fruity. Flavour and Texture: Thick and sweet with an assertive lemon character. Oily texture with intrusive bitterness on the finish. You can taste the presence of fruit pith. Cello is a relatively young Sydney company that has been making liqueurs for about ten years, but they have had a low profile until recently. They specialize in a range of fruit “cellos” (lemon, orange, lime etc.) as well as a range they call “dolce”, which are sweeter, thicker and dairy-based (chocolate, coffee, coconut and a variety of fruit flavours). This is an acceptable limoncello, better than some I’ve tasted but it’s nowhere near the best in class. Limoncello is easy to make (I make it myself frequently) but there is a trick to getting it right and they have messed it up a bit here. A good limoncello should be sweet and sour, fruity and oily, but not particularly bitter. The common fault with commercial versions, even some of the best ones, is too much bitterness caused by allowing white pith to remain attached to the peel and you absolutely taste that here. “Adequate” : 73/100 (2.25 stars)60.0 AUD per Bottle -
Limeburners Single Malt Port Cask
Single Malt — Western Australia, Australia
Reviewed November 1, 2020 (edited March 28, 2022)Nose: Oak planks, wood shavings, a hay-barn, faint fruit notes (berries, cherries), nutmeg, cardamom, cloves. There is a savoury, earthy quality to the nose that is unusual and distinctive, but intense wood aromas from the cask dominate the proceedings. This is initially unbalanced but it does gain a little equilibrium over time in the glass. Palate: Full, mouth-coating but also brittle on the arrival. A hint of initial astringency with tannic and marc notes. This gives way to a more toffee-like quality and dark, almost burnt, fruitcake. Baking spices emerge next, similar to those noticed on the nose (nutmeg, cinnamon) together with tobacco and dark cherry. Although it has a rich presentation, there is a thin and dry quality to the palate and just like the nose, oak is noticed behind every flavour. Finish: Medium. Fruitcake and port notes. I found very little in this whisky to match the official Distiller tasting notes, however I'm not surprised as Limeburners is known for being uneven . This particular batch is less sweet and controlled by the tawny [Australian port] than I've tasted before, but the cask was allowed to run wild. Every Limeburners batch is a single cask expression (diluted) and after years of being all over the place I can't help but wonder why they don't introduce at least a modicum of consistency by blending casks. This is a malt I find more "interesting" then enjoyable. It does evolve in the glass and has depth, but it can also seem ham-fisted and confused. I had hoped that this sample would be the best of the three in the pack I bought recently, but sadly it is just not that good. This cask was either allowed to mature for far too long, or it was far too active for the short maturation whisky must of necessity receive in a hot, dry and widely varying climate. A drop of water soothes the nose a little, but is a disaster on the palate, bringing out harsh bitter tannins. This is much better neat. Tasted from a distillery-bottled 100ml sample. "Average" : 78/100 (2.75)144.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Peat smoke of the maritime persuasion. Kelp, sweet citrus, vanilla, treacle. Pleasantly restrained. Palate: Sweet-tinged peat and toffee on the arrival. The development introduces an unmistakable grain-whisky character. The texture is pleasant, almost creamy, and there is no burn at all. Very easy, buttery and warming on the palate, with notes of mocha coffee and barbecue sauce. Finish: Medium. Soft malty smoke flavours that fade into the aftertaste. Very pleasant, and perfectly acceptable as long as you keep in mind this is an attractively priced blended scotch. Don't approach it expecting a "storm-force 10" Islay single malt or robust mainland peated single malt. It does not have the depth and strength of profile you get in a such whiskies, but that is not at all a flaw. This scotch must be judged in context against its peers and it sits somewhere between a mass-market mildly smoky blend like Johnnie Walker Double Black and a smoky blended malt like The Six Isles or Compass Box Peat Monster. Its grain component gives it sweetness and good texture, and at the low proof it is very easy to drink neat. It also has enough presence to stand up to mixing and it would work well in a coke 'n smoke or as a cocktail ingredient. I tried half of my sample with a couple of drops of water and it took it well. The presentation was quickly muted however so if adding water don't drown it - it's not fragile, just mild and it can be swamped. As a gently smoky dram over ice or with water I'm sure many people would find this highly enjoyable. I certainly did. If you like the tastes you've had of Islay whisky but still find most of them to be a bit too intense for your palate than this might be just what you are seeking. Tasted from a 30ml sample. "Above Average" : 82/100 (3.25 stars)70.0 AUD per Bottle
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