Tastes
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The Duppy Share Rum
Aged Rum — Multiple Countries
Reviewed November 20, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Pine needles, crushed sugar cane (a bit like fresh-cut grass), a sprinkle of white pepper and menthol, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak wood, leather, dried fruit. Over time as the alcohol dissipates you get a light aroma of tobacco. Palate: Semi-sweet arrival with herbal and fruit notes, light spices, plantain, apricot, and dried dates. A host of mild baking spice arrives in the development and the texture is creamy, buttery and very satisfying without being even slightly sugary. Formidable. Finish: Medium: Spiced fruit cake trailing into a dry aftertaste. Very Good. Duppy Share is an English rum brand which has recently appeared in the Australian market. It is widely available in supermarkets in the UK but don’t let that fool you – this is not a cheap bargain basement spirit. There are currently four expressions available in their range and all are sourced from Jamaican and/or Bajan distilleries, notably Worthy Park and Foursquare. This “Aged Caribbean Rum” was their initial product and it is a very pleasant lightly-aged gold rum. It has no added sugar and is a million miles away from the heavy, syrupy personality of Diplomatico or Zacapa. There is a bit of Worthy Park pot-still hogo in this, but it is light and breezy as well which is coming from column still Foursquare distillate. Like the Duppy White I just reviewed, this is eminently sippable neat or over ice, and it works very well indeed in cocktails and long drinks. Is it as good as well-regarded Foursquare rums like Doorly’s 12, or Worthy Park 100% pot-distilled expressions? No, but it’s not far short and I’m rating it as just one percentage point down from Doorly’s 12. Considering the very reasonable price that makes it a bargain, and a solid recommendation. This is definitely one we will be keeping on rotation. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)62.0 AUD per Bottle -
The Duppy Share White Caribbean Rum
Other Sugarcane — Jamaica
Reviewed November 19, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Strawberry, lemon, grapefruit, greengage, gooseberry, mango, papaya, cotton candy. A very sweet, fruity nose but it’s not cloying. With repeated nosing the sweet fruit aromas, particularly strawberry and mango, become very prominent. Palate: Sweet and grassy arrival, like white sugar and parsley. Further subtle herbal notes appear as it develops, along with tropical fruit, a little ginger in syrup and vanilla. The overall character is mild and relaxed, and the texture is full and a little oily. Finish: Medium. Sugar, faint fruit and a dash of tarragon. The aftertaste has a slight mineral quality. Duppy Share is an English rum brand which has recently appeared in the Australian market. It is widely available in supermarkets in the UK but don’t let that fool you – this is not a cheap bargain basement spirit. There are currently four expressions available in their range and all are sourced from Jamaican and/or Bajan distilleries, notably Worthy Park and Foursquare. This white rum is molasses based and comprises both pot and column still distillates. It is 100% Jamaican and reputedly a blend of Hampden, Clarendon and Worthy Park. This is a very good white rum. It is pleasant to sip neat or over ice and it is an excellent mixer. Mrs Cascode and I have been using Plantation 3 star as our white rum of choice for a while now, alternating with Sagatiba Cristalina for variety, but this has replaced both in our cabinet. Highly recommended. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)62.0 AUD per Bottle -
Linkwood 12 2008 - DS Tayman 2nd Edition
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed November 17, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Honey, vanilla, malted milk, strawberry liqueur. There is a touch of oak in the background and the more you allow it to open and pay attention to the nose the more you notice a very rich and satisfying malty aroma. Palate: Sweet arrival which is again all about red berries and fruit liqueurs. It is not syrupy, however, and retains a sprightly nature that is light and playful. In the development I get milk chocolate, ripe red apples, ripe bananas, vanilla cream, apricots, peaches, nectarines and plums but all these notes suggest fresh, ripe fruit – not dried or stewed fruit. The texture is fairly neutral but good. Finish: Medium. Apple, red berries and a hint of white pepper. The nose on this is very fruity and sweet, as would be expected from the maturation in red wine casks. However the character is not like some red wine finished whiskies (*cough* Starward *cough*) that labor under the yoke of heavy, ponderous wine. This has a lifted, sweet character that is not subtle, but which combines excellently with the fruity, floral character of Linkwood distillate. In fact, this is a classic Linkwood profile but with the usual tropical fruit character transformed into fruit salad with lots of red berries. Adding a dash of water lifts the nose, pushes back the fruits and brings out delicate woody notes, and water also makes the palate almost dangerously gulpable. When I first opened this bottle a few weeks ago I was under-whelmed, but now it is down past the shoulder it is getting better almost daily. I’ve come to like this humble Linkwood a lot and the price is very fair in my opinion. It would also be a very good Speysider to share with a novice – they would be engaged rather than challenged while you would not be bored. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)130.0 AUD per Bottle -
Aguas Mansas Espadin Joven
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed November 15, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Herbal, grilled citrus, a little wood smoke. Palate: Sweet for a second on the arrival then gaining some acidity, but retaining balance. Smoked fragrant wood and bushes, herbal (mint, rosemary, oregano), leathery, a touch of lemon and capsicum, some mild baking seed spices. Good mouthfeel, but not heavy. Finish: Medium. The palate fades to a crisp herbal aftertaste that lingers. This is the last of four quick-hit reviews based on an impromptu tasting at a local liquor shop. I don’t know much about this other than it’s made from 100% espadin and is double distilled in copper pot stills. It is straightforward, certainly less complex than many other mezcals, but it is well balanced and reasonably priced. Be aware that Aguas Mansas produces several types of mezcal, including some made using single wild varieties of agave. Some of these bottlings are much more expensive (this is the least costly product in their range). However apart from the brand name appearing in a different colour, and the wording specifying the variety of plant, all their bottles look identical. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars)95.0 AUD per Bottle -
Burrito Fiestero Masparillo
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed November 15, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Barbecued capsicum and pineapple, ginger, sweet cinnamon, hibiscus (!), rosehips (!), flinty minerals. Palate: Baked tropical fruits, mint, vanilla, red clay dust, smoked green vegetables. The mouthfeel is both oily and silken. Finish: Medium/long. Mineralic, briny and earthy trailing to unripe tropical fruits drizzled with sugar-water in the aftertaste. This is the third of four quick-hit reviews based on an impromptu tasting at a local liquor shop. A very tasty mescal. This is part of the Burrito Fiestero Ancestral range, which are wild-sourced single varietal maguey expressions. I’ve never tasted a Masparillo mezcal before but it is certainly both interesting and delicious. I believe they also re-plant in excess of their use, so this is (or at least in 12-14 years will be) sustainable. Please note that I made a mistake in the listing for this – it comes from Durango, not Oaxaca. “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)190.0 AUD per Bottle -
Perro de San Juan "Jade"
Mezcal Joven — Oaxaca, Mexico
Reviewed November 14, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Green capsicum, artichoke, agave syrup, white pepper, minerals, dusty red earth, a little wood smoke. It’s a complex nose but it is also very laid-back. I was only able to taste it in a small paper cup and this one really needs a tulip-glass to show it’s prowess. Palate: Green melon, fresh oregano, fresh mint, lemon zest, boiled green vegetables, brine, and some smokiness. The texture is oily. Finish: Medium/short. Stewed pears or apples, earthy and seed spice flavours. This is the second of four quick-hit reviews based on an impromptu tasting at a local liquor shop. A nice enough mezcal but I was undecided whether to call it elegant or overly soft and lazy. It’s not an in-your-face expression and the tasting cups they used did it no favours at all. I was not greatly impressed but that might just have been due to the presentation. Given the price I did not feel like buying a bottle to find out, but I might be underestimating it. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)135.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Oily, fruity, green vegetal aromas, new leather jacket. Palate: Sweet arrival, fruity, citric, mineralic and vegetal. Some mild earthy, spicy notes. Finish: Medium. Sweet and green-vegetal (asparagus, artichoke, Brussels sprouts). The nose is a little sweeter and crisper than any tequila I’ve tasted, but it is not as full-bodied as mezcal and if there was any smoke present I didn’t notice it. The palate is likewise well rounded but light and soft. Very pleasant overall. This is the first of four quick-hit reviews based on an impromptu tasting at a local liquor shop. Good stuff at a reasonable price. If you are into either tequila or mezcal give this a try. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)99.0 AUD per Bottle
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Brookie's Barrel Aged Mac.
Nut Liqueurs — Byron Bay, NSW, Australia
Reviewed November 14, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Appearance: Bright gold-amber. Transparent with no particulates. Aroma: Crème brûlée, cocoa, vanilla and a faint hint of smoke. Flavour & Texture: On the arrival it is sweet and creamy, like butterscotch sauce or caramel pudding. This initial sweetness fades in favour of a moderately dry palate featuring chocolate, nuts, vanilla and coffee, all wrapped in a dry oaky jacket that has just a suggestion of whiskey about it. The texture is exceptional, being full and creamy without any syrupy heaviness. A few years ago I reviewed “Brookies Mac.” here. It is a macadamia nut liqueur made by the Cape Byron distillery and it was, and still is IMHO, disgusting and not fit for consumption. I recently re-visited the distillery with two friends to take their whisky tour, now that they are producing whisky (and very good whisky it is). Following our tour we got talking to the guide/barkeep and she offered us the last three pours from their last bottle of this Barrel Aged version of the Mac. liqueur. I was on the point of refusing a pour but thought that would be churlish, so I accepted it, and I’m so glad I did. The barrel aged version is almost completely unlike the standard liqueur and is, in fact, one of the best liqueurs I’ve ever tasted. The only bad news is that only a single bourbon-cask of this was made, and it is now unobtainable. If it was available I’d buy several bottles in a flash. Please, please, please Cape Byron – make more of this! “Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)85.0 AUD per Bottle -
Bruges Whisky Company Ryggia Inaugural Release
Single Malt — Belgium
Reviewed November 14, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Red fruits, berries, raisins, orange peel, nuts (almonds?) and chocolate. Tobacco and salmiak aromas show up after a while, but they are subdued. Palate: The cask is evident right at the arrival with hefty oak flavours present. Tobacco, leather, rancio, Jamaican rum (!), molasses, gingerbread, apricot, clove, nutmeg. The texture is full but not oily. Finish: Medium/long. Spicy, sweet, dark fruits trailing off into soft tannins. An interesting whisky that I almost neglected to review. I came across this by chance last Christmas when we were in Bruges and a specialist spirits shop had it on display. I’d never heard of Belgian whisky before so naturally I dove into the shop and asked for a taste, which the owner was delighted to provide. Sadly, they had no water available (this is cask strength) and only little paper cups for tasting. Oh, dear lord … how plebian. Anyway, this was the inaugural release from the producers, following a few “in process” bottlings. It’s a well-textured, full-bodied malt that has more than just a little in common with some hot-climate whiskies I’ve tasted, such as Paul John and any number from Australia and Texas. How bizarre is that for a Belgian product. Maybe they are using those amazing Belgian beers for wash? More likely it is due to the rather frantic maturation in a combination of maple syrup, red wine, cognac and moscatel casks. Holy moley, it sounds like something Starward would try! Good stuff, I would have bought a bottle but regardless of its high quality and novelty interest it was overpriced for me. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)150.0 EUR per Bottle -
Blackwattle Distilling Co. Australian Grain Vodka
Unflavored Vodka — Sydney, NSW, Australia
Reviewed November 14, 2023 (edited January 10, 2024)Nose: Soft, vanilla-tinged ethanol. There is something else intangible that gives the nose a pleasant “creamy” quality (see below for the reveal). Palate: Creamy and soft on the arrival with the faintest possible hint of something spicy and herbal. A little white pepper and some chili. I’ve detected this chili “catch” in all this company’s products now so I’m wondering if it’s part of their distillation signature. Finish: Short. Neutral grain spirit trailing to slight bitterness. Blackwattle Distilling Co. is a new distillery recently established in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle, a couple of blocks from the old industrial foreshore area (which is undergoing redevelopment). Technically this area is called White Bay, but I guess the distillery owners liked the sound of Blackwattle better. We visited a couple of weekends ago and met Mark, one of the two distillers and company owners, who was dispensing free samples to visitors. This was our third taste of the day, after their two gins. Now, I’m no friend of vodka. For me it is an entirely pointless neat experience and only of use in cocktails. Fortunately, this is an OK vodka that is serviceable in any suitable cocktail context. Apparently the distillery's secret weapon here is wattleseed, an Australian native seed. They start with 96% ethanol sourced from the Manildra complex in southern NSW (as does almost every gin distillery in Australia) and then re-distill with wattleseed. This adds creaminess to both the aroma and palate. It’s not at all bad as vodkas go, but even so I have tasted better (yes, I know – how can you even tell the difference?) This is in my opinion the best thing that Blackwattle Distillery is currently producing. We were given a free 200ml sample bottle with our purchase of a 700ml bottle of their O.P. Gin and I’ve already used most of it. In hindsight I should have just bought a 700ml bottle of the vodka. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)65.0 AUD per Bottle
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