Tastes
-
Never Never Distilling Co. Juniper Freak Gin 2018
Distilled Gin — South Australia , Australia
Reviewed April 21, 2019 (edited October 8, 2024)Re-taste: 10 October 2024. I just made a batch of Negronis with this and they were stunning - the best I've ever made. The taste was literally surprising, it was so full-flavoured (I used Carpano Antica as the vermouth). Huh, after all this time I've found the secret - use the biggest flavour gin you can for a Negroni. Navy strength is good too but flavour intensity is the key. Delicate gins for a G&T, sure, but the Negroni needs a powerhouse gin to really work. I guess this was all obvious to many folk here but it's not a drink I often make as I was never pleased with it before - now I know why. This gin is probably unobtainable outside Australia but I'm sure you can get something similarly intense in your area. Cheers! "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars) -------------------------------- Blind gin tasting, Sydney, April 20, 2019. On Saturday I took part in a blind tasting of 9 gins and I'm recording the group consensus notes here in order of increasing score. Gin #4 on the day was Never-Never Distilling Co. Juniper Freak Gin, which was rated equal 1st in the scoring, and received enthusiastic compliments from everyone present. The gin is very much a ballad about juniper. It has a profile that is almost exclusively a showcase for that botanical and the intensity is such that you sense every possible aroma and flavour that can be extracted. Any criticism that this is just a "one-note" profile misses the point - it's meant to be that way. The nose is huge and full of baking spices, chamomile, elderflower, pepper, anise, aniseed, lemon and sage. There is also a big alcohol presence, but it's not detrimental and is appropriate for the huge aromas it has to carry. The palate is just as big with a black pepper note leading the way (I believe this is from pepperberry, an Australian botanical which is the only local ingredient used). This is followed by very strong juniper (but it's quite sweet as well as powerful), anise, lemon extract and a vibrant herbal potpourri. The finish is very long - it sails on and on and you keep getting little echoes of the palate. Adding tonic to this gin brought out even more of the oils rather than diluting it. It's a bullish, uncompromising gin. You might think that something as intense as this with such a focused character would lack nuance, but the layers it displays are surprising. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)85.0 AUD per Bottle -
Blind gin tasting, Sydney, April 20, 2019. On Saturday I took part in a blind tasting of 9 gins. Gin #2 was Roku, and it rated equal 2nd in the scoring alongside Scapegrace Gold. The tasting group members all remarked on the presence of complex seed spices in the nose - coriander, cumin, allspice etc. along with an unusual dusky and fragrant citrus note. One taster noted "green tea" and another "chamomile and pine needles". The palate was enthusiastically described as "creamy soft", "spicy", "both astringent and oily", "well textured" and as featuring a very nice juniper heart with spicy and fragrant herbal notes. The length was noted by everyone as being outstanding. When it was revealed afterwards that this sells here for just $10 more than Bombay Sapphire it was unanimously voted the best value gin of the tasting. The average rating was just over 4 points. My tasting notes: Nose: Yuzu, lemon, tangerine, mandarin, lime. Herbal and fragrant soft juniper. Faint maritime notes (fish scales?), cypress twigs, evergreen forest. Palate: A perfect entry. Soft, herbal and citrus in equal measure. A dry fruity juniper note emerges in the development accompanied by a sweet light pepper. A wonderful tannic undertone throughout and very good texture. Finish: Medium/long. The well balanced fruity/herbal dryness fades perfectly into a slightly sweet/spicy tannin aftertaste. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)54.0 AUD per Bottle
-
Scapegrace Gold Navy Strength Gin
Navy-Strength Gin — New Zealand
Reviewed April 21, 2019 (edited July 20, 2022)Blind gin tasting, Sydney, April 20, 2019. On Saturday I took part in a blind tasting of 9 gins and I'm recording the group consensus notes here in order of increasing score. Gin #9 on the day was Scapegrace Gold (57% abv). This gin may have suffered from being the last on the card, as by that time palates were getting tired. It was still rated equal 2nd of the day. The notes were very consistent between the group, and maybe the abv masked subtle hints and only showed the most outstanding facets. I noted simply that it was a boldly assertive juniper-citrus nose with an equally bold palate. Everyone noted that this was obviously a high proof spirit, with guesses ranging from 50-60% abv. A strong star anise and licorice note was commented on in both the nose and palate, and two of the group said they noticed a tannic edge, and thought it may have been a lightly barrel-aged gin (it's not). I noted that it was powerful and uncompromising, with a profile more straightforward than complex, but that it was an outstanding mixer with tonic and most likely "couldn't be drowned if you tried". Every member of the tasting group rated it as 4/5 (but it should be noted that when the price was revealed some of the group agreed that as good as it is, it is not great value for money). "Very Good" : 85/100 (4 stars)120.0 AUD per Bottle -
Blind gin tasting, Sydney, April 20, 2019. On Saturday I took part in a blind tasting of 9 gins and I'm recording the group consensus notes here in order of increasing score. Gin #5 on the day was Monkey 47 - our scores proved to be contentious and the votes were highly polarized. I suppose that reflects its bold personality and unusual botanical makeup. This spread pulled the average rating down. The nose was mostly described as "complex", ""woodland", "marshmallow herbal", "softly woody and floral" and other similar phrases, however some said "overpowering" or "funky and odd" . The palate was felt to be equally complex and everyone noted a warm, rich spicy tinge towards the end, but some of the group disliked this and thought it was "hot" and "unbalanced". My notes read: "Very pretty and complex nose; orange blossom; marshmallow; lemon rind; elderflower; forest floor; sweet earth. Soft but bold palate with juniper in mid-centre and a host of other flavours; complex; Thai sweet chilli sauce in the late palate. Long, slow, gentle finish with flowery notes - it just rolls on and on. Tonic doesn't hurt it but don't add too much. This is a very good gin - tasting it is like tasting a single malt". The group average rating was 3.5, but I'm scoring it higher. This is a great gin for sipping or mixing. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)85.0 AUD per Bottle
-
Blind gin tasting, Sydney, April 20, 2019. On Saturday I took part in a blind tasting of 9 gins. No. 7 on the card was Hendricks, and it was most surprisingly given the second lowest average score of the day. This surprised everyone involved, as we all had previously expressed a liking for it. The nose was generally considered to be muted, laid back and relaxed to the point of disinterest. One person described it as a "flat herbal" nose, another called it "generic and uninteresting". My note was "soft and gentle, but boring". The palate was thought to have a generic sweet juniper base with "something softly funky" going on. The finish, we all agreed, was very short - my note says "hardly any finish at all". Summary descriptors from the group included "inoffensive", "soft but unengaging" and "mostly harmless". So, a very surprising result for a gin that, although certainly soft and friendly, I'd always thought of as a dependable go-to. However having now tasted it blind in the context of some much better gins I'd have to summarize my rating of it as "certainly better than just average, but not by a great deal". The average score from the panel was 3 stars, which was my score exactly. "Above Average" : 80/100 (3 stars)66.0 AUD per Bottle
-
Highland Park 10 Year
Single Malt — Islands, Scotland
Reviewed April 11, 2019 (edited February 27, 2023)Nose: Malty, heathery, and slightly smoky with some tinges of orange and honey. There is also a hint of the seashore with some light salty mineral notes floating about. Fresh, bracing and invigorating. [The dry glass is slightly sooty honey]. Palate: Heather smoke and honeyed malt arrival that develops quickly into a full-bodied cereal palate with some bitter/sour citrus notes along the edges. It's crisp and clean with some spicy ginger notes and a little crème caramel towards the finish. Charming! Finish: Medium. The honeyed cereal character drifts into a delightful sweet barley sugar aftertaste. Overall this is a very fresh, crisp and almost disarmingly honest whisky caught at the first blush of its maturity. The nose has everything that will, with more maturation, fill out into the familiar Highland Park smoky-honeypot profile, but here it is beautifully encapsulated in its vigorous, nascent form. The smoke, although subtle, is more prominent than you would expect and it works wonderfully. The palate is crisp and clean and has excellent texture - just slightly creamy and full of nutty hints. It is enticing and seductive neat, with no heat whatsoever, which is how I'd recommend taking it. Normally I add a small dash of water to my drams, but this simply doesn't need it. I shudder to think how addictive it would be at lower strength, with more sweetness released. This is delicious whisky, and a steal at the asking price. I actually prefer it's slightly brusque charm to the profile of the 12 year old, which has slipped a bit of late. In fact (and this will set the cat among the pigeons) I'll say outright that this is the best value Highland Park currently available, and that includes all the special NAS releases and the other age statements up to and including the 18 year old. The 18 has more finesse, but it's also about 3 times the price. You need to move up to the 25 year old to arrive at something that beats this hands down, but by then you're paying about 10 times the price. Seriously, if you've not tasted this pick up a bottle - it's inexpensive and very good. Try it in a horizontal tasting against some of the recent NAS expressions and prepare for a re-calibration. The official notes here by Blair Phillips are right on target and sum this up perfectly. Highly recommended. "Very Good” : 86/100 (4 stars)72.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Rich oily malt extract, a little hint of oak, treacle toffee, some lemon oil, dried orange rind and plum with a little bit of clove. Huge, meaty, and sweaty - it's a cereal nose, but not light toasted grains or honeyed cereal - this is big, expansive and more like porridge with treacle and butter. It's reminiscent of Hazelburn. As it rests in the glass it gains mineral and salt notes. Adding water unlocks aromas of freshly-squeezed orange juice, barley sugar, melon and hay. There is a sulphurous tinge, but it's the good sort of sulphur that adds body but not offensive aromas. [The dry glass smells of malt and soot]. Palate: A big, firm malty arrival with dense oaky tannins at the side. The texture is as oily as a grilled kipper. The development brings out some mild coffee, dark bitter chocolate, scorched almonds and an almost rancio walnut oil note. Balancing this is a spicy, heavy sweetness like blackstrap molasses. Some semi-sweet dried fruits (like dried kumquats or preserved lemon) give dryness to the palate. The addition of water totally transforms the palate by softening and bringing out much more gentle, honeyed sweetness and milk chocolate. Finish: Long. Initially the palate flavours start to dwindle, then as the intensity dies down you sense subtle aftertastes of tobacco, bitter orange and faint brine. Adding water shortens the finish slightly, but in no way diminishes it's character. A wonderful, engaging and rewarding malt that needs to be experienced both neat and with a half-teaspoon of water. Why is this not much better known? Unfortunately it's hard to find now, but I strongly recommend picking up a bottle, if you can locate one. Lovers of anything Campbeltown, West Coast or Hebridean will take to this in an instant. NOTE: The bottle shown on Distiller for this whisky is from the old bottling. Ben Nevis introduced a new bottle shape and label a couple of years ago and batches since that time have been consistently superior to the old expressions. The new bottle is more squat and the label features a large shiny red "10". "Excellent" : 89/100 (4.75 stars)89.0 AUD per Bottle
-
Mozart Strawberry White Chocolate Liqueur
Chocolate Liqueurs — Austria
Reviewed April 4, 2019 (edited April 6, 2024)I tried this liqueur five years ago and gave it a scathing review here (see below). However Mrs Cascode was recently gifted a 4-pack of Mozart liqueurs, of which this was one. We decided to give it a try again and we were very pleasantly surprised at how much better it was this time. The appearance is the same, just like a strawberry milkshake, and the aroma is similarly reminiscent. It was in the flavour that it was such a different experience. This time round it was much more in line with the aroma and appearance. The flavour was less intense and it was very like strawberry flavoured white chocolate. We still feel that Mozart Gold is the peak of the company’s products, but this Strawberry liqueur has shot up several points in our estimation and I’m revising my rating to put it just ahead of the Mozart White Chocolate liqueur. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars) ----------------------------------------------------------- Review from April 4, 2019 Appearance: Exactly like pink-coloured strawberry milk. Also disconcertingly like Gaviscon [a milky indigestion mixture that is just this particular shade of pink]. Aroma: A mild synthetic strawberry aroma. Again, it basically smells "pink". Flavour and Texture: Initially, in the front of the mouth, it seems to be just a mild and sweet viscous liquid, rather like you'd imagine a pink Bailey's might be. Then it hits the tongue and develops a bright synthetic cherry flavour that is uncomfortably familiar. Mrs Cascode and I tasted this together - we took one sip, looked at each other in shock and simultaneously said "Benedryl!". That particular synthetic cherry cough syrup flavour is unmistakable. Horrible muck. This stuff is the nightmare that enthusiasts of hard spirits suspect all creamy liqueurs will be - in this case, the nightmare is real. We literally poured the rest down the sink. Strangely, the Mozart Chocolate Liqueur we tried previously (and which prompted us to try this) was delightful. "Very Poor" : 55/100 (0.5 stars)33.0 AUD per Bottle -
Castarède Armagnac XO 20 Ans d'Âge
Armagnac — Bas-Armagnac, France
Reviewed April 3, 2019 (edited July 15, 2022)Nose: Deep raisin and oak. Sweet, savory spices - vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange peel with a tiny hint of mint. Stewed figs and dates - a touch of rancio. A nose that would not be out of place in a bourbon. Palate: A forceful, tannic arrival that bursts into hot spicy flavours as it quickly enters the development. After an almost confronting moment as the tannins build, it suddenly blossoms into a multi-layered palate of spices, oak tannin, resin, grape must, rancio, walnut, olive, ginger, plum, date, nutmeg and fig - all simmering in a pool of thick, rich Greek coffee. Very good texture - full and rich, but dry. Finish: Long. The highly expressive palate slowly winds down into a spicy coffee and tobacco aftertaste, with an intriguing spiced PX sherry touch. Created by the oldest production house in Gascony and comprising eaux-de-vie of at least 20 years of age, this is a powerful, bold armagnac that also has finesse and grace. The palate has a no-holds-barred tannic quality, which slightly cloaks the dark fruit and oak nuances. It continues to unfold in the glass throughout the tasting, but the profile remains dry. Very much a digestif to take either alone or with full-bodied soft cheese. I suspect it would also pair well with sweet black coffee. An above average armagnac, but not an easy one and not one I'd recommend to novices. "Above Average" : 81/100 (3 stars)140.0 AUD per Bottle -
Nose: Malt extract, caramel, toffee, butterscotch and crème brûlée with an almost carbonised crust. Toasted cereal grains, an aroma reminiscent of cask-conditioned ale, squill candy, leather, machine oil and moist earth. Faint oak and smoke notes. It's hard to believe this is a blended scotch nose as it’s much more robust and demonstrative than most blends. Palate: A rich, slightly sweet and oaky arrival with smoky tones in the background. As it develops, a wave of peppery sweetness emerges with hints of brown sugar, orange oil and brine. There is also dark bittersweet chocolate, treacle toffee, liquorice, ale and espresso. Adding water develops sweeter notes and the texture is full and rich. Finish: Long. As all the spice dies down the pleasant rich brown sugar sweetness slowly fades away leaving just the forceful sherried oak that lies at the heart of this blend. What a great blended scotch. It really is hard to believe it's not a malt blend. It has a satisfying character and is reminiscent of a sherried Speyside malt. I'd wager there is a lot of Glenrothes in this. A dash of water does it no harm whatsoever, this is a blend that swims well and water just softens it. Recommended neat or with water (or even with ice and a splash of soda). I'd been putting this one off for a while but after tasting it this afternoon I took a stroll to my local liquor shop and picked up another bottle to save for the future. That should be all you need to know. Highly recommended, it's not cheap but it's worth every penny - great for sipping and a wonderful mixer. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)70.0 AUD per Bottle
Results 881-890 of 1243 Reviews