Brookie's Barrel Aged Mac.

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)