Blog — Page 111 of 281

Water of Life – McNair

We have covered the fantastic Speyside distillery GlenAllachie and their tremendous expressions in all their glory as part of our series before, so when I became aware that its master distiller was going to channel his alchemy in blending peated and unpeated whiskies from both Speyside and Islay, it instantaneously established itself firmly on my to-try list.

Under the moniker McNair, a triumvirate of blended whiskies was released housed in a striking packaging and it could not wait to see what the new expressions were going to be like.

McNair’s entry level peated Lum Reek clocks in at 46% ABV and having been matured in a variety of casks, i.e. first-fill Bourbon, Oloroso sherry, virgin oak and red wine casks, hopes for an exquisite complexity were set high from the get-go.

Given my preferences, I was quite delighted when wafts of gentle smoke were amongst the first aromas that tickled my nostrils, framed by peaty outlines that are inhabited by apples, vanilla, pears and overall sweet notes that nuancefully play with the Islay notes.

The top of the roof experiences an extension of what the nose promised, i.e. honeyed peat, highlights of dark chocolate sprinkled with gingery spice, just a tad of zesty, citrussy tanginess and a seaside saltiness.

As expected, McNair’s Lum Reek 12-Year-Old takes things up a notch in terms of the aforementioned aromas and flavours being more pronounced: On the nose, the hint of smoke now enters bonfire-y territory and the accompanying aromas are more subtle, with cinnamon, dark chocolate and citrus being amongst the more prominent.

The palate is caressed with a nice creaminess texture that carries a foundation of delicious peat on which cocoa, gingery cinnamon and honeyed chocolate.

The medium-length finish is informed more of the delicate creaminess that now reverberates the bitter lemony chocolate notes around butterscotch flavours and keeps riffing on the peatiness.

Now, going about this feature in a vertical manner, we now come to the expected crescendo, i.e. MacNair’s Lum Reek 21-Year-Old.

Upping the ABV to 48% and having been matured in Oloroso sherry, Virgin Oak and red wine casks, this one ups the game quite significantly.

Upon uncorking, the nose is greeted with a bouquet of mouth-watering smoky peat. Ahhh! In the peaty aftermath there is a lot to be discovered, as there are stone fruits, nutty chocolate, pineapple, coconuts and cherries.

On the palate, things get complex fast: Everything that the nose promised is there, however, it is no longer compartmentalized and now the peaty smoke cross-pollinates the berries, tropical flavours interact with heathery honey and dark chocolate is married with liquorice. Delicioso!

The elongated finish bookends a veritable experience, that draws on the beauty and power of peat without being overwhelming, with loads of subtle nuance to discover.

In my world, McNair just raised the bar in blending excellence with smoke at its very core and I can only join in with the traditional Scottish toast and chant "Long may your lum reek!", i.e. an encouragement to ensuring that your chimney keeps firing on.

---

image from company website

The Formative Years - Slap-a-Ham Records

There have been many labels within the realm of punk and hardcore that had a lasting impact on me with both their emissions and the way the protagonists behind them carried themselves. Being a fiend of fast hardcore, Slap a Ham Records was one of them.

Founded and operated by Chris Dodge in San Francisco, Slap A Ham not only massively shaped initially the Californian and the global hybrid of thrash- and grindcore phenomenon, but somehow managed to create a roster and portfolio of bands that found the fine balance between genre coining releases and hilarity.

After being exposed to Infest through their full-length on the Swiss label Off the Disk Records and subsequently falling in love with the band, I had to get the 8” split flexi with Pissed Happy Children, which marked Slap A Ham Records’ first release. I instantaneously was hooked on the label’s aesthetic and from then on made a concerted effort to collect their releases.

The next five releases on the label exposed me to a diverse array of unknown bands such as the mighty Melvins, Neanderthal, No Use for a Name, Stikky and Fu Manchu, all of which became instant classics.

Specifically Neanderthal’s Fighting music 7” changed the game for me, not only because the band’s line-up incorporated ex-members of Infest and Pissed Happy Children, but because it gave birth to what henceforth became labelled as “power violence”.

“Power violence” was exciting as at the time it came about – a time when punk and metal still  operated in compartmentalised silos. Those new bands I discovered via Slap A Ham had a relatable DIY attitude, but sonically it was placed at a much heavier and extreme spectrum than was known for either genre – too dirty for metal, too heavy and fast for punk and always backed by a humorous attitude that did not seem to give two shits about its reception.

Perfect.

Spazz became one of the bigger bands of the genre and apart from their trademark hardly ever more than one-minute long stop’n go song outbursts, infused their artwork with obscure humour, unexpected Hong Kong movie / hip hop / skate references and samples in between their songs, which were worth the purchase alone. What could become monotone musically, was mixed up with entertaining bits to keep things fresh, fun and interesting despite the band seemingly trying to be dead set on releasing as many records as possible.

What I found intriguing about Spazz but also most of the other bands on Slap A Ham is that the despite all the sonic extremes they were dabbling in - be it speed, heaviness or artwork-wise - they avoided becoming a mere gimmick, which is quite a feat given the fact that the common denominator seemed to be the sole purpose of playing as fast and hard as possible.

Slap A Ham was a genuinely great and unique label that released new music at a time when the scene was running danger of becoming stagnant and whose band established formulae that have not only spawned and inspired a myriad of other new bands, but reverberate through the DNA of extreme music until the present day.

Water of Life - Redbreast

For many moons, every time I have harped on about my favourite Irish whiskies to other connoisseurs, the question was raised if I had ever tried Redbreast. Until very recently I had not. Shame on me.

The trademark of Irish whiskies at large and specifically New Midleton Distillery, where Redbreast originates from is their Single Pot Still approach that skims the cream of the crop from a mash containing different barley varieties before triple distilling it, opposed to the process prevalent in Scotland and the new world where only one-dimensional malted barley is used.

The golden coloured Redbreast 12 is Midleton’s easy-to-procure entry level expression, whose aromas reel one in instantaneously with a complex bouquet that serenades one through fruity, spicy, citrussy, floral and sweet nuances. Yup, that’s quite a bit of territory being covered.

What I like about Redbreast is that instead of getting lost in a maelstrom of flavours, on the palate the dominant malt foundation that sits on a nutty backbone serves as a stage that strings the equivalent of the aforementioned aromas together while still highlighting them individually.

The long finish is just beautiful as it bookends what was promised on the palate and it seals the perfectly balanced experience with warm coppery grain forward unmalted sweeter flavours. I can only imagine what a flavour explosion their high-octane cask-strength version would provide.

As the name suggests, the Redbreast 15-Year-Old is left in the barrels for an additional three years, which adds new layers of complexity in that both bready, spicy as well as apple and cider notes are added to the mix.

What tickles the nostrils is grain and malt forward, with zesty apply highlights being accompanied by citrus zest, vanilla and sour-dough notes.

On the palate the journey continues with sweet barley accentuated by cinnamon and dark chocolate that is sweet but not overwhelmingly so.

The elongated finish has a crescendo that meanders between sweet- and spiciness.

A subtly, wonderfully calibrated whiskey.

Redbreast Lustau is the latest addition to the Redbreast portfolio with a mere decade of maturation under its belt, of which one tenth however is spent for refinement in first fill specifically selected sherry butts. Being the product of a collaboration between the Bodegas Lustau and the Midleton Distillery.

Copper in appearance, the aroma is quite enticing as it is a melange of thick malt, dark stone fruits, honeyed nuts and very light spicy nuances that live in the high octaves.

On the palate, what the nose hinted at comes to fruition in a very buttery and oily manner with predominantly the dark, stone fruits standing out against a backdrop of citrussy vanilla, almonds, framed by the subtlest of spices.

The great sense of calibrations finds itself in the elongated finish as the flavours are married with apple, caramel and a veil of sherry-tinged flavours that culminate in highlights of lemon and dark fruits.

For the calibre of whiskey Redbreast and specifically their Lustau variant is offering, it reigns supreme in its price ranging compared to a lot of Scots with a much heavier price tag.

---

image from company website

Changing the Subject – Philosophy from Socrates to Adorno

There are quite a few books crowding my bookshelves that offer an overview on Western philosophy and while each and everyone I find to have merits; some lack an engaging component.

Enter Raymond Geuss.

What I found refreshing from the get go, is that Geuss made a subjective selection of philosophers he decided to cover, which is comprised of the usual suspects but also leaving out some stalwarts, which sets the scene for not only him shedding light on the ones he feels passionate about, but also to venture towards practical rather than theoretical philosophy. While Geuss manages to approach things in a balanced manner, it should not come as a surprise that due to the nature of the selections made, the philosophers that made the cut are portrayed in a positive manner. On the upside this means that Geuss focusses his elaborations on the protagonists he has explored in detail.

Subjectivity aside, Geuss masterfully sketches out how the focus of Western philosophical thought changed over time or at least approaches towards eternal questions, as the title of the book suggests – a paradigm shift which can also mean progress.

Geuss’ take on philosophical theories mean that “changing the subject” can mean much more than mere distraction or deflection: It can mean an evolution of viewpoints that progressively incorporate and take into account new information and revelations as they become available.

While Changing the Subject – Philosophy from Socrates to Adorno has a lot to offer for the uninitiated, luminaries will be able to read in between the lines when it comes to Geuss’ approach and a question that I found myself presented with is if Geuss tried to indicate if Western philosophy as we know it is thought to an end with all consequences, it would have already become stagnant and come to an end not unlike a snake devouring its own tail.

Raymond Geuss expertly navigates through the conclusions he arrives at by illustrating them modestly yet rigorously and in an engagingly witty manner without imposing his personal take on the reader, which inspires the recipient to do delve further into the matter.

Aristotle – Art of Rhetoric

Rhetoric is not only a powerful device but can also be a weapon, especially when the aim is not merely to convince someone of what you deem to be right but if your convictions are harmful to others and used to gain power.

Enter Aristotle who realised the dilemma fairly early on with the advent of Greek society and further on put emphasis on the necessity of having good intentions and using rhetoric to spawn happiness instead of conflict, illustrating ways of rhetorically convincing people and arousing emotions for the greater good of society.

Having been penned over two thousand years ago, it is remarkable how relevant and valid the quintessence of the Art of Rhetoric still is and how its principles can be applied in the present day to produce results.  If this is your first exposure to Aristotle’s theory, the scales will fall from your eyes, as it unveils the structure most politicians and basically anyone addressing large sceptical audiences, base their speeches on.

A classic, insightful and essential piece of literature on persuasion and how rhetoric plays an important role to conveying one's information pertaining to any occasion, showing scientifically and systematically how a weak can be turned into a strong argument.

Smellosophy – A.S Barwich

Ah, the senses…

It would prove hard to make a case against the claim that the olfactory one has the connection to our frontal cortex on speed dial, as smells tend to elicit a range of associations and job memories out of nowhere. While this is a beautiful phenomenon, it is also a complex one and the details and reasons for it are difficult to pin down. It gets even more intricate if one sets out to explore if smells and their interpretation are coloured and influenced by one’s social and local contexts.

In his illuminating elaborations, A. S. Barwich examines in an accessibly manner the way smell is processed, interpreted and evaluated and closes in on the actual epicentre of the olfactory receptors in the nasal passage.

I found Smellosophy interesting as it made me question a range of things that I took for granted and never wondered about, e.g. why it is harder for me to determine as smell compared to telling differences and nuances between smells. This might appear obvious, but Barwich goes deeper and unveils deeper layers, looking at resulting mental images and both the verbal and conceptual representations thereof.

Things get really interesting when Barwich elaborates on how smelling can be compared to seeing and how it fits in with how neuroscience positions how we perceive things – if you are not familiar with the scientific models, Barwich comes to the rescue deciphering and presenting concepts in a nutshell and illustrates them in accessible worldly terms.

Smellosophy is a refreshingly educational book that channels its approach through scientific, philosophical and worldly lenses to present a holistic hole.

The Perfect Fascist – Victoria de Grazia

As Henry A. Wallace put it so poignantly, the myth of fascist efficacy has deluded many people and one of the more prominent protagonists is Mussolini and his fascist regime in Italy.

Victoria de Grazia carefully examines the roots of Benito Mussolini, his rise to power and what enabled him based on a personal incident involving his associate and military officer Attilio Teruzzi that soon became fatally political as it helped to eventually spawn the introduction of Italy’s first race laws.

Following Sylvia Plath’s preferences, De Grazia historically exemplifies the appeal and seductiveness of fascism, embedding her findings in a novel-like scenario. Centred around the renouncement of a marriage, the development and evolution of fascism in Italy is weaved in as it takes hold in all facets in society and becomes engrained in concepts of honour and masculinity, which results in the destruction and corruption of individuals and undermines pure emotions, i.e. making love a political affair.

Entwining two narratives, the contradictions and implications of fascisms are shown both on a national, political and bigger picture level as well as in private spheres, including those of its main proponents. Seemingly unrelated parts complement one another to a comprehensive whole that shows par excellence that the personal is the political and both the correlation and interdependencies.

Water of Life - Rampur

The uninitiated seem to be surprised when one raves about the fantastic whiskies emanating from the subcontinent, however, the connoisseurs know that India is home to distilleries that consistently push the boundaries of what is thought possibly when it comes to the refinement of excellent drop.

Enter Rampur Indian Single Malt, the parent distillery of which has honed its alchemy of distilling been since the early 1940s and whose portfolio includes a selection of rums, vodka and gins.

Rampur’s unique location, i.e. the Uttar Pradesh region in Northern India is close to the Himalayas and the resulting extremes of climate that come with the territory add an x-factor to the complexity of its whiskies as it speeds up the aging process.

Needless to say that I was intrigued and had to explore what Rampur makes of its locally grown six-row barley that is distilled in its traditional copper pot stills.

Medium amber in colour, stating that the Rampur Select expression’s aromas are fruity would be an understatement par excellence – a varied bouquet of honeyed cherries tickle the nostrils with highlights of orange, papayas and dried pears.

What the nose promised seamlessly extends to the palate in the creamiest of manners, with the papaya nuances being enriched by highlights of vanilla, marmalade, eucalyptus, spicy clove and floral notes that are backed by a woody oakyness and bits of malty cocoa.

The elongated finish bookends the experience by turning the volume up on the spicy notes, adding nutmeg and rosemary flavours to the mix, while continuing to riff on the aforementioned fruity and herbal notes.

Clocking in at 43% ABV, Rampur entry level Select is a balanced and flavourfully aromatic expression, which in some aspects I find to be reminiscent of some Japanese whiskies.

Rampur’s Double Cask Indian Single Malt takes things up a few notches – not surprisingly as not unlike the name suggests, it is aged in a mix of bourbon barrels and sherry casks, with the common denominator that there is again no age statement included.

On the nose, again a fruit basket unfolds its array of tones, ranging from stone fruits to apricot notes, which is amplified by the Sherry cask maturation.

The transition to the palate is as seamless as can be as the top of the mouth finds itself engulfed in swirls of fruity highlights, spicy notes from the European oak based on a foundation of earthy grains and slight hints of ethanol and vermouth.

For many, the subcontinent is the hotbed for gin, given specifically the influx of British soldiers and their endeavours to combat malaria by ingesting the juniper spirit mixed with tonic, however, traditionally India is not exactly known for being the home of too many gin distilleries.

Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is the product of Rampur’s home distillery Radico Khaitan. Clocking in at 43% ABV, the triple distilled spirit is infused with Indian botanicals among which Darjeeling green tea leaves leave a distinct impression, backed by zesty lemongrass, coriander and cubeb pepper berries – with juniper interestingly enough not being a listed part of the equation at all. This very fact adds an interesting layer as instead of what would expect in terms of gin aromas, lime, orangey and lemony notes are dominant.

On the top of the mouth, the lime-lemon dominance continues, accentuated by a hint of peppery spice and a slight berry fruitiness.

The medium finish reverberates with a light sweetness that rest on a bed of floral notes, which makes it an interestingly drinking experience that not a lot of other stereotypical gins offer.

Glad I finally got to experience Rampur in all its glory, which took a bit longer than expected as it appears that currently a new distribution arrangement needs to be put in place for Oceania.

Given the quality of the distillery’s drops, I am confident that this will be rectified soon as whisky connoisseurs would feel deprived not having access to this nectar.