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Water of Life – Overeem Distillery

As part of our whisk(e)y-centric series, we have covered a wide range of Tasmanian distilleries, most of which I have had the privilege to visit and meet the protagonists behind the still. The one that almost got away and that has been ranking high on my list has been Overeem.

The back story is complex: When the founder Casey Overeem retired in 2014 after seven years of producing excellent drops, the distillery continued under the umbrella of Lark before Australian Whisky Holdings (AWY) acquired it.

The great news is that Overeem ( https://overeemwhisky.com/ ) will transition back into the hands of the family that founded it as Jane Overeem and her better half Mark Sawford, i.e. Sawford Distillery, have bought it back with settlement set for June 2020.

Given that Overeem was one of the founding distilleries on terra australis, what gets me excited about the distillery re-emerging is that there is a commitment to not only honour but revive the DNA that informed Casey’s meticulous work, which led to its emissions being decorated with awards on not only national but international terrain – prospects of plans about expansion via distribution in the UK should get anyone in the old world excited who is remotely into great single malts, specifically of the high calibre that Tasmania has consistently delivered.

While I am typing this, I am indulging in a dram of the alchemy that has channelled in a single French oak Port cask that has been chopped down to hold mere hundred litres. Not unlike with one of my favourite whiskies, i.e. Laphroaig’s Quarter Cask, the small cask size increases the speed of interaction between the wood, the liquid and the air, producing a more intense flavour, which is hinted at by what tickles the nostril upon approach: A bouquet of white flowers, vanilla, ripe summer fruits (strawberry, plum, nectarine and redcurrant) with a sweetened cream drizzled over the top. The delicate part is that it is pervaded in a subtle manner by oaky, peachy undertones.

On the top of the mouth, the savoury sweetness the nose hinted at takes a welcomed left turn towards a deeper, darker rich fruitiness, highlighted by nuances of liquorice, peppery spice, toasted vanilla and dark chocolate. Delicious.

An elongated complex finish is well-calibrated between the coordinates of tannic oak, the essence of sweet dark fruits and the most subtle wafts of smoke, which makes one lust to try the cask strength version as the balance between spirit and the character infused through the port cask treatment is superb.

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image from company website

Kaizen

Sarah Harvey

Pan Macmillan

For the ones looking for inspiration, there has never been a shortage of wisdom that could be extracted and adopted from the lifestyle and philosophy that forms the foundation and DNA and Japan. The principle of Kaizen, i.e. the idea and methodology to take small steps towards the achievement of grand objectives, is one of them. The beauty of such concepts is that at their core, they are simple, are easy to apply and make a lot of sense, even for the most mundane Westerner.

While Kaizen has been widely applied to improve the processes and mechanisms in companies to create a more efficient and gratifying workplace, having lived in Japan, Sarah Harvey’s partly autobiographical book focuses on how it can be used to improve one’s personal life in aspects such as health, finance and relationships by exemplifying tangible manageable actions the sum and build-up of which pave the way to achieving bigger goals.

For those familiar with Japanese philosophy, the entry level approach of this beautifully illustrated, hardbound book might be too common sensical, but it is certainly a nice resource to have on hand and come back to when one feels stuck in life, has trouble finding a starting point and can serve as a springboard to delve deeper into a theory the application of which only has upsides when it comes to making meaningful changes to one’s life.

Me by Elton John

Pan Macmillan

As far as I am concerned, the rocket man has always been around and once I overcame the self-imposed stoic juvenile orthodox phase of not being interested in anything else than what emerged from the confines of the punk rock ghetto, I was quite delighted to delve into Elton John’s back catalogue and scratch the surface of the public image he had cultivated over the decades.

Now, chances are that if you made it that long in showbiz there are reasons for it that transcend musical and pop cultural trends, which is where things get interesting when memoirs emerge that are paved with anecdotes and stories of  an illustrious rollercoaster of career – even more so when the author has a self-awareness, honesty and self-deprecation.

With Elton John there is no shortage of public feuds and at times bizarre private eccentricities, ranging from debauchery with drugs – and we talk about delusions of Howard Hughes-like grandeur -  to the evolution of becoming the elder statesman of British pop music whose country has released a collection of stamps in his honour.

The mere description of some of the excesses he indulged in, his narcissism – keep in mind that his husband titled a documentary on him “Tantrums and Tiaras” and the ups and downs of his career would be entertaining enough, but again, his level-headedness, wisdom and refined ability to spin a yarn make this an engaging and fun read, which is enhanced by the view from his cemented status he has achieved in the world of A-Listers that was never merely provisional.

It is great to see that the book avoids the pitfalls of most autobiographies in terms of self-parody and revisionism and that the one being made most fun of is Elton himself, which shows a man that has come full-circle detailing the life of someone who has done it all and lives to tell the tales in an accessible of self-lacerating, clear-eyed entertaining voice.

Water of Life – Jack Daniels Single Barrel and Sinatra Select

After having covered a myriad of distilleries as part of this series, it is almost sacrilege that we have not touched on one of the most prominent American ones that produces whiskey yet ticks the boxes of bourbon as well, i.e. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey.

Compared to other affordable and widely available mellow drops that offer an economic drinking experience, I found Jack Daniels always good value for money, especially while roaming in the more remote regions of Asia. An occasion in my early twenties, where my still virgin and underdeveloped palate got to share a coke / JD concoction with Lemmy Kilmister (at 11am) ensured that every future sip was inextricably tied to a great memory.

Today we shall venture beyond JD’s core range that even the hardcore spirit luddites would be familiar with when and start by zero-ing in on their Single Barrel bottling, which is one of the more interesting efforts as compared to blends, rule of thumb is that a single bottling does not offer any room to hide anything and must stand for itself.

Derived from what is referred to as Lincoln County Process, i.e. a process that is focussed on removing impurities and diminishing the dominating aspect of corn by steeping the whiskey for six days in ten foot vats and passing through maple charcoal that was made by burning maple wood that had been impregnated with high octane Jack Daniel’s whiskey, before being put in new charred oak barrels and aged for up to seven years.

Resting firmly on the foundation of the trademark Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 offering, a composition of corn rye and malted barley along with the charcoal filtering that makes their drops instantly recognizable, the nostrils are tickled by a warm melange of burnt banana bread, citrussy caramel, nutty, heavily toasted oak reminiscent of apples, with the profile leaning towards a more alcoholic end courtesy of  being bottled at 47% ABV. Not exactly an overly complex aroma, however, very enjoyable and I find myself coming back to it in between sips.

When it comes to what materializes on the palate with this toffee coloured dram, the aromas are further manifested, and it lacks the roughness most would associate with American brown spirits. Cinnamon is omnipresent and informed by both woody tannins and oaky nuances with a subtle honey sweetness that seamlessly transitions into a finish, which is enriched by the appearance of peppery highlights and a grainy maltiness.

Summa summarum, the Single Barrel is a higher end, well-balanced, rounded expression and should be the natural step up for anyone who enjoys the standard version and is looking for the enhancement of character that a careful selection of barrels can make, which in the case of the Single Barrels were selected from the upper floors of the warehouses as supposedly this offers the ideal conditions for more spirit interaction with the charred wood.

Now, let’s take things up a few notches, shall we?

Apart from the aforementioned front man of Motorhead (RIP), who was a charismatic walking and breathing authentic advertisement for Jack Daniel’s core range, at least before he had to transition to vodka towards the end of his time on this earthround, Jack Daniel’s has had another prominent advocate, i.e. Ole Blue Eyes, who was in effect the diametric opposite of Lemmy as he once quipped that rock’n roll was the most ugly, brute and vicious form of expression he had the misfortune to hear.

One could argue that catering to both ends of the spectrum speaks for the common denominator quality of Jack Daniel’s.

Needless to say that once Frank Sinatra voiced his unbridled enthusiasm for enjoying JD during, after and well, before his show, famously quipping that it is the “nectar of the gods”, the brand became, became a household name and eventually started honouring him with a special edition.

Now, I am only human, i.e. pour me a good drop and turn up the tunes of the rat pack and we got a party going, so intriguing me with an expression Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select was not that difficult.

Not unlike the Single Barrel expression we covered earlier based on the foundation of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, the drop is enhanced by marrying it with whiskey created from specially made Sinatra barrels: The barrels have deep grooves, which were cut into the staves of the casks. This procedure increases the amount of exposure the whiskey has to the charred virgin wood, i.e. in this case a deep red layer. The very same barrels were used for one of the better recent Ardbeg Committee releases, i.e. the appropriately labelled “Grooves”, which we covered as part of the Ardbeg 2018 feature.

What I instantly like about the dark amber coloured Sinatra Select is that upon approach, smoke and roasted oak is prominent due to the barrel impact. While the trademark JD sweetness and nuances of cinnamon and apples shine through in the middle, it rounds out in the same manner.  Very inviting from the get-go and it instantly adds another dimension to what one is used to from JD.

Now, do not get me wrong – when I mention “smoke”, we are not remotely near Islay territory and it is very subtle, however, it is a nice start of the journey. On the top of the mouth, vanilla-esque, fruity flavours greet us and delight what could be described as an orangey liquid version of crème brûlée, punctuated by oaky tannins and peppery spicy notes.

I am not usually a big fan of using the adjective “smooth” as a descriptor for whisk(e)y, but if there was a drop that would qualify as such, Sinatra Select would be an example par excellence with its dry, dark chocolate-, orange peel finish.

A very solid offering that with its packaging offers a bit of eye candy as well: Honouring the traditional Jack Daniel’s look, the massive one litre bottle with its firm base is housed in a fabric covered locker box that comes with intricate details paying homage to Frank Sinatra, including an richly illustrated hard bound booklet detailing the relationship between Frank and JD, along with an invitation to the Jack Daniel’s Country Club  - again a subtle reference for those in the know.

Despite the opulent packaging, there is much more to Sinatra Select than being a higher proof gimmicky premium edition and anyone remotely into American whiskeys and bourbons should acquaint themselves with it.

Frank is fabled to have quipped that he was in favour for anything that gets one through the night – be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniel’s – the third is by far more enjoyable option and while I’d prefer a bottle of Octomore, I can see why Sinatra chose this one  to be buried with.

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images from company website

May: Say the Name, George Floyd

Thanks for checking in on this month's Search/Play/Repeat playlist, but frankly it doesn't matter what I listened to this month. I can already tell you that there hasn't been enough Black representation in my playlists, and it's something I need to rectify in future playlists. To our Black readers, I apologize. Your voices matter. Your lives matter. George Floyd's life mattered. Stay Safe. Stay Loud. Support all Black lives because BLACK LIVES MATTER:

George Floyd Memorial Fund

Black Visions

Campaign Zero

Reclaim the Block