Blog — Page 123 of 278

Water of Life – Meticulousness and Attention to Detail

The AMC series Breaking Bad has chronicled the exploits of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned drug lord who with meticulous attention to detail perfectioned an ingenious recipe for ultrapure methamphetamine. Now, I am not saying that what  David Baker, founder  of Bakery Hill, does is a job parallel to Walt refining a process to synthesize the drug from the ground up, but if we follow the narrative of the TV show, the product he produced was not only immensely pure but also highly consistent – a quality that not a lot of distillers, specifically on terra australis can claim for their emissions in the realm of spirits. Needless to say that David’s background in food science has not hurt perfecting a technically sound approach to distilling.

However, there is Bakery Hill.

A distillery that has calibrated its distilling techniques to ensure that they arrive at exactly the product they set out to produce – and they have documented each facet of the process. While I have previously waxed lyrical about not only Bakery Hill’s core range, but specifically their Sovereign Smoke expression, which in terms of peaty whiskey remains unrivalled in Australia, a recent tasting took things to a whole new level.

The craft beer brewery Hop Nation’s brews have made an appearance as a component of boilermakers for the longest time, so learning about a collaboration with Bakery Hill resulted in high expectations. The dram that materialized in front of me clocks in at 48% ABV and having matured for five years in American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels before being finished for twelve months in fifty litre Hop Nation “Kalash” Imperial Stout Barrel is quite something. With Kalash being a potent Russian imperial stout and having already been matured in wine and port barrels before it was seasoned in bourbon barrels from Woodford Reserve, it elevates Bakery Hill’s whiskey by adding a wide array of coffee, fruity and dark chocolatey nuances that take your tastebuds on quite a delightful rollercoaster ride.

So far, so good – just when I thought that this new Bakery Hill expression was going to become part of the distillery’s top three, a mysterious drop that went by the working title “DB #1” was proffered.

This one marks the first time Bakery Hill brewed and distilled peated spirit from scratch in-house before letting it mature in Melbourne’s ever unpredictable climate and the result is not only world class but in essence, simply divine: While the peat is on the lighter side of things, there are subtle nuances of tropical zestiness and bitter oak, which builds to a vanilla crescendo backed by spicy, peppery undertones. An elongated, complex finish reminiscent of malted barley and Port Charlotte-esque saltiness leaves one smacking one’s lips.

Now, going with the theme of “attention to detail” I would like to shed light on the art of bartending.

It was more or less by accident that I have had the fortune to cross paths with one Agostino Perrone. As the name suggests, an Italian gentleman, who in the third dimension is the epitome of a gentleman, starting with a tailored three-piece suit to an impeccably demeanour that is both warm yet highly professional.

Through conversation it became apparent that Agostino is heading the Connaught Bar and majorly responsible that be entering it, you are stepping into another world. The interior design of the stylish bar evoking timeless elegance with its English and Irish Cubist art of the 1920s along with the emissions of his team of mixologists might be parts of the magic, however, there is a “je ne sais quoi” that infuses the equation with an x-factor that is not often found elsewhere.

I was lucky enough to witness Agostino Perrone and his partner in crime Giorgio Bargiani channel their Mayfair-esque Connaught magic at one of Australia’s most lauded bars, i.e. Maybe Sammy.

See, on a bad day, Maybe Sammy is exactly what the name suggests: An opulently designed – think gold and brass fittings meeting pink velvet banquettes - theatrical jazz era haunt that is dedicated to the 1950s with all the toppings that would have made the Ratpack felt right at home, including an exquisite melange of high roller cocktails.

Combine the wizardry of Maybe Sammy’s accolade-decorated mixologists with Agostinos and Giorgio’s idiosyncratic approach to martini mixing, and you got something else – despite the cocktail being over a century old and traditionally only being comprised of two ingredients.

I always understood that a cocktail like a martini demands a certain level of palate maturity and to be honest, I have always like the aesthetics of a martini ritual yet never been a big fan as far as the actual flavours go. This ignorant take on things changed dramatically once I was proffered what can only be prescribed as a superbly silky cocktail that was tailored to my liking and prepared with a hospitality and attention to detail, I had not encountered before.

My palate jubilated as I imbibed the martini that was based on foundation of the bold and dry Sipsmith gin stirred with vermouth over ice, strained into a chilled glass and garnished with an olive.

What I learned from Agostino is that he tried to determine first what my favourite base spirit was to then finetune the proceeding and choice of adage accordingly. Learning more about the variants of vermouth, i.e. fortified wine, and how it needs to be chilled as well as how important the right ratio with gin is, which depending on how it is mixed with ice helps unfold its botanical aromas, which is further aided by garnishes like olives, lemon peels or more exotic ones like pickled onions, which add savoury undertones.

London might be known for many things and offer a myriad of things to experience – for myself going go visit where Agostino and his worthy channel their alchemy has become a mandatory pilgrimage.

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photos by @k.a.vv

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Exit Brewing

The endless saga…just when I thought I had my favourite Australian IPA go-tos firmly established, a brewery pops up that disrupts it all:

Enter Exit Brewing, which shall be the focal point of this instalment, a brewery that begs the question of how I could have possibly composed together my beloved boilermakers without it.

Exit Brewing is one of those breweries that let their emissions speak for themselves instead of engaging in wild marketing manoeuvres.

Having originally started their operations out of where Kaiju! Brewery, they channel their alchemy under a telling moniker, i.e. “ex-IT” signifying the industry Exit Brewing’s founders emerged from, with the focus  firmly set on the production of premium craft brews.

If you have not noticed yet, claiming that your humble narrator harbours a weak spot for IPAs would be an understatement par excellence, however, they need to be well calibrated.

In essence, Exit Brewing’s IPA focusses on what makes an India Pale Ale great – fulminant grassy hop flavours that rest on a bed of resinous pine and caramel and are accentuated by refreshing citrussy highlights.

The exquisitely bold melange of sweet- and bitterness is smooth, never not in the tradition of more refined variants of classic West Coast IPAs and clocking in at 7% ABV dangerously more-ish, as the elongated finish lingers with an awesome mouthfeel.

Summa summarum – a grand, grand and bold IPA that entered my top five of Australian craft beers and makes me more than eager to get my hands on Exit Brewing’s IIPA, which apparently skims the cream of the best of what Chinook, Centennial, Sorachi Ace, Simcoe, Mosaic and Citra hops have to offer as well as their Hazy IPA, which apparently benefits from “biotransformation” due to adage of dry hops caught in actively fermenting stages.

To be continued...

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image from company website

The Darkness

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, Australia

March 13, 2020

It has been a few moons since I first saw The Darkness incarnate in a live environment, which was in the UK shortly after they landed their hit album ”Permission to land” and which saw their nonetheless fantastic live performance mildly affected by the throes of rock stardom and the readily available substances that come with it, which only seemed to give the theatrics of the show an additional dimension of authenticity: The way they unapologetically channelled the heritage of bands like Boston, Queen,  AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and other glam heroes while not missing to infuse it all with their own DNA and passion was quite something.

Having now an arsenal of two decades of band history to cover, the first half of tonight’s set focussed on their most recent emission, i.e. the album “Easter Is Cancelled”, before proceedings were rounded out by proffering their old hits in the second act after a costume change.

The first act of the night  saw the band incarnating in white satin and from the get go, the sold out audience was in the thrall of the never not charming front man Justin and his worthy constituents, as they delivered their well-calibrated melange of melodic glam rock gems with pouty lips galore and all the trimmings.

The second act served as the corresponding “yang” to the angelic beginning, signified by a costume change, which saw the band re-enter the stage decked out in black.

Heavy on audacious guitar wizardry, glam histrionics and with a near pitch perfect vocal delivery including piercing falsetto screams, in 2020 The Darkness are still going strong.

Having at times been written off as a unicorn act or a joke, tonight again solidified The Darkness as a band at peace with themselves and a force to be reckoned with.

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photos courtesy of @k.a.vv

Water of Life – Kavalan Vinho Barrique and Daneson Toothpicks

We have shed light on Kavalan and their excellent emission from various angles over the last years and I have yet to come across a dram from this unique and by now accolade decorated Taiwanese distillery that would disappoint me. With their focus set firmly on quality management and the uncompromising, meticulous selection, sourcing and curation of casks, they inhabit a place in terms of consistency that rivals the practices of top Scottish distilleries.

Now, every time I found myself raving about my preference for Kavalan whiskeys, enthusiasts could not believe that I had never tried what is commonly believed to be one of their flagship and best creations, i.e. the much fabled about Kavalan Single Malt Solist Vinho Barrique.

Clocking in at a solid 57.7% ABV and a deep colouring reminiscent of the fulminant shades of ruby and mahogany, the aromas that tickle the nostrils are instantaneously reminiscent of dark rum and floral notes, with highlights of citrussy nuances that rest on a bed of dark chocolate and vanilla.

What the nose promised, finds its extension on the palate, with the Vinho Barrique in terms of flavours being rooted in rum and cognac territory, which are elevated by vanilla and sugary highlights. Add a few drops of water and the complexity is rounded out as spicier notes come to the fore.

While the aforementioned might indicate that the Vinho Barrique is smoothness incarnated, there is a bit of bite to it as it comes to the elongated finish: While one feels serenaded by grapes and an overall cognac-esque feel, the alcohol cuts through – not in a dissonant but a highly welcome way as it keeps things interesting.

Given that the drop matured in Vinho wine casks, “vinho” signifying “young wine”, and the fact that the casks have previously been seasoned with both white and red wines before being re-charred to aid with caramelization, it is not further wondrous that this expression has depth that has added fruity dimensions, which are vibrant yet subtle and strikes a well-calibrated balance that carries what has become the DNA and benchmarked quality of Kavalan, a distillery that keeps setting new standards and raising the bar.

Now for something a bit different.

I like a good toothpick, all the more when there is a bit of flavour to it, let alone that of whiskies and bourbons.

Daneson is a company dedicated to sweating the small stuff and enhancing man’s simple pleasures, which in this case means that they take source natural ingredients from family-owned suppliers, i.e. American northern white birch.

The two varieties of toothpicks I have had the pleasure to sample are that of Single Malt No.16 - fourteen-year-old Islay scotch whisky imbued with notes of oak tannins, peat, almond, and vanilla and the Bourbon No.22 - steeped in six-year-old cask strength Kentucky straight bourbon, which results in a melange of oak, leather, caramel, and almond and hints of fruit once this toothpick is warmed up.

It is interesting how flavour nuances unfold once one starts sucking on the toothpick and warming it up. From a foundation of oak barrel flavours at the beginning, a bite unleashes subtle highlights of the botanicals, extracts, and phenols, which will start to release from deep inside the birch, resulting in more delicate and delicious tasting notes.

The toothpicks come in specifically designed glass tube with corks and have become a welcome go to treat, especially after a good lunch.

Sometimes it is all about the simple pleasures in life...

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images from company websites

Rare Bird Publications special:

Mutations: Twenty Years Embedded in Hardcore Punk

Sam McPheeters

Rare Bird Publications

Sam McPheeters first entered my life via Born Against during my formative years as a juvenile delinquent and left an indelible mark, which continued with his other emissions and involvements, e.g. his writings, other bands and his excellent label Vermiform Records. Now, for anyone who has been remotely involved with Sam’s oeuvre or inspired thereby, chances are that you will be hard pressed to put this book down as it is an excellently written tour de force full of anecdotes not only detailing what happened behind the scenes during his years as a hardcore punk activist but also musings on what punk meant for him and his comrades and how it evolved as they grew older.

I’ve reviewed Sam’s foray into fiction before and while both The Loom of Ruin and Exploded View were at times disturbingly entertaining, unpredictable and plastered with dark social commentary, Mutations presents McPheeters as a writer that has honed his craft as he examines the hardcore punk phenomenon with surgical precision.

Over the years many books have crossed my desk with the objective to define what punk is its essence. Some were of academic nature; others border lined revisionism as self-proclaimed luminaries shared a view that was solely channelled through their lens and a lot of the elaborations were futile attempts at infusing something with significance that per se has no fixed identity.

What makes Sam’s viewpoint appealing and accessible is his honesty with which he approaches each of the profiles, essays, interviews and most importantly his personal history, which adds depth to the many different versions of hardcore punk that he incarnated in.

Needless to say that those who are more familiar with Sam McPheeters’ bands, writings and actions, will be able to read in between the lines and connect the dots, which exposes the reasons and background stories that spurned some of his more controversial undertakings.

For the ones that have never heard of Sam McPheeters, Mutations offers insights into a genre that is unlike any other within the realms of underground music, written in an illuminating style that in a subtle manner effortlessly plays the claviature of the facets that inform human behaviour and which from your humble narrator in equal measure elicited laughter, consternation, bewilderment or alternatively the feeling that one could not agree more.

Live at the Safari Club: A History of Hardcore Punk in the Nation's Capital 1988–1998

Shawna Kenney and Rich Dolinger

Now, reviewing Live at the Safari Club after having read Sam McPheeters’ Mutations is quite a trip as it is being touted as the “uncensored oral history” of an underground punk venue and reading the contributions from bands, fans, writers, promoters and scenesters is in parts diametrically opposed to the angle of Mutations,  then again in many aspects an extension in a “quod erat demonstrandum” way, i.e. each protagonist has his or her unique interpretation. The book is comprised of over two hundred interviews of bands that have shaped hardcore punk for decades to come, e.g. New York Hardcore stalwarts Sick of it All and Gorilla Biscuits, bands that gained mainstream success like Bad Religion, Nirvana and Danzig and bands that started out and emerged from the hardcore punk scene to then evolve to other musical scenes or create their very own lanes, e.g. Tom Waits’ band or My Morning Jacket.

Needless to say that the photos that opulently illustrate and accompany the interviews are eye candy, depicting and encapsulating the energy and passion that made hardcore punk a genre unlike any other, which make this beautiful tome an ode to the golden era of the genre as it raged within the idiosyncratic confines of a club in Washington D.C. – a city that spawned activists whose emissions planted the seeds for a network of underground bands that formed the 1980s indie-rock scene and whose ethics effectively changed the way music could be made accessible and created.