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Water of Life - Peat's Beast

Now we are talking – having lusted for the longest time to find out what the emission with the punchy name of quality bottler has to offer, I finally got to experience it in the old world. When it comes to peated nectar, I found blended expressions to be a bit of a hit-and-miss. There are plenty of good ones, however, there is rarely one that fully satisfies and not only serves as an appetizer and inspiration to then reach for a dram of the big and trusted Islay whiskies to get the whole show in all its glory.

Unsurprisingly, what tickles the nostrils is dominated by peat, however, not overwhelmingly and not in a one-dimensional way as apart from the expected wood smoke and wafts of tar, there are subtle citrussy nuances and highlights of apples.

What the first aroma promises, finds its natural extension on the palate but gains depth and character as one finds hints of pepper, ham and seaweed, which are counteracted by banana-esque flavours, all of which rest on a bed of phenols. Opposed to other blends, I find it immensely satisfying with a viscous, oily mouthfeel, especially as it combines a complexity with a rawness that in this form is rarely found.

Stating that Peat’s Beast has an elongated finish would be an understatement par excellence as the flavours that materializes on the top of the roof are rounded out with a smoky, peppery crescendo, the dark chocolate-y highlight of which leaves on lusting for more.

As with many blends, the distilleries and exact origins are not made transparent, however, with a phenol level of 35 ppm and emerging from the Speyside region of Scotland, this beautiful beast has some beauty in it that is reminiscent of the better parts of some of my favourite drams from Islay.

The fact that the label is a work of beauty (illustrated by Brazilian Doug Alves), completes the overall great experience with this chardonnay coloured, young heavy hitter that despite its telling name is not a one trick pony.

Merely knowing that this review covered the entry level 46% ABV version and that the Peat’s Beast range has been extended to include a cask strength version, a Pedro Ximénez finish and most importantly an Islay Single Malt, adds a few things to my whisky bucket list.

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image from company website

Water of Life – Tomintoul

Full disclosure: Tomintoul Distillery was not exactly at the forefront of my mind when it came to Speyside distilleries.

This is mainly due to the fact that so far, I have not had the pleasure of sampling their emissions yet, despite having been a stalwart since 1965 – which is not further wondrous as in the world of spirits where the limelight is often taken by those who shout loudest and mainstream acclaim is not necessarily based on the merits of the product itself.

While Tomintoul Distillery harbours other brands and blends under its umbrella, I would like to focus on their single malt expressions today, all of which are refreshingly primarily age statement based.

Approaching the matter in a vertical tasting style, my point of entry is the Tomintoul 10.

Upon first contact, Speyside characteristics are front and centre, i.e. a melange of vanilla, mocha and oaky malt tickle the nostrils, the aroma of which is extended when the viscous, oily drop unfolds its sugary, fruity caramelly malt notes on the palate.

While the finish is not exactly the longest, Tomintoul’s 10 qualifies as a gentle, mellow and charming every day Speyside sipper in my book and proves to be extremely good value for money, specifically for the uninitiated.

Let’s take things up a notch, shall we?

Tomintoul with a Peaty Tang is where things got interesting for me. The name does not mislead as the nose does suggest peat in a moderate manner, which adds depth and dimension as it is carefully calibrated and embedded in an array of piney and citrussy notes.

What caresses the top of the mouth is a subtle wave of sweet peat punctuated by salty milky chocolate notes with welcome hints of nutty highlights. A nice addition to my peaty whisky shelf.

With Tomintoul 16-Year-Old we are now entering borderline premium territory: With the drop having been aged for at least sixteen years in bourbon casks, the aroma carries Tomintoul’s trademark light vanilla and fruit notes. The palate is being caressed by an amplified version of the raisiny, cocoa and interestingly, nutty flavours that seem to be somewhat a trademark of Tomintoul’s emissions.

Located within the Glenlivet estate, Tomintoul is distillery that should be on the map of any Speyside aficionado.

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image from company website

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Exit Brewing Saison

Having made many treks to Belgium, I harbour a spot not only for the delicious local chocolate but also Belgian beer and while it is difficult to make generalizations due to individuality of their thirteens beer variants, there is something to them that makes them distinctively “Belgian”, i.e. a sublime melange of balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness, which culminates in fruity, spicy, floral, at times savoury and herbal aromas. A melange that is harmoniously calibrated.

Having convinced with its IPA expression and demonstrated that they are adept at channelling their alchemy of brewing expertly across a range of styles, it is needless to say that I was eager to experience what Exit Brewing has in store when it comes to tackling what is rooted in their appreciation of the emissions of Frase and Grum.

Exit Brewing’s homage to the artisanal craft of Belgian beer brewing manifests in their Saison variant. Safe to say that it is a deliberate sidestep from their exquisite core range, the Saison is not merely a replica or lacklustre interpretation of what an Australian version of a Belgian beer could be like, but takes the aforementioned traditional traits and infused it with the Exit Brewing DNA, which in this case also includes New World Hops and specifically Sorachi Ace.

Sorachi Ace is a Japanese hop variant that rounds out the flavour profile by adding nuances of lemon, lime and honey that not only serve as a counterpoint but complement and makes the citrus forward yeast character less dominant.

An elongated finish culminates in spicy notes just in the right measure to flirt with the underlying sweetness one you be expecting from a Belgian style brew.

Clocking in at 6.2% alcohol by volume, Exit Brewing’s Saison proves to be an exercise par excellence in honouring traditional brewing methods and taking them to the next level without traversing into novelty territory.

Cannot wait to sample Exit’s elusive DIPA...

April: Refunds in 30 Days or Less

Thanks for tuning in for another round of Search/Play/Repeat! If you've been following this blog, I just want to say thanks and I hope you've found something new. If this is your first time checking it out, the basic gist is I listen to albums I've never heard before and make playlists of songs from those albums for you folks to (hopefully) enjoy. I try to keep a theme to a majority of the playlist. This month's theme came at the suggestion of fellow writer, Dennis. The current climate has been making it very difficult for artists and this was the month where tours started making the jump from "postponed" to "canceled." We thought it might be helpful to give some of those bands the exposure they missed on the road, so most of the bands on this month's playlist are bands that had shows/tours lined up for Spring but had to cancel or postpone. Let's jump in!

Kicking off April's playlist is Slingshot Dakota, who had plans to hit the road with Off With Their Heads. I've been following Slingshot Dakota ever since that "Noah Takes a Picture of Himself Everyday for 6 Years" video, which features Carly Comando's song. I hadn't listened to their last album, Heavy Banding yet, so I dove in. Fun fact: The very first time I ever drove myself and a friend to a show after getting my license, was supposed to be Slingshot Dakota at some pizza parlor back in 2008. I say "supposed to be," because while we did show up, we didn't see the show. I don't recall the flyer having a start time, so we got there around the presumptive time of 7:30 or 8. After about 30 minutes of sitting in the parking lot with no signs or indication of a punk show happening, we left. Somehow, in 12 years, I still haven't seen Slingshot Dakota, and it doesn't look like this year is going to be the year.

Another band I should have seen at the end of March was War on Women when they supported Alkaline Trio and Bad Religion. A tour which had been postponed to Fall up until a few days ago when they decided to outright cancel the tour to avoid fans having trouble getting refunds for a concert 8 months away that they have no clue whether they'll be able to attend or not. I think the only time I've heard War on Women was when they were on other playlists. It was about time to give them a proper listen. Drug Church is another band I haven't spent much time with which were supposed to support Against Me! and Baroness at the end of May, but alas, that tour has been canceled as well in lieu of a postponement.

Then, there're the artists with new albums that they should have been on the road promoting. Milk Teeth put out their self-titled sophomore album late last month, and it's great! A vast improvement over their already solid, Vile Child. Brian Fallon has a new solo-album, Local Honey, out now as well. I hadn't dabbled in his solo-efforts before, but I prefer it to The Gaslight Anthem's last few albums. While we're on the topic of new albums, who else was blown away by Fiona Apple's new album? Fetch the Bolt Cutters is a contender for my album of the year. That's for sure. The Stroke's made a triumphant return after 7 years and a friend of mine, Alex Okami, just put out his debut EP, Under the Same Moon. If you like dark and moody gamboling tunes then check it out.

That's just a few of the albums I listened to in April. If you hear something you like, please consider picking up some music and supporting artists. Many record stores are doing curbside pick-up, or help keep The USPS going by buying from the band directly and having some music shipped to you. Most importantly, stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy! Thanks for checking in.

Water of Life – Archie Rose

With the distillery having started out with a focus on “white” spirits currently being dedicated to the large scale production of hand sanitiser to combat the spread of Covid-19 and their stunning bar being closed, it surely must have been exciting news coming in from the old world:

Having been lauded the World's Best Rye Whisky at the 2020 incarnation of the World Whiskies Awards in London, Archie Rose Distillery has now firmly established itself on global territory with its Rye Malt Whisky – a spirit category that is usually dominated by North American distillers from the Kentucky whiskey trail.

What Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky accomplished is the infusion of a category with an innovative approach by creating a very different expression of rye, i.e. one that is distilled from malted grain and matured in air dried American oak barrels, rather than a mere homage to what is tested and tried with the more traditional American ryes and the ones merely characterized by spicy nuances.

Vatted rather than being a single cask product, AR’s Rye Malt is released in numbered batches – now, what might sound like a bit of a lottery is quality controlled by blind tasting along the way and across batches to ensure consistency and the elimination of discrepancies – quite a feat given its textured complexity. A testament to their focus on meticulous process, transparency and quality.

While Rye is usually not necessarily a favourite, it proved hard to resist what tickled the nostrils once uncorked, i.e. a sublime melange of aniseed and liquorice that rests on a bed cider-esque apple notes. The creaminess that caresses the top of the roof adds further depth to what the aroma promised and accentuates it further with gingery spicy highlights that seamlessly transitions into an elongated finish which serves with its dry yet rich nutty undertones as counterpoint to the initial sweetness.

Gin is usually not my go to but Archie Rose’s Harvest Gin from 2019 intrigued me as not only has the distillery continuously raised the bar with its white spirit emissions, but the fact that with this one,  the focus was set on Australia's produce with the peel of a tangelo-pomelo hybrid with bright yellow skin being the star of the show, flanked by bergamot, emerald green finger lime, lemon-scented gum and orange blossom.

The result is not only a celebration of seasonal variation but an exercise par excellence in marrying a subtle sweetness with citrus and lime zest, the result of which is a highly sippable gin that does not even need any tonic or other garnishes to be enjoyed.

Given that Archie Rose complements its core range with exquisite limited releases and collaborations, you do want to keep checking in on what is happening at the distillery – one that is already en route to become a household name with whiskey aficionados around the world.

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image from company website