Blog — Page 144 of 279

Water of Life – Illegal Mezcal

God, I love a good sipping tequila. It does not have to be in the heat of summer to make this a thing of beauty along with a nice Mexican beer.

Mezcal is territory I ad so far not dabbled in and my first exposure was Ilegal Mezcal – a brand that was incepted in 2005 and one that has long intrigued me as the rustic labels and wax-sealed cork stoppers have always indicated that there is something to discover.

Turns out that the hand-numbered small emissions from the Oaxaca region of Mexico are not only based on the use of Agave Espadin, but also of a quality that rivals some of my favourite tequilas when it comes to flavour, depth and that beautiful oaky, eucalyptus wood it was matured in. Let alone the aroma derived from the agaves being cooked and roasted in earth pits before being crushed and fermented in oak vats.

Take the Ilegal Mezcal Reposado for example – one smooth drop that after maturation period of four to five months in new oak, offers a breadth of smoky nuances that are embedded in a buttery, vanilla-esque flavour profile. What some might perceived to be too amplified at both ends of the spectrum, i.e. savoury versus sweet, I find immensely well calibrated and appealing.

Things are taken to another dimension with Ilegal Mezcal’s Anejo, This drop has spent more than a full year encased by French and American oak and what results is the aforementioned Reposado variant on steroids in terms smoky- and sweetness. It brings out nuances that I value and cherish in good Islay whiskies, i.e. borderline decadent savoury flavours that are reminiscent of burnt bacon and dark chocolate. It is soft and buttery on the palate while not missing a beat when it comes to a well-rounded out, cognac-like intense flavour experience.

Despite having had an array of fantastic tequilas, this one is one of the better and more complex agave spirits I have had the pleasure of experiencing.

Given the fact that each expression to a mere thousand bottles, you might want to do a concerted effort to secure on of these truly artisanal and stylish vintage bottles, which combine not only the colours of the Mexican flag but also pay homage to the literally golden eras of the Aztecs and the Spain conquest.

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image from company website

A.Bandit: A Secret Has Two Faces

Prestel Publishing

With the collaboration that we got here, we have a a case par excellence for the resulting whole bigger much bigger than the mere sum of the individual constituents.

On one end of the spectrum we have the conceptional artist Glenn Kaino. Known for not only engineering large-scale installations and site- or situation-specific sculptural works but infusing them with socio-political commentary and pop culture issues, he has specifically over the last decade incorporated digital media as well.

On the other end we got Derek DelGaudio, who from a distance could be broadly categorized as a magician or illusionist.

The chemistry created by merging their talents resulted in what became known as “A. Bandit” and ultimately this beautifully illustrated coffee table book.

Given the aforementioned, it should not come as a surprise that the result is an exercise in magical art documenting their exhibitions, performances and other activities.

All of the artsy components are not only set in scene in what can be best described as a feast for the eyes, but also meaningfully embedded in interviews and contextualised in an overarching narrative, which adds a nice touch.

What excited me about the book is that it does not merely serve as a means to document Kaino’s and DelGaudio’s endeavours, but it clearly is another piece of art and performance.

Needless to say that this is a must-have for anyone remotely interested in performance art as well as conceptual approaches to what lies underneath the daily humdrum of this modern, highly technological and often mundane world.

The Streets

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, Australia

July 19, 2019

Alternative hip hop headed by an MC and multi-instrumentalist, huh?

Truth be told, I do not think The Streets had ever left a remarkable blip on my radar – neither before their heyday nor during what could be described as a recent resurgence in the wake of their Glastonbury appearance, which is something that could my attributed to my interesting relationship with hip hop from the UK.

Not unlike I expected from a distance, The Streets’ output is infused with an endearing laddishness that draws equally on hedonism as well as elements sourced from an eclectic array of style ranging from grimey hip hop, techno, gospel and garage rock.

What materialized on Enmore Theatre’s stage tonight was a dazzling display of explosive energy that resembled at times a full-blown rave, only to be punctuated by nuanced ballads, which came in as welcome breathers. The whole affair was carefully orchestrated by the charismatic MC and conductor Mike Skinner.

It was easy to see the appeal of the band that is based on their ability to make experiences relatable, charming and tangible and was taken to the next level, adding mainstream appeal by stylizing what they could mine from the rap and rock genres respectively to create their idiosyncratic catchy sound.

The show paid homage to their roots with songs from their Original Pirate Materials era and meandered through their catalogue including all the crowd-pleasers presented in Skinner’s trademark non-chalant demeanour that still rang true despite him and his worthy constituents having left behind the realms the bands originally was confined in, especially as the evening dragged on and the interaction with the crowd became more empathetic.

In essence, a The Streets show in 2019 is a fun and energetic exercise with the audience and its input playing an integral part.

It is not difficult to see why both die-hard aficionados as well as the uninitiated left satisfied, especially after the encore bit culminating in their anthem “Fit but you know it”.

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Photo supplied by Secret Sounds Connect

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – T Bone Brewing

It is funny how things work.

Sometimes you accidentally come across something you start to hold in high esteem, you get into it and it sends you down the rabbit hole, opening the doors to more discoveries.

We have covered Belgrove Distillery and praised their excellent emissions extensively. It was when we were convening with owner, head distiller and renaissance man Peter Bignell that when I enquired about the nature of his new delicious Hopped Malt Whisky expression, he explained that it was based on an actual IPA that was further instilled.

Not being a namedropper or one to bignote himself, it took some elaborate eliciting skills to find out that the beer that he used as a base product was sourced from his son’s, i.e. Tom Bignell, craft beer distillery T-Bone Brewing Co.

Needless to say that I was instantaneously intrigued and set out to find out more.

Knowing what Peter Bignell has accomplished within and outside the confines of distilling quality spirits, it was not further wondrous to discover that T-Bone crafts every drops of their brews in-house with key ingredients carefully selected both interstate and locally wherever possible.

Not usually the biggest aficionado of Pale Ales, T-Bone’s variant was a delight with its a clean, crisp, dry hoppy palate experience.

So far, so good.

Things are taken up a few notches with the Fruit Bowl IPA. Now, do not let the name distract you as this is neither a novelty expression nor a feeble attempt at creating a brew with an exotic flavour.

A melange of well selected hops is mixed and accentuated by a generous serve of double dry hops, which create a hell of a smoooth and juicy IPA that goes down as easy as a lager.

For anyone who has followed the “thus let us drink beer” series it should not come as a surprise that I got a weak spot for IPAs and the fact that T-Bone got a Rye IIPA made me light a candle to set the scene for a dram of Lagavulin 8 Year Old to have it with.

High in rye malt content and clocking in at an impressive 8.5% ABV, this rich, bold rust coloured double IPA is reminiscent of a spice tinged, toffee flavoured rye Ale that covers the claviature of dry hop nuances drawing on Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops.

I am always curious when it comes to new craft beer expressions and despite finding really excellent brews along the way, a brewery that consistently hits the mark is rare to be found.

The quality of T-Bone Brewing’s is testament to the brewers well-calibrated approach that unifies flavours to complex and extremely palatable and enjoyable flavour profiles.

Water of Life - KI NO BI gin

Gin has experienced a renaissance and celebration the extent of which is yet to subside. Craft and micro distilleries are popping up left, right and centre including novelty ones and questionable variants.

Now, I have expressed my deep respect and interest for literally anything that comes from Japan, specifically when it comes to spirits, so needless to say that I was beyond intrigued when I first heard about a new distillery from Kyoto that is exclusively dedicated to channelling its alchemy in gin.

Kinobi roughly translates to the “beauty of seasons” and if Kyoto Dry Gin, the first emissions I was introduced to, is any indication, the seasons and the botanicals they produce are beautiful indeed.

The Dry Gin variant could be categorized as a London Dry variant with a Japanese twist, i.e. apart from the foundation that rests on the shoulders of the juniper berry and pepper tree buda, an interesting dimension is added with its similarity to sake as far as the rice base is concerned as well as sansho berries, Gyokuro green tea leaves, Yuzu citrus, Bamboo, Hinoki wood shavings (Japanese Cypress), et cetera.

The nostrils are tickled with fragrances that carry something idiosyncratic
Japanese and what materializes on the palate is a rich melange that a lot of other gins are lacking, with an elongated finish reminiscent of the warming qualities of a nice green, slightly sweet tea.

The emphasis on tea is taking up a few notches with  the more exotic KI NO TEA Kyoto Dry Gin, which evolved from a collaboration with Kyoto tea-grower and blender, Horii-Shichimeien, who selected a range of rare Gyokuru and Tencha teas to create a delicate green tea DNA that reverberates through this drop in a manner that made it even more enjoyable for me than the more traditional Dry Gin version.

When it comes to spirit, I usually prefer it neat, but it was interesting to see that Kinobi’s Dry Gin shines despite the subtleties of its flavours in a G&T and especially Martinis as well, as its citrussy elements dominate the conception in the best manner possible.

Despite the slightly higher investment, Kinobi’s expressions  are something that anyone remotely interested in gin should experience, no matter if it is the regular Dry Gin or the even more robust “Sei” variation, which is the British Navy Strength variant and packs more of a punch without lacking harmonious elements.

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image from company website