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Water of Life – The Whisky Show

Anyone who is paying a bit of attention to this series would have come across the name David Ligoff, a man that has been and is wearing a myriad of hats: Founder of World of Whisky, the only specialist whisky store in Australia, and apart from various curation and endeavours as conferencier, he is the owner of Alchemist Events.

In essence, Alchemist Event is aiming at constantly pushing the boundaries of what spirits-centric events can be imagined as without entering novelty territory.

Case in point: The Whisky Show, which has firmly established itself as THE whisk(e)y extravaganza on terra australis.

Having refined the art of sophisticated event management and honouring the experience that the purposeful drinking of whisky entails, Ligoff and his team’s 2019 bespoke incarnation of The Whisky Show proved to be yet another well-thought through event that not only managed to secure a dream line-up in terms of established and highly reputable distilleries, but one that paid equal attention to getting newcomers to the ever expanding table that is the Australian whisky landscape.

When it came to recalibrating my palate, I was in the thrall of the pentagon that was comprised of Ardbeg’s offerings, Laphroaig (finally got to taste the excellent Lore along with my go-to dram Quarter Cask), English Whisky Co’s Peated Expression (fantastic culmination of their excellent line-up of quality expressions), Big Peat and Paul John – an Indian distillery that has been criminally neglected by your humble narrator so far and which has positioned itself as a prime candidate for a dedicated feature of this series.

The extraordinary 2019 Whisky Show showcased not only close to two-hundred expressions from over fifty distilleries covering the whole spectrum of flavours from light and floral to smoky heavily peated ones, but also masterclasses, whisky cocktails and a pop-up shop offering an extensive range of whiskies at special show prices.

Gentleman’s Cabinet and charismatic whisky legend Peter Stevens held court to illuminate attendant with a careful blend of education and experience when it came to all things cigar, which rounded out the well-calibrated array of booths that framed the event.

A specific App was created specifically for the event, which helped to navigate through the evening, assisted with the creation of lists and tasting notes.

Discoveries of the evening included - apart from Paul John distillery – the offerings of The New Zealand Whisky Collection, which included a Whisky Show exclusive bottling, GlenAllachie’s ex-Bourbon 10 Cask Strength and the dram I was able to sample from a distillery from the land of the rising sun, i.e. Yamazakura.

Needless to say that the treats of “Whisky Wonka” was the cream and cherry on top – both figuratively and literally - Laphroaig infused ice-cream flavours and brownies anyone? The treats were created by David Ligoff and his family and from what I sampled, I’d go as far as claiming that it’d be a crime if the creations were not to become commercially available.

Having teamed up with Uber, the Alchemists enabled attendants to claim Whisky Show vouchers so they’d safely carve their way to and from the event.

High Adventures in the Great Outdoors

Everyday Carry Essentials pt.1.

“EDC” – everyday carry essentials.

Everyone has them, be it your phone, gum, keys, phone, condoms, what have you.

Fragrances have not been part of mine.

Now, I do appreciate a fragrance that is housed in an elegant and well sculpted flacon, however, while being on the road, functionality and convenience reign supreme. Specifically, during longer stints overseas and air travel, conventional spray bottles are far from ideal.

Enter Solid State – a telling name indeed as it refers to solid wax-based fragrances and thereby provides the versatility that traditional colognes lack.

Essentially, Solid State is a condensed version of a fragrance in wax form, which has been solidified by naturally sourced essential oils and other ingredients. The fact that it is not diluted with water and / or alcohol ensures that the fragrance unfolds its nuances for longer than regular colognes.

Housed in a stylish, sliding, sturdy tin box, Solid State is the easily portable brainchild of Anthony Nasr, who basically invented the concentrated grooming product he desired for himself and his busy life.

What I like about Solid State is that due to its liquid free compactness, the preservative free and Australian made wax can be easily applied on the go wherever one might roam and with a range that suits a myriad of contexts.

Personal favourites of the solid perfume range include Voyager with its leathery nuances – not further wondrous since I harbour a weak spot for everything smoky in the realm of whisk(e)y – which blend in extraordinarily well with musky floral notes.

Journeyman is a subtle, more subdued yet sophisticated take on a crisp fragrance with hints of cedar and ideal for warmer climates, while Wayfarer hit it heavy in the spice department – spicy as in you feel a well-calibrated presence of chilis that is counterbalanced by vanilla and a bed of tobacco.

Given the merits of the concept as such paired with the fact that the actual fragrances make it more than the novelty factor that might make it interesting in the first place, make Solid State and its products a welcome addition to my everyday carry essentials.

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Photo by T

Prime Movers: From Pericles to Gandhi

Simon and Schuster

Needless to say that each of us would have a list of what we would deem to be influential thinkers.

Fair enough.

Ferdinant Mount zeros in on his top twelve political thinker and does it with an accuracy and clarity that makes it a joy to read: Pericles, Jesus, Rousseau, Smith, Burke, Jefferson, Bentham, Wollstonecraft, Mazzini, Marx, Gandhi and Iqbal are shed light on en detail and not merely praised but analysed with at times surgical precision that does not spare the objectionable parts – be it Karl Marx’ shortcomings when it comes to clearly articulating a theoretical construct that labourers could turn into reality and his racists views shared with Engels, Jefferson’ s inability to overcome slavery, Rousseau’s deficits regarding thinking through the consequences of his emissions and so forth.

Mount manages to question what has been blindly accepted to be gospel in the mainstream canon of knighted luminaries – be it in terms of lacking accuracy, not considering the implications of their preachings or the fact that only parts of their respective oeuvre were highlighted which led to them being elevated to a status the totality of their deeds would not warrant.

The specifically interesting parts pertain to thinkers who are held in high esteem for their boundary pushing ideas while merely having theoretical knowledge of the subjects of their treatises, e.g. celibates talking about free sexual relations or the abusive Gandhi harping on about love and being adamant about India having to return to village life despite having always been a big city dweller.

While some of Mount’s elaborations do not exactly present new revelations, I would recommend this tome to anyone looking for food of thought and ideas to challenge the status quo and established perceptions.

To err is human and Prime Movers is an example par excellence and a reminder in book form that the perceived spearheads and thought leaders of humanity are often equally as flawed as the common man, yet have shaped the world we live in.

An intriguing and illuminating efficiently written and inspiring read.

Question everything.

Water of Life – The Canberra Distillery

Again, despite being the capital of Australia, I have never felt the urge to visit – that has recently changed as more and more high-quality small batch distilleries emerge that are unconstrained by the need to produce volume and can focus on quality.

Case in point: The Canberra Distillery, which with its name puts the underrated city firmly and squarely on the radar of connoisseurs of artisanal spirits.  Focusing on raw ingredients, every step of the production process is “manu”factured in the truest sense if you by the etymology of the etymology of the word, i.e. the processing, distilling and bottling is performed by hand, which allows them to zero in on the sweet alcohols that lie hidden in the middle of these lesser alcohols that emerge in the distilling process.

What results are exquisite gins that are informed by a smooth palate with balancing botanical infusion. The line-up includes classic vapour-infused London dry-style gins, which convince with the subtlety of the flavours derived from the hand-selected citrus and berry additions.

A personal favourite is the nuanced Negroni. Not that I am known for shying away from any halfway well-done barrel aged Gin distilled from wine spirit, but the Canberra Distillery’s Barrel Aged Negroni adds another layer of complexity by using an exquisite red from the Canberra region as a basis, which is then distilled with juniper and an array of other herbs. After blending it with vermouth and bitters, it is then aged with heavily charred oak, to round out the nuances of this nectar. Delicious!

Consider yourself somewhat of a gin aficionado?

Well, you have not lived until you have sampled the Canberra Distillery’s French Earl Grey Gin. Apart from the novelty of it being a colour-changing elixir, the concept pretty much allows you to indulge whenever you would normally have a cup of tea. Neat!

With gin distilleries mushrooming around Australia, I am no stranger to experiments with exotic botanicals but the balance that has been created with bergamot, elderflower, chamomile and lavender in this case is something else.

Word is that due to their conscious production process, all bottlings are extremely limited and you would want to contact the distillery directly to ascertain if any will be available on your turf as there seem to be plans for overseas expansion.

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photos provided

Water of Life – Underground Spirits Canberra

There are busier and more happening cities than what has been chosen to become the capital of terra australis. Canberra is certainly embedded in a picturesque countryside and given the wholesome context, it is not further wondrous that it serves as fertile ground for sophisticated quality distilleries not unlike Underground Spirit to emerge.

Sourcing their local sustainably grown New South Wales Wheat and water from the Brindabella Mountains which is purified through reverse osmosis, the trademark of the distillery manifests itself post-distilling, specifically for their vodka: Their liquid emissions are being cryofiltered, i.e. a process conducted under extremely low temperatures, which enables the extraction of nano impurities and results in unsurpassed purity.

The gin range gets its Underground Spirits character not only through the aforementioned process of cryofiltration but also through maceration, the infusion of vapour and the addition of tinctures which create the canvas for the respective finely balanced botanicals, e.g. the dominating component Juniper, Coriander Seed and Angelia Root along with other native ones, to unfold their nuances.

Underground Spirits’ signature gin is a sippable one of citrussy and spicy notes.

The Shiraz Gin with Tasmanian Pepperberries takes things up a notch or two. Based on the foundation of the signature gin, Tasmanian Pepperberries take the centerstage of the distillate, which is matured in locally sourced Shiraz oak barrels for two months before being made available to the public.

Specifically, the Shiraz barrels add a spiciness that sits on a bed of vanilla and fruity flavours reminiscent of a good white wine.

It is allowed to dominate the blend before maturing in Shiraz oak barrels sourced from local winemakers for two months. The results are a remarkable uniqueness of each batch derived from the individual flavour qualities of each barrel. This is an absolute modern classic with a warm and delectable finish.

The entity known as Underground Spirits is one to watch – not merely because of their medical grade filtration system and dedication to purity of their products, but the well-calibrated flavour nuances informed by regional botanicals that make both their gins and vodkas smoooth, sippable and easy on the palate.

No matter how you usually have your gins or vodka, in this case it would be blasphemous to not have them neat, specifically the vodka, which is one of the most pleasant ones I have had with no lingering flavours and delicate hints of pepper.

The gins will convince any fan of the classic styled ones from the old world and it’d be difficult to imagine that the subtle nuances that Underground Spirits infused it with would not make this one a new favourite go-to.

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photo provided