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Water of Life – Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10-year-old

Bruichladdich at large and specifically its Octomore emissions enjoy a near cult-like following, which I do not find further wondrous. I have yet to encounter an evening that did not dramatically improve by pairing the smokiest whisky on this earthround and a hoppy IPA.

If you have ever remotely paid an iota of attention to what is being dealt with as part of the “Water of Life” series, you would concur that stating that I harbour a weak spot for everything peaty and smoky is an understatement par excellence.

Needless to say, that when I become aware that Bruichladdich luminary and ambassador Islay-born Chloe Wood would hold court down under, it almost instantly made my calendar.

Originally hailing from the south of Port Charlotte and having grown up alongside the evolution of Bruichladdich to the global player it has become through her family’s involvement in running the drying operations for the barley fueling their distillery operations, and all the barley grown on Islay for that matter, she eventually found an entry point to the realm of whisky by joining the “Laddishop” team and has never looked back since. In other words, she is Bruichladdich family and the distillery has gone to the extent of honouring having her onboard with a special bottling, i.e. The Laddie Valinch 28 Chloe Wood, which - as word around the campfire has it, makes a hell of an impressive dram.

Needless to say that having learned from renowned Master Alchemist Jim McEwan Chloe Wood is a charming and knowledgeable encyclopedia of not only all things Islay but whisky in general, as it has become part of her DNA, which enabled her to put the distillery’s flag firmly on Asian territory as she is currently based in Singapore to cater and nurture the ever expanding whisky-centric markets there.

Despite a hectic schedule of numerous events she had to MC as part of her current stint down under, she proved to be highly engaging, approachable and down to earth, Chloe managed to not only expertly answer any query from the hardcore aficionados attendance, including framing her repartee in amusing anecdotes and fun facts, but she also effortlessly manages to instil a sense of intrigue for Bruichladdich’s emissions with the uninitiated.

Proceeding were set off with a Gin and Tonic based on Bruichladdich’s Botanist Gin, a more recent experiment of the progressive Hebridean distillery and its emphasis on the trifecta of the alignment of terroir, people and provenance.

However, the star and centrepiece of the event was Bruichladdich’s first ever permanent introduction of a core-range aged-stated preservation, i.e. Port Charlotte 10-year-old. As with everything heavily peated, this is something I got mildly excited about.

Despite being heavily into Octomore, I have always found the Port Charlotte variants with their interesting cask profiles extremely enjoyable, so expectations were moderately high, and I was not let down.

The chunkier bottle in itself is a thing of beauty: Dark green-coloured reminiscent of military glass opposed to the previous clear variant resonates well aesthetically.

Peated to 40 part per million of peat particles and bottled at 50% ABV and matured in a mix of first- and second fill bourbon as well as French red wine casks without any further additives, this golden manna is soft on the nose as it has fruity notes that dance with subtle peat – the start of a journey that finds its extension with its creamy mouthfeel.

Taste-wise, I was pleasantly surprised not only by the absence of harshness but by the dominant citrus and vanilla notes against the smoky trademark backdrop, which culminates in an elongated finish with nuances of brine.

In layman’s terms: This is yet another winner from the house of Bruichladdich that will at least help a bit to deal with the sheer endless waiting time until new Octomore expressions finally find their way down under.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photos by T

Why Would One Want To Wear a Hat?

As Philip Treacy put it, how a hat makes you feel is what a hat is all about.

Now, I am sure your baseball hat makes you feel like a thousand yen, yet I would like to delve into more traditional styles.

So why would one wear one?

Well, there is the functionality: It keeps the elements at bay, even though these days in the world of comfort we live in, we have become less reliant on hats keeping us warm or cool – unless you live on terra australis where you need to protect your scalp when the sun is mercilessly pounding down.

It also comes in handy if you encounter one of those dreaded bad hair days.

Then there is the stylishness, an avenue that one might need a bit of confidence and know-how as well as a good understanding of the rest of your wardrobe to pull it off.

There is also the aspect of formality and authority: Military men and police officers wear them to signal strength and to appear taller.

Now, material-wise there is an array to choose from, depending on the occasion: Felt, wool, straw, as well as an array of shapes, sizes and forms and the important aspect if it was made by machine or manufactured.

The “Fedora” with its roughly wedge-like style is an iconic example

iconic style and it can be molded to the wearer's taste, giving flexibility.

The Trilby or “chapeau” is in essence a shortened angular fedora worn with the brimmy bit snapped downward in front and upward and back adding to the impression of a narrowing angle at the back of the hat.

Another class is the “Homburg” with its the soft brim and indented crown's dressier cousin as it is a formal business look without the pinches at the side, stiffer projecting edge and a slightly upturned lip all the way around.

The Pork pie is a shorter style, pinched at the sides like a fedora and it creates a slightly triangular or wedge-shaped front.

The stiff and rounded Bowlers or Derbies have UK style written all over them, while the Western is also called, well, you guessed it - cowboy hat.

Ecuadorian workers brought us the trademark Panama hat, which their workers imported and proved to be the appropriate headwear for

So whenever they were digging the Panama Canal, supposedly this is where this hat made its name because it was a functional and protective hat.

Then there is the Boater, a flat-topped straw hat more on the novelty side of things with its wide brim unless you are a member of a Barbershop Quartets.

Same goes for the Top hat, which is something for special occasions like auditioning for the role of a guitarist spot with Guns’n Roses.

Now, I am not normally known for wearing hat, however, a local discovery has converted me:

Fallen Broken Street, a headwear house, which was founded by the triumvirate of John Loronson, Diva Cory, Justin Crawdford and David Frim and one that has firmly established itself as a milliner at the forefront of cutting edge designs that is based in the  chilled surrounds of Australia’s Byron Bay region.

In essence, I have found that with Fallen Broken Street style meets function.

Keen attention is paid to well-constructed details that adorn the hats that, well, feel well made.

There is a tactile gratification that comes with owning a Fallen Broken Street hat and the designs strike a fine balance between vintage style, laid back formality informed by an omnipresent beach style.

Made entirely of wool except for the perforated leather band, their Dingo hat has quickly become a trusted companion for travelling as it is crush- and foldable and can be transported easily.

For the more daring and Pharrell aficionados, the MT Warning is a go to: Made of double weighted wool felt, this bow style head adornment takes style to the next level, especially with the little details and signature button.

Even in the cap department with more toned down and less extravagant designs, the details make it a pleasure to wear.

While there might be a threshold for you to fuck with hats, once you have entered that territory, it opens your eyes to how much thought goes into the planning and execution, which with Fallen Broken Street not only looks the part but also feels great.

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Photos by T

Yungblud

Factory Theatre

Sydney, Australia

February 14, 2019

Prior to tonight’s performance I had not been familiar with Yungblud and his oeuvre.

Anticipating an “urbanite” artist from the name alone, I was pleasantly surprised to witness an alternative newcomer with an energetic Andrew WK-esque performance anchored more in alternative, pub- and rap rock territory than electronica.

Poppy in essence, but drawing from the swagger of hip hop, a tad of snotty 70ies punk rock braggadocio and lyrics that do no shy away from tackling deeper lying societal issues, e.g. racial injustice, sexism, etc., Yungblud channels his energy into an idiosyncratic easily accessible brew that one finds hard to resist, as it does neither come across as prefabricated not forced.

The youthful, engaging and lively gentleman known as Yungblud certainly has charisma and is blessed with a natural and boisterous stage presence, which the enthusiastic audience lapped up and reciprocated by showing eagerness in following Dominic Harrison’s prompts as he got them moving, bouncing and singing along.

Flamboyant in demeanour and putting on such an energetic live show with the “je ne sais quoi”-factor being a major ingredient, it is easy to foresee that Yungblud with the freshness of his offerings will go places in the not so distant future – the catchy memorable choruses along with his unapologetic “in your face” demeanour will certainly not hurt either.

It should be interesting to see which direction he will take as he refines his ways and where he takes it from here.

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Image provided

Cat Power

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, Australia

February 11, 2019

It has been nearly two and a half decades since Chan Marshall incarnated with her debut album as Cat Power and while she has ever since established herself as a fixture on the firmament of independent music, her singer-songwriter career never really transcended into mainstream territory. Given that she has been releasing music in her own pace with generous off periods in between and thereby not subjecting herself to the fast-moving times of superficial spectacles we are living in, it is not further wondrous.

Backed by a tight three-piece backing band, it was a delight to witness her channeling her very own alchemy to an enthusiastic audience that she held in her thrall from the get go. Claiming that she is blessed with the ability to create a sense of intimacy no matter how big the venue might be is an understatement par excellence.

Apparition-like in appearance, her strong yet haunting voice throned on the foundation her trio provided with an effortlessness that stroke a fine balance between passion, force and soothing passages and added to the overall aura of haze that her songs manage to invoke.

Given that early on in her career performances did not seem to be a particular forte, she has come a long way as she is fully in control of gracefully maneuvering her set focused on her performance without further ado or banter.

The receptive audience, which clearly did not exclusively consist of a devout cult following, watched in reverence and seemed to appreciate the purity and deliberate lack of adornment of her folk-, Americana- and blues-informed earthy and at times stripped back set.

A beautiful and delicately intense evening fueled by the simmering energy of a unique artist.

Wondrous Potions and Libations - HempOZ

Ah, the advent of hemp and its derivates – be it the psychoactive THC containing variety and its never-ending march forward in the new world or the one without – is unstoppable no matter where you look and has created a rather crowded marketplace.

One of the support-worthy Australian endeavours in that regard is

HempOz, a start-up that has since the removal of legal prohibitions of hemp for consumption on November 17th, 2017 has been dedicated to enabling folks to enjoy the benefits of hemp legally.

Giving it an idiosyncratic Australian spin, Hemp Oz have created two liquid hemp infused emissions, i.e. a probiotic hemp kombucha, which founder John Leith developed after developing type-2 diabetes, and a gingery and zesty lemony flavoured hemp water.

What both variants have in common is the foundation of the combination of hemp oil and natural cane sugar (devoid of added ones), these sparkling beverages serve as a source of essential minerals and polyunsaturated fatty acids apart from delivering dietary fibre to keep your digestive system in check.

Apart from hydration, HempOz has also framed itself within the context of contributing and pushing forward endeavours to make all hemp related articles and substances refined and manufactured for sale in the realms of medicine or recreation to become more widely accepted down under.

One outcome of their on-going initiative is the creation of an entity going under the name of “Medicann” - a forum and network for close to three hundred-thousand-member network, which is meant not only as an incubator but a hub and platform for people suffering from medical ailments to gain access to their medicine.

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Photo by T