Water of Life

Bass and Flinders Distillery and Bundaberg’s 130th Anniversary Spiced Small Batch Release

Good god, the gin industry – especially on terra australis is exploding with new distillers popping up like mushrooms. Given the myriad of flavours and infused variants, it was only a matter of time until somebody actually started working with them.

Hailing form the shire of the Mornington Peninsula, Bass & Flinders Distillery has refined a Truffle Gin, which aligns perfectly with their mission statement of producing premium emissions while honouring and accentuating local produce.

The earthiness the Australian Black Perigord Truffles sourced from the depths of the volcanic soil underneath Red Hill farms rest on a foundation of juniper and are flanked by nuances of angelica root and calamus root. The fact that the gin is made with Bass & Flinders’ own grape based spirit, which is produced in-house by distillation of Victorian wine, which adds a velvety, creamy texture to this drop.

Being a whiskey aficionado, I very much welcome the fact that the Truffle Gin is best served neat. This is not another novelty experiment but a delicious artisanal beauty that you would want to get your hands on before the limited edition sells out.

Now, while the Truffle Gin is an excellence introduction to Bass & Flinders, the discovery I present next takes things to the next level:

Take Australian Chardonnay grapes, double distill them and let them mature for for a minimum of five years in oak barrels as Bass & Flinders is focused on releasing a premium product and willing to wait until they feel it is truly ready:”

Ochre Aged Grape Spirit – a refined brandy that upon the first sip unleash a mélange of aromas ranging from fruity nuances to oaky and vanilla notes with a lingering finish that makes one lust for another glass.

The fact that the Ochre is such a delicious and refined spirit is almost a shame as the bottle it comes it is something that enhances and adorns any liquor shelf with its hand-made leather label.

If you are remotely partial to enjoying Cognac and Armagnac, you have not lived until you have exposed your palate to this “Aged Grape Spirit” (Bass & Flinders Distillery abstains from referring to it as a “brandy”) and you would want to get your hands on it quickly as there is only limited supply.

Slight change of gear:

130 years of Bundaberg Rum

Started by a group of mates in 1888, award decorated Bundaberg Rum is as Australian as it gets when it comes to

Master blending, ingredients carefully sourced from what Queensland have to offer and its drinks range and its rum expressions enjoy iconic status on terra australis.

To celebrate a hundred and thirty years of channeling their rum crafting alchemy, Bundaberg Rum completes the quartet of their Small Batch release series with a Spiced expression: The result of the of the blend of aged reserves with rum mellowed in heavily charred American oak barrels, before being infused it with notes of thirteen different spices (to signify the thirteen decades of Bundaberg’s heritage), clove, hints of anise, fruit nectars, caramel citrus zest and the trademark Bundaberg “je ne sais quoi”.

There is certainly no shortage of spiced rums on the market but from the first sip of this anniversary expression, one can tell that extensive research had been conducted prior to its release to ensure that the essence of what makes spiced rum work is encapsulated, i.e. dry spices, the token orangey tinge, cinnamon, vanilla and a nice dry finish.

While rum is usually not my preferred tipple of choice, Bundaberg’s limited Spiced Small Batch anniversary release is an exercise in well-balanced complexity and I cannot imagine that it will last long on the shelf given the popularity of their core range.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Lead photo by T, Bundaberg photo supplied

Drop

Powerhouse Books

Street wear couture has always been a culture, but the combination of the advent of the internet, the crossover involvement of designers, the renaissance of cross-pollinating hip hop, everything associated with Hypebeast and pop stars along with their A&Rs having their ear close to the street helped balloon this once niche and independent phenomenon to a world wide industry and big business.

Limited editions are dropped every week and aficionados around the globe camp outside the respective retailers to cop the hottest gear to then either flip it for a multiplicity of the already high original price and proudly display it via their social media channels.

The congregations around such launches has become more than mere events – they effectively have become the catwalk of the millennial generation.

No matters if it is New York City, Tokyo or London, thousands of young faithfuls line up to get their gear, decked out in what has become the new high fashion, i.e. rare limited edition shoes and other one-off merchandise.

Drop zeros in on those “Drop” events, documenting this culture with intricate photographs that convey the spirit and excitement around these launches, which have become on par with the traditional fashion shows of haute couture houses.

For the initiated this is a worthwhile addition to their addition as there is a lot of eye candy when it comes to limited edition street wear – think Yeezyz, A Bathing Ape, Off White and of course Supreme with its various incarnations.

For the rest it would have certainly been more interesting if the photographic bits had substantiated with a bit more analysis or at least information around the launches that are being depicted – then again the book was clearly meant to zero in on a very specific phenomenon and viewed from that angle, the mission has been clearly accomplished.

Paul Capsis with Jethro Woodward and The Fitzroy Youth Orchestra

Spiegeltent

Sydney, Australia

January 18, 2019

Paul Capsis is a unicum and the versatility that has informed the myriad of his incarnations over the last nearly four decades make him a jack-of-all-trades.

No matter if it’s within the realm of cabaret, burlesque, acting or theatre, the man is one of those rare entertainers that shines no matter what scenario he performs in.

The current Sydney Festival saw him joining forces with Jethro Woodward and The Fitzroy Youth Orchestra and the fact that this collaboration is based on a mutual understanding of each other’s fortes pervaded through the evening, framed by the beautiful surroundings of the Spiegeltent, the annual emergence of which makes Hyde Park the epicenter of Sydney Festival.

The show was aimed at being an extravaganza of full tilt boogie rock with diverse material ranging from Led Zeppelin via Joan Baez, Patti Smith, Tom Waits, Janis Joplin, Lana Del Ray, The Suicide to even Childish Gambino.

The show was much more than a mere exercise in covering songs - Paul Capsis infused the originals with his own idiosyncratic camp approach and wardrobe, and it was a delight to see his very own interpretations, which were often interestingly dark, twisted and always emotional with a tinge of cabaret added for good measure.

Needless to say that the eclectic show was peppered with anecdotes, musings on the need to be and a bit of social and political commentary on both local and global issues, which substantiated the performance with personal connections.

The Fitzroy Youth Orchestra added a nice counterpoint to the maestro, whose eighty-minute tour de force performance and range were testament to his legacy and longevity.

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photo supplied by www.sydneyfestival.org.au

Mumford and Sons

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, Australia

January 19, 2019

Mumford & Sons has risen from a niche band to one that commands stadium crowds.

Following a show at the local Qudos Bank Arena, the London folk-rock quartet decided to use a day off to incarnate in more intimate surroundings for a special show that was instantly sold out.

Mainstream success has certainly not dimmed the enthusiasm and gusto with which Marcus Mumford with his immense vocal range and his worthy constituents navigate through their catalogue with the audience at all times firmly in the palm of their hands – so much so that scene applause is readily given for mere tempo transitions within songs, let alone the sing-alongs of their older, grand folk hits.

I am not overly familiar with their more recent, rockier material but the common denominator of their set was a sonically dense fabric that conveyed an array of vibes, valiance and warm-heartedness that made it easy for the enthused faithfuls to connect.

A passionate and soulful performance that is testament to the fact that no matter if you are a hardcore aficionado or just enjoy good songwriting no matter the genre, it is fun to listen and see them perform live.

While self-proclaimed music experts recently seem to have a field day critiquing their recent musical derivation from their tried and tested formula, i.e. their Delta album, tonight was an impressive set in front of an eager and adoring crowd, which with an engaged band created a perpetuum mobile of energy and a celebrative spirit.

Water of Life – Chivas Mizunara and XV

Inspired by the attendance of Chivas’ recent Sydney incarnation of The Blend, my curiosity was sparked to explore Chivas’ expressions that so far have not come across my palate. As mentioned before, Chivas has been a reliable and accessible companion even in the more remote regions of this earthround and their trademark authentically Scottish art of blending whisky has yet to produce an emission that I would not enjoy a dram of.

When it comes to Whiskey countries outside Scotland, Japan has always ranked high among my favourite. Naturally, Chivas’ exploration of how they could channel their alchemy and marry it with a Japanese twist instantly caught my attention, i.e. Chivas’ efforts of sourcing fine and rich single malts and grain whiskies and letting their emissions mature in hand-selected Mizunara oak casks.

What makes Mizunara oak special apart from the beautiful name is that it is crafted from trees that are indigenous to Japan’s Hokkaido region and renowned for its distinctive porous nature, which necessitates expert calibration and blending capabilities.

The result is a smooth, light amber special edition 12-year old premium whisky from the Speyside clocking in at 40% ABV with a unique and subtle flavour, the sweet (think pears, stewed apples and honey) meet gingery spicy cinnamon notes, framed by a nuttiness, nuances which are partly derived from the rare porous Japanese casks and add a bit of sandalwood.

A bit of research yields the result that the genesis of this beauty was apparently inspired by Master Distiller Colin Scott’s trip to Japan and the fact that it was initially meant to be an expression aimed at the Japanese market only, before global demand had Chivas make it widely available.

Now, while the Mizunara expression is quite something, Chivas XV, i.e. a fifteen-year-old blend takes explorations and redefines in the best way possible what Chivas is usually known for.

Instead of Japanese oak, the Chivas XV has been selectively finished in Grande Champagne Cognac casks. Now, being a cognac aficionado, there was no doubt in my mind that this marriage would yield results, yet what materializes in the Glencairn knocks the velvety and rich notes that Chivas is usually known for out of the park.

This is one for celebrations as pouring it instantly adds a bit of luxury and gravitas to any moment: Sultanas, jam, sweet and fruity apple notes travel via fields of honey to butterscotch and caramel plateaus, which culminate in a vanilla high in the finish.

When at a bar in the depths of Northern Asia in the future, it will be difficult to order Chivas without at least inquiring if one of the two expressions might be hidden behind Chivas’ ole faithful twelve-year-old.

Both Mizunara and the XV are testament of Chivas being at the forefront when it comes to creating blended whiskies that do not have to hide behind their single malt peers.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photo by T