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#2009
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- news
Hogshead: Aultmore, Glentauchers, Speyside…
We've tried a large range of bottlings from Hogshead Imports (or rather Hogshead Indie) in the past two years or so. Some have been really good, but other were sometimes marred by weird cask choices. Today we're trying a couple of older releases, mostly from refill casks.
by Ruben2 viewsundisclosedaultmoreglentauchersspeyside20092010 - news
The Whisky Agency: 4x Port casks
We may have missed some kind of outlet sale at a Portuguese cooperage recently. The 2025 outturn from The Whisky Agency already included a series of Port casks, and the Spring 2026 batch also has a surprising proportion of these casks. A lot of them are made for friends, as they say on the label.All of the whiskies have this typical rosehip tea colour. It's clear they are very cask-forward, and by now you know Port casks aren't our favourite. So if you are a fan of this style, I guess you can safely add a couple of points to each score.
by Ruben2 viewsbenriachglen-gariochjuratullibardine20062009 - news
5 Rums: T.D.L. 2001 / 2009 / 2016
Sometimes I just need a small incentive to start a new rum session. In this case a pile of T.D.L. samples was a perfect occasion. Enjoy! T.D.L. 25 yo 2001 (57,2%, Compagnie des Indes for Asia 2026) Nose: brilliant fruits. Guava, pink grapefruit, hints of passion fruit syrup and bits of mango. Then some flower petals, hints of rosehip tea, tiny drops of camphor and mint. The energy is incredible. Also subtle hints of cinnamon, molasses and light fusel oils. Mouth: now the fruity core gets a little overshadowed by an overload of mint, polished leather and pine needles. Sure, there's still mango, pineapple and peach sweetness, a hint of resinous honey, but then more salty liquorice, ginger and bitter drops of herbal extracts. Finish: long and rich, with the resinous notes and herbal tea in front row.A gorgeous nose, no doubt, and then an ever so slight deception because the tropical juiciness doesn't explode in the mouth. Worth checking out though, if you're in Asia. Check with Comp
by Ruben1 viewrum200120092016antelope-macaucolours-of-rum - news
Enter the Meursault megastars
How do you make steely, just-bottled white Burgundy from a cool vintage look even more razor-sharp? Serve it in a Meursault shed just days after the end of winter. So it was when I rocked up to day six of this Grand Jours de Bourgogne adventure, walking into another tonnellerie (the Tonnellerie Damy if you're playing Google Maps spotto at home) with icy breath and jacket buttoned right up. It didn't hurt the wines, though. I don't think anything can. The post Enter the Meursault megastars appeared first on Australian Wine and Drinks Review .
by Andrew Graham3 viewswine20092015202220232024 - news
Zodiac series: Clynelish, Glenlossie, Laphroaig, Croftengea
The Whisky Exchange presented a second quartet of whiskies from the Zodiac series . We tried four whiskies in February already - after this one more batch will follow. My own sign turns out to be translated as Clynelish... Clynelish 10 yo 2015 (52,8%, The Whisky Exchange 'The Zodiac' 2025, bourbon barrel #51246, 255 btl.) Nose: lots of crisp green apples and lemons, candle wax, along with subtle vegetative undertones. Light chalk. Perhaps a little pineapple or yellow plum. Then a little icing sugar and sweet cucumber lemonade. Mouth: a simple but very enjoyable combination of sweet and tart fruits (kiwi, banana, apple, gooseberry) with beeswax and a pinch of pepper. The cask made it a bit sweeter than I expected, but also really pleasant. Plain malty notes. Hints of vanilla and grapefruit. Finish: medium long, with added zesty notes and a subtle grassy touch along with sweet wax.Still young, so complexity is not the highest. That said, it's a perfectly lovable spirit with all the
by Ruben1 viewclynelishglenlossielaphroaigloch-lomond20092015 - news
December notes
A trio of Chardonnay to open. 2017 Flame Tree SRS Chardonnay . Mature and golden. Pineapple crunch, medium, starting to unknot. 2020 Vasse Felix Heytsbury . Tighter and more complex. Longer and quieter (and colder) initially. Essence like. Restraint and serious poise. Excellent . 2018 Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay . 13.5%. Viscous and thick, essence like and powerful. Showy and bold. The nose is expressive, all peach and blossom. Even on day two it’s pretty and still well shaped. By a small fraction, I preferred the Heytsbury. A Pinot. Oakridge Aqueduct Block Henk Vineyard Pinot noir 2023. Yarra Valley . Medium red, bright and primary. Cherry and spice, relatively simple and direct, heavy. My rusty palate incorrectly called this a Tasmanian. For the bird fanciers. Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2009 . 13.5%. Pauillac. A suitcase wine, and the fanciest red bottle of the season. Tasted blind the early money consensus call proved mostly correct
by noreply@blogger.com (Edward)5 views199620092017201820202023 - news
A Wet January
A solid month of drinking followed by the sketchy post mortem of the best bottles. I’ve relied on my hand written notes, which grow shorter and messier each year. Chardonnay . From fat to thin. . . Martinborough Vineyard Home Block Chardonnay 2017 . 1/3 to 1/2 butterball. Similar in old school emphasis is the Sianpius Tamar Valley 2015 . Another partial butterball, but also a passing and unexpected hint of celery. Forest Hill Block 8 Chardonnay 2016 . Cream, not butter, lovely almond meal texture. Minimal smoulder. Joan Chardonnay 2021 . Bottle pictured above. Adelaide Hills. A mix of 2 clones (one fat - I10V1 and one fit - 96). Peach and flesh, a balance of tightness and generosity. Nectar like. Yabby Lake Chardonnay 2017 . A good nose, stone fruit and almond meal. The most notable thing is the palate profile. A juxtaposition of cream and stone fruit acids. Finally - the Tyrrell’s Vat 47 2022 . Lean and spare, flint and struck match nose. A very tight but fruit
by noreply@blogger.com (Edward)5 views200720092015201920212022 - news
Tasting notes
A fortnight of travel related wine consumption. . . I’ve been like this cliff top echidna, enjoying the sights while using my nose to look for treasure. . . Riesling. Light and bright. Parish Vineyard Riesling 2023 (Coal River, Tasmania) - v. sharp wine, with a slightly unexpected fruit profile - tangarine and pink grapefruit in the mouth. Grippy and rewarding. The Kühling-Gillot Qvinterra Troken 2023 (Mosel) also excellent. Tight and sappy, all the usual suspects - slate and mineral in the mouth, a terpene nose, hardness with a trace of sweetness in the mouth . A pair of complex (and costly) chardonnay. As much as I love Chardonnay, budgetary constraints and poor access, have lead to a years (5) long hiatus between sips of Giaconda. Still - the Giaconda Chardonnay 2016 feels like an old friend. Familiar, idiosyncratic, seemingly unchanged. Terrific nose - smouldering and complex, at times a hint of toffee. Amazing acid structure and text
by noreply@blogger.com (Edward)6 views200920142016202020212023