Blog — Page 105 of 277

Water of Life – Puni

Italy is not exactly an epicentre when it comes to the distilling of whiskies and after attending a tasting about two years ago, I was pleasantly surprised about being proffered a dram from a very sleek bottle of what has its source in the Italian equivalent to the Scottish Highlands, i.e. a distillery that derived its name its accompanying rive and water source Puni.

Located in the Vinschgau valley, Puni Distillery sources its rye locally before it its being married with the foundation that barley provides and wheat, which is responsible to add a sweet note to the mash bill before its alchemy is channelled through handcrafted copper pot stills.

Puni’s Alba Whiskey can be considered to be its core expression and is a young one at that as it just passed the minimum of three years maturation that Scotch standards prescribe. Now, what might raise eyebrows because of the short maturation period, should be seen in the local context and, more importantly, the local climate and the mastery that informs their curation of casks, of which there are plenty to choose from in the wine country of Italy. After an initial period in Italian wine casks, the spirit spends time in what makes Puni specifically interesting for me: The whiskey is refined in second-fill bourbon barrels that have up to two and a half decades under their belts aging whiskies from Islay and thereby adding the island’s idiosyncratic iodine, sea spray and peat to the equation, resulting in a rich and complex flavour profile.

There is a natural aspect to Puni’s whiskies as their emissions are not chill filtered, which at times add a bit of haziness to the appearance and an aroma that meanders steadily between fruity, tarty and herbal territory heavily informed by the locally sourced grain and dried fruits.

Oily in texture, on the top of the roof is where Alba comes to life as dark fruity flavours are accentuated by grassy notes with spicy chocolate highlights, that are framed by a deliciously subtle smokiness.

The finish culminates and “dawns” (Alba being Italian for “dawn”) with a crescendo of peppery spice, dominant vanilla flavours and dried fruit.

Puni’s Nova expression is matured in American oak casks before being refined in what was previously used for cognac, i.e. French barrique Limousin oak casks.

What tickles the nostrils is more on the citrussy side of things, with a backbone of ripe apples and vanilla and toffee.

The floral flavours that serenade the palate are counterpointed by dried pears and the trademark Puni sweet graininess that is rounded out via spicy white peppery notes.

The finish is deliciously crisp, lean and subtle with sweet chocolate, herbal and cinnamon notes.

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Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Wayward Brewing

With bottle shops and liquor shops on terra australis looking like candy stores these days with the array of colourful cans of craft beers on display, the sheer sensory overload sometimes makes one walk past the true gems that have refined their approach to creating quality brews that are in alignment with traditional methods yet do not lack an adventurous, innovative edge.

With a core line-up of lagers and ales, Wayward lives truly up to its name when they venture off the beaten track to follow their instinct in channelling their alchemy to brew potions that excite their ever growing base of loyal beer aficionados, including imaginative detours into the never boring world of sours the psychedelically coloured Berliner Weisses.

With this first instalment on Wayward, I would like to set the focus on their India Pale Ales.

Wayward’s staple IPA clocked in at 6% and is in nature a very drinkable, vibrant American West Coast style variant IPA. What makes their core IPA a trusted go-to for me that is that it makes a borderline ideal component for boilermakers with smoky whiskies as the volumes is turned to 11 when it comes to the display of crispy tropical fruit and citrus notes that are resting on a foundation of hops, counterpointed by a delicate bitterness, which results in a dry finish.

Taking things up a notch is Wayward’s Red IPA – both in terms of flavour as well as ABV. Now we are talking. By marrying a triumvirate of hops, i.e. Simcoe, Amarillo and Galaxy hops, the crispy and fresh grapefruit notes are backed by a rustic maltiness that culminates in a well-balanced finish.

Wayward Cashmere Cat Hazy IPA not only has a slick but also a telling name as apart from Cashmere, NZ Riwaka, Gallaxy and Citra hops, rolled oats and wheat add an interesting component to the equation, the sum of which adds to what results in a beautiful melange of tangy and citrussy passionfruitiness with exquisite highlights of mango that is counterpointed by a delicate bitterness. Delicious!

Apparently Wayward Brewing has recently released a new limited edition, i.e. Wayward Son Lupulin IPA, which is fabled to be a hoppy homage to the head brewer’s offspring and given the quality and enjoyment factor of the aforementioned IPAs, I will make a concerted effort to track a few down.

Wayward Brewing not only entertains a taproom, which is on my to-visit list, but also has a merchandise and accessories range that is firmly placed at the more stylish end of the spectrum. I specifically like their subtle vintage looking designs, which are printed on quality garments that look and feel like proper gear compared to the merchandise a lot of other breweries offer.

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Water of Life – Wolfburn Help for Heroes

Having resurrected its operations merely nine years ago, Wolfburn has been one of my favourite old “new” distilleries for a while now for a range of reasons, so when it was announced that they were going to release a limited expression in the tradition of the distillery collaborating for a great cause, i.e. Help For Heroes, I was intrigued. Word around the campfire had that it was going to be derived from Wolfburn’s oldest spirit, after maturation in first-fill bourbon casks before blending it with a component that has been refined in sherry casks, which on paper would promise a rich and complex drop.

With aromas on the floral and sweeter side of the spectrum, I find this limited expression to be far more accessible than the other Wolfburn whiskies as the honeyed chocolate nuance would appeal even to the uninitiated.

On the top of the mouth, vanilla unfolds its full glory, resting on a foundation of dried fruits and framed by an omnipresent malty oakyness with delicate tannic highlights from the casks shimmering through.

The elongated finish bookends the journey, closing the cycle by returning to the floral honeyed chocolate notes the nose promised and culminating in a crescendo that is topped with a subtle smokiness that makes one lust for another dram.

Nice.

Now, let’s take things up a notch or three: Wolfburn’s portfolio is comprised of quite a few heavyweights that would delight even the most seasoned aficionado, but I find their cask strength expressions to be the ones that really shine and sing.

Needless to say that expectations were set very high when I learned about their highest strength ABV release yet, i.e.  Langskip Cask Strength. This is a league or two above the Northland, Aurora and Morven releases as it packs a welcome punch in the best way possible, which is not further wondrous given its telling name of Viking origin.

What tickles the nostrils is surprisingly soft in nature, with vanilla-esque butterscotch meeting apple and zesty notes counterpointed by a nice seaside saltiness and expected ethanol highlights.

Oily in texture, swirls of buttery vanilla mix with spicy peppery nuances, accentuated by citrussy chocolatey notes that at times enter tarty territory, grounded by the barley maltiness and again slightly alcoholic notes, that add to the whole rather than detracting from it.

The medium length finish continues the journey and amplifies the spicy notes towards the end, rounding things out with reverberating crispy zesty lime accents.

A wonderful expression and so far my favourite Wolfburn expression as it clearly defines the flavours and aromas that make the DNA of the distillery, and despite having only been aged for five years,  the high alcohol content is not as raw as other cask expressions in the league of cask strength variants.

This bodes well and raises the bar for future emissions from Wolfburn.

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The Formative Years – Dischord Records

Not unlike it is the case with a lot of great things, the premise of Dischord Records has always been and can be simmered down to a simple common denominator, i.e. the documentation of music coming out of their community in Washington D.C.

Founded by Ian McKaye in 1980 to release his band’s The Teen Idles’ first “Minor Disturbance” 7”, Dischord Records started quickly to spearhead and advance punk and hardcore at large, which is not further wondrous given the calibre of the bands on the label with either people being directly involved or their close friends.

My first exposure to Dischord Records must have been via Minor Threat – a band whose oeuvre, line-up and impact would deserve a separate dedicated instalment of this series, as would many of the over sixty bands that have found a home on Dischord Records to date.

Even quite a few years after Minor Threat’s short-lived tenure and subsequent breakup, their memorable songs propagating the very essence of DIY ethics paired with them planting the seeds for what would become known as the “straight edge” movement, had an instant impact on me, which prompted a letter to the Dischord Records along with a big order. Many more should follow.

While other early punk and hardcore labels like SST, Alternative Tentacles and Touch & Go Records had ups and downs with their bands and releases, Dischord Records was a trusted benchmark in terms of quality without falling prey to following a cookie-cutter formula with their releases – au contraire – they were at the forefront of breaking down silos and seemed very much inspired by introducing new musical style to a narrow-minded crowd, which resulted ultimately in a shift from pure hardcore punk to an active redefinition of what underground music could be with the right attitude.

If you look at Dischord Records’ extensively diverse roster and the myriad of releases, it is hard to fathom that all bands hail from the same city. I would consider literally each and every release of the first half of their catalogue as a veritable classic, with bands like Government Issue;  the fantastic Void with their unhinged punk metal fusion; Iron Cross; the wonderful Embrace who essentially coined what was to evolve to become labelled as the “emotional hardcore” genre; Rites of Spring (one of my favourite bands of all time, their “End on end” compilation is flawless); Ian Svenonius’ free-jazz influenced Nation of Ulysses who perceived themselves to be more of a political party than a band; Scream;  the predecessor of Girls against Boys i.e. Soulside; Henry Garfield’s S.O.A;  Gray Matter (their “Take it back” 12” is pure gold); Jawbox; Marginal Man with their punchy dual guitar attacks; Shudder to Think with their skewed pop sensibility; Dag Nasty with their classic releases; Lungfish and of course the revolutionary Fugazi with Ian being only some of them. To name only a few...

Despite seeming unsustainable on paper, Dischord Records’ approach to releasing records and dealing with bands, i.e. defining themselves as equal partners of the bands they are working with, has been working to this day and I would be hard-pressed to recount any negative experiences from people who have worked with them, no matter if it was in front or behind the scenes.

CBD

Alright, where do we start?

When one hears “cannabis products”, there is still at times a perception that at the core of it, there is the psychoactive cannabinoid THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the component responsible for making you “high" (THC).

Being the primary yet non-psychotropic cannabinoid in the Cannabis plant, CBD seems to stimulate receptors to not only positively affect and enhance homeostasis but also modulate pain sensations and counteract organ disfunctions, inflammation as well as neurodegenerative diseases.

With the legal situation becoming more lenient and thereby CBD products becoming more accepted, there is no shortage of supply in a large variety of shapes, forms and dosage. Needless to say that it pays to do your homework and research as to where the hemp used was grown, how it had been tested, the exact ingredients and how it is meant to help with the targeted ailment.

My first exposure to CBD was in oil form, which differs from tinctures in that cannabis is infused in carrier oil as opposed to soaking it in alcohol and water. While browsing for products I discovered a range of providers that seemed to wildly differ in how and what they were offering, which can a bit of a concern, given the still unregulated territory CBD operates in.

After quite a bit of research, I landed with Formula Swiss. What I found appealing was how transparent their presentation of their products was, with detailed information about ingredients, with all of their products having a THC content of less than 0.2%) as well as clearly stating that the products are not meant to treat or cure diseases and that a doctor or pharmacist should be consulted if in doubt: No empty promises are made and their site offers insight into various scientific studies.

Using pressurized carbon dioxide extraction, Formula Swiss also put emphasis on the preservation of the purity of the hemp by using CO2 not unlike a solvent to get the benefits of the full spectrum of other cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, nutrients and antioxidants. Though there is much to be learned about the effectiveness of CBD, reports are manifold that CBD may provide a safe, powerful natural treatment for many health issues and Formula Swiss seems to be dedicated to offering quality products with ethics in mind, being actively involved in cannabis policy reform and regulation and being an actively contributor in related associations.

Now, what effects does CBD have? While THC tends to commonly cause the enhancement of both euphoria and anxiety along with short-term memory impairment, CBD acts on the other end of the spectrum, stimulating the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine and glutamate, which enhance attentiveness and cognition.

I found Formula Swiss’ CBD oil, which offers six potencies from 300-2500mg, to have subtly calming effects, however, not in a sedative way but in a manner that helps to sharpen focus and cut through the noise of the humdrum around you.

Research on the potential health benefits of CBD oil is ongoing, so new therapeutic uses for this natural remedy are sure to be discovered and given that Formula Swiss is committed to sustainability and quality instead of creating fancy sounding herbal concoctions, it is on the trustworthy and value-for money end of the spectrum on the CBD market.

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