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Water of Life - Arran

Arran is not exactly one of the oldest island distilleries – having been around for less than three decades and based at Lochranza - that most prominently has become known for their beautiful and good value 10-Year-Old expression, whose distinct alveolar character and maturation in a mix of ex-bourbon and sherry casks has become somewhat of a trademark for the brand.

With herbs, citrussy and biscuity aromas hitting the nose, the scene is set for the pineapple sweetness that further unfolds on the roof of the mouth, culminating in a herby, sharp fruity high before a slightly bitter malty finish with a nice hint of sea air.

The 10-Year-Old is not overly complex but certainly an honest, accessible and robust quality dram for any scotch connoisseur that is looking for a vibrant light, golden coloured unchillfiltered warm weather malt. A nice dram with a dry finish which is ideal to ease into an evening of whisky delights.

Arran Whisky’s Robert Burns Single Malt is another beauty playing in a similar league. Matured in a mix of 70% Bourbon Casks and 30% Sherry Casks, this light lightly golden aromatic Single Malt is ideal for sipping either as an aperitif or – and not a whole lot of whiskies lent themselves for this - during a meal. 

It smells like banana meeting stewed fruits that have been marinated in a spicy pot of custard with an oaky smoky back note. Sounds confusing? Try it and it will instantaneously make sense.

What materializes with this chill filtered well put together expression on your tastbuds is even spicier, zingy and rests on a bed of vanilla, which sets the scene for the long and smoooth finish with its lingering oak and under-ripe fruit character.

 Now, let’s step it up a notch, shall we?

The Arran 18-Year-Old, which is bottled at 46%, takes things to the next level when it comes to complexity and elegance. On the nose, the fresh, sharp apple flavours are accentuated by the addition of lemony nuances, savoury notes and milk chocolate and rest on a foundation of salty barley-ness.

The roof of the mouth is tickled by the 18 Year Old’s oaky spiciness, a complex melange of lemon, cinnamon, aniseed, sweet / sour and citrus notes and an elongated creamy finish that is amplified by bitter tannins, toasted oak and malt in the back.

This is a deep one full of character and flavour whose texture has grit yet also a pleasant oil character that leaves me smacking my lips.

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photo provided

Water of Life – Hobart Whisky

Tasmania is quite something.

Hobart and MONA have become a second home.

We have covered Tasmania in terms of whisky numerous times and just when you thought that we have covered the lion’s share of the most delicious distilleries, a new one emerges whose distillates are based on the foundation of pure air and rainfall and the Hobartian cool clement climate, which allows for the Westminster malt barley to grow:

Devil’s Distillery Hobart Whisky is the new asteroid on the Tasmanian whisky firmament, with their First Release being a skilful marriage of selected small ex-bourbon casks, expressed at 48.8%.

I must admit that when Hobart Whisky came first to my attention, I was intrigued yet also sceptical as I was wondering if it was a novelty hooch enterprise capitalising on the reputable brand equity, esteem and reputation Tasmanian whisky at large enjoys worldwide.

Upon experiencing the band bottled emissions, the opposite is the case:

A refreshing melange of vanilla and honey tickles the nostrils, which is followed by a smooth creaminess that caresses the roof of the palate not only reminiscent of the ex-bourbon cask the drop was matured in, but also of chocolatey vanilla. Toffee, nuances of crème brulee and tannins intertwine to elongate the finish.

The second release matured in ex-port casks takes the promise of the first release to the next level: The vanilla and alveolus notes are more dominant and the creaminess of the mouthfeel is accentuated by the strong malt character. Not unlike their first expression, the ex-port cask one has toffee notes in the tannin-heavy finish.

The favourite of the triumvirate is Hobart Whisky’s third expression, i.e. Ex-Lightly Smoked American Whiskey casks from Hillrock Distillery, expressed at 50.3% abv.

Despite being a bit more on the nose alcohol content wise, the nose encounters a welcoming sugar caney sweetness framed in chocolate notes and hints of peanut that is given depth by an iota of spicy- and smokiness.

Again, creaminess is the name of the game when it comes to what Hobart Whisky feels on the palate. There is ginger, vanilla, bit of nutmeg, nougat and upon further swirling, bonbon and stone fruity flavours come through. The finish is nothing short of being sophisticated as it takes a left turn from what the palate promised upon first contact: Citrussy in nature, dominant peanut notes and the smokiness of charred oak contribute to an exit that is dangerously more-ish.

Given what I have tasted, a visit of the relatively young Hobart Whisky Distillery has become an integral part of my itinerary when I embark to Tasmania for the 2019 incarnation of Dark Mofo.

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Photos provided

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic

Enmore Theatre

Sydney, Australia

April 20, 2019

There are bands and the protagonists driving them that you want to experience in the third dimension at least once. George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic are one of them and disappointed I was not: What materialized on stage tonight was funk music in its very essence yet distorted, malleable and very, very raw – in the best way imaginable – a smorgasbord of styles peppered with equal measures of authentic jazz, hip hop, soul and rock and put through a psychedelic blender.

A collective of nearly twenty in nature, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic is a group extraordinaire that comprises a melange of immensely talented individuals, who conjure something much bigger than the sum of their isolated contributions would have you expect.

Over two hours of premium entertainment ensued that left hardly anyone in the house unaffected and spread of feelgood atmosphere that is too dense and natural to resist.

Drawing on their immense back catalogue, all the hits were proffered, “Flashlight” made an appearance along with “One Nation Under a Groove”, “Bop Gun (Endangered Species)”, “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)”, “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and – my personal favourite – the never not goose bump inducing “Maggot Brain”, courtesy of Blackbyrd McKnight in his usual impeccable form.

The brass section was as tight as the formidable foundation created by the drums and bass alliance, on which everything else was throning.

It was good to see that George Clinton was present and actively engaged in every moment as opposed to previous incarnations, where he sporadically made appearances when he was not attending to whatever he had going on offstage.

Either reigning supreme singing, gracing the band dancing conducting, cheering on, indulging in monologues and always vibing along sharing, feeding on and firing on the energy that made the show what felt like a timeless and significant funkadelic club-like block party with the broad audience enjoying every minute, no matter if they were in their late teens or twilight years.

A mind-blowing and otherworldly night that you would not want to miss participating in should George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic ever hold court in your neck of the woods.

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Photos by @k.a.vv

Iggy Pop

Opera House

Sydney, Australia

April 15, 2019

The godfather of punk is certainly a big title.

Having been active since the second half of the 1960s and actively involved in shaping the foundation and creating the fertile ground that punk could blossom on, warrants it especially since I have yet to encounter anyone remotely interested in music at large that would dispute the status and merits of the maestro that was born as James Osterberg.

I’ve seen Iggy Pop in many incarnations – backed by his worthy constituents The Stooges, by himself reciting French poetry in the old world and throughout the nineties in a variety of hit and miss incarnations.

The 2019 incarnation of Iggy holding court of the Sydney Opera House was nothing short of an exquisite victory lap: Drawing on a back catalogue of hits, the performance flowed effortlessly with Iggy reigning supreme.

From the moment he graced the stage with his presence, the sold out audience was up on its feet and did not let up frenetically celebrating every song, every gesture, every wave and grimace the man emitted, who basked in but also seemed to sincerely appreciate the adoration extended to him, what he stands for and his life.

One could wax lyrical in a borderline academic manner about the pop cultural significance of hymns like Lust for Life, Passenger, Search and Destroy and pretty much every ditty that was part of tonight’s performance and originally served as the cataclysm, for underground movements they became anthems for.

However, tonight’s takeaway is that it apart from all the aforementioned it was an immensely, genuinely fun show whose intimacy helped create goosebumps moments galore.

It was great to see Iggy Pop in the flesh again – a man whose trials and tribulations defeat the very logic of existence and whose show does not have to rely on nostalgia: His vocal delivery based on his trademark baritone accentuated by the occasional screech was strong, on point throughout the show, the band a tight unit and his physical exercises, including the sleazed out dancefloor crawl and him frequently “rubbing” the audience’s appreciation into his pint sized bodily exterior,  were graceful despite him being in his seventh decade of earthly existence, with especially the latter not being a feat commonly mastered by his peers.

A fulminant life-affirming incarnation of a prototype that has never been considered for mass production – he is still very much the streetwalkin’ cheetah with a heart full of napalm.

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Photos by Prudence Upton (provided)

King Dude

Vanguard

Sydney, Australia

April 13, 2019

Having emerged as what appealed to an appreciative underground audience as a neofolky, luciferian lone-troubadour, TJ Cowgill, the man behind the moniker of King Dude has evolved to become an entity that still wears its DNA on its sleeve yet has carefully calibrated a shift towards appealing to a wider audience.

Given the often constrictive confines of underground music, it is something that I welcome with open arms and it would have been great to see the man again accompanied by a full band as part of the upcoming Dark Mofo Festival, but him in the purest form backed by only one constituent got the job done tonight.

2019 sees King Dude holding court in a gloomy folk incarnation that is accentuated by heavier post-punk elements, whose dynamics help to elevate the yarns that Cowgill spins as he lets the audience partake in him meandering through shadowy realms and heavily drawing on hedonist motifs and religious imagery.

It might be my own interpretation of King Dude, but what makes it more appealing to me than his often lacklustre peers is that his tongue seems to be firmly buried in cheek.  Along with the fact that a facet of self-conscious humour reverberates through his oeuvre without a care if it falls on fertile ground with the recipients of his emissions, it adds a refreshing layer of idiosyncrasy.

A fulminant evening paying homage to everything gloomy, haunting and dark yet infused with a gritty alt-country-rockishness and other Americana that result in a refreshing groovy vibe and catchiness that made the performance enjoyable for more reasons than mere aesthetics.

In layman’s terms, this is the perfect soundtrack for a sleazy strip club and tonight’s performance was testament to the fact that the Armageddon Gigolo has a lot more to offer than the stereotypes of the genre he originally emerged from would have you think.

You do want to experience King Dude.

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Photos by @k.a.vv