Blog — Page 176 of 278

Water of Life

Bruichladdich

The Isle of Islay is the mecca for whisky connoisseurs, specifically for ones into the smoky and peaty variants. Bruichladdich is a distillery that reopened its doors shortly after the millennium and one that has first come across my radar with their curiously turquoise coloured Classic Laddie bottle.

Many moons ago we played a show in Connecticut and the after party culminated in the hip hop-phile thugged out club owner handing out bottles of the bewildering liqueur Hpnotiq, a concoction of fruit juices, French vodka and a dash of cognac that made for a fun evening yet resulted in a royal headache the following morning and an aftertaste that kept me from trying the Classic Laddie merely because of the fact that its visual aesthetic catapulted me back to da club.

A huge mistake as sampling revealed – the triple distilled Classic Ladddie is an unpeated single malt of epic proportions, matured in American oak and straight from the epicentre of the Islay region, bottled at hundred proof.

A zesty arrival is followed by traces of nut pervade the thick liquid that rest on a layer of vanilla, sweet fruity flavours on a bed of milky nuances and a bit of sugary salt with a finish that ebbs and flows and slowly fades.

The Classic Laddie is a well-composed introduction to the alchemy Bruichladdich channels as it gives an idea of how they honour the traditional ways of whisky away from prefabricated computerized mass production and one at that, that I would not want to miss on my shelves.

Now, not a bad start at all – specifically for the heathens who shiver on the back when the shores of Islay are mentioned.

Talking of which – you came for peat and smoke? Fret not and fasten your seatbelt.

Port Charlotte is the name of the town in close proximity to the original site of the Bruichladdich distillery and the name of one of their more exquisite expressions.  Again, higher in strength yet with the adage of Islay spring water below to make it dial in just below cask strength.

Port Charlotte is in essence an accomplished exercise in peated whisky excellence. Opening the bottle made me sit in awe, indulging in sniffing the cork of the bottle before pouring the first dram.

What materializes in the Glencairn is something else.

Matured in a melange of bourbon, French and Spanish wine casks, it is gentle with subtle flavour nuances running the gamut from lemons via chocolaty honey leading up to sweet smoke – a lot of meaty smoke with a ferocious finish. Peated to 40ppm peat, yet light and friendly, this is one solid dram for both hardcore Islay aficionados as well as an introduction for the uninitiated.

If you are remotely into whiskies of the Islay regions and you think you have found your favourite whisky without having tried the wonderfully crisp Port Charlotte – think again.

Starting with Bruichladdich’s Classic Laddie and building up via the excellent Port Charlotte is quite a build-up, yet we have not peaked yet – the climax is yet to come:

Enter the much fabled about Octomore.

An uncompromising peat bomb. 

59.3% ABV.

Peated to 167 ppm.

Manna from heaven.

Smoke, peat, smoke, peat, smoked salmon, peat, smoke, honey, smoke, peat, cinnamon, peaty smoke, bananas, smoky peat and hint of honey.

I have had a chance to try the excellent Octomore 7.1 before, but the 8.1 expression feels, smells and tastes gentler. The eight-year aging in first fill Bourbon barrels has left an inedible mark as the Octomore 8.1. finishes with a long, warming elegant embrace.

The dominance of smoke, tar and campfire is combined in a way that makes one wonder if the angels have collectively decided to distil the best of their Islay shares and sent it back in a stylish bottle.

The Octomore completes a troika of Bruichladdich’s flagship expressions, which make it one of my favourite distilleries from the Islay region. 

Each of the aforementioned is one for special occasions and if the circumstances are not special enough, having a dram will dramatically enhance the moment.

For peat and smoke aficionados, I would find it hard to imagine finding something more satisfying than the Octomore 8.1. - having a dram is the ultimate pause button in this busy age and silence the humdrum of white noise.

What a beauty.

Read more Water of Life entries here.

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Photos by T

The Good, the Tasty, the Sustainable

Show me a human being that does not like snacking.

No matter if you are a health nut or a couch potato, devour leftover pizza hopped up on devil’s lettuce  or green, celery smoothies as part of your diet to tide you over – technically all of the aforementioned is snack territory.

Snack offerings are manifold. My criteria for tasty treats is that they should be easy. My criteria for tasty treats is that they should be easy to consume, preferably with your hands right out of the packaging.

On my quest for delicious snacks I came across Cartel & Co, which in essence is a brand partnership and product distribution company supporting and importing quality brands they are convinced of. What Cartel & Co has in store caters and resonates with my many tastes and appetites:

Their diverse range of Red Clipper hot sauces is a thing of beauty, not only because of the colourful emissions they produce and their distinctive bottles, but due to  the complex and sophisticated flavours they create by mixing chili with high quality ingredients, which make their hot sauces more than a mere condiment.

No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

Something that goes perfectly well with chili is chocolate: Enter Marou.

Oh, Freude schooner Goetterfunken – what delight!

You dig chocolate? Who does not?

Marou to the rescue. Legend around the campfire has that the idea behind Marou was incepted when they first encountered each other while exploring Vietnam, being inspired by how cocoa producing farms do not rely on a single crop but combine different nuts and coconuts.

Each of their chocolates pays homage to the notion of terroir it was sourced on and the respective province. In that way, their products are similar to wine in that subtle flavour nuances can be detected and attributed to the geographic region, climate and the fermentation used at the respective farm.

It proves to be difficult to frame in words how exactly Marou’ six dark chocolate offerings differ  - the nuances are subtle yet make a big difference.

Let’s switch gear and look at the mandatory ingredient for a good movie night, shan’t we?

Enter Brooklyn Coney Island Classics’s small batch, gluten free, vegan Non-GMO Kettle Corn, which is made in the traditional old-fashioned Boardwalk way, by hand, in small copper kettles, with well-calibrated seasoning.

Favourites of their range include the salty variants, which are enhanced with the flavours derived from the adage of Himalayan Pink Salt, is the classic sweet and salty mix of kettle corn with a jalapeno kick, which is dangerously delicious and has you coming back for more.

Read The Good, The Tasty, The Sustainable - Part 1 here.

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Photo by T

Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave

Thames and Hudson

Japan and art is not one but a myriad of chapters for themselves.

One of Japan’s preeminent artists is Hokusai, a maestro that achieved the heights of his oeuvre towards the final years of his life and mainstream pop cultural success and appreciation through what is definitely an iconic and one of the more known creations in the realm of art form the land of the rising sun, i.e. The Great Wave, which he created at towards the end of his career.

What Thames and Hudson’s opulently illustrated homage to Hokusai illustrates is that there was much more genius in and behind the man than his more known emissions would suggest. Zero-ing in on the second half of his life, the tome depicts his ambitious endeavours for innovation, marrying impressionism and art noveau and looking to pushing the envelope while choosing themes for his paintings that resonated with the middleclass of the Edo-era.

His most expressive works are the ones personifying forces of nature. The depth and dimensions he gives seemingly overly explored themes is awe-inspiring, which is amplified when one examines the attention to detail he put into his atmospheric carved wood prints.

Thames and Hudson’s tome on the master is a comprehensive one comprised of an interesting mélange of vibrant depictions of his famous paintings, detailed prints and comparative sketches that document how his works came about and evolved over time, with the main focus being on his 1830 landscape series.

Elaborate essays courtesy of Hokusai scholars help to gain a superb understanding of the subtleties and nuances of his works and the way they are penned should be interested to both aficionados in the know as well an the uninitiated.

Beyond the Great Wave gives an excellent overview of is life, how it informed his art and why to this day he is unrivaled in what this great Japanese artist has created.

Angerot, God Came From Space, Off With Their Heads, Khemmis, Murder City Devils, Carcass

Somerset Amphitheater

Somerset, WI

September 29, 2018

Photo gallery below

Georg Jensen: Scandinavian Design for Living

Art Institute of Chicago

Georg Jensen and his creations are credited with having left an immense imprint on the landscape that defines modern living. This book gives more than a few answers as to the why.

With an idiosyncratic approach and a focus on keeping the balance between form and function, his diverse ranges of both extraordinaire accessories and everyday objects have not only managed to keep pace but also exert influence of the ever shifting culture that defines lifestyles while at the same time managing to embrace a large spectrum of customers, from design aficionados to ones that “just like” what Jensen’s emissions do and how they look.

A maverick that believed in his vision and a torchbearer for Scandinavian design at large that finds homage to him in this book.

The focus is on his silver works but the book also covers his visions for the modern home informed by innovation and the incorporation of a range of different materials – a bit of a counterpoint to the furniture heavy Danish design landscape, which it is usually praised for.

The book also pays tribute to the designers that keep pushing the envelope under the banner of the brand Georg Jensen, e.g. Sigvard Bernadotte and Johan Rohde, who took the DNA of Jensen’s oeuvre, incorporated new methodologies and infused his trademark style with their own flavours. Furthermore his collaborations with other designers, and architects are shed light on, which gives his works another dimension as they incarnate in different, seemingly unrelated contexts.

A lavishly illustrated tome that rests on a solid foundation of elaborate essays that document how a Danish identity was coined in the realm of design – an identity that eventually found its place on the firmament of global culture and became a hallmark in the canon of twenty-first century design.