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Water of Life – Hellfire Distillery / Kilderkin Distillery

If you have followed this series with a modicum of interest and harbour a weak spot for fantastic, artisanal spirits, Tasmania would be doubtlessly be have made it on your to-visit list quite a while ago. Visiting the southernmost state of Australia twice a year, I never cease to discover new distilleries that know to tantalise my palate with their creations.

Case in point: The Daly family. Originally known for potato production, the family eventually commenced using their crop for spirits production and formally established its operation as Hellfire Distillery four years ago.

With their creamy Potato Vodka constituting their core release, their portfolio has grown to encompass an impressive range of gins and liqueurs. Hand crafted in nature and focused in provenance, Hellfire put local rainwater to good use and infuses their distillates with Tasmanian botanicals.

My first exposure to Hellfire Distillery’s emissions was their Summer Gin, the ingredients of which read like a floral poem, with boronia flower, Tasmanian leatherwood honey, sarsaparilla root and mountain pepper berries dominating the flavour profile. While it serves perfectly to concoct a summery G&T, I find it even more enjoyable to sip neat.

The Sloe Gin expression uses berries  growing wild from rural hedgerows, which after maceration are responsible for the beautifully intense colouration and the citrussy highlights which are set against a backdrop of orangey spiciness.  

The flavour profile of Hellfire’s Piquant gin is more on the herbaceously bold end of the spectrum and quite refreshingly so with lemon myrtle, olive leaves and lemongrass creating intensive flavour that come to sing in a strong Martini.

The Limoncello, how else could it be, is based on the juice of specifically grown and then hand-peeled lemons and proves to be Hellfire’s spin on an Italian classic.

Now, while I love coffee, as a flavour in beers or spirits, it has never been a favourite, however, the fact that Hellfire’s way of marrying Using Colombian, Guatemalan and Ethiopian beans from Tasmanian Special to create their cold-drip Coffee Liqueur makes a regular appearance with desert should give an indication of the quality of their craft.

I certainly hope to be visiting the distillery one day and that Hellfire will hopefully start to try their hands at creating their own whiskey expression.

Produced at Kilderkin Distillery and located in the proximity of Ballarat, Larrikin Gin made a splash when after years of experimentation, they launched their first expressions in 2017.

With the Australian term “larrikin” denoting a disregard for conventions, the distillery is dedicated to paying homage to its home base, which harbours a colourful and longstanding history of both illicit and licit distilling by using traditional distilling methods, they also started to infuse the process with their own idiosyncratic and contemporary approach.

With quality and carefully calibrated flavour profiles of their gins being the main tenets, Kilderkin's artisanal gin range are infused with not only local botanicals but finetuned with ones sourced from more remote corners of this earthround to ensure that their small batches provide  unique and tantalizing experiences for the distinguished palate.

Being into whiskies, Barrel Aged gins are usually my go-to when it comes to sipping gins neat.

Larrikin’s variant clocks in at 43.5% and benefits from maturation in American Oak barrels that not only previously held Bourbon, but have been further enhanced by holding Tasmanian whiskey. It is this refinement that adds a subtle well-rounded edge and delicate oak nuances, which serve as a canvas on which the Juniper and carefully selected botanicals unfold their vibrancy. The choice of casks imbues Larrikin’s Barrel-Aged expression with unique characteristics that with such delicately pronounced highlights is rarely found in the wild. Delicious on its own – no need for mixers.

Ready to step things up a notch?

Larrikin’s Sunburnt Country – Bush Tucker gin could not be more on the nose as far as the telling nomenclature is concerned: What we have here is Kilderkin creating a quintessential Australian gin, with provenance and native botanicals taking centre stage.

With the alcoholic potency locked in to be the % equivalent of the highest temperature that was ever recorded on terra australis, i.e. 50.7, every facet of this expression is an ode to down under.

Not unlike it was the case with the Barrel Aged Gin, Kilderkin Distillery’s scientific precision comes into play in the flavour department with the broader brushstrokes derived from the dominant botanicals being masterfully counterpointed by citrussy highlights, zesty lime and the faintest hint of both sweet and tarty plum flavours.

Going by the consistent quality of their gins, I can only hope that Kilderkin Distillery will channel their alchemy in the creation of their own whiskey expression sooner than later.

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images from company websites

Water of Life – The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

There is certainly no shortage of whisky clubs and subscription services these days and for anyone remotely into discovering new flavour nuances and variations of their favourite bottlings, joining one can prove to be a viable option.

The experience those services offer ranges from basic monthly tasting kits that might entice the uninitiated to tumble deeper into the fascinating rabbit hole that the world of whisky provides to curated offerings with expertise at the helm, attention to detail dedicated to each facet and the ambition to provide access to special independent bottlings that one would fail to find anywhere else.

Enter the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which falls into the latter category,

In essence, the SMSW is a club the membership of which gains one access not only to whiskies exclusively sourced and crafted for its members, but also a range of social events, access to partner bars with discounts and regular communiques, e.g. their quarterly magazine Unfiltered, which is one of the more informative and intriguing whisky-centric on this earthround.

Incepted in the 1970s by Pip Hills and informed by his hobbyhorse, i.e. the acquisition of single malt casks to then share the contents with his friends, which to this day constitutes the core ethos and DNA of the SMWS in an augmented manner,  it has evolved to firmly establish itself on the firmament of whisky clubs that has become known for its stringent and rigorous quality standards, implemented by the society’s tasting panel.

Sounds a tad illuminati?

Well, while the “enlightened” set out to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, which to some degree could also be identified as an equivalent tenet of the SMWS as they provide access to more interesting whiskies with the only criteria being quality.

If you have ever come across the uniform signature green SMWS’ bottlings, you would have looked in vain for further details on the label as to the distillery, age, cask, or origin. A deliberate move, as the idea is to not let preconceived notions about regions and distilleries dampen the tasting experience of the more often than not off-profile single cask nuances and resulting surprising discoveries.

Instead SMWS uses a numbering system comprised of two sets of digits, which enables the curious and discerning drinker to unveil the source distillery and number of casks that have been sourced.

What I love about the SMWS are the tasting notes, which are not only expertly written in a way reminiscent of poetry to evoke a mouth-watering Pavlovian response with the mental images they conjure, but often contain subtle hints regarding the source that are easy to decipher for the initiated.

If you are looking for standard whisky offerings, joining the SMWS might not be for you as the appeal lies in the fact that single barrel whiskies can be quite different from the respective distillery’s core range, which on the other hand is the draw for aficionados willing to explore and experiment.

Harbouring more than a weak spot for Islay whiskies, I would love to see SMWS put less emphasis on sherry casks and release more Islays outside the confines of what Caol Ila offers, as I’d only imagine how interesting an SMWS bottling of Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte / Octomore, Ardbeg, Kilchoman and Laphroiag could be.

Needless to say, with the limited nature of SMWS’ offerings and the keen and enthusiastic nature of its members, their monthly outturn is usually lapped up pretty quickly.

We will hopefully have a chance to cover the 2021 incarnation of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship in October, where sensory prowess will reign supreme and which will help to further cover the merits of SMWS as an organisation and shed light on its events.

Summa summarum, if you love whisky and you invested in the independent bottling landscape and single cask variations, a SMWS membership proves to be a very good investment, especially if travel restrictions allow for a visit its inner sanctums in the old world, i.e. the vaults in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London.

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image courtesy of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Water of Life – Milton Rum and Mad Monkey Distillery

Rum has a long and at times chequered history reaching back more than six hundred years to the times dominated by Colonialism, where it did not only serve to make pirates drunk but as a means for trade.

Fast forward to the present day and the renaissance that the distillation from sugarcane by-products, i.e. molasses, enjoys, sees it being produced and proffered in artisanal ways

Given that climate and soil, in other words territory, have a tangible impact on the way molasses taste, provenance is given another dimension with rum and is essentially just one of the many variables that contribute to the taste of the final product.

Rum has not exactly enjoyed a prominent profile in this series, which shall change going forward and one of the first features in that regard will zero in on a spiced variants.

Milton Rum Distillery started out their operations under their trademark Eastern Koel bird logo with the objective to honour traditional methods yet infuse the rum scene with their own idiosyncratic approach. Based in an urban environment, the aforementioned is accomplished by marrying the benefits of state-of-the-art technology with tried and tested methods.

My first exposure to Milton Rum was via their Spiced Cane Spirit – an interesting expression as for its creation, vapour infusion methods were used, which are traditionally known from being employed by gin distillers.

What tickles the nostrils catapults one instantaneously to the Christmas period and gives an adequate impression of what will materialize on the palate, i.e. a tour de force of five spices and floral nuances, resting on a backbone of citrussy myrtle highlights.  

With an ABV of 42%, this is an extremely sippable and more-ish craft rum is a fantastic introduction to how Milton Rum channels its alchemy and I look forward to their future creations.

Let’s head to South Australia, shall we?

Having been incepted in 2018, Mad Monkey Distillery is the state’s first distillery dedicated exclusively to channelling its alchemy in the art of open fermentations and sourcing their special yeast strains to infuse the Australian spirits landscape with their idiosyncratic take on Caribbean libations.

Harnessing the South Australian seasonal climate and with their DNA currently comprised of three separate cane spirit product lines. Mad Monkey uses the by-product of crystal sugar production, i.e. molasses, sourced from sugar mills in New South Wales and the quality of its emissions sets the expectations high for the launch of their certified rum line, which is currently maturing in their bond store.

What I like about Mad Monkey is their commitment to transparency, which manifests itself e.g. in meticulously detailing where their ingredients are sourced from and how they go about their craft along with the tenet to aim for sustainability in the treatment of the resources used.

My first exposure to Mad Monkey was through their Ubhal Bakte expression – quite a telling name once the Gaelic moniker is translated into “baked apple”.

As the name suggests, rich, naturally sweet cider and apple flavours are accentuated by nutty highlights, delicately set against a backdrop of spiciness and deliciously calibrated smoke.  Given my preference for smoky whiskies, I was sold straight away and found it to be a wonderfully sippable aperitif.

Flora is Mad Monkey’s ode to the Australian bush with local botanicals taking centre stage in form intensely aromatic eucalyptus married with  interesting nuances like marjoram and meadowsweet.

Saccharum could be considered Mad Monkey’s core expression as the name hints at, with it being a reference to sugar cane. This young cane spirit is as pure as they come, with flavours being exclusively derived from the distillation process and fermentation.

A borderline ideal expression to illustrate the deconstruction of rum, showcasing what can be achieved with a stripped down list of ingredients.

On the nose there is silage, floral, fruity and vegetal aromas. What then materializes on the palate takes things to the next level as things get delicately spicy, flanked by minty, sweet liquorice flavours and fruity peppery overtones.

The mid-length finish marries the best of the aforementioned flavours with the addition of the faintest salty notes and a nice apple based acidity.

Given the quality of what I have been able to taste so far, anyone remotely into rum should be psyched about Mad Monkey’s rum.

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images from company websites

The Formative Years - Kill Rock Stars 

It would have been around 1992 that I first came about a new label that seemed to have its focus firmly set on releasing its friends’ records and the underground scene centred around Olympia, Washington. It did not take long for the label, its credo and overall outlook and aesthetic to manifest via having a tangible impact on underground music at large.

If you e.g. look at their compilation Kill Rock Stars, it gives you an indication of how much of a trailblazer the label was, featuring bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Unwound, Nirvana, Mecca Normal, Heavens to Betsy, The Nation of Ulysses, and the Melvins as early as 1991.

The compilation not only had tender singer-songwriters on it but partly captured the spirit of what the genre “grunge” was to become yet was deliberately antithetical to it.

The fact that the covers were hand-made and the overall approach informed by a stern DIY ethic only added to the appeal.

Never limited to particular musical styles, Kill Rock Stars exposed me to beatnik punk, thoughtful and moody spoken word releases, Elliott Smith’s pained and gritty first full length, acts like the fantastic Mary Lou Lord and bands like Sleater Kinney.

My infatuation with KRS lasted only for three to four years up until around 1995 when most of the key bands on the label’s roster split up, but it left an indelible mark in how my interest in literate, polemic women fronted underground music and its meaningful tenets has been shaped.

With its underlying intellectuality, political mindedness, willingness to experiment and sensitivity, it was a door opener for many voices and served as a platform that occupies a unique position in the label landscape to this day with releases that thirty years on still reverberate with the same vibrancy and vigour.

Joseph Beuys: Plakate. Posters

Prestel Publishing

In the realm of art, Joseph Beuys was active in a range of disciplines from sculpting, performance, activist and installation art via graphics to him lecturing about art theory in an educational context, with his emissions often being interpreted to be of controversial nature. Beuys himself perceived his oeuvre to resemble a roadmap for the improvement of the human experience at large – an approach and philosophy that is specifically represented in his poster art, which Prestel Publishing’s tome on the matter focusses on.

The carefully curated and opulently illustrated compilation of Beuys’ poster art sheds light on how he shaped his tenet to subversively contribute to the change of Western culture and its implications with the ultimate aim to arrive in a place dominated by a peaceful, democratic and creative outlook.

What pervades the posters and constitutes the common denominator is Beuys’ idiosyncratic way of aligning life and art inextricably along with the notion that art should be a democratic endeavour and that everyone is an artist.

While his early posters focus on the announcement of his endeavours, the book shows the evolution to posters becoming a vehicle for Beuys to communicate his political and philosophical viewpoints, at times aligned with political parties he was associated with.

With its full page illustrations and accompanying commentary and contextualised essays, the book expertly exemplifies the influence Beuys exerted on the post-war artworld at large.