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Water of Life – Banks and Solander

While my DNA has me more geared towards whisk(e)y, my better half is all about gin, which enables me to sample new variants from around this earthround on a regular basis. What I really like is when gins are enhanced by local botanicals, which often add an idiosyncratic flavour profile that makes them distinct from other expressions.

In terms of gin, Australians are blessed with innovative distilleries mushrooming all over terra australis and the wealth of botanicals that can be tapped into in different locations. There is literally a new variant out on a weekly basis, plus limited seasonal and barrel-aged examples.

At that recent Christmas incarnation of the extravaganza that is the Gin Palooza festival, I came across distillers I had never heard of before and its location in close proximity of my digs intrigued me. Turned out that what I got to sample that day merited a dedicated instalment of our series.

Banks and Solander’s micro distillery is located at New South Wales’ Botany Bay, a history rich part of Sydney with an array of traditional and native Australian botanicals on offer.

Claiming that Banks and Solander’s expressions are artisanal in nature would be an understatement par excellence as their core expression is a tour de force in complex full-bodiness based on careful curation of ingredients and quality assurance of each step of the production.

Inspired by how Tasmanian distillers channel their alchemy, the husband and wife team started to build their own distillery from scratch to take things to the next level.

Their Signature Gin is a wonderfully citrus-forward  drop with floral highlights,

nuanced by the most subtle hints of chocolate and culminate in a tingle courtesy of Tasmanian pepper berry and a hint of lemon myrtle.

While this is ideal for summer, their limited edition Endeavour Gin caters to the colder months of the year, with its melange of spices, orange marmalade and oak caramel, resting on a foundation of citrus.

Interestingly, Banks and Solander have recently created their own Limoncello, which traditionally is a classic after dinner digestive based on macerating lemon zest in grappa. Needless to say, Banks and Solander refined the traditional Italian recipe by adding local Australian botanicals to create their own naturally vibrant limoncello that will work beautifully in cocktails and punches.

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image from company website

Water of Life – Glencairn Crystal

There is certainly no shortage of opinions when it comes to the question of the design and look of the vessel whisky is to be enjoyed from. Fact is that a well-crafted glass can change your drinking experience to the better, especially if your appreciation of spirits has matured past the stage of shooting and gulping.

While I find merits in the tulip-shaped copita glass for its aroma and flavour enhancing qualities and find the “shot glass” the least favourable option for anything you would actually like to savour, my go-to is the good ole traditional Glencairn glass. My preference goes as far as that I usually travel with one as one never knows when the aromas of a great drop are to be appreciated in a concentrated manner on the nose. Its shape lends itself perfectly well to fully experience the layering of flavours and with the glass being tapered at the top, it lets you focus on the essence of each expression, with the thick stem making sure that any unintentional heat is kept at bay. The Glencairn Crystal feels good when held in hand, lets one swirl whiskies around, provides the drop with room to breathe and delivers seamless drinkability. The fact that it looks aesthetically pleasing does not hurt either. In essence, it is the definite whisky glass for me and I was delighted that Glencairn Crystal have recently released a limited coloured edition, which is fantastic for blind tasting sessions.

Glencairn’s whisky mixer glass is another one of my favourites as it is versatile and can be used for neat sipping, on the rocks and mixers and is fantastic for Old Fashioneds and other whisky cocktails as it allows rooms for garnishing.

Having been developed in close consultation with the Canadian whisky industry, it lends itself especially well to savour the notes on the sweeter end of the spectrum of rye whiskies.

With my better half harbouring a weak spot for gin rather than whisky, we were delighted to find that Glencairn Crystal channelled their expertise in the creation of a proper gin goblet glass. With the enrichment of the drinking experience being the foremost pursuit, Glencairn has created a beautiful goblet that keeps the warmth of your paws away from the spirit and at the same time necessitates less ice. I love when glasses feel natural yet a lot of thought has gone into the actual design, which can be specifically experienced in this case with its lip and a curved design. 

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image from company website

The Formative Years – Rollins Band

I would deem it borderline impossible to be into punk and hardcore and not only be familiar with but have a distinct take on Henry Rollins.  While the topic of who the best Black Flag frontman was remains a well-debated, the fact that Rollins left an indelible mark with his stint in charge of Black Flag’s vocal delivery is undisputed.

In the late 1980s, an older scenester not only recorded a Black flag mix tape for me but also included songs from Rollins’ first solo album, i.e., Hot Animal Machine, the CD of which I acquired not too longer after. By that time, I had also started tracking down Rollins’ first attempts at literary pursuits and his first spoken-word album Big Ugly Mouth. The albums were interesting, - musically not necessarily bangers, at times silly and the spoken word performances still worlds from the refined engaging experiences that an evening with Rollins started to evolve to in the '00s.

Musically things got more interesting when Rollins teamed up with what was to become a napalm unit of musicians, i.e., Andrew Weiss, Sim Cain, Chris Haskett and sound engineer and mentor Theo van Rock.

Apart from an appreciation for rock and metal, I was intrigued to hear jazzy influences and what seemed to be a channelling of the adoration for Jimi Hendrix oeuvre on the Life Time album, the central theme of which was of course in true Rollins’ fashion alienation and existential funks in all shapes and forms, culminating in the song "Hard Volume," which gave an idea of where things were going to head into.

The murder of Rollins’ best friend Joe Cole in 1991 was not explicitly mentioned anywhere on the tank of an album that The End of Silence is, but it would be difficult to imagine that it served as the catalyst for what is a tour de force of pain, rage, despair, guilt and animosity.

The album sucked me in like a black whole both lyrically. Sonically production was stepped up a few notches, more polished and the clockwork-like precision of the Rollins Band and their full potential was exhibited for the first time. A pivotal raw, white-hot intense record, blueprint for the future, musical sledgehammer and all-out attack that resonated with every fibre of my being.

Weight in 1994 was the next album and both the songs, vocal delivery and lyrics were much more refined and tightened up – partly due to the new bassist Melvin Gibbs ‘love for jazz - and via MTV and the heavy rotation of "Liar," it allowed for Rollins Band to infiltrate and establish itself in the mainstream conscience.

The album contains some of my favourite Rollins Band tracks with Volume 4 being an outstanding example. I would go as far as claiming that in essence, Weight is the polished, simmered down essence of The End of Silence.

Get Some Go Again was the first album after the core of the Rollins Band had departed and saw Rollins team up with LA rock band Mother Superior.

The result is an extremely enjoyable full length that while not being as eclectic as the back catalogue, is a load of fun to listen to with its airtight grooves and homage to the greater moments of the bands that Rollins has always cited as his main influences.

Both Nice and Come In and Burn are solid albums, yet feel a tad recycled and especially the latter felt a bit anaemic. Both are good records but pale in comparison to Rollins Band’s previous efforts.

Anselm Kiefer – Schirmer / Mosel

Given my art related emissions, it should not come as a surprise that I harbour a bit more than a weak spot for Anselm Kiefer and his oeuvre. Having lived in different countries across three continents, I have yet to not seize the opportunity to see one his incarnations in the flesh.

Fairly early on I realized that studying Anselm Kiefer’s body of work was a bit different from other artists I harbour an interest in, in that he more I get the chance to acquaint myself with him and the background of his artworks, the deeper I feel drawn into his idiosyncratic matrix, which at every turn offers another myriad of labyrinthine of dimensions that enhance the experience.

With Kiefer’s ever expanding new endeavours and exhibitions, every now and then it is great to take a step back to take in the facets of the philosophic, literary and theological mosaic that has matured over more than three decades.
It is then that art historians  like Daniel Arasse help one to grind a new lens and detect new approaches to deciphering the ever-winding evolution of an intricately complex artists.

Schirmer / Mosel’s opulently illustrated monography on Anselm Kiefer sees Arasse take you by the hand to guide you down the rabbit hole of not only an artist, but traces of Germany’s and humanity’s history by shedding light on the sources and myths Kiefer refers to – be it ancient Nordic culture, the kabala, astronomy, alchemical practices, modern technology and everything in between.
While I own quite a book books that claim to encompass a “comprehensive” approach to capturing the essence of Kiefer, I find reading Arasse’s tome to be one of the more gratifying experiences. It certainly takes a bit of further research and initiative to work through the art historical references and scientific discourses that are weaved in, but it make the outcomes all the more rewarding.

Both for the uninitiated as well as the aficionado, I would recommend Schirmer / Mosel’s monography on Anselmo Kiefer as a must-have for anyone remotely interested in contemporary art as the way Arasse weaves a red thread through the book via illustrating the different media Kiefer works with and his faible for atavisms, serves as a metaphor for his artistic raison d’etre, existentialism and idiosyncratic school of thought. What Arasse’s elaborations culminate in is the conclusion that Kiefer’s DNA can be simmered down to his longing to fuse the individual with the cosmos through osmosis.

The fact that Arasse knows how to counterpoint seemingly dry topics with a refreshing wit and subtle humour paired with expertly documented details of Kiefer’s artworks, only adds to the experience.

One of the more recent Anselm Kiefer exhibitions, which is currently on display at the Franz Marc Museum, is Opus Magnum. The exhibitions is centred around German history with a focus on national socialism and the holocaust, comprised of installations that were inspired by poems of two of the heavyweights of German lyricisms, i.e. Ingeborg Bachmann and Paul Celan.

Again exquisitely illustrated, the accompanying catalogue not only showcases the exhibits but further elaborates on the mythical and historical contexts that inspired how Kiefer channelled his alchemy thematically.

What is particularly interested about Opus Magnum is that fifteen contemporary writers were invited to bring to paper what the still lives invoked in them along with ensuing dialogue.

Balancing literature and the arts, Opus Magnum is another inspiring tome with Schirmer / Mosel’s trademark to detail, which helps to revisit the exhibits as it opens new angles and horizons.

Water of Life – Spirit Thief

Now this one has been a while in the making…

There have been quite a few independent bottlers we have covered as part of this series, some of which with an exquisitely and  idiosyncratic approach to curation and sourcing of their drops instead of merely banking on big name distillery and slapping their label on the bottle.

Then there are ones whose distinct maturation processes and curated barrel collection take things to the next level and beyond.

Enter Spirit Thief.

Based in Tasmania, the Spirit Thief collective set out to channel their alchemy in the careful calibration of tannins, oak, char and flavour profiles to create elegant and complex limited editions of single malt whiskies matured in varietal specific red wine casks.

Given that the expertise and craftmanship of the collective’s endeavours is informed by the artisanship of both the source distilleries as well as winemakers, the name Spirit Thief is an appropriate and telling one.

Re-coopering individually profiled red wine barrels to then toast and char them to specifications for each expression, adds depth, layers and brings out unique nuances through their highly-integrated collaborations.

Classifying themselves as “gypsy distillers, it should not come as a surprise that their portfolio of collaborators include Peter Bignell from Belgrove Distillery – a match made in heaven as Spirit Thief as it resulted in the creation of an exquisite heavy coastal-peated single malt, based on grain that was peat-smoke after it had been gristed, to then age in refill ex-whisky casks. The result is a truly unique drop with an unrivalled flavour profile and complexity.

Same goes for the outcome of their collaboration with Shene Estate and Distillery, which saw Spirit Thief maturing some of the first double-distilled Shene spirit into their own French Oak Grenache casks. 

I have yet to come across an emission from the vault of Spirit Thief that did not make me smack my lips to then do more research in what factors might have contributed to the creation of the respective unique drop.

Word around the campfire has that Spirit Thief is looking at building their own distillery, in which case that might be a good reason to relocate to Tasmania.

Spirit Thief entertains their own club, i.e. the Vanguard, which allows members free of charge to be posted on new releases and dibs on new releases.

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image from company website