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Water of Life – Visions in Style

What makes a great whisky tasting?

I have been lucky to attend a wide range of whisky tastings on this earthround. Some were held at the source, i.e. distilleries, others in bars and recently quite a few virtually. There are many factors that contribute to a great tasting event – factors that make the whole experience far more than the mere sum part of its individual components and ones that go far beyond having great whiskies on offer.

Enter Vision in Style.

Breaking the mould of both the traditional tasting procedure both in terms of having an assembly of brand ambassadors try to cater to thirsty punters drunkenly waving their Glencairns at them as well as the standard teacher-pupil set-up with attendants being lectured to, Visions in Style’s approach is informed by its mastermind Michael Cartwright’s creative flair, can-do attitude and innate ability to resolve situations in an innovative manner.

Visions in Style’s Hidden Whisk(e)y Degustation was an example par excellence how a well-planned event can get the audience involved, which is no mean feat in times where the implications of the current malaise make any public outing a logistical nightmare and event management has changed dramatically.

Initially planned to incarnate in the unique environment that is the tunnel venue “Coal Loader”, groups were meant to be guided through themed underground rooms, where whiskies were to be poured in a curated manner. As all events at the initial locale were cancelled for 2020, an alternative venue had to be sourced at short notice, changes had to be dealt with and Vision in Style’s ability to adapt and think outside the box had them look at the problem as a positive challenge as they reimagined the event at the formidable Doncaster Room at Randwick’s Racecourse.

With a passion for whisk(e)y, a keen eye for detail and a talent for delving into things, the event ran expertly choreographed and literally like clockwork as time management was key to get through the fifteen themed, interactive tasting stations.

A highlight of the event, which was comprised of twelve Australian distillers and complemented by a large array of world-renowned distilleries and accompanied by knowledgeable ambassadors, included Pete Stevens holding court, who with his trademark charisma eased us into the proceedings by proffering an excellent new Overeem expression, which with the sizable dram he poured was easy to enjoy, following his credo that “the first sip is not your first sip”.

Another personal highlight was finally meeting the man behind Craft Works Distillery in the flesh and the chance to sample his much fabled about emissions. Founder and renaissance man Craig does not go by the nickname “Crafty” for nothing as the man oozes with passion and enthusiasm for craft artisan spirits, and what I was able to sample warrants a dedicated feature as part of this series.

Sustained by a substantial, curated degustation menu, which was served throughout the event, our tasting journey culminated with Archie Rose Distillery’s station, where I finally got to sample their recently released (and immediately sold out) Single Malt Whisky.

Guided by the never not charming Daniel-Hutchins Read, the drop definitely lived up to the hype as the melange of the six-malt mash bill aged in apera casks and refined in AR’s own air-dried ex-rye casks, materialized on the roof of the mouth as one of the more charismatic expressions of the evening in terms of flavour as the claviature of both savoury and raisiny, dark chocolatey nuances revealed a near perfectly calibrated profile.

Summa summarum, Vision in Style’s whisk(e)y tasting proved to be an enjoyable experience in every sense of the word for both the illuminated whisk(e)y as well as the uninitiated and I cannot wait to see what they have planned for their future events.

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photos by @k.a.vv

Water of Life - GlenAllachie Virgin Oak Series

GlenAllachie is an interesting distillery – interesting in that it had been on the radar for the longest time, but for very superficial reasons, i.e. the branding and theme of the design never tempted me to check it out. Low and behold, upon actually sampling the core range, things changed dramatically, and the 15-year-old expression became a favourite.

Copper in colour, what tickled the nostrils is an array of fruity aromas, heavy on the richer end of the spectrum of the berry front, with a backbone of a caramelly tobacco, a malty earthiness and rounded out by sweet chocolatey highlights, which seemingly transition to what materializes on the top of the mouth, where the Sherry cask finish unfolds its true beauty in terms of sweet berry flavours, raisins, walnuts and a medium length, reverberating finish that is counterpointed and grounded by malty coffee, cherry tinged dry highlights.

Summa summarum, GlenAllachie’s 15-Year-Old infuses the DNA of the distillery’s core range with the attributes that the maturation in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks imparts - highly recommend to anyone who loves rich, flavourful Speyside whiskies.

Giving the nature of GlenAllachie’s core range, I was getting mildly excited when their Virgin Oak Series. Limited in nature, the range of comprised of expressions that have been matured in carefully curated and region specific selected casks from  France and Spain, which of course varies as far as flavour notes are concerned, with the fact that all of them have first been matured in American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels being the only common denominator.

The underlying idea behind the approach to the new series was to how far the influence of Virgin Oak from different terroir / climate, varying drying periods and different toasting and charring levels can be taken.

The French Virgin Oak was my first exposure to the series, which I found to be firmly rooted in honey territory - both in terms of flavours and aroma. On the nose, it is complimented by toffee and orangey nutmeg, backed by a finish that ground the experience with tannins and butterscotch.

The Spanish Virgin Oak starts off similarly in terms of a honeyed vantage point, but then ventures further into interestingly spicy dimensions that continue to reverberate throughout.

My favourite of the triumvirate is the Chinquapin Virgin Oak Finish, which again takes off from a honeyed plateau to then sore into orangey butterscotch territory and liquorice as far as aromas are concerned. On the palate, syrupy flavours dominate, complemented by spicy cinnamon and floral notes, before the elongated finish marries all flavour nuances to a fulminant finish.

Specifically, with the Virgin Oak series, GlenAllachie’s master distiller, Billy Walker, showcased what is possible with different derivates of casks and imbued the individual expressions with unique characteristics with resulting flavour intensities ranging from high to low and everything in between.

Hopefully, GlenAllachie will continue on this path and continue to branch out into creating unique flavour profiles.

"Do You Have a Band?": Poetry and Punk Rock in New York City

Columbia University Press

In terms of cross-pollinationand active exchange, the underground scene of New York City in the ninety seventies and eighties was unrivalled with protagonists on both the musical and poetical fronts not only influencing each other and their emissions serving as sources of inspiration, but also in terms of tearing down the barriers that were perceived to exist between the sung and the written word.

The book explores a time that set the scene for what was to spawn underground bands who delved into the world of the rhythmic qualities of language to inspire not only writers but also the way lyrics were delivered and eventually performed – both by musicians and poets themselves.

Accompanied by archival material and framed by interviews with contemporary witnesses, the book illustrates how poetry influenced by the Kerouac and the Beatnik movement, French symbolism, Dada and what eventually emanated as the NYC school of poetry gave birth to a new branch of rock’n roll with torchbearers like Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Richard Hell, Eileen Myles, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Ted Berrigan at the helm.

Apart from the usual suspects, a myriad of other and lesser known obscure experimentalist poets are elaborated on and given additional dimensions as contexts, their background and underlying connections are illuminated, the insightful analysis of which explains how the fertile ground has come to fruition for NYC to spawn an idiosyncratic arts scene.

"Do You Have a Band?": Poetry and Punk Rock in New York City is an in-depth, compelling and revelatory milieu study that should not only be of interest to music aficionados but to anyone remotely into the genesis of poetry of the ninety seventies or scenes whose DNA has DIY aesthetics at their very core.

Water of Life – Jameson Deconstructed

Chances are that no matter if where you roam and you enter a bar, the Irish whisky available will be Jameson, which not only helped to make evenings during e.g. my travels in the more remote regions of Northern China immeasurably better, but also serves as a reliable constant. In other words, Jameson – and specifically its core expression - is known the world over, widely accessible and while unfortunately a lot of it is still shot, it lends itself exceptionally well to sipping.

Once one delves a bit further into the Jameson cosmos and the way Head Distiller Brian Nation, Master of Wood Management Ger Buckley and Master Blender Billy Leighton channel their alchemy, things get even more refined and delicate, especially with its Whiskey Makers Series, the expressions of which are named after each of their respective key tools.

Aged between twelve and sixteen years and having matured in first and second fill American, virgin oak and sherry casks, the Cooper's Craze expression is not surprisingly oak driven with an aroma comprised of honeyed vanilla, tropical fruits and toffee.

What materializes on the palate is a creamy, velvety extension of what the nose promised, resting on a backbone of cinnamon, raisiny gingerbread, nutmeg and culminating in a spicy, warm finish – an expression that expertly showcases the personality that casks infuse.

The Blender's Dog is, as the name suggest, a masterclass in blending: Not only in terms of different distillates but also cask styles and ages. The result is a well-orchestrated calibration of each component, culminating in a bouquet of floral and perfumed notes, tropical fruits and butterscotch. Flavour-wise, chocolate and toffee notes dominate, which are accentuated by spicy highlights, hints of smoke, liquorice and an elongated, rounded finish, bookended by nutmeggy, woody spices.

The logical next step for an appreciator of Jameson, was to examine the DNA that makes the core expression idiosyncratic and to explore the Deconstructed series, which is exclusively available at travel retail outlets.

The underlying idea of the Deconstructed series is to highlight individual defining aspects of the standard expression and my first exposure to it, was the Round variant.

Focussed on the impact of the barrel wood, the deep golden dram tickled my nostrils with a melange of leathery vanilla, toffee and cereal, which seamlessly transitions to a creamy, raisiny and nutty maltiness on the palate, before it is pierced by delicate peppery spices.  An interesting twist that I had not noticed in such form with the standard expression. With the spiciness dialled up, I found the elongated finish specifically enticing as it wonderfully exhibits the contribution of the oaky wood casks.

I cannot wait to try the Lively and Bold expressions, to see how the remaining two variants of the Deconstructed series differ.

With the number of distilleries in Ireland having nearly quadrupled over the last years, it brought quite a bit of innovation to the game. Jameson’s Caskmates Stout Finish is part of an experimental series where barrels are used that were used for the brewing of beer. With the cask exchange collaboration with Young Henrys having knocked it out of the park and not being the biggest aficionado of dark, top fermented beer, I was curious as to how Jameson’s Stout Cask treatment would go.

Caramel in colour, aromas of coffee, honeyed malt, citrussy hop notes and spices result in a complex and multi-faceted, punchy bouquet, which hints at what can be expected to materialize on the top of the mouth.  Flavours are further amplified and enriched with notes of nutty cinnamon, citrus fruits, dark chocolate and syrupy coffee. It is quite astonishing what the Stout cask finish elicits, with the finish not only extending the aforementioned flavours but adding a grounding earthiness.

In quite a few aspects, the new limited Jameson Cold Brew bottling resembles the Stout Caskmates expression, as rustic coffee notes are front and centre along with lemon and vanilla both on the nose and the palate. What I missed with this expression is that the whiskey itself does not play a prominent role, which also explains the short and abrupt dark chocolatey and syrupy finish. An expression that could possibly serve as an entry point for an Expresso Martini fan to transition to whiskey.

The Formative Years – All the Jazz

The connection between Rock’n Roll, its derivates and Blues is amongst the more obvious and commonly accepted when it comes to the evolution of guitar driven music.

When it comes to punk rock, Jazz does not tend to jump to the top of one’s mind as an influence, however, once one dares to scratch the surface of the breadth of music that resides under the label of this often improvisational musical form, things might start to look like quite differently.

Me delving into Jazz started with not only investigating the roots of proto punk bands like The Stooges and MC5 but having the fortune of being gently pushed towards listening to Ray Charles, the  solos of Jimi Hendrix, the spastic rhythms of Captain Beefheart, John Coltrane and Sun Ra.

An early epiphany I had was that to my surprise, their emissions did not lack grittiness and raw attitude but just managed to channel it in a different if not slightly more sophisticated form via employing different instrumentation, with horns and the brass section being a definite point of difference.

Looking back and having gained a deeper understanding of music at large, the link between Jazz and Punk becomes more obvious, especially as far as the free form approach is concerned. An example par excellence is Velvet Underground and the way they were influenced by John Cage’s minimalism and Coleman’s guitar work.

It appeared that apart from clearly visible blues roots, jazz elements were present and channelled in a dirtied, simpler and louder form with X-Ray Spex, The Stooges and early “No Wave” bands being early adapters from the realm of punk rock, and which again provided the foundation and template the first stage of punk rock bands calibrated their music against.

Later on and once I felt the urge to explore music further than the at times very dogmatic, purist and confined hardcore punk I was listening to, bands like Sonic Youth and other that were more accomplished on the musical front, opened new horizons as far as the incorporation of jazz elements were concerned.

Once my musical horizons expanded, I revisited the more twisted, distorted, and frantic jazz that bordered on the atonal and never lacked surprise or to ability to startle, which again found it contemporary punk equivalent in how e.g. Greg Ginn infused Black Flag or bands not unlike Saccharine Trust with jazz spirit.

In essence, I found Jazz and its improvisatory essence and boundless willingness to explore free of any form to be a conglomeration of outside sounds, with a core attitude that resemble that of punk both in terms of adventure as well as creativity.