FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE!

PEATED

CASK No. 93.174

$190

REGION Campbeltown

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 8 years

DATE DISTILLED 7 March 2013

OUTTURN 202 bottles

ABV 57.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 30 bottles

Imagine standing at the old harbour wall watching a puffer arrive and the wind carrying the aromas from the nearby Petrol station, cheese and fish monger. A lot smokier on the palate neat, like a steaming hot smoked haddock and cockle soup, peppered smoked mackerel filets and a traditional Greek cheese smoked for 12 days using grass, leaves and herbs. After the addition of water, we fed a furnace in a foundry with heather, tarragon, lavender and rosemary before we were back at the fishmonger for smoked eel, smoked cockles in brine and to finish it all how about spicy, smoky, sweet and sour dill pickles.

BIZARRE, BONKERS AND BRILLIANT!

RUM

CASK No. R13.4

$675

REGION Trinidad

CASK TYPE 1st fill bourbon barrel

AGE 23 years

DATE DISTILLED 1 January 1998

OUTTURN 222 bottles

ABV 61.8%

AUS ALLOCATION 24 bottles

We have learned to expect all sorts from this (unfortunately) closed distillery. Here we go againliquorice, spice, black treacle and pineapple glazed ham, phenols, an old wooden sea chest and not to forget, washable colour glue available as Granny Smiths apple, banana mania yellow, mango tango pink and Pacific blue! The palate certainly did not lag behind with oily rags, an old metal toolbox, herbal cough mixture but also wave after wave of cherries, sugar cane and vanilla sweetness.

Midnight Special

COGNAC

CASK No. C8.1

$795

REGION Cognac

CASK TYPE Cognac barrel

AGE 28 years

OUTTURN 521 bottles

ABV 60.5%

AUS ALLOCATION 12 bottles

At first this one is toasty and warm. All buttery cereals, roasted nuts, soft, dark fruits and lemon peel. There follows greengages, ripe peaches, butterscotch, rancio, dried thyme and bay leaves. We are standing in an earthen-floored cooperage. Water unearths dark chocolate shavings, orange zest, wild strawberries and further dunnagey notes of damp sack cloth. The palate comes in waves: at first spice; then wild flowers; grape must; camphor; raisins and sultanas; more rancio. With water there is an unctuous and dense fruit quality about the whole thing. Molasses, various oils, fruit syrups and wood resins. Majestic!