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My experiences of whisk(e)ys from around the world (and the special places where I drank them).
New reviews on the 1st and 14th of every month
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Loch Lomond Original Single Malt – Warrumbungles National Park
The Whisky: Loch Lomond Original (40% abv) Country Of Origin: Scotland (Highland) The Location: Warrumbungles National Park, Australia Volcanos aren’t something Australia is well known for and that’s probably not surprising since the active volcanic activity on our geologically stable continent has been pretty low for several thousand years. But Australia’s landscape is littered with…
Casa De Vinos 10th Anniversary Tasting
The Whiskies (in order of tasting): Ichiros Malt, Malt and Grain 505 (50.5% abv) 2. Ichiros Malt, Malt and Grain (46% abv) 3. Wardhead 1997 21 (47.7% abv) 4. Sullivans Cove Double Cask (44.9% abv) 5. Ichiros Malt Mizunara Wood Reserve (46% abv) 6. Sullivans Cove Exclusive Store release for Casa De Vinos (56.5% abv)…
Archie Rose Distillery Tour – White Rye, Rye Malt Whisky, Single Malt Whisky
The Whiskies: Archie Rose Rye Malt Whisky (Cellar Door Handfill, 52% abv), Single Malt Whisky (Batch 1), White Rye (50% abv) Country of Origin: Australia (Sydney) The Location: Archie Rose Distillery and Bar, Roseberry, Australia The past few years has seen a lot of new distilleries start up and it’s been great to see a…
Method and Madness Single Grain (Virgin Spanish Oak finish) – ‘The Factory’
The Whiskey: Method and Madness Single Grain (Virgin Spanish Oak finish) (46% abv) Country of Origin: Ireland (County Cork) The Location: ‘The Factory’ ‘The Factory’ as we’ve come to affectionately call it, is a derelict stone processing facility hiding in suburban woodlands. The original building was built in the early 1900s to process rock for…
Glenlivet 12 Double Oak – Blue Lake
The Whisky: Glenlivet 12 Double Oak Country of Origin: Scotland (Speyside) The Location: Blue Lake, Kosciuszko National Park For the most part Australia is a flat, arid country fringed by greenery towards the coastlines. But in a few places the hills reach an altitude capable of attaining snow and it’s to one of these regions,…
Johnnie Walker Black – Tiger Snake Canyon
West of Sydney lie the Blue Mountains, so named because of the blueish hue they taken on when viewed from afar. Up close the region is typified by bright orange, light grey and pale yellow cliffs that plunge vertically down from the plateau that forms the range of the Blue Mountains, and by the verdant…
Powers Gold Label – Secret Hideaway Cabins
The Whiskey: Powers Gold Label (42.3% abv) Country Of Origin: Ireland (County Cork) The Location: Secret Today’s adventure is to explore a series of old huts built into a rocky cove. Our trail starts high above the water and we steeply descend on the rocky path, starting on a well defined tourist trail then eventually…
JIM BEAM DOUBLE OAK – QUARANTINE STATION
The Whiskey: Jim Beam Double Oak (abv 43%) Country of Origin: USA (Kentucky) The Location: Quarantine Station, Manly, Australia. We needed a get away. Somewhere close by, with plenty of space to roam, somewhere to explore. Given the situation it’s not surprising that the old Quarantine Station came to mind. Established in the mid 1800s…
Special July Brew – The Former Mosman Rowing Club
The Whisky… It’s not whisky Country of Origin… Made in Japan The Location: A forgotten drug den Sitting on what must be one of the most desirable ‘unoccupied’ pieces of land in Sydney lies the former Mosman Rowing Club. The building, or what remains of it, sprawls across a level grassy area jutting out into…
2000 Berry Bros & Rudd Dailuaine 11 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky – Bamvinos Pizzeria
The Whisky: 2000 Berry Bros & Rudd Dailuaine 11 Year Old Single Malt, Single Cask, Scotch Whisky (55.1% abv) Country of Origin: Scotland (Speyside) The Location: Bamvinos Pizzeria – Erina Heights, Central Coast, NSW A few months ago, before the world changed and we went into lockdown, we were north of Sydney, seeing friends and…
Glenmorangie Nectar D’or – The Back Balcony
The Whisky: Glenmorangie Nectar D’or 12 years old 46% abv Country of Origin: Scotland (Highland) The Location: My parent’s back balcony Many years ago I helped my father extend the back balcony at my parent’s home, removing a withered nectarine to make space to turn what was a narrow concrete thoroughfare into a space with…
Joadja Batch 11 Double Wood ex Bourbon & ex Oloroso
The Whisky: Joadja Batch 11 Double Wood ex Bourbon and ex Oloroso (abv 64.1%) Country of Origin: Australia (Southern Highlands) The Location: Joadja Distillery, Southern Highlands, Australia What makes you excited about a distillery? A friendly welcome? A tour of the equipment and the process of production? Chatting with the distillers face to face over…
Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries: Rockclimbing on Sydney’s North Shore
The Whisky: Ichiro’s Malt Double Distilleries 46% abv Country of Origin: Japan (Saitama Prefecture) The Location: The crag halfway to a mate’s place. In our region of the world ( the State of NSW, Australia) the restrictions imposed to control the 2020 pandemic have necessitated a more local outlook for adventures. Normally at this time…
Starward Twofold – Stringybark Creek Bridge
The Whisky: Starward TwoFold (40% abv) Country of Origin: Australia (Victoria) The Location: A bridge over a creek The plan for these reviews was to travel to exciting and amazing destinations. We had snow capped mountains, wide tundra plains, deep canyons, exotic back alleys and ancient ruins planned. We had a bunch of distilleries –…
Helios Pure Malt – At a Local Rockclimbing Crag
The Whisky: Helios Pure Malt (40% abv) Country of Origin: Japan (Okinawa) The Location: Another local rockclimbing crag In these strange time our plans for epic adventures far from home have been revised to local outings where we can work confined muscles and soak up some sunshine. With some nice Autumn weather finally giving us…
Glenmorangie Signet – Flying Squadron Club
The Whisky: Glenmorangie Signet 46% Country of Origin: Scotland (Highland) The Location: Foy’s Resteraunt, Sydney Flying Squadron Club, Kirribilli, Sydney In addition to having a very cool name the Sydney Flying Squadron lays claim to being Australia’s oldest skiff club and was founded in 1891. Nothing to do with planes and mostly to do with…
Aberlour A’bunadh – A (not very) secret climbing crag, Sydney, Australia
The Whisky: Aberlour A’bunadh 59.9% Country of Origin: Scotland (Speyside) The Location: A (not very) secret rockclimbing crag, Sydney, Australia It’s been a rainy week and I’m desperate to get outdoors. Even though the sun is shining everything is still damp from days of torrential rain. Heatwaves, bushfires and storms have each impeded my plans…
Kirin Fuji Sanroku Signature Blend – North Curl Curl Rocks
The Whisky: Kirin Fuji Sanroku Signature Blend Country of Origin: Japan The Location: Curl Curl headland – around past the rockpool You might remember North Curl Curl from the review of the Glenfiddich 15 Solera Finish – my father and I enjoyed a glass on the edge of the precipitous rocky headland. If you haven’t…
Berry Bros Blue Hanger 11th Release Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – Bamvinos Pizzeria
The Whisky: Berry Brothers Blue Hanger 11th Release Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 45.6% Country of Origin: Scotland (Islay, Highland and Speyside) The Location: Bamvinos Pizzeria, Erina, Central Coast Region, Australia We’d been hearing about Bamvino’s pizzas from family and friends for years and it was time to put aside an afternoon to try them out.…
Ardbeg Uigeadail – Wamberal Beach, Central Coast, NSW
The Whisky: Ardbeg Uigeadail Country of Origin: Scotland (Islay) The Location: Wamberal Beach, Central Coast Region, NSW, Australia Around an hour north of Sydney is the Central Coast region. Sweeping golden sand beaches, rocky headlands and linked coastal lakes rise up steeply to wooded escarpments and farmland. The area lends itself to both activity (hiking,…
Suntory Toki – Middle Head Gun Emplacements, Sydney
The whisky: Suntory Toki Country of Origin: Japan The Location: Middle Head, Sydney, Australia Middle Head has a commanding position, jutting out into the middle of the Sydney harbour and facing the only entry point into the protected waterways of Australia’s largest city. This positioning is the reason why in World War II Middle Head…
Connemara Peated Irish Whiskey – Zed’s shed
The Whiskey: Connemara Peated Irish Whiskey NA 40% Country of Origin: Ireland The Location: Zed’s place – if it wasn’t all just a dream. Like something out of a childhood story, Zed’s place is a little piece of magic that somehow made it into this universe. A place of leafy serenity, the old weatherboard home…
Epic Japanese Feast
Foreword: This review is longer than most, so grab a glass of good whisky (Japanese if possible) and settle in. Tasting notes and impressions are at the end of this post). The Whiskies: Suntory Hakushu 12 Akashi White Oak Single Malt 3YO Sake Cask Finish 50% Mars Komagatake Limited Edition 2018 48% Mars Komagatake Limited…
Aberlour 12 – Lindfield Rocks
The Whisky: Aberlour 12 40% Country of Origin: Scotland (Speyside) The Location: Lindfield Rocks bouldering area Considered a sport in it’s own right bouldering is a form of rockclimbing where the ‘routes’ are very short – where short section of cliffs or boulders (hence the name) are ascended or traversed. The diminished of height (or…
Highland Earl 3yo – The Outlaw’s
The Whisky: Highland Earl 3yo 40% Country of Origin: Scotland The location: My future in-law’s property My partner’s parents – my future mother-in-law and father-in-law – are adventurous, good hearted, mischievous and are affectionately referred to by my half of the family as the ‘outlaws’ (rather than in-laws, if you haven’t caught onto the pun…
Nikka from the Barrel – Harold Reid Reserve, Sydney
The Whisky: Nikka From the Barrel NA 51.4% Country of Origin: Japan (…maybe Scotland!) The Location: Harold Reid Reserve, Middle Cove, Sydney, Australia. Harold Reid Reserve is one of those places that if you don’t know about it, you probably won’t come across it. Accessed by a driveway you can easily overlook the reserve is…
Glenmorangie 18 – Sydney Harbour
The whisky: Glenmorangie 18 43% Country of Origin: Scotland (Highland) The Location: Sydney Harbour (Kirribilli) There are plenty of iconic landmarks on Sydney harbour – The white ‘sails’ of the Opera House, the jagged cityscape of the CBD, the neon grinning facade of Luna Park, the coathanger-like Harbour Bridge – and my favourite place to…
Glenfiddich 15 YO Solera Reserve – North Curl Curl, Sydney, Australia
The Whisky: Glenfiddich 15 Unique Solera Reserve 40% Country of Origin: Scotland (Speyside) The Location: North Curl Curl Headland, Sydney, NSW North Curl Curl is the best beach in the entire world – at least that’s how it seemed as a child. With a craggy headland with sheer drops, bush trails, rock pools full of…
Wild Turkey Longbranch Bourbon – Under the Jacarandas
The Whiskey: Wild Turkey Longbranch, Bourbon 40% Country of Origin: USA (Kentucky) The Location: My local park Springtime in Sydney sees numerous flowers erupt in bursts of colour – Boganvilleas, Cherry Blossoms, Oleanders – but perhaps the most iconic and obvious springtime flower in Sydney is the Jacaranda. Not actually a species native to Sydney…
The Arapiles Adventure – with a selection of whiskies
In so many ways this post, and the trip it describes, encapsulates what this blog is about and why I love to drink good whisky with great people. The Whiskies: Ardbeg 10YO (Scotch), Connemara (Irish), Kilbeggan (Irish), The Ardmore (Scotch), Macallan 12 Fine Oak (Scotch), Laphroaig 10YO (Scotch), Bowmore 10YO (Scotch) The Location: Mount Arapiles,…
Hakushu Single Malt NA – Hakushu Distillery, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
The whiskey: Suntory Hakushu Single Malt NA 43% Country of Origin: Japan (Yamanashi Prefecture) Location: Suntory Hakushu Distillery, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan The Hakushu is a relatively popular single malt whiskey from one of the big Japanese whiskey houses, Suntory. Although Hakushu isn’t one of my favourite whiskeys, or even one of my favourite Japanese whiskeys,…
Nikka Miyagikyo NA – Kosciusko National Park, Snowy Mountains, Australia
The Miyagikyo 12 is one of my favourite whiskeys ever, deliciously silky, and balanced with just a hint of smoke to round out the finish. The no age offering is also a favourite as it captures a lot of what I love about the 12YO but is so much more affordable, even with the inflation…
Joadja Single Malt PX Cask Batch 7 – Mt Boyce, Blue Mountains, Australia
Joadja is a relatively recent find for me and is already very special to me, both the location where it’s made, the distillery it’s made in and the whiskey itself. Whiskey: Joadja Single Malt PX Cask Batch 7 48% Country of Origin: Australia (Southern Highlands) The location: Mt Boyce, Walkdown Gully Area Joadja’s 7th batch…
Bushmills 10YO – Swaines Creek/Ferndale Park
Whiskey: Bushmills 10YO 40% Country of Origin: Ireland The location: Swaines Creek/Ferndale Park, Sydney, Australia Sydney is blessed in many ways; beautiful beaches, a pretty harbour, mild weather, diverse multiculturalism, but it’s the abundant and accessible nature that I most love Sydney for. Around our home, in the creeklines, between the development and linking the…
About Whiskyography
Exploring whiskies, places and the experiences that connect them. Whiskyography was inspired from encounters with special whiskies, special people and special places that have come together to create wonderful memories The premise is simple – drinking whisky should be an experience and with each experience there’s a story. The best whisky experiences depend not only…
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