The best

• red wine
• white wine
• champagne
• rosé
• whisky
• spirits
• beer

deals in Australia

"One soaring, beautiful eagle." - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible We first tasted Eagle Rare in 2006 when it was labelled 'Single Barrel'. As of 2019, that changed to a multi-barrel blend with a ten year old age statement. It remains a standout value - an American whiskey with the unusual credentials of maintaining a reputation for exceptional quality while being relatively easy to come by. The profile confirms a #1 Mashbill from Buffalo Trace, which is reported to be low rye (10% or less), yielding notes of caramel, new charred oak, liquorice bullets, cocoa and peppermint rock lollies plus cinnamon in support. The complexity grows with time. Re-tasted from a 20ml sample, it's lean on entry, but fills out beautifully into a medium-bodied, chewy whiskey with muted rye spices before vanilla and Bounty Bar flood the finish, the sugars checked by balancing oak and more creamy vanillas. Ever reliable and better than many Bourbons at twice its price, Eagle Rare remains hard to beat. 45% Alc./Vol.

Martell VSOP is the connoisseur's choice. A complex and smooth Cognac made from carefully blended mature

Utilising centuries of knowledge and tradition, yet not restricted by it, Starward is the brainchild of David Vitale who set out to harness the very best of Australia's barley, barrels and climate to create the ultimate new world whisky. Years of experimentation, adjustment, trial and even more adjustment has created Starward, a whisky that will challenge your perceptions of what Whisky can be. Artisan Victorian barley is sourced to begin the bespoke process which ends up in aged Australian Apera casks that have been re-coopered, re-toasted and re-sized. All of which help create a Whisky of smoothness, sweetness and unparalleled complexity.

A clean, clear and colourless spirit. On the nose - crisp with delicate floral aromas with a subtle hint of anise. Warm with strong peppercorn notes and a touch of sweetness. Dry, clean and warming sensation on the finish.

A fine artisanal pastis using long macerations of selected plants and herbs and distilled in old cooper stills. Its fresh and elegant with notes of anise, sweet almond and chartreuse.

While India may not be the first country to mind when great world whisky is mentioned, the Fusion Single Malt is about to change all that. Considered by Jim Murray to be the 3rd best whisky in the world as part of his 2010 Whisky Bible, the Fusion is a phenomenal amalgam of flavours, aromas and texture the envy of most, even in Scotland. On the nose this spectacular whisky offers up notes of heavy oak, barley sugar and some subtle smoke characters that play ever so well with amazingly complex flavours like custard cream, toffee and dried fruits. While the whisky threatens to be completely overpowering, the balance on the finish is nothing short of ground breaking. There is simply no better way to extend your whisky horizons than with a bottle of Amrut Fusion.

Domain des Restanques in Provence has over a 1000 aromatic plants like sage, wormwood, lemon verbena, rosemary, angelica, balm, coriander, mint ... others like gentian, savory, thyme grow abuntly in countryside. Jean Boyer selects 24 plants and 12 spices to macerate individually before blending and distilling. The pastis is then bottled without filtration to keep optimum flavour and colour resulting in an intensely elegant drink.

Four Pillars Navy Strength is a gin very much in the style of the Rare Dry Gin but with the volume turned up slightly beyond 11. At 58.8% ABV the gin can support some more robust and interesting botanicals, so there are three new botanicals that are both new (and fresh), including fresh turmeric and ginger. Together they have heightened the spiciness of the gin, and the turmeric in particular has added weight and a lovely earthiness to the palate. Also in the botanical basket about half the normal oranges have been replaced with some explosive native finger limes, grown in Byron Bay. They have an intensity of flavour and acid that is almost impossible to believe, and in the basket they help the gin attain super citrus notes and lovely high-toned freshness.

High West is Utahs first distillery since 1870 and the worlds only ski-in gastro distillery. Hand-numbered labels adorn hand-blown glass bottles with wooden-topped cork stoppers. The whiskeys are all 46% and not chill-filtered.Light caramel and sweet vanilla on the nose. Rich and earthy on the palate with well-balanced flavours of candy corn, honey nougat, and sweetcorn bread biscuits. Notes of Vanilla with a hint of caramel apple on the finish.

"...you can buy me a dozen of these roses any day of the week." - breakingbourbon.com Produced from a mashbill of 60% corn, 35% rye, and 5% malted barley, the strain of yeast used for the Single Barrel bottlings is Four Roses' version “V” which is described as being "delicately fruity, spicy, and creamy." (The distillery is unique in that it uses five different strains to create ten different whiskies). Ages will vary in this series, (a seven year minimum is cited by one source). Regardless, the aim is to bottle when the whiskeys are deemed to have reached their peak, with each barrel yielding approximately 180 bottles. Each release is individually marked with a warehouse and barrel number which is not predictable and subject to change without notice. It's also part of the fun: No two barrels create identical tasting Bourbons, thus the single barrel concept provides the opportunity to appreciate and compare whiskies from different barrels and aging locations. [Barrel RN 8-4R tasted] Bright burnished copper penny colour. A robust Bourbon sniff with a dense core of vanilla custard and caramel fudge overlaid with peppermint, balsa wood, cocoa and hints of cherry. Concentrated yet controlled with razor sharp sweet/dry balance; a burst of vanillan oak, honey and spiced peach, offset by a tangy, vibrant finish. Glace cherry is followed by late mint freshness. Text-book poise and length. As complete a Bourbon as you could expect to find in its category, this really over delivers. 50% Alc./Vol.