No. 209 Sauvignon Blanc Barrel Reserve Gin Batch #4 has a floral nose with hints of toasted grain and subtle spice over undertones of juniper and citrus. The first sip is alluringly sweet and citrusy, with a pleasant tang from wine barrel aging. Mid-palate shows a burst of floral tones, lavender, rose and chamomile with hints of juniper. The finish is long and round with cardamom, chocolate and cassia notes.

For the Brabazon Bottling Series 4, Teeling sourced unique barrels used by a long forgotten historical style of portugese port to prroduce a truly unique and distinctive bottling of Teeling Whiskey. Carvacelos is a style of Portugese fortified wine dating back to the 18th Century. These rare port barrels were filled with single malt distilled in 2007 and left for over two years to impart the full range of flavour and character on the whiskey. The result is a truly unique whiskey bursting with soft citrus fruits and distinctive prickly spice. Tasting Notes Nose: Caramel, malt, toffee, white grapes, Granny Smith apples, honeydew melon and mint Taste: Complex orchard fruit, hay-like malt, toast, honey, marmalade, sweetness, oak tannins and spice Finish: Port soaked dry fruit, malt and hints of cookie dough.

On a short list the most desirable, super premium American whiskeys, Pappy Van Winkle is usually near the top – if you can find it. But there’s another name in town: “Michter’s”, with roots going back to the 18th century. For scarcity, reputation and market value, Michter’s is now outdoing Van Winkle on every score. The ultra-aged releases are periodic and therefore actually far rarer than Pappy’s which are annual. Many consider older Michter's superior to the equivalent Van Winkles, especially if you prefer your whiskey to not be overly oaky. To top it off, a Michter’s 25 Year Old Rye has reached $8000 / bottle. Or there’s a 25 Year old for US $10,000 at Wally’s Liquor in the States. Take your pick. That’s the direction this brand is headed. The modern Michter’s was created in the 1950s (then owner, Lou Forman combined his son’s names – Michael & Peter). Later in 1989, the company declared bankruptcy, abandoning the original Pennsylvania operation. In the 1990s, two entrepreneurs filed for the Michter’s trademark and relocated the brand in Louisville, Kentucky. The “New” Michter’s whiskeys come with a swag of 5 Star / Highest Recommendations from respected critics that’s confirmed by a strong following amongst bartenders (now number two in top-trending American whiskey brands globally). There are four tiers in the range - which is a little confusing at first. The "US*1" expressions are the entry level, so named to honour Michter’s heritage, harkening back to America’s first whiskey company in 1753. Then come the limited releases (toasted barrel finishes and cask strength), then the age statements, and finally, there's a selection of ultra-aged 25 year old+ super limited bottlings. Master Distiller, Pam Heilmann, has extensive experience including time as manager at Booker Noe Distillery in Boston and 15 years with Beam Global. She’s helped out by Andrea Wilson, whose role is Master of Maturation. These ladies are very specific about the seasoning and toasting regimes of the wood they employ. They toast barrels before charring, which helps to make the wood’s sugars more accessible. They insist on barreling at a lower proof (103 instead of the standard 125), a practise which is claimed to get the sugars in oak to dissolve more readily into the distillate as it cycles in and out of the wood. Chill filtration is undertaken but customised to each whiskey's style. All Michter’s whiskeys are either ‘single barrel’ or ‘small batch’. Because “Small batch” is not a legally defined term in US whiskey regulation, many respected “small batch” brands are actually composed from hundreds or thousands of barrels, which helps to ‘lose’ sub-quality barrels in the blend. At Michter’s, the maximum “small batch” size is twenty full barrels. It explains why Heilmann and Wilson are more than a little fanatical about quality control, and you can sense it in the taste. Tasting note: [Lot L146456 tasted] Brassy gold. Opening aroma is peppery and true to style with lovely whiffs of dark rye bread; Further air contact draws out wax, dried apple, cinnamon and vanilla. Third pass finds suggestions of herbal tea - think peppermint and chamomile. Great complexity. A somewhat hollow entry leads into a powerful, peppery rye attack with ryvita biscuit, dried apple and peppermint tea flavours carried by vibrant spices. Hints of vanilla and toffee apple in the drying fade. Solid, text-book styled rye. 42.4% Alc./Vol.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed is a Barrel Proof Bourbon, meaning no water is added to reduce the level of alcohol during the bottling process. This method captures its rich pure Bourbon flavour. Medium to full-bodied with a nose of spring flowers balanced by a touch of black pepper and almonds.

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. High West Rendezvous Rye is a marriage of two straight rye whiskies: an exotic 6-year-old with a 95% rye and 5% barley malt mash bill, and a very rare 16-year-old with an 80% rye, 10% corn, 10% barley mash bill.

This is the soul of American whiskey. Its distinct and unique taste comes from refining "mellowing" the freshly distilled whiskey drop by drop through 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal. The distilled whiskey is then matured in American Oak barrels hand-made by Jack Daniel's themselves. The only major distiller in the world to make their own barrels. Each batch is made from marrying 170 barrels from all levels of the barrel houses to achieve consistent colour and taste. Interesting fact - every drop of the world's biggest selling whiskey comes from a single source, Lynchburg, Tennessee.

A 100% rye made in Brunswick, Melbourne from all-Australian grain grown in the Mallee. Following double distillation the whisky is matured in a two-storey tall bespoke solera system composed of new American oak and x Australian wine barrels.

"the nose and delivery are just about as good as it gets." - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2019 Sazerac Rye dates back to the 1800’s and symbolizes the tradition and history of New Orleans saloons. It was at the Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street where local patrons were served toddies made with Rye whiskey and Peychaud’s Bitters. The libation became know as the “Sazerac” and America’s first branded cocktail was born. This 6 year-old version of the famous Sazerac Rye is produced at the scenic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort (probably using a 'barely legal' rye recipe), home of numerous other whiskies such as Eagle Rare 10 year-old, Eagle Rare 17 year-old, Blanton's, Rock Hill Farms and George T. Stagg. The beautifully designed bottle harks back to the pre Civil War days when barrels of whisky were poured into ornately engraved decanters supplied by the distiller, displaying the colour of the whiskey to good effect. In what seems to be a company tradition, the price is nowhere near the kind of money many other ryes command. Our re-tasting since last visiting this stalwart in 2008 found moderate aromas suggesting caraway and oak shavings then green apple, orange zest, wood spice and sweet nutty/vanilla notes. This is a soft, plush 'fruity' style without compromising depth of flavour - dried apricots, apply rye and white pepper come counterpointed by light vanilla oak. The keynote grain isn't aggressive like some others, while the balance is near perfect, and there's dark rye bread, more pepper and a subtle muddled mint refreshing the fade. In short - Sazerac is a broad appeal whiskey with enough mid-palate sweetness, complexity and kick to convert one-eyed Bourbon nuts - or even the odd malt enthusiast. Keep this as the 'proper' choice for a Manhattan or Sazerac Cocktail. 45% Alc./Vol.

"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.