As we move away from winter and into spring, those who love a good, hard spirit are looking for something a bit more vibrant on the palate. Although given that we haven’t quite left the erratic weather behind, something mature and full of enough fire to keep the chest cosy at night. That’s a delicate balance to find, but luckily there’s five recently drinks that are more than up to task, from whisky and rum, straight through to pure colour-changing NZ gin. Here are five new drinks you need in your life right now.
The Singleton 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Straight from Dufftown, this 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the latest from Glendullan and should perfectly fit in any flavour-forward cocktail you’ve got cooking up at home. With luscious nectar tones of honey, fresh fruit and hints of toffee, the scotch is a shoe-in for whisky enthusiasts that appreciate a profile that’s adaptive and flexible enough to fit into a variety of concoctions, particularly using the distillery’s signature Plus Two measure (with is a 50-50-50 ratio of The Singleton, a sparkling mixer, and a still mixer). A strong recommendation from the distillery is to mix it (with the above formula) with apple pear juice and Appletiser sparkling apple, with a mint sprig to finish it off.
RRP: $75
More info: danmurphys.com.au
Scapegrace Black Gin
Featuring 12 botanicals, “Scapegrace Black” is the newest release from the highly regarded New Zealand distillery, coming at you with water straight from the country’s bountiful Southern Alps. A collection of natural extracts have given the gin its deep, inky black colour, which takes on red and purple hues when it’s mixed with certain tonics. The unique profile of botanicals give the gin an energetic and distinctive profile, elevated by the likes of aronia berry, saffron, pineapple, butterfly pea and sweet potato. Each of the extracts is distilled at precise temperatures in a defined sequence in order to create the unique colour spectrum of black.
RRP: $90
More info: scapegracedistillery.com
Bacardi Spiced Rum
Bacardi has taken gold rum and mellowed it in charred American Oak for the new Bacardi Spiced, imbuing the world’s most awarded rum with a new angle of smokiness and the bold flavours associated with such a cask. It’s obviously taken quite some time for the iconic brand to get into the spiced rum game, but Spiced should easily slingshot to the front of the packed market, especially with its dedicated to natural flavours as opposed to artificial sweeteners.
RRP: $48
More info: bws.com.au
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond
The award-winning Wild Turkey Master’s Keep series has taken on a new angle with “Bottled in Bond”, a premium 17-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, building upon the original which was first released in 2007 and was, at the time, the oldest American whiskey entrant in the US market at 15 years of age. This new iteration is asserted as a bolder flavoured bourbon, narrowing focus on the distinctive merits of a deeply aged whisky special enough to be stamped with the ‘Bottled in Bond’ label – an American certification that guarantees the authenticity of the production process and ensures incomparable flavour and consistency, which in this case is anchored by a palate of vanilla, brown sugar and toffee, and a dark, deep finish of mocha with hints of smoke and spice.
RRP: $250
More info: danmurphys.com.au.
Lark Distillery Symphony No.1
This history-making new release is Lark Distillery’s first ever blended malt whisky. In a nod to the harmonious blend of single malts across Lark’s numerous distilleries, it has been slapped with the label “Symphony No.1” and represents a big step forward for the acclaimed Tasmanian distillery. With great character, its a session-worthy journey that starts with pineapple and tropical fruit, sandwiches by a nose of fresh mango, orange vanilla and tangerines,, and a back palate of peach and apricot before finishing with the unmistakable tang of sweet Tasmanian apples dipped in toffee.
RRP: $139
More info: larkdistillery.com
