Australian Members

[The Ernesto]

Almost blue
Flirting with this disaster became me
It named me as the fool who only aimed to be

 

[Journeyman]

Better be careful about getting too tangled up in blue:

...
But me I'm still on the road
Heading for another joint
We always did feel the same
We just saw it from a different point of view
Tangled up in Blue.

 

[The Ernesto]

It's all over now, baby blue.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]

Song sung blue everybody knows one,

Every garden grows one.

Better still

 

[Foxhound]

Yo listen up here's a story
About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue like him inside and outside
Blue is his house with a blue little window
And a blue corvette
And everything is blue for him and himself
And everybody around
'cause he ain't got nobody to listen to

 

[California Dreamer]



Your Op Shop secrets...including locations.

Miracles I can do in a day. OTOH, that ain't happening ...

 

[Plestor]



Spoiler: Whisky

Okay, as promised I have put down my collected thoughts on Tasmanian whisky following my recent trip. I realise this is SF not whisky forum as someone once remarked, but given a few people have asked me about this subject, and it is Australian whisky in the Australian members thread, I think it’s relevant enough to make a public post about.

I’ll preface this by saying I’m an occasional (ok, enthusiastic) whisky drinker rather than an obsessive, but I know what I like and I like what I enjoy. I’ve tried some of the well-known single malts – Glenlivet, Glenkinchie, Glenfarclas, Laphroaig etc. so I'm not new to Scotch.

Overall I was very impressed with the quality of the product they distil locally in Tas. In many ways the process is more authentic than that applied to making single malt Scotch, which from what I understand has become quite an efficient, mechanised process churning out industrial quantities of spirit for a growing world market. The industry in Tas. is still very much in it’s early stages, so a lot of the work is still done by hand. To use a beer analogy, comparing the local distilleries to the Scotch whisky makers is like comparing Lord Nelson pub craft beer to Cooper’s or one of the other big breweries. One of the key differences apart from the quantity produced is the penchant for using single casks (as well as half and quarter casks) and brewer’s malt for which there is a healthy supply given the presence of Cascade and Boag’s on the island.

The Distilleries

Spoiler: Lark

Lark - http://www.larkdistillery.com.au/

Lark was the first distillery to make whisky in Tasmania since 1830-something when it was outlawed by the British. Bill Lark & co. actually petitioned to have the law changed to make craft distilleries legal again in the 1990s. He and another bloke actually built their own stills from scratch, the design of which a few other distilleries have adopted since. These guys really deserve all the credit for starting the industry not just in Tas. but across Australia.
If you go to Tassie you will probably see Lark spirits for sale in a lot of the shops in and around Hobart especially. I would highly recommend visiting the cellar door on the waterfront in Hobart; I found the bar staff knowledgeable and friendly. For $10 (or free if you buy a bottle) you can taste all their whiskies (I also tasted the brandy but they make vodka, gin and slainte (Irish whiskey liqueur) which you can try as well).

The Single Cask is their standard whisky and it is a drinkable drop, however, I think the Distiller’s Selection is a more complex and unique spirit that merits the extra $20 per bottle. They also produce a cask strength variant at 58% which is remarkably smooth and highly recommended. In my personal opinion I think Lark is the most mainstream whisky of those I tried. For me, I find it hard to justify $120+ a bottle for very good (but not truly outstanding) whisky, but I encourage more people to give them a go and drop in for a taste if ever find yourself in Hobart.

Spoiler: Prices

Just a note on price – clearly the Tas. whiskies still have a lot of ground to make up on the Scottish and US competition. Given the excise regime here and the craft nature of the distilleries, they just can’t produce the stuff at $50 a bottle. To my mind many of them are, however, unique enough to warrant the extra coin, even if you just buy one or two bottles for special occasions or unique gifts for a whisky lover.

Spoiler: Nant

Nant - http://nant.com.au/

Nant Estate is near Bothwell about an hour from Hobart and 2 hours from Launceston. It has the distinction of being Tassie’s only highland whisky distillery, and the farmhouse replete with 1830s, convict-built water wheel looks like something out of a George Harvey painting. If you drop in, apart from whisky tastings they have a restaurant (though the chef only works on weekends) and you can do a tour of the distillery. They also offer shooting / fly fishing / whisky packages which would be perfect for buck’s weekends (presumably you drink after you go shooting to avoid the Dick Cheney).

Nant also have a little speakeasy type bar in Salamanca, where you can drop in to sample a dram. The owner is from Qld so I believe there is also a similar bar in Brisbane open already, with plans for bars in Melbourne by the end of the year and Sydney some time next year.

Nant make the best under-aged whisky I’ve ever tried; their cask strength American Oak Bourbon Wood recently rated among the top 50 whiskies in the world. I could see (or rather smell and taste) that the review was justified – you can tell it is young but it is a magic drop bursting with flavour. The other cask strength (126 proof) whisky Nant produce is in 20L “blood tubs” and it’s also a very nice drop. Their sherry wood and port wood expressions would make good summer drinks as they are young and light, especially compared to a lot of mature aged Scotches.

Spoiler: Sullivan's Cove

Sullivan’s Cove - http://www.sullivanscovewhisky.com/

Sullivan’s Cove has been around in various guises for almost as long as Lark. They also IMO produce Tassie’s best aged whisky, with the majority of their output resting in the barrels for 12+ years. SC or the Tasmania Distillery is at Cambridge outside Hobart (originally it was in Sullivan's Cove in Hobart, hence the name). NOTE: This is not a tourist stop but the actual working distillery. Patrick the head distiller is happy for whisky lovers to drop by and try his single malts – so long as they don’t come in busloads wanting to buy tea towels and souvenir spoons. He’s also a really nice chap who’s not stingy with the tasting glasses…

Their French Port Wood whisky is a rich, deep toffee coloured drink that more closely resembles rum than Scotch. It’s also a hard one to describe beyond that as each cask used imparts a slightly different flavour and finish on the spirit. Patrick gave me a taste of two expressions of the same whisky, the only difference being the casks, and they were – even to my untrained palate – two different whiskies (like two really gorgeous sisters). To me this really personified the craft nature of the operation, as did the hand-applied label on each bottle identifying the parent cask. Actually one of the French Port casks was rated 96/100 by Jim Murray, and if the ones I sampled were anything to go by, this won’t be their last highly rated liquor.

The good news is if you’re not in Tassie or planning to go you can pick up Sullivan’s Cove whiskies from Dan Murph’s (actually for cheaper than at the cellar door). Highly recommended.

There are also some other Tassie whiskies I’d like to try in the future, in particular I’ve heard very good things about Hellyer’s Road up in Burnie and Overeem down in Blackmans Bay. Also, there are plans to develop one of the world’s only crop to drop distilleries at Redlands Estate. So interesting times for the industry, and they are producing some world class product, so hopefully it will continue to grow and produce great single malts for us all to enjoy!

Thanks for this. Also been to the Nant bar in brisbane have some interesting drops there to be sure.

 

[The False Prophet]



For those wanting driving mocs I can recommend a store in Rome called Il Gergo...ilgergo.com. I bought several pair when I was there last year, but when I returned to Melbourne decided on another, which I ordered through their online store with no problems at all.
Look for drivers on the site under men's but take note there are two pages of these and you may prefer those on the second page.
I also bought fanastic suede sneakers in navy, which was very popular there, and chocolate brown. Look for these under "weekend" in the men's section. I bought the Paris model.
Only thing is sizing, which is a bit weird. I am a standard UK 8 and the sneakers in 8 fitted perfectly...yet I needed a 6 1-2 for the driving mocs.

Thanks for the tip. The navy scotch grain drivers look amazing, but I shall refrain due to sizing concerns!

 

[fxh]



A knit like that is a good excuse for a trip to the snowies is isn't it? Sitting in front of a fire with a glass of red and some smoked trout.

Which reminds me I've got 3 nights in crackenback coming up with the family in 3 weeks....

Crackenback - is that near Sucka bonga longa?

 

[Oli2012]



Sweet photo bear, that will be a sweet look in summer too.



Sorry to inundate you of late guys but I'm going to get my chinos tapered tomorrow and I was wondering if I could get some advice.

I find my chinos too baggy to wear casually.

I'm going to give the seamstress a pair of my 501s to copy but to give them a straight leg from the knee down rather than a taper.

Would this be an appropriate fit for a pair of chinos on formal occasions? or will it look like I've bought something from jayjays?

Thanks.

Meow?

 

[Romp]



Can never have too much blue (-:

I prefer grey... Perhaps not 50 shades

 

[PapaRubbery]

Romp what trouser options does Suit Shop do?

Could one get tab adjusters, button fly, cuffs, etc?

 

[coxaca]

Quick Instagram photo from my time in NYC. All linen errthing

Great rig. Top half is impeccable; for my personal taste, the trousers are a little too narrow. Are those tassel loafers?

DB is coming back big-time. I am so tempted.

 

[fxh]



I agree, and interesting comment about the Australian light. It certainly does make that darker blue stand out (and shine) even more - like when you used to turn up the contrast knob on an old TV. It could be the basis of fxh's next post-doctoral thesis.

Matthew 18:20

 

[Henry Carter]



Crackenback - is that near Sucka bonga longa?

What the flip are you on about?