Australian Members

[Prince of Paisley]



Started a thread on THE QUINTESSENTIAL DRESS SHOE: BLACK CAP TOE OXFORD, I will provide photos of the eight pairs I current own.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Connoisseur or obsessive compulsive, probably both.

 

[wurger]

I do agree with you whole heartedly, it's really just a hobby, and I can wear them 5 days a week.

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



Connoisseur or obsessive compulsive, probably both.

LOL I think its a fine line between the two, to be honest.

 

[jas0nt]



Wurger, that's a great collection.

I must admit, though, that I'd never get eight pairs of the same style and colour of shoe as (speaking personally), it just seems to be a bit of a waste when there are so many lovely shoes out there in so many different styles and colours.

Also, I tend to wear black shoes about once a month, so they wouldn't get much wear!

Actually, speaking of black, plain captoe shoes, that reminds me that I must make sure to wear my pair of JL City shoes sometime this week...

Agreed. there's just so many nice colours of brown/burgundy/oxblood (and the various burnishings and patinas that come with it) that I couldn't see myself having two of the same styles of black shoes. But nice collection nonetheless. I think you need a pair of Saint Crispins/George Cleverleys to finish the collection

 

[The False Prophet]



I actually think drivers suit our australian life style very well in summer. I wear my tods with denim or chinos, no socks (much to fxh's dissaproval) and a linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up all the time between nov and march. Its perfect warm summer night casual dinner/barbie attire.

I wore basically that all weekend - G. Inglese one-piece collar shirts with APC New Standards and brown tie drivers (an older pair which I'm looking to replace).

plus drivers are heaps more comfy than pennys

+1

Anywhere I can get some half-decent no-show socks in Melbourne conservative business dress? Cheers

Try David Jones, they have some by Rede (or at least they do in Brisbane) which are pretty good.

For the amount of wear I would put on them, I think I would rather get a pair of Andy Tom or Tods.

I looked at Andy Tom on someone's recommendation (Nabil I think), and emailed the proprietor about a pair but never heard back. Have you seen them close up? They look lovely on the website, but I'm worried about the longevity of the 'pebble' soles. I like to walk in mine - in fact I would have put at least 3 or 4 kms on them yesterday...

What about the PJ Miserocchi drivers?

For that price, and the luxury of trying them on in-store, I'd be more inclined toward these.

Aren't they like $400? Also, for me, the rustic calf leather look just doesn't do it...

 

[Prince of Paisley]

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 a Dick Cheney type scenario).

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!

 

[Journeyman]



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.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

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 very much for the write-up, PoP - it was very informative and interesting.

Nant do indeed have a whisky bar in Brisbane - I've been there and sampled a few of their whiskies and it was a very pleasant experience.

 

[herringbonePete]

Quote:
Very nice! I think you carry it off well - I was going to say impeccable, but who wants and needs impeccable when looking great and comfortable is what you need. This is basically the look I go for - but with chukkas, chelseas or brogues. If it wasn't for the fact that my similar-looking shirt is hanging at home, I might have thought I had left it lying around and you picked it up! I am a big fan of green and brown jackets. I have 2 green tweed jackets, a 2 button green herringbone, and a 3 button overcheck (light green, purple lines) jacket - which sounds bizarre but works.

 

[TheWraith]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

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!

There's a whisky distillery in the Southern Highlands now, at Joadja ghost town. The whisky isn't ready yet to taste/buy, but apparently soon.

http://www.joadjawhisky.com.au/

 

[Romp]

I looked at Andy Tom on someone's recommendation (Nabil I think), and emailed the proprietor about a pair but never heard back. Have you seen them close up? They look lovely on the website, but I'm worried about the longevity of the 'pebble' soles. I like to walk in mine - in fact I would have put at least 3 or 4 kms on them yesterday...
Aren't they like $400? Also, for me, the rustic calf leather look just doesn't do it...

I have some Andy Toms ... the guy who started it is the brother of the James in Owen and James. He is currently in Florence hence why no reply.

They are about 90% as good as Tod's in terms of finish and materials but only 40% of the cost. Unlike the other cheap driving shoes out there, these are made in Italy by ex-Tods workers.

Also the nipple sole on the ones out of China wear out extremely quickly vs the italian ones. Differnet rubber compounds.

Either way, no driving shoe will last forever, they are for comfort/leisure and not walking 4km per day. But for $199 who cares??

 

[Foxhound]

Kamakura shirts are here. A little tight around the neck but that's about it.


Such a lovely collar roll

 

[Journeyman]



Either way,  no driving shoe will last forever, they are for comfort/leisure and not walking 4km per day. But for $199 who cares??

Wear without care, as a certain Mr Wong likes to say? ;-)

I do agree that sometimes a person just has to decide what they want and then go for it. Everything has a downside, a potential trade-off, whether it be price, comfort, appearance or something else. If a person likes the look of driving mocs, then they've just got to accept that driving mocs are probably not going to be as long-lived as a pair of hiking boots, for example. If they can accept that, then buy a pair and enjoy wearing them. If they can't, then choose something else!

 

[Durazing]

Has anyone tried the Kamakura Linen shirts? The impending summer makes it a compelling option.

 

[ColdEyedPugilist]

Camel hair shawl collar cardi arrived from Drakes today in record time (only ordered on Friday afternoon).

Great fit and quality of workmanship. Definitely worth (for me) pulling the trigger.

Only suitable for winter, and the colder days of the shoulder seasons. Good for Melbournians.

Recommend that most 38s size up to 40, which in Drakes sizing, is S.

Some quick pics:

http://imageshack.com/i/31yaj0j

http://imageshack.com/i/14h8etj

First pic is the truer shade.

 

[Journeyman]

CEP - That looks lovely.

Speaking of winterwear, a heads-up for Brisbanites - Richards & Richards, on the corner of Edward and Elizabeth Streets in the City, is having a "liquidation sale", although I've been reassured that they are simply liquidating stock, rather than going in to liquidation themselves.

The sale presents an excellent opportunity to snare some bargains, and when I went there at the end of last week, I picked up a gorgeous, double-breasted Isaia overcoat for one-third of the original price. I'll probably only get to wear it a few times a year, but at the price they were charging and the way that it felt when I put it on, I simply couldn't pass it up.

There are also some nice Borrelli shirts on sale, as well as shirts from other brands such as Antichi Telai (quite good quality, albeit not Borrelli standard) and Bisse (good department-store quality, nothing remarkable) and Richards & Richards house label (pretty much the same).

There are also lots of Borrelli ties on sale for $95 each, including some nice, summery prints, and their shoes are on sale, including footwear by Borrelli, Sutor Mantellasi and Silvano Lattanzi. The latter includes a pair of burnished, antiqued wholecuts with a hand-coloured outline of male genitalia emblazoned on the side, something that you certainly don't see every day.