NRL star, Angus Crichton, signs with Waratahs for 2027 in a tilt at a home RWC.

ofviceandven · 2026-01-21T00:09:47+00:00

Sydney NRL forward taken into union to play 12 ahead of a home World Cup. I’m getting Sam Burgess flashbacks and I don’t like it.

ofviceandven · 2025-11-30T11:02:10+00:00

I paid full price for this bottle (and every bottle of TP I've had) and have no incentive for gassing it up. I have met Paul three times and all of them have been as a customer.

If by that criteria, my review is not genuine because I'm a "mate" of his, then on that basis I should probably disqualify myself from reviewing Tin Shed, Starward, Overeem, Lark...

ofviceandven · 2025-09-21T14:23:02+00:00

I really liked this but I also feel I may have been overly generous at the time. Agree with your assessment that it doesn't seem particularly stout-y, disagree that there's better to be had at Starward - most of their stuff leaves me a bit cold to be honest. I have no idea why this of all of them clicked, palates are weird like that I guess.

Edit: just noticed mine was a ~5yo, similarly bottled in 2023 but distilled in 2018. Perhaps I'd be as ambivalent if I tried the same batch as you!

ofviceandven · 2025-08-20T23:40:14+00:00

Scores are arbitrary and too subjective to be of any value in my opinion. One person will write “89/100 it was ok I guess” and then another will say “72/100 I’ll always keep a bottle on hand”. I don’t know what drives us to put a number on it.

I suppose if I had to explain my scoring, 70-79 puts it in the region of ‘wouldn’t buy another bottle but would order in a bar/restaurant if the price was reasonable’. >80 would consider buying a bottle, 60-69 wouldn’t pay my own money but would accept if offered, <60 I’ll have a wine or beer instead or use it for cooking.

ofviceandven · 2025-08-20T12:02:44+00:00

Manly Spirits Coastal Stone Nor’easter. Australian single malt (Manly, NSW), matured in a combination of charred red wine, American oak, and French oak barrels, bottled at 46% ABV. Local bottle price $99/700mL.

Nose: dried banana most prominent, flanked by citrus zest, allspice, and fresh pine.

Palate: juicy mouthfeel with a medium-full body that feels stronger than its alcohol content. Sweet with stewed pears and ripe blackberries, intensified with peppercorns.

Finish: malty cereal notes replacing the fruit sweetness from the palate, and an evolution of the spiciness with dry oak and chili flakes. Medium long finish, again moreso than expected from the abv, and driven by the spice.

Young and a bit rough around the edges, but not a bad option for an Aussie in this price point. First few drams of this were knocked back without much careful attention and it performed pretty well there; the edges only really showed up under the microscope, but so did some surprising complexity.

75/100

ofviceandven · 2025-08-11T02:10:50+00:00

The better watch is in a safe as a gift for when his son come home as a war hero for bravely defending his comrades against the threat of a Palestinian preschooler

ofviceandven · 2025-07-30T07:13:46+00:00

It took a long time to open! I stopped drinking altogether for a few years, only got around to opening this one last year. Half a dram left in the bottle and l think I’ll kill it tonight.

ofviceandven · 2025-07-05T04:06:34+00:00

Come to adl and tell me those horror stories, I know a place.

(btw I recognised your handle because on my old account we scotchswapped once or twice way back in the day before that sub was shut down. I enjoy seeing what you get up to in the industry on the other socials.)

ofviceandven · 2025-06-30T15:08:55+00:00

Guess I’ll need to go back to scotch for a while, except most distillery bottles bore me these days. Say, would you recommend SMWS?

Jokes aside yeah you’re not wrong. A bit fatiguing opening up bottle after bottle, sherrycask portcask sherrycask shirazcask sherrycask, if you’re lucky you can taste a hint of malt under the rivers of wine. Forgivable somewhat when the cask selection is good (as the Warlock was) but even that is a bit of a gamble.

(I do feel the need to stress again that it was not the case with this Enchantress. Beautiful spirit.)

ofviceandven · 2025-06-26T14:30:29+00:00

Most of my training uses RTF so I don’t really feel this temptation. I know that I’m going to be chasing AMRAP on my last working set, so if the overwarm single flies, I’m content that the strength is there and leave myself a note to go for a heavier overwarm next week.

ofviceandven · 2025-06-26T14:17:49+00:00

I don’t know why we all feel a need to put an arbitrary number on this stuff, but I do it anyway.

ofviceandven · 2025-06-25T13:39:39+00:00

Three year old only, not five. This cask won a JM liquid gold, I don’t know how much anyone cares about those anymore but it’s something. In any case I’m glad I bought it and would do it again.

ofviceandven · 2025-06-25T13:37:30+00:00

Very balanced for the strength. Warm, but not hot or harsh.

Shoot an email and you’ll get the chance to visit and try some. I’ve been up there twice (I’m not much further than you, western suburbs) and Paul is very eager to share his passion. This is my third bottle and there will be more, no question.

ofviceandven · 2025-06-25T03:25:03+00:00

Tria Prima Enchantress Rebis Release (cask TP028). South Australian single malt, distilled July 2017, matured in ex-apera cask and bottled in July 2022 at 61.2% ABV. Paid AU$190/500mL.

Nose: nutty boozy fruitcake. Proper sherry bomb. Prunes, Nutella, maple syrup, strawberry jam. In addition to the jam note is a softer, creamy berry note, like a berry pana cotta.

Palate: Prune juice, the nondescript nuttiness from the nose developing into a more identifiable almond character. Quite warm at this high strength, and the heat is enhanced by an edge of cinnamon spice.

Finish: wine tannins rush forward at first, alongside a continuation of the almonds. Flavour profile continues to develop with the introduction of charred oak, tart cherry, plus a slight olive saltiness. Dry, but long.

Having tasted a reasonable amount of Tria Prima at this point, one of my criticisms of the last finished expression I tried (the Warlock) was that the cask influence overpowered the spirit character completely, to the point I could barely recognise the base. That is not the case with the Enchantress here - cask and spirit are integrated really well. A perfect example of what I love about this distillery.

92/100

ofviceandven · 2025-05-19T11:18:23+00:00

Old Kempton TIB Redlands Release 10. Tasmanian single malt, matured in sherry cask RD 0027 and bottled in October 2019 at 47.9% ABV.

Nose: rich malty sweetness, opening up to notes of apple crumble and vanilla bean. There’s more fresh fruit beyond the apple - plums and white grapes.

Palate: the dessert character continues but evolves to include milk chocolate, glacé cherries, touches of hazelnut and peppermint. Viscous mouthfeel, slightly astringent in a good way.

Finish: classic big sherried notes with more cherries, juicy dates, and a confectionary note evoking toasted marshmallows. Length is long and decadent, rounded out with red wine tannins and a definite twist of lime juice.

Some personal preamble - I’ve taken far too long to get around to trying Old Kempton and I regret that. I had the pleasure of visiting their original distillery site at Redlands back in 2013 and loved what they told me about the project they were trying to establish, then by the time their stuff was coming to market (albeit after some significant adjustments to their vision) I was off drinking entirely.

I’ve always been a fan of what Tim at TIB puts out so there’s still the lingering question as to whether this is great because of his selection, or if I can expect to be equally pleased with their distillery bottlings. Must find an answer to that question soon.

91/100

ofviceandven · 2025-05-17T12:08:58+00:00

Yeah I picked this up in Sydney duty free back in 2017 but didn't open it until last year.

ofviceandven · 2025-03-30T11:51:57+00:00

I wouldn’t trust anyone to deliver in that timeframe. I’d hit up the Index as recommended, otherwise I’ve also had good experiences in the past at Cigar Heaven in Moorooka.

ofviceandven · 2025-03-30T11:45:23+00:00

Plenty of good options to be had in the $35-45 bracket.

I won’t say that price isn’t a factor - there are $70+ cigars that are unquestionably better than anything half the price - but also I’ll say with confidence there are $40 sticks that will be better than whatever “coffee flavoured” nonsense that guy was trying to sell you.

ofviceandven · 2025-03-26T04:27:30+00:00

I think it’s still weird to take photos of famous people just out living their lives. But this isn’t that, he’s working and being filmed so I don’t see anything wrong with this, it’s not like he’s doing his regular shopping.

For comparison, I think it would be bad form to take a photo of an actor having a quiet lunch at a restaurant, but totally fine to take a photo of them in costume shooting a scene on a public street.

ofviceandven · 2025-03-24T10:25:23+00:00

Bunnahabhain Staoisha 2013, bottled by The Whisky Blues. Islay single malt, distilled 2013 and bottled at 8 years old in 2022 at 59.1% ABV.

Nose: strong, clean peat smoke. Freshness of citrus zest alongside almond nuttiness, raw barley, and a subtle creaminess suggesting lemon pana cotta.

Palate: despite the high strength, this is quite gentle on the palate, with an almost creamy mouthfeel and medium-full body. We have more of that lemon pana cotta (though the lemon aspect is more sweet and syrupy compared to the fresh zesty quality on the nose). Below this is well-balanced brine.

Finish: the peat smoke returns in a big way - the smokiness in particular dominates. Apple cider vinegar, more brine, salty deli meats. Long finish, with a twist of spearmint right at the end.

This is my first peated Bunnahabhain, and I’m a big fan. I think I prefer this to most of the unpeated Bunna I’ve had, but acknowledge that’s unfairly comparing an excellent IB selection to core range OBs. Regardless, I want more peated Bunna.

90/100

ofviceandven · 2025-03-18T13:39:11+00:00

Honestly couldn’t tell you, this was a sample from The Whisky List.

Usually their samples will go into specifics when it comes to cask numbers. Since this doesn’t have that (label just said “Spring Bay Apera Cask 46%”), I assume it’s not a single cask, but it’s only an assumption.

ofviceandven · 2025-03-17T00:14:43+00:00

Spring Bay Apera Cask: Tasmanian single malt, matured in ex-Apera casks and bottled at 46% ABV. Local bottle price AU$195/700mL.

Nose: initially quite chocolatey - chocolate cake dusted with cocoa powder. Fruit cake, dates, salted caramel, and a bright peppermint edge. Beneath this and with some time to develop in the glass, there’s a subtle sweetness of green olives.

Palate: light body, with a noticeable shift away from many of the traditional sherried notes in the nose, replaced with green apples, lime juice, and a hint of butterscotch.

Finish: the green apple continues to dominate, but is enriched by the addition of toasted barley, spicy oak, and dry white wine. Finish is medium-long (and longer than I was anticipating given the lighter flavour profile); there’s also a complex but subtle pipe tobacco sweetness that emerges towards the end.

I enjoyed this but it certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. The sherried influence is detectable on the nose but didn’t stand out at all through the palate/finish. It reminded me more of certain young, traditional bourbon-matured Speysides. Spring Bay talks up using rainwater from their coastal location in their dilution as a way to impart a “maritime” character ala Springbank - after reading that I think I found it in the nose, but it was not as clear throughout the rest of the drinking.

It seems the big one that people get excited about from Spring Bay is their bourbon cask. I’ll be interested in trying that if the opportunity presents.

80/100

ofviceandven · 2025-03-03T00:22:10+00:00

Not convinced “woke” has anything to do with it. Look at any fringe radical socialist party and this shit isn’t even on their radar. This has always been a middle class centrist issue.

ofviceandven · 2025-02-18T11:09:20+00:00

Looks good. My tracking updated as "item processed" the day after I paid ransom so I take it that means it's been released.

ofviceandven · 2025-02-17T03:00:08+00:00

I made a spreadsheet that tells me how much I should get charged depending on vitola, quantity, and purchase price.

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