Way back in the day, I had a friend who was... old school. Every year on November 1, the shorts were hauled out of the cupboard, and worn every day until April 1 when he would revert to trousers.
Dunedin weather can be fickle but neither rain, nor snow, nor biting winds diminished his resolve (or indeed, stubbornness) to wear shorts over that period. It was his form of seasonality.
Seasonality is evident in our clothing choices, the foods we eat (salads and fresh berries in summer; stews, root vegetables and brassicas in winter), the sports we play, and the beverages we drink. Hotter summer days cry out for something lighter and fresher and I’ve had many tell me that they have been revelling in a cool glass of gin and tonic on our warm summer evenings. One particular gent though was hankering for autumn, which he felt was an appropriate time to return to his first love of whisky.
Easter can be that changing of the guard time of year. The last significant holiday break before the slog into winter, the nights drawing in, the first early frosts inland, cooler temperatures overall, a desire for warmth. If you are that way inclined, a cup of warm milk may be your beverage du jour at those moments, but for me there is something intrinsically warming about a tumbler of whisky, luxuriated in at the end of a day.
A form of beer is produced from barley, wheat, rye or corn and then distilled to make whisky, which is then further aged in casks. Unlike spirits like gin and vodka which can be produced, marketed and sold relatively quickly, whisky needs a much longer lead time.
The artisanal spirits movement has been strong in New Zealand with a plethora of wonderful gins out there. Whisky still a work in progress, but four marvellous whiskies from Scapegrace recently crossed my path. Scapegrace is already well known for its gins and on the basis of this tasting also needs to be recognised for its whisky.
Each showed clear differences in expression (revelatory for my tasting associates) and I’ll follow future development of these styles with interest.
Scapegrace is building a large new facility in Northburn, Central Otago, and while I don’t yet know the details, we may see it open a tasting room? A couple of these are already sold out on their website, but I suspect there will be some stocks in specialist retailers. A fascinating and rewarding collection.
2022 release Scapegrace Rise 1 Single Malt Whisky
Price: $129.99
Alc 46%. 5 years in virgin French oak barrels
Dusty, smoky hints, wheat grains, coffee/caramel, butterscotch, honey and vanilla. Similar on the palate, a toasty quality, vanilla and caramel notes driving this to the close. With water, bonfire embers and tobacco appear on the nose, while honey and ripe banana skin make an appearance on the palate.
www.scapegracedistillery.com
Price: $124.95
Alc 46%. 3 years in virgin French oak barrels
A whisper of peat, pears and spices, preserved lemon. A peaty element at first with woodsmoke, cracked black pepper, the fruit notes beginning to evolve, a dusty quality. With water spice and church incense on the nose, the palate as before.
www.scapegracedistillery.com
Price: $119.99
Alc 46%. 3 years in Bulgarian oak barrels
Flowers, apple, apple skin, a dusty element hints of fruitcake, greengage plum. Roundness and generosity to the palate, baking spices, bush honey, those fruit characters of apple and plum evident. With water slightly bolder with a wisp of peat. The palate really shines with water, adding manuka honey.
www.scapegracedistillery.com
Price: $129.99
Alc 46%. 3 years in virgin French oak barrels, manuka smoked grain
Bold nose of iodine, peat, woodsmoke, bonfire embers and coffee. Coffee and chocolate lead the palate with spiced apple in support. Lovely depth to this, quite dramatic, hangs on the palate. With water Christmas fruitcake and glace cherry, woodsmoke and spice, the palate continues on its merry way.
www.scapegracedistillery.com
