Australia Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Starward Fortis Single Malt

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Nick

Our original intent while in Melbourne was to visit Starward to enjoy some of their delicious whiskey (which is also exported to the U.S.). Unfortunately, the distilleries hours on Google did not align with the reality of the distillery, and instead ended up with the lovely folks at Patient Wolf (with their great Whiskey Barrel Aged Sloe Gin). While we didn’t get to the distillery, the folks at Dan Murphy’s (a local bottle shop nearby the distillery) were kind enough to pour us some of their whiskey. Among the more impressive offerings, was Starward Fortis Single Malt, an Australian whiskey matured in American Oak Red Wine Barrels and barreled at a higher than usual 50% A.B.V.

Starward Fortis Single Malt

Batch: 3
Age: Not Age Stated
Proof: 100 (50% A.B.V.)
Finishing: American Oak barrels previously containing Barossa Valley red wines.
Price: $150 AUD
Export Only

Sight: Solid mahogany

Smell: Beautiful vanilla, preserved raspberries, and jammy plums all waft out from the start. There’s a pretty biscuit like note, light brown sugar, and some delicate cinnamon and spice pastry that adds in. Little touches of orange and citrus with raisin round things out.

Sip: The palate is surprisingly rich, and gets ever so slightly prickly. The payoff though is enormous flavors. Bursting forth are fresh raspberries and plums wrapped in caramelized apricot turnover. There’s subtle spice here, with hints of oak and amazing nectarine and peach elements. Dark chocolate and subtle cigar finish the rich and dark notes in the palates.

Savor: The ending carries forward preserved apricot, light oak, spice, and a beautiful sort of lingering biscuit note. As it sits, more citrus, golden raisin, and fruit notes keep emerging.

Starward Fortis Single Malt is rich, luscious, and complex. The finishing imparts some lovely red wine flavors, but there’s a great underlying whisky here as well. The amazing and unpredictable stone fruits mixed with the dessert like pastry elements just keeps giving. Add in a ridiculous long finish, and there’s nothing not to love here. It’s simply splendid.

In Cocktails

In a highball apricot and dark chocolate flavors spread out with a nice oaky spice. The vanilla, a hint of smokiness, and a bit of walnut comes through. The result is that Starward Fortis Single Malt feels more delicate, sharing more of the cigar and dried fruit flavors. The result is a nice flavor, but one that feels less satisfying than in a neat pour.

In Review – Starward Fortis Single Malt

Starward Fortis Single Malt is delicious, delicate, and well rounded. The overall character shows that Starward is on the world stage for a reason, they make very good whiskey. While bourbon lovers might find this relatively tame, Scotch and Single Malt fans are going to find a ton to love here. Now the hard part about Fortis is that it’s only available to Australians (although they also have Single Barrel and Nova here in the U.S.). While it is very good, I can’t quite say that it’s so good you should bother to try to bring it into the country from one of the many international websites. If it does become available though, I recommend trying this one, as it is delicious.

Lyre’s Italian Spritz

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Nick

There’s no denying there are plenty of reasons someone might choose to abstain from alcohol. Thankfully, the market is increasingly moving toward options for those that want to enjoy the complex flavors of spirits without the effects of alcohol. Every year, the number of products on the market increases, and to be honest, not all of them are good. Among the many makers on the market, few seem to have the breath of products that Australia’s Lyre’s has. Given how hard it is to replicate base spirits, I wanted to give Lyre’s fair chance with something that isn’t trying to emulate an existing product. Hence, starting with Lyre’s Italian Spritz.

Lyre’s Italian Spritz

Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Natural Flavor, Phosphoric Acid, Preservative: Potassium Sorbate, FD&C Red 40, FD&C Yellow 6.
Proof: 0 (A.B.V. 0%)

Sight: An orangy- reddish hue with a slightly pinker tinge. Clear throughout. It is color adjusted with FD&C Red 40 and Yellow 6.

Smell: The nose has a candied orange smell with touches of floral orange blossom, clove and bitters. There’s an herbal note to it. There’s a candied red hot spice to it, and some blood orange juice note.

Sip: The flavor has a candied sweetness mixed with a bracing herbal bitterness. The sweetness is layered with notes of orange, herbal notes, touches of spice, and more candied citrus elements. The flavor is very reminiscent of Aperol.

Savor: The finish is bittersweet but balanced with plenty of citrus and spicy herbed notes. The finish lingers with a quinine like note, and the sugary character layers for a good duration.

Lyre’s Italian Spritz does a convincing impersonation of an Italian aperitif like Aperol. The bittersweet character nails the meal leading liqueur flavor, and feels balanced. It’s candied like character is slightly sweet at moments, but it feels well constructed. It does like a little weight at moments, but could be convincing as though it were a real aperitif.

In Cocktails

In a simple Highball, Lyre’s Italian Spritz has a light body, but feels lower on sweetness. The result is very clean with orange flavors (blood orange, naval, and clementine) coming forward with lots of herbal notes and hints of bitterness. Good complexity, and very easy to sip. The only slight downside is not a lot of weight.

In Review – Lyre’s Italian Spirtz

Lyre’s Italian Spritz is a convincing substitute for an aperitif. Of the non-alcoholic spirits, this segment seems the easiest to replicate, containing flavors that are not specifically liquor driven. The flavors aren’t quite as complex though, suffering some losing some of the wine based notes of some aperitifs. All that aside, Lyre’s is really good overall, and if you’re looking not to drink, or just want to tune down your ABV this is a very good option that happens to last up to 3 months.

While at the time of writing, Lyre’s Italian Spritz was out of stock at Amazon*, we recommend continuing to check back (as this is where we got it for about $35)

Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur

Posted on August 25, 2023August 24, 2023 by Nick

I didn’t believe the buzz around Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur when I first read about it a few years back. Coffee liqueurs tended to be syrupy, sweet, vaguely coffee, and sometimes other flavored malarkey that ended up in peoples coffee mugs for black Friday in my mind. Still, Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur seemed different. Made by some enterprising fellas down under, this coffee liqueur starts with 100% arabica coffee beans and is made by people that actually like coffee. The color is indeed that of rich, brewed coffee. So is it worth the hype and worth keeping on your shelf?

Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur

Sight: Deep brown, slight opacity once coffee oils begin to settle or when shaken.

Smell: Deep, rich, black coffee. A creamy and sweet element comes out the nose with a delightful hint of fruit and nuttiness.

Sip: Sweet with a rich texture and plenty of rich coffee notes. The flavors are layered with creamy elements, hints of raw sugar, mild fruity notes, and a bit of nuttiness. The coffee is layered and continues to evolve on sipping.

Savor: The finish leaves a lingering sweetness and plenty of that dark black coffee laced with brown sugar.

Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur is delightful, rich, and complex. The flavor profile is essentially what you would expect of really solid coffee. The liqueur element mingles well with the browned / raw sugar notes of the sweetness. The quality of coffee also shines through, giving a bit of fruitiness and roasted coffee nuttiness. All in all, this is a stellar liqueur.

In Cocktails

In a Revolver Mr. Black adds a beautifully rich coffee flavor with a slight nuttiness. Thanks to it’s controlled sweetness, it doesn’t overwhelm the drink, but rather lets the bourbon shine, providing a great foil. It also works especially well in an espresso martini, where the richness and clean flavors of the coffee shine through. Finally, I found in making old fashioned style drinks that it works particularly well with orange bitters (like Regan’s*) or banana liqueur (like Giffard’s Banane du Bresil). Overall, this works especially well at adding robust, clean, delicious coffee notes to cocktails.

Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur – In Review

Overall Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur represents our favorite expression of coffee liqueur that we’ve encountered. The quality of the product is high, and delivers the flavor of coffee with a mild sweetness and great viscosity. Thanks to all these factors, it plays particularly well in cocktails and add the coffee flavor without being overwhelming in small amounts. With the price being around $30, it’s an absolute steal, and a bottle we recommend if you like to enjoy coffee flavors in your cocktails.

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Patient Wolf Starward Whisky Barrel Gin

Posted on August 12, 2023 by Nick

This review would like have never happened if not for some pure happenstance, the kindness of the folks at Patient Wolf, and pure dumb luck. Departing for Australia last year, I had a couple of distilleries that I ideally wanted to visit. Before we even left, it became apparent that one of them, Mr. Black was too far away, and many of the others sadly don’t reach our American shores, with the exception of some of the big boys, like Starward. This is where the trouble starts, and how I ended up with a bottle of Patient Wolf Starward Whiskey Barrel Gin.

An Accidental Visit…

When traveling large distances, it’s worth noting that not all businesses are particularly good at maintaining their hours on Google. This was something we happened to learn after arriving in Melbourne and discovered that Starward was actually closed that day. Still wanting to visit a distillery, I opted for Patient Wolf, which looked like it had some great reviews, and was in the same area. A few trains later, and we were there during what appeared to be their normal hours, and walked inside. As we walked in, it became apparent as we approached the bar that they were in fact not in normal operation. Thankfully, their bartender saw us, and upon realizing we were a considerable distance away from home, was kind enough to strike up a conversation and pour us a couple of samples.

To be blunt, their gins are great, and if I’d had the space, or could find them on American shelves, I’d be happy to add them to my bar. Beyond that, they have some delightful canned cocktails as well (which we enjoyed over the course of the trip). But the sample that really caught my attention, and the subject of this post, is their special collaboration between Patient Wolf and Starward, an amazing Sloe style gin that I’ll cherish for some time to come.

Patient Wolf Gin & Tonic on the balcony — A Patient Wolf Gin & Tonic Canned Cocktail – deliciously refreshing on the balcony

Patient Wolf Starward Whiskey Barrel Gin

Sight: A charming coppery color.

Smell: The nose is an enchanting mix of spiced plum mixed with mulled cherries and hints of orange. Juniper envelops the nose and becomes charming spicy. There’s a preserved and jammy funk that runs through the plum, and gives it a depth of layered plum and evergreen that runs dimensions from fresh to preserved.

Sip: The flavor is smooth, spicy, and laced with intriguing runs of juniper and spiced plum jam. The spicing is really impressive, running from clove to cinnamon to anise and cardamom. There’s a subtle sweetness, and it’s incredibly smooth the whole way through. Fresh fruit notes unexpectedly pop out (such as cherry and plum), and the subtle herbal notes around the juniper give it grains of paradise and angelica like notes. It’s overwhelmingly fragrant and complex.

Savor: The ending lingers with the baking spice notes, plenty of juniper, and a great subtle oakiness. It lingers pleasantly and complexly.

It’s sad to say that Patient Wolf Starward Whiskey Barrel Gin is not a regular offering from Patient Wolf. It’s frankly an incredible interpretation of an aged sloe gin that builds off an incredibly solid gin base. The use of Starward Whisky gives it a uniquely wonderful flavor that plays to the more world whiskey style that Starward achieves. Probably because of this, the product feels balanced between the whiskey influence and the blackthorn gin. All in all, this is a stellar Sloe Gin that I can only wish was available world wide.

In Cocktails

In a Sloe Gin Fizz, it’s absolutely stellar. The spice notes and hints of sloe come through with a beautiful richness, while the lemon adds a brightness. The concert of flavors is brought to crescendo with juniper playing a prominent role. The entire cocktail works in a refreshing symphony that feels perfect for a late summer evening or early fall afternoon.

In Review – Patient Wolf Starward Whiskey Barrel Gin

Overall, I really love this bottle. We happened upon it by chance, and it really represents a special effort by the distillery to create something unique and collaborative with another major player on the Australian spirits stage. The result is complex, refreshing, and crafted with purpose. Similar to the other gins we got to try in our brief (and accidental visit), this attention to detail is what make Patient Wolf worth your time to seek out. This is a full throated recommended bottle if you happen to have access, and for now, we’ll be over here cherishing this one until another opportunity comes our way.

And if you ever find yourself in Melbourne, visit their distillery and try their gin if you get the chance, you won’t regret it.

Bundaberg UP Rum

Posted on September 30, 2022September 21, 2022 by Nick

Colloquially known as Bundy, Bundaberg holds a special place in Australian hearts. The Bundaberg Distillery was started in 1888, and first produced rum in 1889. While the distillery had it’s ups and downs (it burning twice – in 1907 and 1936), locals have loved to love or loathe the stuff. The distillery was originally independent in Queensland, but was later sold to Diageo in 2000. Diageo now produces the spirit in both New South Wales and Bundaberg, Queensland (with more of the small batch offerings reportedly coming from the namesake). Coming in at the very bottom entry point of their line is Bundaberg UP Rum.

Bundaberg UP Rum

Produced from local (presumably Australian) sugar cane, Bundaberg’s original UP rum is a NAS offering sold at 37% ABV. It should be noted that the original Bundaberg rum is bottled at 50%. The rum is produced by Diageo, following their buy out of the

Sight: Deep Gold

Smell: The nose has a woody start, leaning into green cedar and forest floor notes. Caramel and funky molasses come to the forefront. A hint of tropical fruit is slightly present, and there’s something grassy and spicy in there. A slightly chemical note similar to fresh sporting equipment hangs around the edges wrapping the entire smell.

Sip: The body is medium to full, it picks up some woody spice and caramelized notes. There is a subtle sweetness and fruitiness that runs throughout, but it starts to get slightly warm for a rum that only clocks in at 37%. As it gets warmer, more of the wood notes get overwhelming, and a subtle burnt or treated wood flavor comes through.

Savor: The aftertaste has more treated wood and cedar notes, with a light spicing, touch of funk, and hints of something again, vaguely plastic – chemical like. There’s something like unripe tropical fruit that lingers.

Bundaberg UP Rum is a unique rum that has a love-hate local relationship, and that will feel unusual to rum drinkers not experienced with Bundaberg’s flavors. These notes, particularly the nose might make this sound some what pleasant to smell. In the sense that’s it rum, it smells rum like, this is true. As a nose amongst world rums, many will find this isn’t enticing and doesn’t make you want to try to savor a glass.

In Cocktails

Sadly due to traveling, I could not make a Daiquiri with Bundaberg UP Rum. In past experiences with Rum and Coke versions of Bundaberg, I can tell you that it is a bully, even with Coke, displaying that unripe fruit funk / slightly woody chemical note. This isn’t the first rum I’d reach for, but isn’t far off from the US spec Bacardi Gold (the Bacardi Gold might be better, but only just slightly).

In Review – Bundaberg UP Rum

While Bundaberg original rums have a place in the history of spirits within the Australian Spirit industry and are well loved (or reviled), there are signs the industry is moving on. Australia has a growing number of spirits producers (primarily in gin it feels) who are creating new and exciting spirits with different techniques and a flair toward the local. Rum is no exception, with one distiller in Western Australia (Illegal Tender) using dark brown cane sugar and ex-shiraz casks to embrace the wine and sugar industry. Bundaberg certainly seems to sense this, and their limited released have garnered generally improved reception, but not so much as to change the perception of their rums on the world stage.

Still this gives hope that Australian rum (and other Australian spirits) can continue to improve and begin to captivate palates around the world. In the meantime, Bundaberg UP Rum is more of a curiosity than a serious bottle to need to track down.