May the new year be full of travel and may you have the opportunity to bring back some of the best spirits that are being distilled across the world right now. And, if you find yourself in one of the countries below, here is what you should ideally be aiming for.
Four Pillars Gin, Australia
Australia makes some great single malt—Lark, Archie Rose, and Morris Rutherglen, among others—and we all know they also produce some elegant wines. But, the next time you are Down Under, look for Four Pillars Gin.
The cult distillery, founded in 2013 by Stuart Gregor, Cameron Mackenzie, and Matt Jones, is located in the Yarra Valley and produces some compelling and award-winning gins. These include the Rare Old Tom Gin, Fresh Yuzu Gin, and the Double Barelled Negroni. And, then, they have the Bloody Shiraz Gin—steeped in Shiraz grapes—which even wine snobs can’t resist.
Tyrconnell Single Malt, Ireland
The Irish make smooth, unfussy whiskeys—Jameson, Bushmills, Tullamore Dew. And, then, there is the new crop of whiskeys such as Proper No. 12, founded by mixed martial artist Conor McGregor, and Clonakilty and Dead Rabbit. But point is Ireland is not just about triple-distilled whiskeys—it also makes some interesting single malts. One of these is the Tyrconnell, which is double-distilled at the Cooley Distillery, and is part of Beam Suntory’s vast portfolio of spirits. The Tyrconnell, a creamy, fruity, malty whiskey, is available in a NAS standard bottling as well as a 10YO with different cask finishes.
Brennivin, Iceland
Iceland’s national dish hakarl, which is made of fermented shark meat, is not for the faint-hearted, but its signature liquor, Brennivin, is a lot more agreeable. Brennivin, an acquavit, is made of fermented potatoes and flavoured with caraway seeds. The best way to have it? On the rocks in a shot glass.
Foursquare Rum, Barbados
No list of the world’s best rums is complete without Foursquare. The Barbados-based distillery, which is located on a former sugar plantation, was revived by Richard Seale, a fourth-generation rum distiller and blender, in the mid-1990s. Since then, it has produced some exceptional cask-finished rums, including the Mark XX ‘Isonomy’, a single blended rum aged for 17 years in ex-bourbon barrels.
WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, America
Those who know their whiskeys will tell you that rye whiskey was the drink of choice in America in the early decades of the last century. But, then, Prohibition happened and rye sort of faded out. Over the last decade, however, rye whiskey, bourbon’s spicier, bolder cousin, has made a roaring comeback. The resurgence has been led by craft producers of the spirit such as WhistlePig. Founded in 2008, the Vermont-based company’s whiskeys have been heavily awarded. Pick up the 10 YO that is aged in virgin American white oak, or if you are feeling posh, go all out and get the $600 Boss Hog IX.
Ceylon Arrack, Sri Lanka
Arrack, distilled from the sap of the coconut flower and among the world’s oldest distilled spirits, has an unsavoury reputation, especially in India. But, across the Palk Strait, Ceylon Arrack makes incredibly smooth, refined stuff that is aged in casks made of the indigenous halmilla wood. Have it neat, or better still, mix it with ginger ale.
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