Guides and tasting notes

Australian Whisky Explained: Tasmania, the Mainland, and the Bottles Worth Knowing

What Australian law requires of a whisky, why the climate, small casks and Australian wine and apera casks make it taste different, and the Tasmanian and mainland producers worth knowing: Lark, Spring Bay, Starward, Archie Rose, Cape Byron, Fleurieu, 5Nines, Canberra Distillery, Backwoods and Nosferatu.

Grappa Explained: Italy's Grape Skin Spirit, and What to Buy in Australia

Grappa is a spirit, not a liqueur, and by law it must be Italian. This guide explains how it is distilled from grape pomace, what giovane, invecchiata, riserva, monovitigno and grappa di prosecco or di amarone mean on the label, how to serve it, and which bottles to start with, with the grappa based liqueurs covered separately.

Sherry Explained: From Bone Dry to Pedro Ximenez

Most Australians think sherry means sweet. The classic styles are all dry. This guide walks them from fino to Pedro Ximenez, explains flor and the two ageing paths that create them, and points at the bottles worth starting with.

Types of Bourbon: An Australian Buyer's Guide

Bourbon is sorted by law, by label, by mash bill, by how the barrels were chosen and by strength. This guide explains each one, including what Kentucky straight bourbon actually guarantees, and points to the bottles worth starting with in Australia.

French Apple Brandy Explained: Calvados, Pommeau and the Spirits of Normandy

Normandy is too far north for wine grapes, so it distils apples instead. A plain guide to Calvados: the three appellations, the age words, cask finishes, Pommeau, and the apple grown inside the bottle.

Mezcal Explained: How It Differs From Tequila, and What to Buy in Australia

Mezcal is not just smoky tequila. A plain guide to the agave, the pit roast, the artesanal tiers and the label wording, with a starting bottle for every kind of drinker.