Gimme Some Thyme
COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH
Gimme Some Thyme
Created by District House , LIverpool
Sauvelle is a small batch , handcrafted premium Vodka made in Cognac , France . Using French Winter Wheat as it ' s base , it is distilled once making it a traditional style of vodka . After distillation , a unique oak smoothing technique takes place where the vodka runs over Charred Oak , Chene de limousine & Cherry Wood , giving Sauvelle a full bodied , creamy smooth finish .
• 50ml Sauvelle Vodka
• 25ml Fig & Black Pepper Syrup *
• 15ml Pineau des Charentes
• 25ml Lemon Juice
• Fresh Sprig of Thyme
• Egg White
Method : Add all ingredients to a Boston glass . Dry shake without ice then shake again with ice . Fine strain .
* Fig and Black Pepper Syrup
• 250ml caster sugar
• 250ml water
• 20 peppercorns
• 6 figs
Method : Place all items into saucepan and bring to simmer for 1hr on low heat do not let boil . Before straining crush figs to extract all juices . Place in fridge to last for two weeks .
Their innovative spirit comes through most in their rare , experimental Octomore series , named after the local farm , owned by James Brown , where the barley , which makes up a third of its ingredients is harvested and the spring water used in Bruichladdich ’ s distillation process is sourced from Brown ’ s farm , too .
A new Octomore is released annually , each edition is an experiment , more smoke here , more peat there , but each is a challenge to the assumption that great whisky is old whisky . In 2008 the distilling team quietly laid down another “ what if ?” What if we put 167ppm Octomore spirit into virgin oak casks ? What would the combination of smoke-rich Octomore and sweet , honeyed vanilla derived from the great French oak produce
Historically , Octomores are five-year-old whiskies ; this latest iteration octomore 7.4 is seven years . 25 % of it was aged entirely in virgin oak casks , while 75 % of it spent 3 years in first fill bourbon casks , followed by 2 years in virgin oak casks and then 2 more years in first fill bourbon casks
This was uncharted territory , the first time that spirit distilled from Scottish malting barley and peated to these colossal levels had been matured in fresh wood .
For seven years , head distiller Adam Hannett carefully managed the heavyweight flavour profiles in play during the development of this uber-experimental dram – and he has now released just 12,000 bottles at 61.2 %
Taking the cork from the bottle unleashes something unique . The room fills with the sweet , smoky aroma as the first glass is poured and you know this is the prelude to a whisky like no other . The smoke is powerful but tempered by sweet , rich oak , two heavyweights that complement each other - there is balance between them .
Its colour , for one a rich , slightly reddish caramel , like a sweet , hoppy beer might look owes everything to those unused wooden wombs . To the nose , an unwatered sample is decidedly high octane , with a woodsy , almost barbecue tinge . You ’ ll know Octomore when , well , if you see it . The opaque black bottle is unmistakable and mysterious , as unusual as it is rare . Priced around £ 140 for a bottle or £ 15 for 25ml
During November and December its available at The Red Fox , Thornton Hough ( www . redfox . pub ) for Wirral Life Readers at £ 5 a dram – drop in and quote Wirral Life and enjoy a whisky that is pretty special and unique .
wirrallife . com 23