Bass & Flinders Distillery Ochre Fine Aged Brandy
100% chardonnay. Ochre is Bass & Flinders’ flagship aged brandy, aimed squarely at the luxury market with a serious price tag and a hand-stitched leather label. I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up if this showed up under the Christmas tree, and while Australian brandy is generally very high quality, this one is right up there near the top. Far less fruit than its younger sibling on the nose, instead offering sandalwood and roasted stone fruit, that lovely apricot note is still present along with dried rose petals. It’s definitely less lush on the nose, more in line with what you would expect from a well-aged Cognac; refined and a little austere like an expensive cologne. The quality and complexity reveal themselves on the palate with fine cigar tobacco, restrained sweetness and excellent length without ever going over the top on tannin.
