Blood Bank – Turntable Spirits No. 1
Probably, this is the last post of 2023. Luckily, I have a new whisky on hand which seems perfect for that occasion. For a drink, I went for a Blood & Sand variation. However, there is no orange juice left in the recipe.
The Turntable Spirits Collaboration Drop 01: Starward can be best described as a ‘world’ whisky. It consists of 39 % Starwards Australian whisky which spend time in Australian red wine casks. The next 29 % of the blend come from Inchgower and were aged in virgin oak barrels as well as the 22 % of North British in the blend. The remaining 10 % were distilled at Coal Ila in a first fill bourbon barrel. In the end, the blend is bottled at 46% ABV.
Smoky and red fruits
The Turntable Spirits Starward pretty much delivers what is promised. Beneath a layer of Coal Ila bonfire smoke, you get a lot of red fruits. The portion of red wine barrel aged whisky clearly becomes noticeable with some sherry fruits in the back. Furthermore, you can find some oak spices and tannins.
Blood & Sand minus the orange juice
As mentioned, I used the Blood & Sand as a starting point. Yet, I replaced the orange juice of the original with blood orange eau de vie from Weyermann. Additionally, I used Byrrh instead of red vermouth. Furthermore, I also changed the ratio of the different ingredients to balance the flavour.
1,5 cl Weyermann Blood Orange Eau de Vie
0,75 cl Scheibel Alte Zeit Cherry Brandy
3 cl Byrrh Quinquina
2 Dashes Lelay Cassis Bitters
Stir – strain – Double Old-Fashioned glass over ice cubes;
Garnish: Brandied Cherry;
Song: Bon Iver – Blood Bank;
The ‘Blood Bank’ turned out pretty tasty! At the beginning you can clearly taste the similarity to the Blood & Sand. Soon afterwards however, the blood orange peel notes of the eau de vie come through. The bitters and the Byrrh work perfectly with the cherry flavour of the liqueur. All in all, this is quite a spirit-forward drink, but it also a very tasty one!
Do not forget to take part in my anniversary raffle! You have the chance to win three great spirit packages.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The whisky was provided by Kirsch Whisky and the eau de vie was provided by Weyermann.
