Pure Cheese Indulgence @ Milk the Cow

It may seem expensive on the menu, but believe me $50 was a small price to pay. 

This is just a short post to single out my new favourite place for cheese and whisky in Melbourne: Milk the Cow.

I had heard rumblings that it was excellent, and I wanted to check it out for myself.

Heading over to lygon with my friend D, we split one of their specially selected cheese platters along with a few glasses of Michael Couvreur 'Fleeting' 14 year old burgundy cask aged scotch.

The evening would have been worth it for the scotch alone - a beautiful, almost cognac-y drop, bought from a highland distillery by M. Couvreur and aged in Burgundy in casks used for that region's famous Gran Cru. It was one of the finest non-Islay whiskies I have had in a very long while, and I would highly recommend you making a trip to get a glass (you can't get it many other places).

The cheese however, really made the night. We had a range of excellent international and local cheeses - and I will do a full review including photos of my second and third trips to Milk the Cow soon.

However particular highlights were a black truffle infused french brie and a beautiful cognac washed soft cheese that practically melted into the bread. Topped off with dried muscat grapes and high-end quince paste and it was a cheese board to remember. 

Stay tuned for more!

Drinks @ Eau de Vie, Melbourne

Photo credit: Dmitri Nikulin

Late one winter’s evening I met my dear friend Dmitri (who took the wonderfully atmospheric photos that accompany this review) for a drink at Eau de Vie.

Eau is hidden away, tucked behind a nondescript door in a back alley off Flinders Lane at the Paris end. But it is worth finding. As you step through the door you are transported decades into the past as the deep carpets, and rich dark wood, absorb both the sounds of the other patrons and the cares of the world.

The staff are polite and extremely knowledgeable about what is an incredibly extensive drinks menu. As demonstrated by the photo above, they have spirits from every corner of the globe, and many of the bottles are special hard to find varieties that few other bars carry.

Photo credit: Dmitri Nikulin

Dmitri ordered an ‘Old Fashioned’ (Two parts whisky, house bitters, sugar, rind) with a special bourbon called Booker Noe’s (62.5% and an intense maple flavour). I had a Glenfarclas 21yo neat (but with just a drop of water to help open the flavours).

The cocktail was expertly made and my whisky was allowed to air just enough to make drinking it a special experience. The ambiance, service, quality of product and range of drinks makes a trip to Eau de Vie well worthwhile. I will be back.

Scotch whisky review: Laphroaig 25 year old cask strength 2008 edition

What: Laphroaig 25yo Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 2008 Edition
Where: On the Shelf – London Whisky Exchange, In a bar – Eau de Vie, Melbourne (doesn't have the cask strength, only the regular—and reportedly inferior—version), possibly Whisky and Alement, Melbourne
The damage: ~$650 (bottle, likely more in an Australian retailer) ~$80 (shot)

As a celebration after getting a new job, I opened the bottle of Laphroaig 25yo Scotch Whisky that R and I had bought together in London and which I'd been saving for a special occasion.

On opening the bottle, the briney smell of the ocean, mixed with the traditional woodsmoke of Islay malts and a faint note of honey wafted out into the room. Sealed inside for a quarter century, these powerful aromas only got more powerful and intoxicating as I raised the glass.

Upon adding a few drops of water to open up the ‘nose’ of the scotch, the honey, sea and smoke were joined by an intense summer fruit smell, all red apples and berried, mixed with the peaty scent of the fires that had boiled the barley mash into a spirit. Swishing the liquor around in the glass it looked golden in the light and left elegant, treacle thick, peacock tails where it ran down the crystal. Quite a sight.

Finally taking a sip, the initial notes were spicy and sweet, like a richly flavoured mince pie. As I held it in my mouth to let the flavor develop, a deep peaty liquorice emerged and grew to coat our mouths. When I swallowed it, it barely felt like liquid going down the throat, more like a congealed smoke. It didn’t burn (despite being 50.9% alcohol) rather it left the throat dry, like a breath in the desert. This feeling lingered pleasantly for a long time after.

An amazing whisky experience, I would encourage you to try it! However this edition is now pretty rare worldwide and would be difficult to find in Australia, especially in the cask strength and 2008 edition. The 2011 or later editions may be your best bet.