I've often wondered if there is a Spanish equivalent to Marmite, after all, it is a byproduct of the brewing industry.

A pretty rare older Akashi, first matured for 12 years in sherry, then for the remaining years in some Konara cask, a.

On the right, there’s a clearly visible seam that runs along the neck down to the bulbous body of the bottle and, on the left, the thick, irregular shape of the lip. Bovril is a thick beef and yeast extract that's been warming the nation with its beefy taste since 1886. With water: enter salt and miso again, plus some bitter oranges and some cinchona, quinine, even gin (no offense meant, Springbank and Blackadder)… Finish: long and rather perfect. And do not expect any long notes, as we’ve really got many such white rums that we’ve accumulated over the last two years. Given the mark-up, no catering outlet inside the stadium should ever run out of hot or cold drinks, crisps or chocolate.

My bottle find is from 1913, just prior to the outbreak of World War One, when bottle production became automated for the first time although the neck and lip continued to be hand finished, as you can see from the photos below. With water: there, some seawater, lemon juice, notes of pointed cabbage, sour fruit juices… Finish: rather long, but curiously thin(nish). Glues, fennel, horseradish, molasses, bottarga (fish eggs), coal smoke… Finish: rather short, and that’s rather a relief.

That’s the thing, you could never achieve proper terroirness with molasses, you need pure fresh cane juice. There are currently others similar babies around, but naturally, no one will tell you the truth about them (or only after a few dry martinis in a hotel bar, which takes some credibility away anyway). The original cube was perfect for a single cup of drink, it was dry to the touch and crumbled easily. Some wonderful finds, assuredly, we’d just love to be able to get a better grasp of the distillate, since all these whiskies were rather heavily, albeit smartly oaked-up. Nose: there is a red-wine-ness inded, but it seems that it’s under control and not bursting with red fruits, rather oranges and rosehip tea.