Costa Rica. That’s where I think I would like to go and live. Never been, but it ticks a lot of boxes that appeal: There is no army (its actually banned under the constitution) , a quarter of the country is national park, life expectancy is high, living expenses are cheap… It all sounds great. When you watch “Escape from the rain” or whatever it is called, all these foreign shores look wonderful and I’m sure they are, and we dream of flitting to some sun kissed tropical paradise. If only we could be bothered it would be magnificent. Thing is we all know that the reality would be completely different than the TV portrays, a lot of the problems we have here would follow us over and a quarter of a country being national park also means a quarter of the country would be total heaven for bugs the size of your fist, and airborne too I reckon.

Hearing of a new Whiskey called “Republic of Whiskey” I thought Costa Rica had just got a demotion, and the ideal land was about to be presented before me, but then I read the blurb on the bottle “We’re not a state, more a state of mind,” and the wee central American country stayed top of the list.  I picked up “Republic of Whiskey” at a local supermarket, one that usually caters for the more mature consumer and the whole concept of the bottle seems at odds with that. The bottle is more hipster than hip replacement.

This Whiskey is very grainy and young, aimed at the cocktail connoisseur not the dram nerds. The grain whiskey far outstrips the malt content in this blend and makes the drink harsh and burny. Light floral notes dominate and take away the complexity and there’s little by way of balance. If your thing is a Whiskey sour then this might be a nice difference. Neat isn’t what this is for, it needs a bit of help to make it work.

Nose: Light, mint, lavender, floral 1/3

Palate: Fresh cut wood, spice, fresh ginger, fresh cream 2/3

Finish: Vanilla, Mint, soft fruits 2/3

Value for Money 0/1

Total 5/10