One Panellist bought fresh honeydew melon in a petrol station, one melted plastic and another enjoyed churros with a chocolate-hazelnut dip – take your pick. On the palate, we were served a beef chilli con carne made from a fruity red wine, seasoned with smoked paprika, minced garlic, chilli and cumin. After reduction, we had Middle Eastern-spiced meatballs in a smoky-sweet tomato sauce with a splash of rum from Trinidad. These we washed down with a rich, full-bodied yet smooth porter dark ale that delivered bitter chocolate and roasted coffee flavours, and a teasing chilli finish. Following 11 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a second fill PX hogshead.