Talisker 25 on 25 December

After some delay, I'm finally getting down to write about this. This is, to date, the most expensive bottle I've paid for with my own money. Talisker is among my top 3 favourite distilleries, though its NAS bottlings don't quite live up to the legacy of the name. The Port Ruighe was nice enough, as was Dark Storm, but nothing that screams Talisker, like the 10 or 18. And now, this - the Talisker 25 from a bygone era.

Nothing screams Christmas like a peaty, smoky, peppery, spicy dram of whisky, even if you are living in sunny Singapore, right?

Image from the Whisky Exchange

Talisker used to bottle the 25 year old and the 30 year old at cask strength. Not single cask, just cask strength. This one's bottled at 58.1% abv. That's several notches above the standard 45.8% that Talisker bottles things at nowadays. The upside is that you can now get the Talisker 25 as a regular bottling. The downside is that you'll probably not hit the same highs that the older bottlings were able to achieve. 

This bottle is a mix of various cask types, with some sherry influence on top of the usual refill and bourbon casks. At 58.1%, I'm guessing that this will need some water, but let's do it neat first.

Talisker 25, bottled 2007 (58.1%)

Colour - Well, the bottle is slightly tinted, so the liquid isn't as dark as it might appear to be. Gold, instead of something approaching amber.

Nose - This is intense. Big pepper, sea spray. Let my nose get used to it a little, and more subtle notes appear - honey, really. Light peat and smoke, with suggestions of red fruit. There seems to be a bit of vanilla, and toffee too. Sea salt taffy, perhaps. Fairly oaky undertones, that help to hold the rest of the nose together. What I enjoyed most about this nose is its intensity - the big pepper and sea salt don't go away. It stays and powers through the nose. The other scents come out subtly against the pepper and sea, but the intensity of the usual Talisker profile doesn't become more muted - your nose just gets used to it. The gripping pepper and salt are on one pole, and the gentle oak on the other, gives this Talisker 25 a nose that develops in depth, with different tones appearing the more you nose it, yet staying within the boundaries created by the space between Talisker's wild side and the calming influence of the wood.

Palate - It's like you chewed some black peppercorns, with some red peppers thrown in. It's unmistakably Talisker. The intensity of the pepper really strikes you, just like on the nose. With some time on the tongue, you get...honey, some vanilla, almost bourbon-y sweetness, which adds to the smoothness of this dram, despite the high strength. There's cloves and maybe a touch of something bitter and citrusy, like parsley or coriander. Maybe lemon zest. Butterscotch, or maybe that's just the salt, vanilla and honey coming together. What I probably mean is that this is sweet, savoury and smooth, at the same time. There's smoke and light peat - the smoke is fairly clean, like an unsooty charcoal flame, and the peat is light. Not sure what they burn there on Talisker. I really should visit someday.

Finish - Mmm. The pepper lasts the longest. Cloves and nutmeg spiced finish, which is probably the influence of the sherry cask. Slightly peaty, a little bitter, and a fair whack of oak and wood tannins. Then there's pepper again. A hint of sweetness to round off. 

Ok, that was great, but maybe a little too intense. Let's see what water does to it.

With water - about 5 drops to the dram

Nose - this is immediately more gentle, more open, but still distinctly Talisker. The pepper takes a bit more of a backseat, allowing the oak and honey sweetness to come to the front. There's more fruit too - I'm getting some figs and dried cherries. So...sweet, red, and slightly sour at the same time. Unless the dried cherries I've had are spoilt. Hope not. A little hint of nuttiness - or was that just a different tone to the wood? Same ballpark as having it neat, but slightly more nuanced and round, less brutal on the pepper spray

Palate - Butterscotch, definitely butterscotch. Butterscotch, honey, vanilla, and ripe fruits - I'm thinking of something yellow, like syrup soaked pineapple, or nearly overripe mangoes. Maybe rock melon. But water doesn't water down the intensity, simply drags out other flavours into prominence, without really drowning the kick that the pepper gives. In this case, the pepper has its say later. This is richer than the Talisker 18, definitely.

Finish - shorter, but same profile. Though I think the pepper feels more heaty here.

Overall - I'm impressed and very satisfied. DW says this is not as good as the Kilchoman 2008 vintage - I obviously disagree. I don't think the Kilchoman hits this level of intensity on the pepper, nor the richness of the liquid. But then, the Kilchoman is a about 1/3 the age. And 1/4 the price. Maybe Kilchoman is more value for money, and maybe it'll age better. Who knows? In any case, the Talisker 25 is great stuff, and a style of whisky that made many whisky fans fall in love with the spirit in the first place - intense and rich, smooth and fiery, peppery and sweet. The power of the spirit really stands out here, despite the 25 years in wood. 

And with that, merry Christmas! God is with us! And if you need an artificial fire to add to the mood...

Norse Gods and Kings

Recently read The Gospel of Loki, by Joanne Harris. It's fairly fun, and retells the main storyline of the Norse gods from Loki's perspective. This Loki is rather perceptive and self-aware, with recognition of his own role in why he came to be known as the trickster, and the role he plays in bringing on Ragnarok, or, the Norse version of the end times.

The premise is a fairly interesting twist, and it helps when you can imagine Hiddleston as the protagonist in the story. What grates, unfortunately, is the writing style. Loki, the narrator, seems to speak like a slimy American businessman, or someone running for President. The slyness comes out in bits and pieces, and half the time, he's just out to have fun. What I felt was missing was the bit of malice behind the tricks, and the sense of chaos. While Loki represents chaos in the story world, he doesn't really upset the apple cart much, and doesn't do much to reverse power relations either. Loki ends up being a little too rational and, well, normal. I dunno. Maybe I'm missing the point through my unfamiliarity with Norse legends, but the book's style and characterization of Loki left me wondering if the Trickster could be amped up a little bit more.

Which, coincidentally, is what I think about the whisky I'm writing about today: Highland Park's Harald, released for the Travail Travel Retail market. Harald is part of a series of other whiskies named after Viking/Norse warriors of old. Those cheaper than Harald were sold in 1 litre bottles, while Harald and above were sold in the standard 700ml bottles. Which perhaps suggests that Harald is about where things start to get serious. Unfortunately, I think Harald doesn't get serious enough, which is a shame. King Harald sounds like a pretty badass.

Highland Park Harald (40% abv)

Colour - Gold

Nose - Pretty nice, really. Classic Highland Park with sherry and smoke. The sherry comes across in raisins and the spices you usually associate with sherried whiskies - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Honey, and fairly obvious orange notes, I thought. With a bit of time, there's a faint floral note as well as some light peat instead of smoke. This is balanced, and pretty characteristic of Highland Park.

Palate - Oranges and cinnamon apple dessert. Sweet, with smoke. Honey remains. The smoke is pretty nicely balanced against the sherry influence. Spices remain, but not as strong as it felt on the nose. Mouth feel is a little...watery, despite the heavier flavours. I guess this was chill-filtered? Lacking a little fatness and minerality that would have added more edge to this rounded whisky. Balance and round, but I think it lacks a little depth. Everything is there on the palate on first tasting, without the development of chocolate, tea, or whatever else that I got from the HP 18. A little drying.

Finish - Short-ish, unlike the reign of King Harald. Spicy (more reminiscent of ginger now), oaky dryness. Mm. Lingering smoke and some caramelized apples.

Overall - This is easy and pleasant drinking! Smooth with little burn. Good balance of flavours between the various classic Highland Park flavours. However, this doesn't quite live up to the Warrior billing. Many reviewers of the series have noted this, and I share their opinion, that if you're going to name your whiskies after kings and warriors, could you make your whiskies a little stronger? Perhaps 46% abv? And un-chill filtered would be good too, to give the whisky a little more fat to survive the cold seas. Maybe a stronger concentration would help the whisky display more depth, but alas, it's easier to add water than to take it out.

So, good, but not quite strong enough, both for the book, and the whisky. Hard to live up to the Norse legends of old eh?

Break from Talisker - for a good reason - Taiwan and Kavalan

Ok, sorry for the radio silence. I was in Taiwan for a week, and thus, did not write notes for the Talisker 25, as I had intended to. But, I still have 90% of the bottle left, and I'm sure I'll get down to writing the tasting notes some day. Probably after I give it another tasting.

In the mean time, I just want to say that Taiwan is an amazing place for whisky. My gosh. I didn't go to any whisky bar, but dropped by a couple of whisky retail shops. Prices are bloody affordable. Springbank 10 for under SGD$80. Comes with 2 Springbank glasses if you're a member of the shop. Assorted other whiskies at prices that are, more or less, what you can get online from sites like Whisky Exchange. Without the delivery charges. Where do these people get their profits from? Do thy even have to pay rent??

I was initially not intending to buy anything despite the prices, due to the need to pay for baggage just to transport whiskies. But, I found these:

Glendronach 15, which I have reviewed recently. And the Laddie Ten. Both are whiskies that are out of production, and which have received good to great reviews. And for the combined price of SGD$150 (slightly lower, actually). Basically, the guy was selling these as if they have never gone out of production, and demand has never affected his stocks. This good guy's shop is at Tamshui. Near the MRT station, just about 400m away along the Tamshui Old Street. Fairly cramped space. But big on value for money. There's quite a lot of good stuff from a few years ago - Ardbeg Supernova, for example. Glendronach 15, Laddie Ten, Highland Parks, Laphroaig's cask experiments, and other stuff like that. 

Please do support the guy. He told me that alcohol business is hard. 

In any case, I thought that I would regret not buying it. And so it is done.

The other shops I saw were in more central areas - one was near Ximending, the other was along Nanjing East Street in Taipei. All good prices. Seems to me that Arran and Tomintoul are more popular in Taiwan than in Singapore. Wow.

Apart from these shops, I also, of course, visited Kavalan Distillery.

Customary shot of the distillery

 One of their famous casks

 A display case showing the influence of various casks on the distillate over time

 Of course, a picture of the stills

A small, cute bottle of the brandy oak Solist Kavalan whisky, which I've yet to try.

The tour is fairly self-explanatory, with displays that guide the visitor through the distillery and explain what's happening each step of the way. Pretty fun and easy to walk through, but perhaps lacking a little of the human touch. The tour feels fairly corporate, and it begins with a corporate video, not of the distillery itself, but of the King Car conglomerate. So, yea. Very corporate. But still, it was nice to just walk through and take in the sights and smells of a distillery, albeit from a very curated perspective. No direct interaction with the casks, the warehouse, everything at a safe distance behind the glass. So, maybe it's a good experience for a noob like myself, but not the best distillery visit for someone who's perhaps been to a couple of other distilleries. Unless you can get personal attention from a brand ambassador or something.

I did try the Solist bourbon cask though, from a similar bottle design. So, I'll give some thoughts on it here.

Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask (54% abv)

Colour - Gold

Nose - Coconuts and pineapples - so that's the promised tropical fruits. Notes of oak come through, along with a fair whack of vanilla. Sweet custard, but a fairly big dose of alcohol too. Smells creamy, with a faint hint of spice.

Palate - Slightly spicy - nutmeg and pepper. Pineapples and mangoes - that's the Kavalan distillery profile, I believe? Coconut and...peanuts, I think. So, that's fairly nutty. The bourbon cask has played its role, I think. Vanilla and wood sweetness. Honeyed too.

With water, there's additional notes of something like baby puke - malty and slightly sulphury, bordering on being too strong. Maybe a little too close to baby puke. With slightly less water in the next glass, I got less puke, but more barley malt and maybe a touch of liquorice.

Finish - Medium length, spicy, pineapple sweetness and citrus. Rather oaky.

Water doesn't affect the nose and finish as much.

Overall - Compared to its sherry cousin in the Solist series, this is simpler and the distillate speaks a little louder. But as a result, the whisky is less complex. But, it is still very good bourbon cask whisky, given the age and aging environment. 

Pre-Christmas Party and New Beginnings - Peater vs Peater

Christmas comes early as all of us would be in various states of overseas-ness over the Christmas period. So, early drinks, and finally opening the Talisker 25 from 2007. I've been waiting ages for this grand opening. So exciting. It's older than I actually am! Amazing that The Whisky Distillery was selling this for the price of 2/3 a Yamazaki 18. They probably bought it at a much lower price several years ago, but frankly, $600 for a 25 year old whisky from 10 years ago, still great.

There were other drinks on the table too, and I'm actually going to review the Kilchoman 2008 vintage first, and save the best for last. I've also not reviewed the Highland Park Harald, but that's easily done some time later. It's a much less exciting dram anyway.

In any case, a young, new Kilchoman and an old Talisker. The Kilchoman was probably still malting when the Talisker was bottled. So that's some nice continuity there. Nothing screams Christmas like peat and chimney smoke, with songs of white Christmases and snow. Never mind Jesus, we'll let the Church celebrate that. Those who're not Christians, let's just spend and drink yourselves silly. Or something more classy than that please. And, of course, never mind the fact that we don't have chimneys nor snow in Singapore.

Let's start with the young upstart.

Kilchoman 2008 Vintage (45% abv)

Colour - Gold

Nose - Peat. Fairly intense peat, but always kept in balance by a great depth of fruits. Citrus, peaches, vanilla, a healthy dose of American oak. Apples and honey. Wood smoke.

Palate - Peaty, but more smoke than peat. Fantastic. Soft peach and apple, and some coconut shavings. Vanilla and oak. Mmm. Figs, and even slightly spicy - clove and nutmeg, with a suggestion of parsley.

Finish - Not very long, though the peat does linger a bit. Smoke too. Spicy at the finish on light pepper, and maybe one teaspoon of malty sweetness and one shred of coconut.

Overall - Some people call this the best Kilchoman to date. I've not had the limited edition releases, so am unable to verify this, but this Kilchoman is pretty top-notch. Better than the Sanaig and the Machir Bay and Loch Gorm and 100% Islay...you get the picture. DW rated this higher than the Talisker 25 (heresy!!), and I can sort of see why. This has a good depth and intensity, great development (without the age caveat), balance, poise, character, etc. I think the Talisker 25 edges this slightly (personal preference for the clarity of the T25, but the Kilchoman is actually more flavourful up until the finish), but frankly, for a 7 year old to take the contest with a 25 year old classic down to the wire is astounding. This goes onto the favourites list. Very reasonably priced too, at about $170 or so at LMDW. Reasonable for its quality, that is.

So, what's the competition like? I'll put it up next week. Gonna head to the airport soon to travel to Taiwan. The day that I'm planning to visit Kavalan distillery in Yilan county, Master Distiller Ian Chang is actually here in Singapore on some promotional event with whisky/food pairings. Such terrible timing. Shall try everything at the distillery cafe to make up for it.

A Dying Revival - Glendronach 15 'Revival'

Given the reputation of Glendronach as a fruity sherry bomb, I often categorise it as a Speysider in my head, and thus, have to frequently correct my pre-conceptions when approaching a Glendronach. Glendronach is, in fact, a Highlander, though it does produce very well-sherried whiskies. The Highland characteristic is more obvious in the less-sherried offerings, such as the 8 year old 'Hielan', and the 12 year old. However, it is the sherry bomb that makes the Glendronach, and I was able to try the whisky that relaunched Glendronach original bottlings some years back - the 15 year old 'Revival'.

The 'Revival' came out circa 2009, and immediately was received with much acclaim. It was excellent whisky, garnering a score of 92 from Serge Valentin of whiskyfun.com (this review is written independently, in case you were wondering). That's massive for a regular OB. What cemented its cult status was its pricing - it was available for between $130 to 160 in Singapore, which translates to...roughly...50 sterling pounds or so, back in the day. Great price for great stuff.

Naturally, it flew off the shelves, and became discontinued. Probably due to the drying up of old stocks that go into the Revival. So, the Revival is dead, and we await what the new owners will do to Glendronach distillery.

This dram was tasted at, where else, the Auld Alliance. They had previously ran out of Glendronach 15, but it's suddenly back on the menu. I checked the bottle, and found a Japanese label on the back. Did they buy this from Japan? Wow. Such dedication. It's sold out in Singapore already.

The whisky itself!

Glendronach 15 'Revival' (46% abv)

Colour - Almost mahogany. A rich darkness that immediately reveals its sherry influence.

Nose - Rich sherry notes. Give it some time to breath, and it reveals a stunning depth. There's a light wood influence, a hint of saltiness and toffee notes. Raisins, as expected. Light spice...cinnamon. And slightly herby too. Think...cumin? Malty and slightly sulphurous as well. How do you pack so much into a 15 year old nosing? This is astounding. It develops and grows and opens up, and floors you with great complexity, depth, development, variation...I could sniff this all day.

Palate - Rich sherry notes flood the senses. Give it some time...it's a little spicy and sulphurous. Cinnamon...and a little peppery. Parsley and cumin stay around too. The spices keep the whisky fresh. That's important in a heavily sherried whisky, as they can become too thick and brooding. Rich raisins and prunes. Reminders of dark chocolate. Light wafts of orange zest, and a little charred wood.

Finish - Big fruitiness on a long finish - raisins and jam. Pretty sweet. Spices grow - same profile of spices as on the palate. Finishes on a light smokiness.

Overall - This is great. While the stated age is 15, I think the average age is much higher - closer to 20, if I were to hazard a guess. The use of old stock would partially explain why it's no longer in production, a conjecture proposed by EP which I agree with. Such a pity. Thank goodness I got to try this at least once. Great whisky that used to be at a great price.

More on Whisky Live 2016 - The Highlights

Whew, that was one long break. Work was madness. And it's now been more than 2 weeks since Whisky Live. Oh how quickly time flies when you're preoccupied with meaningful stuff, like work. Yes.

Instead of giving tasting notes for everything I tried, I figured I should just put down a few of the highlights, partially because it's been too long and the quick notes I took during the event don't make much sense anymore. And partially because, well, it's really a lot of whiskies tried, but many that I probably don't find too memorable. In any case, here's the list of everything:

Bolded are the ones that left a good impression, italicised are the ones that left a bad impression. The rest were...well, normal.

1) Carsebridge 50 years, from the Sovereign series by Hunter Laing
2) Glendronach 12 Sauternes finish, 18 Allardice, Cask Strength batch 5
3) Amrut Fusion, Intermediate Sherry
4) Dalmore 15, 18, King Alexandre III
5) Gordon and Macphail Connoisseur's Choice Caol Ila (2004/2016)
6) Lost Distillery Co Lossit, Gerston, Auchnagie, Stratheden, Towiemore
7)Signatory Cambus 24 years, Tamdhu The Ten series 8 years
8) Benromach 15
9) Paul John Bold
10) Port Charlotte Scottish Barley
11) Glenrothes Vintage, 2001, 1998
12) Kavalan Solist Fino Sherry
13) Highwest Campfire blend
14) Auchentoshan 18 year, Old Particular by Douglas Laing
15) Talisker Port Ruighe
16) Oban Little Bay
17) Kilshoman Bourbon Single Cask for LMDW
18) Arbelour 12, 16
19) Glen Scotia Double Cask, Victoriana

32 Whiskies. my goodness.

So, some quick notes on the highlights.

Carsebridge 50 years, Sovereign, Hunter Laing

My goodness. This was bloody amazing. I think Hunter Laing's reps did not initially intend to open this bottle for tasting at the event. It was only opened at 8, and I just happened to walk past the Hunter Laing booth after the rep poured a wee bit for someone. The rep was trying to quickly put the bottle back on the display shelf behind him. Sensing the opportunity slip away, I asked for a taster, and the sales rep who poured the 50 year old glanced sheepishly at the ang moh beside him, and quietly poured a little bit of the Carsebridge 50 for me.

Smells really smooth. Vanilla, butterscotch, toffee, sweet. Rich. Really rich. Slightly sherried, I believe. On the palate, this is sweet vanilla, honey, very ripe apples, some citrus notes, and very very very smooth. This is seducing whisky. The wood hardly figures woodily, but you know that it's done an excellent, thorough job on the whisky. Some cinnammon spice, slightly coconuty. Finish was long, and the wood comes through, together with light spice, very slow, warming heat, and more toffee and butterscotch.

I used to not think very highly of grain whisky. But this just blew my brains out.

Glendronach Cask Strength batch 5

Fairly hot on alcohol, but really big on raisins. Dry raisins, rather than the rich juicy ones in the Allardice or Parliament. A little sweeter, on honey, and not as straightforwardly sherried, I think. Palate is nuttier and with more spice. The alcohol heat stays, and this translates to some pepper and continued heat on the finish. Having said that, some sherry juiciness stays on the palate for a long time. That was kinda cool.

I like this. The guy at the booth, who's a LMDW customer rather than a sales rep, was also really generous and allowed us to pour whiskies ourselves. Yum. He also said that the new owners of Glendronach might discontinue the Allardice, and the entire current core range, in fact. Boom. Time to hoard.

Amrut Intermediate Sherry

Rich sherry, with a hint of smoke. There's also some nice bourbon touches, like...coconut and toffee. This whisky is rich, thick, and sweet, weighs heavily on the palate, and is actually a little sticky. The spiciness lifts the whisky though, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and...chai (cultural appropriation blah blah blah)?!?!? But, on the whole, as my first foray into Indian whisky, this is pretty impressive.

Benromach 15

On the nose, this is sweet and frankly alluring. Rich sherry, backed by a thick maltiness. Some suggestion of other citrus fruits too. On the palate, the whisky stays richly sherried, but there's a touch of sulphur, smoke, toffee...mm. Good stuff, really. This is smooth with little hint of alcohol, though the spices do leave a light warmness. Very pleasant and good. Not out of this world, but a significant step up from the 10. Lingering smoke on the finish, sulphury and smoky, with continuing maltiness. Spice lingers on the finish, on light pepper and cinnamon, and something that reminds me of parsley.

The G&M rep was keen to impress upon us that this is old style Speyside, with a light smokiness that stays in the whiskies, as the Speysiders only stopped using peat to dry the malt more recently. Good stuff, this, too. And fairly priced. Yum yum.

Things that I didn't Like

Glen Scotia

Cambeltown's other distillery. Tried both the double cask, and the Victoriana. Both tasted a little soapy. Not quite my thing. And, the alcohol burn was too much man. Some citrus and pleasant touches of peat, but the soapiness was too much.

Lost Distillery Auchnagie, Stretheden

These were light and unmemorable. Nothing offensive, but...something off about the floral notes.

Dalmore KA3

This wasn't bad. Just really not quite worth the money. Six different casks, according to the pretty lady in high heels who stood for so long, she had stiff shoulders and an awkward gait. Poor soul. Any case, the Dalmore 15 was pleasant, the 18 was good with its 3 casks, but I felt that the six casks in the KA3 was just too much and messed up the original spirit. Too woody, and missing the usual Dalmore notes. Or maybe it was just too subtle.

Whisky Live Confessions and Protests

Confessions

Unfortunately, this series of posts on Whisky Live Singapore 2016 will contain almost no pictures. In my excitement to try everything, I forgot to take pictures of the whiskies, of the booths, of the people, of the atmosphere. 

The flesh is weak, and the eye is forgetful.

I bought the standard ticket, without any master classes. I was toying with the idea of purchasing one for perhaps Dalmore or Nikka. However, the tickets sold out by the time I reached the event. So, no Masterclass. And I wasn't going to sign up for one on Macallan. On hindsight, I should have. Even if I am not too impressed by the malt, it would have been a good experience to just be tutored through one tasting, and learn how one presents a Masterclass. 

The mind is indecisive.

I tasted many whiskies, and barely touched any of the other spirits. Rum, bourbons, gin, vodka, etc. were in fairly large quantities, but barring one (very good) gin and a (very very bad) rum, I skipped all the other spirits.

The disposition is not impartial.

Protests 

(pro-test, in the sense that is used in Pro-test-antism, whereby it is not a protest in the negative form of shouting something down, but in the positive form, where something is testified to. Being "pro" a particular testimony)

I had a lot of fun at the event, and I tried whiskies from almost every single booth, barring Compass Box (because there was nothing exotic), Nikka, Macallan, Glenfiddich, Old Pulteney, and Balblair.

What I managed to try: Glenrothes, Kavalan, Monkey Shoulder, AnCnoc, Glendronach, Bruichladdich, Port Askaig, Kilchoman,  Amrut, Paul John, Hunter Laing's Old Malt Cask (Auchentoshan) and Sovereign (Carsebridge), Diageo's Distinguished Malts (Talisker, Oban), Highwest, Gordon and Macphail's Connoisseur's Choice Caol Ila, Signatory's The Ten (Tamdhu) and Cask Strength Series (Cambus), Benromach, Dalmore, Arbelour, Lost Distillery.

***

Overall Impressions

I really had a great time. Those who went with me did too. The guys at the booths were all great. The distillery and brand staff were knowledgeable and generous with their whiskies, and even more generous with their knowledge. Those who were not brand reps or experts were either LMDW staff, or, in the case of the Glendronach booth, LMDW regular customer. These guys were just great to chat with, feeling less like an education about whisky, but more like a fireplace chat between aficionados.

The guy at the Glendronach booth allowed visitors to pour themselves a dram and trusted us to be sensible. The Cask Strength (batch 5) and the 18 year Allardice finished quite quickly.

Several brands hired some girls to be sales reps, probably on a per-hour rate. These pour girls had to wear tight dresses and heels that were about 24 inches high. That's mad. And sexist. Maybe it goes with the brand image, etc., etc., but really, I rather a knowledgeable lady than a sexy sales rep that just parrots from a script. They're all friendly enough, and are all doing a job, but I wish the brand gave customers a little more credit, and be a little less willing to use sexy ladies to sell their whiskies.

Some VR stuff to bring you on a tour around a couple of the distilleries, but that's more gimmick than anything. Glenfiddich brought in the VR-tour thingy, but only brought the regular 12, 15, 18 year whiskies. Was hoping to be able to try the experimental IPA finish, or something different/weird. But nope. I get a VR tour instead.

Brands that were big on marketing were big on marketing. Whiskies that focused on craft were, well, focused on craft. No surprises, really.

Because Whisky Live was over 2 full days, there was food provided, and that was a very welcomed amidst the drinking. The white and brown spirits were rather hit and miss though. More on that in the next post.

***

With the facts and apologies out of the way, let's get down to it. How was Whisky Live 2016, and did I learn any tips for future whisky events?

It was a great opportunity for connoisseurs and amateurs like yours truly to get in touch with whiskies of many different styles in one setting. Definitely worth the money, and I even bought a bottle from the pop-up store, that will be opened in December. More on that when it comes.

TIPS/SPIT

Tip 1: Bring your own bottle of water

The event hosts were generous with providing water to rinse the glass, and there were water dispensers strategically placed around the perimeter of the event hall. However, sometimes, you want more water than just enough to rinse the glass. You need a big gulp to get that Lagavulin out of your system. You probably need to gargle, but that's not very glam. Nonetheless, bring your own bottle of water. It's easier to fill it up than to run to the water dispensers every half an hour.

Tip 2: Don't be afraid to toss

Not over your shoulder, mind. There are small pails and baisins provided to collect water and whisky that people pour away. As a first timer, I felt a little shy to throw 18 year old whiskies away. But then, if I didn't not throw them away and tried to swallow everything I tasted, I may not be alive to write this, and I will definitely won't be able to even give decent impressions of the whiskies that were tasted. So, sip, spit, toss. Swallow a bit if it's nice. But definitely toss.

Tip 3: Plan your route of attack

I think it helps to start with the whiskies that are not peaty, and not cask strength. So, go early if possible, and make one round of the event hall. Mentally note down the order that you want to go in. For me, I placed Kilchoman near the end of my day because what I wanted to try was a cask strength bottling for LMDW, matured in a bourbon cask and bottled at over 60% abv. If I tried that early in the day, I probably wouldn't have been able to taste anything else after that. Maybe alternating between cask types would help too; you wouldn't want the Glendronachs to affect your tasting of, say, the Macallans, and make them feel better than they actually are. Ok, that's not very fair to Macallan.

Tip 4: Stop when you have to

Don't make a scene, don't collapse. Whisky's gotten popular, but it isn't vulgar nor crass. Stop if you have to, even if it means you miss out on half of what's on offer. Come back next year, or after some food. But you probably only reached this stage because you swallowed too much and did not toss enough, yes? Time out is the right punishment. Tsk tsk.

Tip 5: Always go VIP.

No more explanation needed. I truly regret not going VIP, especially this year, when there were LMDW 60th Anniversary bottlings for tasting in the VIP area. Next year it is.

T-14 hours

So, this is happening tomorrow

I'll try as much as I can taste, and the event will be followed up by at least 2 posts - 1 for event reflections, and at least 1 more for tasting notes/impressions. I didn't sign up for any master classes (yet), but maybe if I get bored and wanna do something on impulse tomorrow...or if there's a flash sale...

Friendships and Impulse Purchases (Part 3)

Time to round up this series of posts. Hedonism was bought at the airport, so not really an impulse buy by DW. The Yoichi, yes. It was probably overpriced (I think I paid $20 or $25) for 50ml, but I wanted to try it. And I did. Kikori...well. DW had this bright idea to try something different, and whiskey from rice somehow sounded like a good idea.

The Kilchoman reviewed here was a bit of an impulse buy too. After getting the Sanaig from LMdW, DW went online to buy a couple more Kilchomans, so impressed was he by the distillery.

Braeval was a bottle as part payment for photography services rendered by JE to me. Buying a bottle was not on impulse, but the specific bottle was - I just couldn't resist buying a bottle with an aeroplane (a Spitfire!!) on it, with proceeds going to charity. Too good to pass up on!

Kilchoman 10th Anniversary Release (58.2% abv)

Colour - Gold

Nose - Peaty and ashier than the other Kilchoman's from the regular bottlings. This smells closer to Ardbeg. The ash is pretty heavy and dark. Or at least, I found the ash heavier - several reviewers found the ash lighter than usual. Odd. Slightly salty, and the fruits take some time to emerge. But when they do, there's smoked apples, smoked pears, smoked oranges...

Palate - Light bitters...mm. From burnt sugar. There's some over-ripe fruit. I said mangoes, and JE said peach. Basically, an over-ripe mushy fruit. Peat is more subtle on the palate, but still presents itself in its ashy form. Fairly spicy too, which is ramped up even more by the high alcoholic strength. Nutmeg, and a touch of pepper, I believe. A wee bit of oak.

Finish - Ash and spice. There's some lingering over-ripe fruit - lush and sweet, almost like honey. But I think the sweetness retreats first, to leave the ash and spice as the dominant notes on the finish.

Overall - Good stuff. If you can find it. I think DW paid more for this than when it was first released. Kilchoman is consistently great. Amazing. How do you do that? This was released as part of the 10th Anniversary, and we are still waiting for a regular old bottling from Kilchoman.

Braeval 12, Douglas Laing's Clan Denny series, for the RAF Benevolent Fund (46.8% abv)

Look look! It's a plane!

Colour - White wine

Nose - Quite alcoholic on first nosing, but gives way to a leathery, sulphury note, and austere fruit - barely ripe apples and maybe a green banana.

Palate - Fairly sweet on entry. Maltiness, and I think the apple and banana was maybe a little riper than I gave it credit for. There's always an underlying note of sulphur (or camphor as advertised by Douglas Laing). Minerality - a touch of maybe tar and iron. Or did that come from the Spitfire?

Finish - Malty and rather drying, with lingering sulphur notes.

Overall - Straightforward, distillate driven malt. Doesn't quite take flight, but it serves very well as an "average" whisky that is not too tempered with by fancy wood. Just a good, old fashioned (probably refill) sherry cask, and whisky.

Friendships and Impulse Purchases (part 2)

Hedonism (43% abv)

Ok, this was not an impulse purchase. Just something DW got from the Airport DFS. Based on my recommendation, I think? In any case, this blended grain from Compass Box has been something I've been wanting to try. I've not had a good impression of grain whisky, but it seems like grain whisky is getting more attention recently, and is more complex than many people (myself included) have given them credit for. Perhaps it's my bias against bourbon spilling over.

That makes Hedonism a good place to start fighting back against baseless bias: I don't trust grain whisky (yet), but I trust Compass Box. So, we're starting on fairly neutral ground here.


Colour - Gold, but this is achieved without artificial colouring or chill filtering. Just the grain and the barrel. Grain and barrel. That's a good name for a whisk(e)y review website!

Nose - Sweet butterscotch mother of toffee! Lots of vanilla and honey. Rich, velvety butterscotch. Some toffee. A touch of oaky goodness. Spicy even on the nose. After a while, the nosing develops to become rounder, and less sweet; that's good because it was approaching dangerously close to "cloying" territory initially. This smells like kueh lapis. For those who're not from Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia, this is kueh lapis:

Layer upon layer of buttery, oily, cakey goodness. The really good ones, you can peel off layer by layer. Or, take a bite across the layers and feel them separate into thin strips in your mouth, before disintegrating into a buttery, gooey mash. Brilliant. And high in calories. But yes, Hedonism smells like that. Preferably with black tea.

Palate - Smooth. Vanilla, a touch of coconut, honey, butter, toffee. Maybe a few drops of maple syrup. No, I don't mean the one they give at Macdonald's when you order pancakes. Actual maple syrup. And honey. Thankfully, that'll be spiced honey - cinnamon, nutmeg, and something a little more prickly. A basket of fruits too - ripe apples, maybe a banana and pink guava. There's also a good oak structure to the whisky - wood in the background helps to hold the strong flavours of this whisky together, and gives it a slight tannic feel too. It's a little drying due to the tannic feel, and that helps to prevent this blended grain from become overpoweringly sweet.

Finish - Medium length. Coconut and oak are a little more prominent here, and a slight bitterness, like tea. So that makes this dram kueh lapis and tea in the same sip? That's a perfect tea-time snack!

Overall - Good stuff! If grain whisky was this good, I'll have no problems with trying more. Hedonism manages to achieve great balance and depth, at an affordable price point. Go Compass Box! 

I know that in Part 1, I said that the tasting notes will be brief, but I took many mental notes of this - I had really wanted to try it.

So, this is part 2. Part 3 will cover the Braeval and Kilchoman! These will be brief. Promise.

Friendship and Impulse Purchases (part 1)

A random bunch of whiskies that tell a story of friendship and impulse purchases. Mostly impulse purchases.

I didn't take detailed notes because this was a gathering of friends, not one of those sessions where I geek out and write more than I talk. So this post is going to be more of quick impressions than anything.

Let's start with the odd one out, shall we?

Kikori Whiskey (41% abv)

Colour - Paler than white wine

Nose - This is sake. Or shochu. Yea, shochu.

Palate - Barrel aged shochu. So, sweet rice wine with a touch of oak and spice. Classic yeasty notes, found in shochu and lower grades of sake.

Finish - This is shochu. Sweet and light finish, slight yeasty sourness.

Overall - This is not whisky, and should not be approached with whisky expectations. It's also got a long Japanese text written on the underside of the label (you can see a little bit of it in the picture). Maybe it's an apology for misleading marketing.

Might as stick with the Japanese theme...

Yoichi NAS (45% abv)

Colour - Hay/Straw

Nose - Light peat and smoke, fairly alcoholic. After calming down, it's got notes of malt, sea spray, and then some fruits. Mm. Apple and pear?

Palate - Spicy and light smoke. Nutmeg, cinnamon. Some vanilla and...savoury oiliness too. But fairly rough on alcohol. Maltiness and a hint of sourdough. Hmm. Maybe it's because it's a sampler bottle? Needs more time? Water perhaps?

Finish - A little sour, a little smoke. Oak too, and a bit more vanilla.

Overall - Simple, straightforward. This is more "manly" than several other Japanese whiskies. A little rougher and smokier. This could mature to become like a Springbank or Kilkerran. I think the basics of the taste profile are there. Or maybe, to aim a little lower, like a Benromach or Bruichladdich. Could. In the current price market, I'll never know what an aged Yoichi would taste like.

Ok, off to catch some football. The rest will have to wait.

Support Local

Hipster movements are all about authenticity, craft, and supporting local. Well, as some say, you can't get very much more hipster than the Springbank 'Local Barley'. Barley grown within walking distance of the distillery, and every single part of the process done on-site...

I originally intended to write some long pre-amble about the loss of regional distinctiveness due to the importation of barley and usage of casks, but, you know what, let's not waste time and get to the whisky. It's that good.

Springbank 'Local Barley' 16 years old, 2016 (54.3% abv)

Nose - Initial blast of sweet jam, followed by a solid waft of grass and hay, which transits nicely into oak. After a bit of time, vanilla, honey, and fresh berries come to dominate the nose. There's a bit of peat and charred wood-smoke. There's oil and a hint of rust. There's a bit of rubber as well. Rust and rubber? So that's a rusty bicycle wheel? A malty, slightly sulphurous background. This is Springbank, with a little more sugar than usual. This is really good barley.

Palate - A big burst of alcohol heat, which quickly settles down to reveal a ton of fresh fruits - rock melon, lemons, grapefruit. Sweet and sour, and big. Fruit sweetness transits into honey and vanilla. This is a really sweet entry. After the sweetness subsides, oak and a touch of bitterness emerges - orange and lemon peel, orange pith. Fairly spicy on pepper and nutmeg. There's a subtle peat smoke influence behind all this. Hints of minerality (limestone, I imagine) peppered throughout, but this isn't the main draw. There's also a solid hint (what's a solid hint??) of malted barley sugars.

The layering of flavours is astounding. Smooth transitions across a wide range of flavours that are well-balanced and totally complementary. An amazing ride.

Finish - Smoke and charred wood, then tea tannins. Some spice, and then drying. The finish lingers long and actually develops a little berry-sour in the aftertaste. Wow.

With water - Water smooths out the alcohol, and brings out a richness in texture that wasn't as evident neat. I think water brings out a bit of sherry influence - richer in texture, almost velvety, and more firmly fruity. However, the structured development gets lost a bit. Grass, oak and rubber come out more prominently, and there's more pepper in the finish. Water makes this a gentler dram, and still an excellent sipper, but I think I'll keep the complexity, even if that leaves the whisky a little rougher.

Overall - This is mind-blowing-ly good. Great breadth of flavour profile, making the whisky complex. Sweeter than usual, yet not losing the distinctiveness of the distillery. Structured and long without losing coherence. Development even in the finish (!!). This is unbelievably good. The age is a great balance between the distillate and barrel, and I think I've read somewhere before that 16 to 18 is about the best age for a Springbank. I love it. There were only 9000 bottles worldwide, and prices have jumped at least 3 times since the release earlier in the year. Hard to find any more affordable bottles of this, I'm afraid.

Excellent example of the perfect harmony between human labour and the land - this whisky is the land, the barley, the natural processes of fermentation, and human craft singing together in worship of their maker, in whom all things are reconciled and made perfect.

This is still available at Auld Alliance for $48 a dram. Pricey, but I have no regrets.

Let it burn...Three Uncommon Malts

A random and unplanned get-together ended up with a tasting of three whiskies, two of which were bought for JE at the LMDW sale last weekend. They were clearing stock before the renovations, so some of the stuff were going at a pretty cheap price. They were even selling the half-finished bottles behind the bar. I didn't get anything for myself though - was there to buy for friends instead. It was a liberating feeling to be able to shop without spending my own money.

Mystery bottling - Blended Scotch Whisky by The Moorings Hotel (40% abv)

A miniature that was a complimentary gift at The Moorings hotel, which DW stayed in when on holiday. He claimed to not have tried it then, but brought it back instead. Time to find out if good things come free.

Nose - Burns the insides of your nostrils on first nosing, then intensely sweet, on malted barley and something close to rye or bourbon. Probably a higher mix of grain whisky in this blend. Still burning the insides of my nostrils on second nosing.

Palate - Strong grain influence, with an intense, almost cloying sweetness and spice. Not the good kind of grain whisky, perhaps? Big on alcohol too. It never stops burning, even with a small sip. But the pity is, there isn't too much flavour behind the burn. Some spice and suggestions of sherry, and then we're back to sweets - Haribo's artificial sweetener and cotton candy before it settles back down into something like rye.

Finish - Nope. We did not finish this.

Overall - Ok, this was complimentary from the hotel that DW stayed in on one of his trips, so perhaps expectations can't be too high. And if you just want some scotch to knock back after a day out, this will do. Sweet and strong on alcohol, this reminded me a lot of the bottom-shelf Jack Daniel's, which is, to date, the only whisk(e)y that has made me puke, to date. Not because I was drunk; just because it didn't taste and sit well in me.


JE's Whiskies - A Better Burn

It was a really interesting experience choosing whiskies for JE. He wanted a Kilchoman Sanaig, but they had already ran out of stock for that. Hence, JE gave me permission to pick two malts for him, that were under $100 each. That was quite a challenge even during a sale. The next challenge was that he was buying these whiskies partially for himself, but also partially to expand the palette of one of his friends who had just started getting into whisky, and was buying based on brand names and age statements. As such, the whiskies bought needed to be something that was not a well-established brand (even if it came good and cheap), and has to be of a style that JE's friend has probably not tried before.

It was fun choosing, and I remember that part of the challenge was going beyond my own prejudices/favourites, to curate and pick something meant for someone else's taste buds and collection. That was great fun. After walking around the small space at LMDW for almost half hour (pacing around in a semi-circle, really), I settled on these two: Wolfburn, and a Glen Keith from Signatory's Non-Chill Filtered series.

The Glen Keith and Wolfburn. The Mooring's blend is hiding
behind its more accomplished brothers

Wolfburn (46% abv)

This is a young whisky, so the lovely staff at LMDW (think her name was Priscilla?) was telling me to expect a weaker body. I was asking her to help me decide between the Wolfburn, and a young Clynelish (8 years), from Signatory. She recommended the Wolfburn without hesitation, which is either testament to the clear difference in quality, or a great need to sell the Wolfburn quickly. But this is good. Whiskyfun gave this four stars, and I think I would too.

Colour - Very pale. It's the colour of a healthy person's urine, according to medical conventions. Ok, that's probably not the best way to describe whisky, but it's true. Something more elegant...? Diluted chrysanthemum tea in Chinese restaurants.

Nose - Bright and malty, with some suggestions of raisins, and a fair amount of something herbal. A little Chinese medicine. Light peat and smoke wafts up together with the alcohol. This is young, and you can tell from the eagerness of the alcohol to evaporate. Give it a bit of time, and it smells a little sweeter on malt sugars and a light touch of coconut.

Palate - A good balance between herbal bitterness and barley sugar. There's a bit of lemon and/or oranges, then more of that maltiness. Spicy too - pepper and alcohol burn at the same time, though this is held in check by a fairly smooth texture that I would say is even a little creamy, and not just oily. With time in the glass, a more nutty profile emerges, though it gets oakier too. Smoke and light, vegetal peat throughout. All in all, still very well balanced.

Finish - A light sprinkling of salt, and lingering smoke. A hint of vanilla and cinnamon sugar on the aftertaste. This is a very pleasant and long finish.

Overall - The body isn't exactly thin. Frankly, I think the Wolfburn has more presence than the Glen Keith, but where it loses points is perhaps that the palate is fairly one-dimensional. It does what it does very well, and this IS a very good young whisky. However, compared to older and more distinguished malts, it doesn't have a lot of depth and lacking in development. That, though, is something that is easily solved with age, and I'll be on the look-out for more Wolfburn's in a few years. This should be added to the list of new and impressive distilleries, which currently includes Kilkerran and Kilchoman. With great sadness, I hereby declare that this young Wolfburn is better than the Talisker 10.

Glen Keith 1995/2014, Signatory Vintage Non-Chill Filtered Collection (46% abv)

Colour - This is closer to hay, or less diluted Chrysanthemum tea. Or, a slightly dehydrated person's...never mind.

Nose - Not immediately clear what's the nosing profile. This takes a while to start talking. With a bit of swirling and coaxing, I'm got some rubber and faint suggestions of a drier sherry. Surprisingly, a little medicinal. Vanilla, and honey dew peel.

Palate - Drying and thin, but has a nice development between fruitiness and smoke. The smoke is slightly bitter - like burnt and charred wood. Fruitiness...some melons and maybe a small handful of dried raisins. Dried orange peel - the kind dusted with cinnamon sugar that I used to eat as a childhood snack, but without the sweet stuff on top. The palate swings between the fruit and the smoke. The texture is surprisingly thin and watery though, considering that this is old and un-chill filtered. Probably a refill cask that had already given most of what it had to previous fillings. But this leaves the whisky fairly distillate driven despite its age.

Finish - Not as long as the Wolfburn, but in the same ball-park.

Overall - I think the Wolfburn gives a better first impression, and shows great promise, but the Glen Keith just about shades the comparison due to a more interesting development on the palate, though the Wolfburn's finish is stellar.

Hope JE's friend would enjoy trying these two whiskies, and expand his palate beyond the usual suspects.

Three Spoonfuls of Benromach 'Organic'

It's been a long time since the last posting, and those who are sharp will be able to guess my occupation, based on the hiatuses on this blog. I've been sipping away at the bottles I have at home to get over the long nights wrestling with ghosts of Southeast Asia past, and have made good progress on the Writers' Tears, Mortlach 21, and the Kavalan Solist Sherry. The Springbank 12 has also been emptied. But alas, when you're relying on the drink to get through the night, you don't go about trying new stuff. You go back to the old dependables that have served you well. A long slog is no where to make new friends, contra Hollywood. Or perhaps a long slog only reveals one side of the new friend - his worthiness when things get rough. But a whisky needs to appreciated in the quiet of a comfortable living room chat, where there is more time for chatter and acquaintance making, instead of the rough and tumble of a long march. You make comrades, but a refined gentleman deserves better attention.

And so it came to pass that I have not tasted anything seriously since the last post, and I am, once again, prepared to settle down for a long chat with a new friend - the Benromach 'Organic'. This bottle came as part of the Benromach gift set containing the 'Organic', the 10 year, and the 'Peat Smoke', bottled in 2015.

Benromach 'Organic' (abv 43%)

Master of Malt says that this is the first Soil Association approved whisky, hence the 'Organic' label. Do they use GM soil for other whiskies? You cannot GM soil, right...? This was, also from Master of Malt, matured in virgin oak after a maturation period of about 7 years.

Colour - light gold, almost hay

Nose - Maybe it's the colour, but I smell hay. Grassy and leaf litter upon first nosing. With time, fruity notes emerge - pears, peaches, apples, then transiting to oak and a touch of coconut husks. Smells honeyed, with suggestions of toffee. The oak gets quite dominant, but the fruits and fresh grassiness keeps it smelling more like a orchard and less like the inside of a wooden barrel. That's a good thing.

Palate - Very grassy on entry, then oak takes over. Washes over your entire mouth, before receding to leave behind fruits - lemon zest, then the slight bitterness that also comes with lemon zest. After that, pears, peaches, and some honey. The persistent grassiness - is it from the oak, or some light peat? Some nutmeg and ginger sparkle on the tongue to keep the experience fresh and interesting.

Finish - Not drying, but you still taste the wood and grass/hay. Hints of dried coconut, light nutmeg, and a little fruit peel.

Overall, pretty good experience! I think I like Benromach already. Glad that they'll be present at Whisky Live Singapore this year in mid-November (go check out La Maison @ whisky.sg if you've not gotten tickets yet!) A side of Speyside that's sitting sort of between Glenfiddich and Mortlach, with less sulphur influence.

Thanks to YC for bringing this set of three back from the UK! Looking forward to the other two, which, I think, I will only be opening after I finish this. Which shouldn't take very long since it is just a 200ml bottle, and my mum experimented cooking with it...

Bonus Content - The Benromach Sesame Chicken

Horror of horrors. I think my mum has been eyeing my stock of whiskies and wondered how they'll taste in her cooking. She's certainly mentioned it a couple of times, but it was not just a casual mention this time. This time, she meant it. Started innocuously enough, with questions over price. Which is the cheapest, what tastes nice but isn't too sweet, etc. And then, "Which do you think will go with chicken with sesame oil?"

I stared at my shelf. Mortlach 21 - out. Inchgower 16 - nope. Ledaig - it'll probably taste weird. Bunnahabhain 24 - never. Yamazaki 18 - you've got to be crazy. And so, poor Benromach of the 200ml bottle bore the brunt of my mum's curiosity.

The chicken was first marinated with Chinese rice wine. Then, three soup spoons-full of Benromach 'Organic' went into the frying wok, along with sesame oil, dark soy sauce and shredded ginger. The moment the Benromach went into the wok, the entire kitchen was filled with the aroma of dying esters, evaporating alcohol, and a fruitiness that evidently did not come from any of the other ingredients in the wok.

The finished product was actually pretty good. The Benromach 'Organic' gave the chicken dish a slight fruity touch that would not have been there if my mum had used Chinese rice wine for the sauce as well. The shredded ginger masked the taste of the whisky a little, though I'm pretty sure that the Benromach didn't have much left to give after the baptism of fire. Nonetheless, the fragrance of alcohol still lingered in the after taste, and left a warming feeling on the inside of the stomach and along the gullet. Maybe I'm imagining things, but this does taste better than my mum's usual version of this dish.

In fact, I took a dram for my tasting notes above AFTER dinner. I figured that I MUST do a review before it all ends up in the next meat dish. Probably pork. Maybe I should convince my mum to use the Ledaig for that to give it a smoky, barbecued flavour...

Kilkerran WIP 7 Sherry Wood - waiting for the 12 to land

As far as I can tell, Kilkerran 12 has yet to land in Singapore. However, several places have a couple of bottles of the Work-in-Progress releases. Having tried the first WIP at Auld Alliance a couple of weeks ago, I managed to try the WIP 7 at Quaich Bar's new outlet at South Beach. It's a swanky bar - great interior decor, nice ambiance, an updated and comprehensive menu of original bottlings, and waiting staff who know their products. Quaich is also the sole official importer of Springbank in Singapore, which means that most of our access to Springbank, Longrow, Hazelburn, Kilkerran and all of Cadenhead is mediated through Quaich, and the guys at Quaich know the value of a holding a monopoly, unfortunately.

According the the bar manager (I think), Kilkerran 12 is making its way to Singapore. In the meantime, I shall make do with the WIPs. Today, we're having number 7, which is a sherried expression.

Kilkerran WIP 7 Sherry Wood (abv 46%)

Nose - Smells very oily, with mineral notes that remind me of fresh river water and the wet rocks at the bottom of said river. Sherry influence isn't strong here - comes across more as hints of cranberries and leather, so not a full, bright, fruity sherry. A little musty and sharp at the same time. Dusty mustard?!? Some more citrus fruits/berries, though I'm not sure what...maybe cherries? A whiff of oak, some vanilla, and light wisp of smoke.

Palate - What I noticed first was the oily profile, then the consistency of the minerals on the nose, like clean spring water. Then the peat hits, carrying with it a more metallic edge. Not so much like mustard anymore. Cherries - both sweet and sour. With some time on the tongue, oak starts to feel a bit, but that's balanced off by a growing leather/sulphur touch, which is nice to find in a sherried whisky. The peat takes a backseat, serving as the backdrop to the citrus, oak and leather. This is very finely balanced! The alcohol starts to show a bit more if you leave the whisky on your tongue for too long. Taste carefully, but don't take too long to swallow this one.

Finish - Fairly long on smoke/peat and tannin with some bursts of spices (pepper and nutmeg) and mellowed by a lingering leathery touch. Still manages to feel oily.

Overall - Yet another winner from the new weapon in Springbank's armoury. Amazing. How do they churn out such great stuff at Campbeltown? I really can't wait to get my hands on a bottle of the official Kilkerran 12 (and I hope and pray that the prices won't be too high).

Nikka From The Barrel

An interestingly named whisky, this is. Is the emphasis on the "barrel"? Well, where else would the whisky have come from? Nikka From the Store doesn't quite have the same feel, does it? Emphasis on..."the"? Which barrel then? What's so special about it? "From"? Not likely..."Nikka"? Doubt so.

So, not quite sure where to place the stress, or which part of the name I'm supposed to focus on to understand the product. But thankfully, we don't have to be able to know its name to master it (though linguist-philosophers might dispute that).

Nikka From the Barrel (51.4% abv)

(No picture here because Blogger is giving me problems and I can't seem to upload pictures. I'll try again later.)(Edit: Picture is up!)

A blended whisky, much cheaper than the Royal Salute previously reviewed. This beautifully bottled whisky sells for under $100 - usually in the high 90s range, though I managed to get it on sale at Cellarbration for $72 two months back. Quite a steal! Just remember that this is a 500 ml bottle, rather than the usual 700ml. After buying it, I had no idea what to do with it for a while, until DS invited a few colleagues over to her place, and this was just the perfect gift to bring over.

The packaging of From the Barrel is very Japanese - minimalist bottle, minimalist label. The bottle looks like it could have been procured from Muji or even Daiso. The shape of the bottle opening makes it a little hard to pour. It almost feels like it's made for swigging, not pouring...Tempting, except that it would be very poor form to swig from a bottle I'm giving away as a gift. Maybe next time...

Nose - Some sherry notes, that are quickly taken over by sweet, floral honey. Pretty strong vanilla backing behind the honey too. With some time in the glass, the whisky develops some more floral notes, that are then joined by a nutty profile - hazelnuts and pistachios, I think. A suggestion of sweet syrup - hazelnut syrup? The kind you get in Starbucks coffee? Yea, that one.

Palate - All-round sweetness with a strong spice kick. Nutmeg and cinnamon, some pepper. But the overall flavour profile should still be considered as sweet - honey and vanilla with sherry notes. Some fruitiness that reminds me o the syrup in canned fruits, but the spices and alcohol heat stops it from becoming cloying. With water, this becomes lighter and more floral/fragrant. Honey sweetness tones down while vanilla and floral notes go up. The general mouth-feel is slightly tannic - tea and dark chocolate?

Finish - Oaky and spicy, while tinned-fruit-syrup lingers to give a nice smooth fruity end to this whisky. Finish is medium length, and becomes short with water. More drying with water too.

Overall - Considering that I bought this for $72, it is amazingly value-for-money. Even at $100, which would make it a slightly premium blend, I think this offers good bang for buck. Good complexity and roundness, easy drinking despite the high abv. Good stuff.

A Well-marketed Blend (Royal Salute 21 The Diamond Tribute)

Went for a dinner hosted by my sister's future father-in-law, and the kind gentleman brought along a bottle of Royal Salute's Diamond Tribute. It's a 21 year old blend, the more up-market brand from the conglomerate that also produces Chivas Regal. I'm not one who usually goes for such brands, due to a slightly snobbish belief that such blends are more marketing than substance, so let's see if I'm proven right here.

The Diamond Tribute is 21 years old, but is different from the usual Royal Salute 21. The Diamond Tribute was made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the brand, which is also the 60th year of Queen Elizabeth's rule. Fairly long reign, eh? Let's see if this whisky is worthy of being raised in a toast to the Queen.

Royal Salute 21 The Diamond Tribute (40% abv)

Nose - Starts out big on vanilla and honey, then develops nice caramelized apple notes, which is richly overlayed with sherry. The sherry is quite rich, really. I think a lot of the whisky that went into this must have been from good, sweet sherry casks. Probably from Speyside. Smells pretty smooth, hardly any alcohol tickle. With time, some suggestions of oak.

Palate - Sweet and smooth. Vanilla and honey again, then quite a lot of fresh apples, with a few cherries thrown in. Again, quite richly sherried. Sweet and spiced. Mm. A little hint of oranges too. Eh...nothing much to add, I'm afraid.

Finish - Not too long. Some spices linger, and a little oak tannin, but not drying. Orange and apple, and no more.

Overall - You can tell that I'm not too impressed. Smooth, easy drinking, sure. Nice packaging and a beautiful bottle, definitely. Keeping in character with the Chivas and Royal Salute line of whiskies, yes. But, I probably won't pay almost $400 (at DFS) for this. Good, easy, tasty, but not much character or complexity, I feel. Or maybe I was already pre-disposed to not like it much, and this entire blog post is just confirmation bias at work.

Long weeks and long maturations (Ben Nevis and Kilkerran)

This week has been a long and tiring week, with deadlines, chasing people for deadlines, and then worrying about the quality of work that was rushed out due to impending deadlines. Oh gosh. A long week deserves a long drink, and preferably one with a long(ish) maturation period. I guess the usual industry standard for "old" whisky is something above 18 years? Or thereabouts?

Serendipitously, Auld Alliance made a big announcement on FB about their updated menu! New items added, more tasting sets, and more independent bottlings by The Auld Alliance. The stars of the unveiling were a 32 year Port Ellen, a 27 year old Irish whisky of undisclosed origins, and a 19 year old Ben Nevis.

So, off I went on my own to Auld Alliance for some happy alone time!

Ben Nevis 19 year old, bottled for the Auld Alliance and Three Rivers (50.2% abv)

Oh look! An owl!

 I believe Three Rivers is a friend of the Auld Alliance bar in Japan. They do these split cask arrangements with Auld Alliance once in a while, I believe. This bottle was matured in a sherry butt for 19 years, though it said 20 on the menu.

Colour - Close to amber, and this bottle says that the whisky has not had colouring added. Nice colour!

Nose - Sherried, definitely. Blackcurrants, liquorice, oak. Slightly sour, like strawberry-sour. The sour strawberries you often get from Singapore supermarkets. Smells oily and fat. After a while, freshly plucked mint leaves, coriander and parsley. Vanilla floats up after a while.

Palate - Slightly salty on entry, and fairly obvious oak. Light sprinkling of spice - cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, the usual suspects. Slightly rubbery, with tea tannins giving it a drying feel. Some light peat, punctuated with bursts of fresh fruit - berries and one lemon. Incidentally, I read that lemons are not naturally occurring fruits, but the result of humans cross-breeding several fruits. Boom. Mind blown. When life does not give you lemons, go engineer them yourself. Burnt sugar, and with time in the glass, a lot of honey comes to the fore. Nice development!

Finish - A slight suggestion of machine oil. Spices remain, with some smoke. The whisky coats the mouth well, so there's some sweet sherry leftover around the mouth. Tea, a little bitter, and, at the end, crayons.

Overall - I like this style! Not typically highlands a la Highland Park or Oban, but good still. I like the fatty/oily feel and the complexity of development. Reminded me a bit of Springbank. But since I've already tried the affordable Springbanks on the menu...

Kilkerran WIP First Release (46% abv)

Really excited about this. I hope I get to buy a bottle of the Kilkerran 12. Preferably not from an overpriced bar/retailer...

Colour - White wine. This is pale, and rather young (about 4 to 5 years in bourbon cask)

Nose - Big on machine oil and a very strong metallic touch. Yet at the same time, still smelling fat and reminds me a bit of freshly de-shelled crustaceans. Slight peat and smoke, some tobacco, and juicy grapefruit/pomelo. Since it's the Mid-Autumn festival, pomelo it shall be.

Palate - Oh, rather different from the nose! Surprise! Coconut and oak, light honey, and some vanilla. Transits to minerals like wet rocks, silica-rich sand. Texture is smooth and creamy. Alcohol is quite unnoticeable, which is impressive for something so young. The mineral quality of the spirit really shines in this young make, and I expect age and wood would work wonders on it.

Finish - spicy and smokey. I'm getting some ginger-linger (such similar spelling but different pronunciation!) Drying, with suggestions of smoked, salted fish. Minerals again with a little bit of sea spray. Fairly short finish, but this is a good demonstration of distillery distinctives.

Overall - I'm impressed with the Kilkerran, and I think anyone who likes Springbank will like this too. This was just the first WIP too! Wish I had easy access to all the other Kilkerrans, and Springbank. But alas, there is one bar that is the sole distributor of Springbank in Singapore (and thus also having sole distributor rights to Springbank's other distilleries Hazelburn, Longrow, Kilkerran, and Cadenhead), and we all know what happens in a monopoly. Springbank 18 for $280 is steep. Springbank 13 Green for $300 is downright prohibitive.

One can hope, eh?

Japan, European contact, and cultural appropriation

Just finished reading The Company and the Shogun: The Dutch Encounter with Tokugawa Japan by Adam Clulow. It's a fascinating book that delves into the history of the VOC's interactions with Tokugawa Japan from the early 17th century till the mid-18th century, though the bulk of the events covered belong to the earlier half of the 17th century.

The general narrative is one that details the inability of the Dutch VOC to impose itself upon the Tokugawa shogun. Against a fairly strong regime that had just unified Japan, the VOC was not able to project sufficient force to intimidate the Japanese, and was unable to impose its interpretations of international law (especially the law of the sea that Grotius came up with) upon the Japanese courts. What resulted was a series of retreats from the Company's stated powers. This book discusses, therefore, the "taming" of the Dutch by the Japanese, even to the extent where the Japanese were able to parade Dutch gifts as tribute, incorporating the Dutch into the Tokugawa regime's display of power.

In the larger story of imperialism, Clulow argues that this account helps to nuance our understanding of the earlier years of European activity in Asia. Instead of the "I came, I saw, I conquered" narrative that was perhaps more applicable in America, European expansion in Asia in the 16th to 18th century was fraught with setbacks and negotiations that were dependent upon the relative power balance between European and Asian states. It tempers impressions of European self-confidence, and highlights how European ideas of law and trade had to negotiate for a space in the Asian legal thought world.

Whisky, however, came to Japan in a very different time. If Clulow's book covered the time period where the Japanese were more self-assured, whisky was produced in Japan in a time where the Japanese were seeking to learn from the Europeans, and to join the ranks of world powers. Taketsuru, the founder of Japanese whisky, did his apprenticeship in Scotland before returning to Japan to begin making Japanese whisky. He first started Suntory, before leaving the company to found Nikka.

Is this cultural appropriation? Is imitation the best form of flattery? Some argue that the apprentice has, today, eclipsed the master, and Japanese whisky is "better" than the traditional scotches. I don't agree, but market forces are leaning in favour of the Japanese, at least here in Singapore. Whatever it is, Japanese whisky is here to stay, an inheritance from a time where the Japanese were seeking to be more like the West, unlike the Japan that the VOC found itself negotiating with in the 17th Century. Would this be politically correct? Can the Japanese make whisky? Is it actually better? I, for one, don't think there's anything wrong with cultural appropriation - that's the point of cultural contact anyway.

Miyagikyo NAS (abv 45%)

Colour - gold

Nose - Very fruity. Plums and peaches. A little hint of hawthorn, and slightly spicy. Very slight...A suggestion of sherry and raisins, but rather faint. Sweet, on...milk chocolate and apples. Fresh, bright apples. Some flower pollen. Not much. Just some.

Palate - A little alcohol burn...no, quite a bit of burn. Ouch. Something a little sooty in this, surprisingly. Did I pour the Yoichi by mistake? No, this is Miyagikyo. Bitter, almost soot-like, but after a while, the bitterness feels more herbal than peat. Spicy on nutmeg and pepper, Chinese "five-spice" powder. Oaky and nutty. Can't shake that bitter note that reminds me of burnt herbs. Floral on the palate too, which I didn't get much of on the nose. Tannins - dried apple rind, I think. The more this lingers on, the more I'm convinced that the herbs are burnt and I'm getting smoke and, dare I say, ash. A fair amount of alcohol burn still.

Finish - The bitterness lingers. Mm. Not really liking that bitter note of ash and burnt herbs. Something caramel-y too. Burnt sugar.

With water - I added quite a lot of water to this incrementally, but the alcohol burn remains. The flavour profile hasn't changed, though the ashes have been toned down. A little creaminess now. More spices on the finish - pepper and ginger, with smoke as a nice lingering note, rather than right in your throat. Becomes quite drying, which is something I always find ironic - why does water make the whisky feel drier? Amazing chemistry. Water helps, but I added quite a lot. Almost 1 part water to 2 parts whisky.

Overall - Well. More cultural appropriation than assimilation and mastery, I think. This Miyagikyo isn't really to my liking, and I feel that the NAS is missing a bit of maturity that would have helped to bring up the fruit and oak while taming the alcohol. The ash was a surprising find, as I had thought that the Miyagikyo was supposed to be fruitier, but I'm not sure if I like the ash and burnt stuff in this. Doesn't seem well-integrated into the whole. Water works, but still doesn't tame the burn, so that's an un-integrated alcohol as well. Hmm. Flavours are nice enough, but I'm not sure it warrants putting up with the burn.