Went to Auld Alliance with a couple of friends, and these were what we tried on the night. With so many different flavours, I'm sure my tongue was desensitized to some of the flavours, and might have gotten some of them wrong. If you want to try stuff, head to Auld Alliance. It's one of the best whisky bars in Singapore, with a huge collection - the menu is 74 pages. Great collection of Japanese whiskies too, though many of the rare malts command a pretty penny. The managers of the bar love whisky, and are really knowledgeable about the market and the drinks. They're glad to chat if the bar's not too busy.
Miyagikyo 15 - It's been announced that production for aged Miyagikyos will be put on hold, and stock is dwindling around the world. This has driven prices up, up and away, out of reach of most normal consumers. Thus, when I found out that the Auld Alliance was selling it at $30 per glass, I took it as an opportunity to try something I'll probably never buy.
Nose: Some fruit comes up first. Deeper inhalations, and it feels like unripe bananas. Some flowers in there. Lavender? Not certain. A little nutty, sweet malt, some grass, and oak. Nothing that really stands out per se, fairly well balanced on the whole.
Palate: Well-balanced, but again, nothing really stands out. Same things on the palate as on the nose, with the addition of some wood spice. Pleasant.
Finish: Medium-short. Spice, a little bit of the fruit lingers.
Pleasant, but there's no way I'm paying current market price for a bottle of this.
Glendronach 18 - A sherry bomb. Not ranked as highly as the 15 Revival, but reviews still seem pretty good.
Nose: Rich raisins.
Palate: Initial burst of raisins, then it becomes somewhat leathery, rubbery, nutty, and a little bit of spice to keep the flavours interesting. The body isn't as heavy. Pretty smooth. A good whisky, though the sherry fruits are a little shy.
Finish: Some spice, wood, a little rubbery.
Not too bad, but I won't be ditching the Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask for this.
Springbank 10 - I loved it.
Nose - Something a little industrial. A little antiseptic, a little salty, machine oil, suggestions of peat, grass, and sweet.
Palate: Grassy and refreshing. The peat is light, and comes in waves, serving to refresh the palate to find new flavours after each wave of peat. Sweet. Did this spend time in a bourbon cask? A little salty, which weirdly works well with the industrial-like thing.
Finish: Not long, but the peat, sweetness and refreshing grass goes down well. Refreshing. This is getting me excited for my unopened Springbank 12 Cask Strength, batch 11.
Laphroaig 15 -
Nose - Ashy, medicinal. A little...oaky? Almond. Smells sweet, though that is obscured somewhat by the ashy peat.
Palate - The peat takes over, ashy and medicinal. Not too strong a body. My friend felt that the Lagavulin 16 is much richer, and it only spent one more year in the wood than this.
Finish: Short. Ashy, a little smoke (like charcoal), a little spice, and no more.
Laphroaig Triple Wood - My friend's favourite out of his Laphroaig vertical, which included the 10 and Quarter cask as well.
Nose - More stuff going on here. Suggestions of fruit. A bourbon-like sweetness. The peat is less ashy and more medicinal, compared to the 15. Oak is present. Not that many new flavours, but this one is layered better, I feel.
Palate - I probably am wrong, but I think my first impression was that of jack fruit. Sweetness and peat finds a nice balance in this one. Medicinal, and a little spicy. A bit of nut and rubber. After tasting this, I guessed that the three woods are Bourbon, sherry, and probably a new cask, which made it sweeter. Checking online revealed that this whisky spent time in Bourbon, the Quarter Cask, and Oloroso. Not bad. It tastes like how it's made.
Finish - Nice balance of peat and spice. Smoke on the finish, which is nice. I tend to like light, smoky finishes that heavier, peaty ones. A bit like tea too. My friend says it's kinda like the drying effect of a good Oolong tea. I don't disagree.
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