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.

Lagavulin 8

Lagavulin 8, 200th Anniversary bottling (abv 48%)

Anniversary bottlings are usually old, very old. Stock taken from the first batch ever matured, something that is representative of all that's good and great about the distillery, and the whole works. So, when Lagavulin released an 8 year old as their anniversary bottling, my eyebrows were raised. That's awfully young, and reflects a great confidence in the quality of the spirit by the guys at the distillery (and Diageo).

The story goes that some time ago, some famous person tried an exceptionally fine 8 year whisky from the distillery. So they're taking inspiration from that, and bottling this at 8 years of age.

I'm a fan of the distillery, and I was quite excited to try this. PY got a bottle of it, and was generous enough to bring it to our tasting session last night for AM and I to get a sip. Here's my impression of it.

Colour: Pale. Pale white wine. Beautiful colour for a young whisky. No fireworks done using casks that impart a darker colour, so I'm expecting something very spirit driven.

Nose: Sharp and smoky. This isn't peaty or deep like the 16, but much fresher. Fresh, cutting lemons, smoke, a little bit of pepper and spice, more smoke and citrus. Some smoked meat as well.

Palate: Big smoke. I like how this smoke is very clean, like tobacco without all the nicotine and other dirty stuff. Clean smoke from good wood or tobacco. Lemons again, maybe more lemon peel or orange peel. The sour-ness still cuts, but is balanced out by sweetness of the malt/barley. This is top-notch distillate allowed to shine in its own right, without any obvious wood characteristics, except for perhaps a thin layer of wood tannins.

Finish: Charred wood, phenolic and slight taste of burnt veggies - the peat finally makes itself felt at the end. How polite. Dominant notes are still of smoke and some wood tannins. Fairly long and warming.

Overall: I really like this. If it were available at DFS, I would have bought one. But alas. Great stuff, must buy if still available at a non-ridiculous price. I think this squeezes into the Hall of Fame!

Thanks PY!

How to know what 50ml looks like (Bowmore 12)

Always helpful to know what 50ml looks like in the glass,
in case I ever need to stop myself from drinking too much.

Bowmore 12 (40% abv)

Colour - A nice gold. The box and bottle doesn't say how this is matured. Given the young age, and this not being sherried whisky, I guess that the colour is artificially added. Which isn't a great problem, but it's always nice to see a light, light colour for a whisky that should be of a lighter shade. Lagavulin 8's colour, for example, is beautiful.

Nose - Orange, gummy bears, smoke. Slightly salty, a bit of iodine, and seaweed. Burnt sugar. Something spicy...like...wasabi flavoured seaweed. This is fairly deep. And, not what I expected from a Bowmore, considering my previous experiences. I tried the travel retail exclusive "White Sands" at the airport, and that was 17 years. But I think this 12 actually has a deeper nose. Apart from what I wrote, there are undertones of some coconut and other spices. I'm impressed. Though one small flaw is that, I can still smell the alcohol sitting on top of the whisky after airing it for 10 minutes. That is forgivable, given that this is a newly opened sampling bottle, and it is, after all, still a young whisky. I'm getting some custard cream now, but it fades quickly into something phenolic. Jolly good development!

Palate - Time for the taste test! Slightly salty and bland on entry, but...wait for it...Ashes, but the ashes don't come to the fore; you kinda have to search for it, which is always a pleasant surprise when you do (except is that really a surprise when drinking an Islay?). Not sweet, but notes of burnt caramel hang around. Scratch that. The sweetness comes out later if you wait for it - honey and vanilla, approaching but not quite custard. That'll be some kind of cream then. Coconuts. This is creamier in taste (but not texture) than expected. Slowly getting fruitier - pineapples and...longan. Yes. Longan. Slightly smoky. A little spicy - probably from the wood. Texture-wise, you feel the alcohol a bit, but I would say that that is a welcomed addition in a whisky that's 40%. Perhaps it isn't as smooth as it could be, but I think the slight burn gives this a bit more body, which is much needed at the low abv. If you're young and sweet, having a little bit of a feisty-ness is very charming. Wait, are we still talking about whisky...? Or are there deep similarities...Never mind.

Finish - Big spices! Wasabi and nutmeg. A little peaty, but more smoke than peat, honestly. A little drying, and what feels like a slight bitter aftertaste. Is that the caramel colouring, or some sort of tannin? This finish is a little less impressive.

Overall - Ok, I wasn't expecting much to begin with, due to my general underwhelming experiences with Bowmore thus far. This 12 year old, however, has proven me wrong. Bowmore, when done right, can be good! Deep, rich, and showcasing all the characteristics of a smoky and rich Islay malt. I am very pleasantly surprised, and glad to be proven wrong. This was not even high-strength. Pretty deep for a young, and low abv dram. Not amazing (like the Springbank 12), but this is much better than I was expecting. Close to amazing, which is amazing. Duh. Bowmore earns itself a second chance in my books.

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And, yes, I'm back from Thailand. Did not buy the Lagavulin 12, even though I reserved it. Reasoned that, while it was good, a 12 year malt shouldn't be commanding prices upward of $200. Probably more a reflection of rarity rather than just quality. We shall not be beholden to the supply strategies of distillers, and instead, listen to our tongues and noses (rhymes with Guns 'N' Roses. Ok, not really. Sorry. But I did squeeze in three senses into that sentence).

Flights before a flight

I'm currently writing this from Chiang Mai, staying alone in a room meant for 3. Lets hope I understood the room rates correctly. The communication was a bit sketchy.

Before flying off today afternoon, the usual suspects met up for drinks at La Maison, though a large part of the reason behind the venue was so that DW could finally go to La Maison, and stop asking me where's a good place to buy value-for-money whisky. LMDW is, probably, the best place in Singapore for that. Some other shops may have some whiskies cheaper, but LMDW, on the whole, brings the widest range of affordable whiskies, and has a deep enough selection to surprise even those who're looking for something expensive and rare. So, with the aim of introducing him to the place, we went there for drinks, not intending to buy any bottles, but just to browse the selection, and maybe get one dram or so.

Needless to say, we perhaps got more than we intended to.

Things tasted yesterday night: a Kilchoman flight (that included a Machir Bay, Sanaig, and the Loch Gorm 5th edition), a Highland flight (Glendronach 8, Balblair 2005, Old Pulteney 17), a Green Spot highball, and a beer for XW. And so, 2 flights before my flight from Singapore to Chiang Mai, as it were.

Starting with the beer review...it was ok. Not bad, not memorable. Next please!

No pictures because lighting was bad. Not my fault that bars generally have bad lighting.

Green Spot Highball

JE wanted a highball, and was asking for suggestions on what whisky to put in it. The most expensive option on the menu was the Nikka Coffey Malt, but I dissuaded him against it. The Coffey malt was pleasant enough on its own, but I wasn't sure if it'll be fragrant, sweet or distinctive enough to rise above the soda, or pack enough flavour to not taste bitter after all that fizzy dilution. That's the problem with diluting whisky so much, I think. Not all whiskies can take that much water and not break apart. Anyway, long story short, we settled on Green Spot, so that the Irish pot still vanilla and honey characteristics can stand out with the aid of the soda (or in spite of the soda, depending on how you see it). JE liked it, I thought it was a pretty successful (and budget) highball, and all was good.

Kilchomans

I've reviewed the Kilchoman Machir Bay and Sanaig before, so I won't add too much here, except to say that I closed my eyes, and asked JE to pass me the Kilchomans in random order for a nosing test. I'm proud to say that I guessed all three correctly. It helped that the Machir Bay was the cleanest and most straightforward of the three, and the Loch Gorm was perhaps the 'dirtiest', with dusty sherry notes on top of the peat. The Sanaig is sweeter, and like I mentioned previously, not the best sherried Islay I've had. But, it is NAS, cheap (only $130 at LMDW) and a regular bottling to boot (unlike the Lagavulin DE, which changes every year, and is a bit more expensive). What it does, it does well.

And DW promptly bought a bottle of the Sanaig, and asked XW if she'll allow him to try to buy a stake/invest heavily in Kilchoman. How do these things work? Hope I can chip in if the investment does happen.

Of the three, DW's order of preference was: Sanaig, Machir Bay, Loch Gorm, though he did caveat that all three were very good, just that the Sanaig stood out. I personally would perhaps place Loch Gorm first and Sanaig second, but that could be something that changes with mood. The Loch Gorm is more complex, but the Sanaig is more precisely crafted. Nothing else to add beyond this for the Kilchomans. Will update if I end up as a share holder. Hur hur.

Highland flight - 

Glendronach 8 'The Hielan' (46% abv)

This one comes at 46%, which, in my mind, is a little high for a young whisky. Will we get something that burns and burns? How much influence will the sherry have on a young Glendronach, which has become so well-loved for the deep sherry influences in its older whiskies? Time to find out!

Nose - Whiffs of sherry, rather than the full raisin treatment you get from the 18 'Allardice', or the 21 'Parliament'. After the whiffs of sherry, it becomes more...oak and...spirit driven? There's quite a bit of oak behind the sherry, followed by honey, vanilla, and malt. A touch of something meaty, almost sulphurous too.

Palate - The whiffs of sherry become mere suggestions here. The sherry fades quickly, and something that tastes either like spirit or bourbon-cask whisky comes out. Vanilla and oak, followed by apples, and something like...toffee, but not savoury like toffee can be. So that's caramel, right? And maybe a bit of coffee bitters. Maybe burnt caramel. Mm, I like burnt caramel ice cream. Malty too, so that's like an oatmeal stout?? The 46% has perhaps given this malt more flavour, but I think my fears about it burning are partially warranted. This is rougher - more alcohol burn, though, mercifully, the flavours are just about enough to justify working through the burn.

Finish - Tannins, and leathery. I'm not sure I was expecting the leathery feel to come out so prominently after the weak sherry influence on the palate, though perhaps the sulfurous notes I was getting on the notes should have prepared me mentally for this. There's a bit of spice and oak. So, we're back in familiar territory after all.

Overall - Good for an 8 year old, different from its older siblings, and cheap. That's always good.

Balblair 2005 (abv 46%)

I'm dealing with this flight in ascending order by age, not preference. Which should be a good enough clue that I'm not really digging this Balblair. This was distilled in 2005 and bottled in about 2015. So an age of between 9 to 11 years, depending on which part of 2005, and which end of 2015.

Nose - Something fishy. I like maritime malts with the salt and sea spray, but this smells almost fishy. Tuna, I would say, if I had to pick one specific fish. A fish that smells a bit stronger, so not cod. But it is salty. And orangey. Which was an odd mix. It smells oily. Interesting. Vanilla influence comes out gradually.

Palate - Tastes oily and fat. Which isn't bad. I mean, look at roast pork. This tastes a little salty and fishy, so it carries on with the maritime influence, which is a bit odd, given that this is the Highlands rather than an Island whisky. Didn't expect the maritime feel to be so strong. Well, what do I know. Oranges stay on the palate, but is joined by a bit of...vanilla. Vanilla and salt - is that a sea salt toffee?

Finish - Spicy on the finish, with maybe one whiff of smoke. Orange peels.

Overall - No, I can't get over the fishy feel. Least favourite of the night.

And last but not least...

Old Pulteney 17 (abv 46%) (AGAIN!!)

The oldest in the highland flight. Old Pulteney calls itself the 'maritime' malt, due to its closeness to the northern coast of the Scottish mainland. Let's give it a shot.

Nose - Salty, tea tannins, and malty. A bit of liquorice and oak too. Hmm. And a ripe fruit that reminds me of mango or jackfruit. This is really nice, I think. Good balance and obviously more mature than the other two in the same flight. Age does help, it seems.

Palate - Slightly oily, but not as much as the Balblair. Tannins - more oak than tea now. Salty, and orange peel. Somewhat reminiscent of the Balblair, but without the disconcerting notes of fish. This turns spicy too - nutmeg and maybe a bit of ginger. Coconut flesh (instead of coconut juice) seems to be in the background.

Finish - This is fairly spicy - and something that feels like eucalyptus. Long on wood and a slight citrusy feel.

Overall - This is quite different from the Glendronach, and this feels, to me, more like an Island than a Highland, while the Glendronach feels closer to being a Speyside. Maybe that's the plan from the folks at LMDW - that would be quite cool, actually, to show the range of how highland malts can swing. I prefer the Old Pulteney to the Glendronach, mostly because, if I want a good sherried, malty, sulfury whisky, I'll go with Craigellachie or maybe Benromach, instead of the Glendronach 8. Meanwhile, its older siblings and Glenfarclas (among many other things) does the sherry part better. The Old Pulteney gets the balance better, I think, probably due to good casks and a longer maturation. Not the best comparison, granted, but that's LMDW's fault for putting them together in a flight.

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And that's all, for now. Got to try a couple of whiskies at Changi Airport's new whisky and spirits shop, which is a DFS creation to ride the whisky boom. House of Hazelwood 18, 21, Craigellachie 19, and the William Grant and Sons' Araid 21 year blend. It was just a small tasting, and I ended up not placing a reservation for any of the 4, but maybe I can write some quick notes for them in the next couple of days, while I seriously consider if I want to complete the purchase for the bottle that I did place a reservation for - the Lagavulin 12... For now, I think it's a toss-up between the Lagavulin 12, the Craigellachie 19, or maybe some Auchentoshan to fill the 'Lowland' hole in my collection. I've got 2 more days to decide...