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...
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