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).