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.