Don't Caol Ila chickens before they hatch...

I missed this year's Whisky Live as I had to bring kids overseas. This was what PY bought on my behalf, after strong recommendation from the LMdW staff. He bought for himself an Ardmore 9 years from the same series, but I think the informal tasting I had of it isn't good enough for note publishing. Maybe next time!

This continues my quest for peat in the lead up to Christmas in sunny Singapore, where there are no fireplaces to sit around sipping Lagavulin, so I'll have to make do.

Caol Ila 6 years, Artists' Collective by LMdW (abv 43%)

Colour - Very pale

Nose - Cucumber, zucchini, honey dew, pears. That's all the green stuff coming out straight at me. Strong malty backing. Brioche moistened by wet scrambled eggs. This is a good, balanced breakfast, completed with some jasmine tea notes. Then breakfast ends, with smoke from burning incense. An odd lingering scent of shaven oak. This one stands out if you look for it. Maybe the cask is a little active?

Palate - Oysters, salt. Lemon. Oily without too much viscosity. A touch of smoked ham. Lots of spices - pepper, lots of ginger. Seaweed. A nutty middle, almost like praline. Hazelnut syrup. The sap from a cut ladies' finger/okra. This is a little odd; didn't pick it up the first time round at PY's place. Smokey, without being overbearing.

Finish - Charred oak and lemon juice. Pepper and cloves. The skin of a roasted almond. This roasted almond stays with you for a really long time.

Overall - This is very green, and very good. Clean but complex, apart from the slightly off-putting okra sap. Odd. The bottle alone is worth some money, if you intend to collect this as part of a set. Alas, LMdW Singapore has already run out of most of the bottles in this collective.

That bottle arts looks like some flower illuminati, but I guess it could also mean that all colours converge on one flower (what?)

Signet

This is not peated, but, chocolate/toasted malt counts too because it's sort of burnt. Any case, this interrupts the peaty series because XT kindly opened a bottle of this at our quarterly catch-up. This had cost him $250 at DFS. Beautiful bottle. I'll get down to a special and limited Caol Ila soon. Definitely before Christmas. Oh, and the Kilkerran 12 that I've been putting off too.

Glenmorangie Signet (abv. 46%)

Colour - Between gold and mahogany

Nose - Complex and layerd. Sweet on honey, and a clear sherry note. Wonder what cask was used. Hm. Vanilla, cloves, ripe plums. Then coffee and dark chocolate. A hint of butter, but that was just a small whiff.

Palate - This is non-chill filtered, and the difference can be told in the texture, if you compare it to other Glenmorangies. This is immediately oilier and chewier. More nut oils on this. Tasty. Very sweet, honey, ripe peaches and pears. Some notes of chocolate and coffee, but I had to search for it to find it. Gets spicy, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. There's some depth to this, especially with the chocolate and coffee notes. The texture is a big plus too.

Finish - Sweet and some ginger. Fairly long, with a tannic feel coming through at the end.

Overall - I would place this above the Glenmorangie 18 for quality, but below it in terms of value for money. Unless you want to pay about $80 for that sweet bottle and box. Then this is about right.

A little something different

This one is lightly peated. Purchased last year at Whisky Live, drank in commemoration of me missing this year's. It was bought for a pretty penny at just shy of $200 after discount, but the prices have since dropped.

This was bottled for LMdW, on the occasion of their 60th anniversary. It is a little something different, because it was the first bits of sherried Wolfburn that the market would be seeing. This was, I believe, the second or third bottling of Wolfburn, and all prior releases were pure bourbon casks. Of course, the Aurora has since been released, but this still has some collector value.

Wolfburn A Little Something Different (abv 50%)

Colour - dehydrated man's piss.

Nose - Peaches and minerals. Limoncello. Slightly metallic, like iron/steel in air-conditioning. Some crushed herbs - mint and parsley. Yeasty baked bread - like sourdough.

Palate - This starts sour, with lemon, and grapefruit. A huge wave of sweetness comes next - manuka honey, I think, though it recedes to leave a light bitterness. Fairly nutty, though I wasn't quite able to place the exact nut. A little rubber and leather. Prunes. Pepper and nutmeg. Pretty well-structured, with clear transitions between flavours.

Finish - Light smoke and peat. Black pepper and coriander. Almonds. A short, sweet malt sugar note. Minty too, but bitterness stays with you. Fairly long finish that dries your mouth.

Overall - As a first glimpse of what sherried Wolfburn could look like, this was not bad. I found the bitter note a little off-putting after a while. And, while well-structured, the sweetness didn't always come across coherently, yet isn't as dramatic as Talisker that leaves you breathless. Compared to the usual Wolfburn, what's different? The sherry inputs some notes of prunes and spices, and maybe added that rubbery touch.

On the whole, good, but I think it's still lacking a little something to be great.

Peat from yesteryears

EP found a small sample bottle of a Laphroaig 10 in her home, and we finally got down to opening it to try. The level of liquid in the bottle appears to have receded a little. Perhaps screw caps aren't the best way to keep a bottle closed if you intend to keep it for long. This is an excellent addition to the series of peaters we're doing in the lead-up to year end.

The bottle and tube both lack the warrant of the Prince of Wales, which was granted in 1994 (see picture below). This is now standard in all Laphroaig bottlings. Hence, this bottle comes from pre-1994.

Other clues as to the dating of this bottle includes EP's mum's recollection that it was probably bought before EP was born, placing it pre-1992. Online searches show that the bottle design probably came from 1990s, for example at this auction site. The label also says "Islay Single Malt", instead of "Unblended Islay malt", like in some other years.

There's also an enigmatic number at the back of the label, which says "90 55". Is that the year and batch? 

After narrowing down the provenance, next comes the tasting. Will it be good, great, or disappointing due to oxidation? The bottle was not kept in perfect conditions, being in a room that was exposed to both heat and air-conditioning. So...let's see.

Laphroaig 10 c.1990 (abv 43%)

Colour - Light gold

Nose - Take a deep breath. This is complex. Very layered for a ten year old. There's iodine, ash and peat in the first sniff. Yes, this is a Laphroaig alright. Notes of liquorice and almond. So that's the full set of usual pungent scents in a Laphroaig accounted for. Develops a slight meatiness seasoned with some parsley. There's a lot of sweet honey, oranges and unripe mangoes, giving it an acidic kick. Gentle spices, like cinnamon and cloves. Lots of them. This is a blockbuster of a nosing!!

Palate - Drying ashes, which gives way to lots of juiciness just before your mouth dries up. There's a big pear note that transits well into tannic notes. I'm thinking of grape seeds and orange pith. Lemon peel too. Mm. Lots of oils - Eucalyptus, I'd wager. Almond and hazelnut gives it a nutty depth. Reminds me of lemon schnapp! There's a touch of iron and copper running through the whisky. Malty background. Spicy, but not straightforward cinnamon and cloves this time. More like a spice combination you get in Indian dishes. A masala mix, with cumin and cardamon standing out.

Finish - Peaty, peppery, with slight hints of ginger. There's also some mint and eucalyptus - are we all koala bears now?

Overall - This is stellar. This is Laphroaig living up to its boast that it is the most richly flavoured Scotch. This is what earned its royal warrant. This is what weak bottles like "Laphroaig Select" cannot live up to. This is what Laphroaig can be, used to be, and it is bloody brilliant.

Next up in our peaty series is probably a Caol Ila bought at Whisky Live this year (which I had to miss due to a work trip overseas), chosen by PY. And then, probably a lightly peated Wolfburn, bought at last year's Whisky Live. Or should we do it the other way round?

Highland Park - Origins Dark and Glorious

Carrying on the peated whisky series...

Highland Park has gone through extensive rebranding recently. Killing Dark Origins, introducing the Valkyrie, redesigning all the bottles, etc. A larger emphasis on the Viking roots of Orkney, and less on the distinctiveness of Highland Park itself as a distillery. Why though? Is it because the Viking origins of Orkney makes for a more compelling tale that generates more metaphors that sell? Or is it some Orkney/Viking terroir thingy? 

According to the salesperson, the Valkyrie does not replace Dark Origins, merely continues the story. What? Was Magnus taken to Valhella? Heresy! He's a Christian preacher, for goodness sake. Can't assume that all Heavens are the same, can we? In any case, it would be fair enough to say that Dark Origins is getting discontinued, and the Valkyrie is new to the family. 

The Valkyries take the fallen souls of warriors to glory, leaving behind a single plume, according to some video games/legends. Let's see if this whisky lives up to the glory of the warriors taken away, or is it like the plume - the poignant but ultimately inadequate remains of a warrior's former glories.

Highland Park Dark Origins (46.8%)

Picture snapped and dram tried at a sale. Valkyrie not in picture

Colour - copper

Nose - Raisins and sherry - the casks really did their work on this one. But the sherry does not musk the honey, spice and smoky notes in this one. There's a bit of baked bread here as well. 

Palate - A little rough around the edges. Is this young? Spicy on ginger and cinnamon. Lots of rich sherry, but the sherry sits on top of a bed of good, baked bread smothered in honey. The peat shows too, soft and heather-y. There's also a bit of stewed apples. The balance between peat and sherry is achieved to good effect.

Finish - Fairly long, but smoke and ginger is the dominant lasting note. Not a very complex or multi-dimensional finish, but this works and leaves a nice spicy tingle.

Highland Park Valkyrie (abv 45.9%)

Colour - copper. I think it's the same colour as the Dark Origins

Nose - Sweeter, and less smoke. More honey and vanilla, though the sherry is unmistakable too. Some toffee or chocolate. I think this is fairly straightforward...

Palate - Sweeter, smoother. Despite the fairly similar abv, this one feels a lot less alcoholic. The vanilla and honey masks much of everything else. This is velvety in texture too. Some smoke kicks in late, together with pepper, a touch of peat, and maybe some pepper and mangoes at the back. 

Finish - Shorter, but with smoke and oak as the dominant notes this time.

Overall - I think the Dark Origins was the better whisky, though the flight of the Valkyrie is, of course, the better story. DO was more robust, more malty, and a longer finish. The Valkyrie is good, but feels like a M18 version of the Dark Origins, which is itself a tamer, sherrier take on the truly amazing HP18.

Peat and More Peat - Longrow 18 2017

Coninuing on with the peat theme, here's Springbank's peaty friend, the Longrow. This bottle came as part of the gifts when my sister got married. Part of Chinese culture involves giving 2 bottles of alcohol when a girl is marrying out of the family. The other bottle was a red wine that was good while it was fresh.

Springbank is one of few distilleries that manages most of the whole whisky-making process on-site. Much of its barley is imported (with the exception of the Local Barley series), but once the barley goes into the distillery, everything stays in Campbeltown until it is ready to meet the world. I guess this qualifies Springbank as a craft distillery? A giant in the industry, and massive in scale, but in terms of its ethos, I'm guess it still retains a craft spirit. Though does a distillery that is still family-owned, and still producing on-site definitely better? Is it merely an illusion of authenticity?

I'm reading a book, Whisky and Philosophy, and it is providing lots of food for thought. What makes a whisky good? It's process? It's flavour? Our impression of it affecting our evaluation of the quality? Is the search for provenance futile? What is real though, is this bottle of liquid.

Longrow 18, 2017 (abv 46%)



Colour: Gold, turns hazy with time.

Nose - This nose changes over time...Let's see. Dustiness, then baked pastry. Apple pie, I think, with cinnamon powder, apples, pastry, and all that. Plumps too! The fruit is very well integrated into the rest of the nose, which comes across as some custard, and a faint floral note. Peatiness doesn't come across so much on the nose. Maybe a hint of salt.

Palate - A little peppery, some cinnamon. Again, the fruit isn't very obvious - some raisins and apples, but the dominant note here is actually almond peel, the kind from roasted almonds. Hmm. The peat is fairly gentle, but turns a little bitter. It blends well into the oakiness and roasted almonds though. There's a bit of wet rocks, grapefruit. Oily, but gets even thicker with time in the glass. Salted butter makes a late appearance after some time.

Finish - Fresh pine leaves, mint, smoke. The almond skin sticks with you too. Fairly long. A little peppery. Eucalyptus oil? Mm. Yum.

Overall - I really like this. It really helps that the bottle came as a gift. But honestly, I don't think it is expensive for an 18 year old limited release from Longrow. Good whisky, good marriage. Good.

Lagavulin A Year Late

One year late to the party, but better late than never. Managed to buy the Lagavulin 12 from 2016's Special Release at a price just marginally higher than the Lagavulin 16. I was initially wavering over whether I should buy it there and then, or wait a day to think it over. But sales manager informed me that the price tag was wrong, and will be corrected once I walk out of the shop. It's rare that I'm pressured into underpaying for an item, but I'm thankful for having this celebratory bottling on my shelf.

The Lagavulin 12 is part of Diageo's annual Special Release, and is one of the most affordable of the lot. Doesn't make it any less special, since Lagavulin's normal offering is at 16 years old. This is pretty much a classic argument that older isn't always better, and a good young whisky has much to offer that an older bottle cannot.

This one continues my peated sequence of tastings. Let's see how this works out.

Lagavulin 12, 200th Anniversary, 2016 Special Release (57.7% abv)


Colour - Moscato wine

Nose - Big pepper, smoke, and peat rolling out of the glass. Salt, some custard cream, lemons, wet rocks. Big Lagavulin. The youth gives it a punch that the 16 lacks.

Palate - Smoked meat, roasted pork, cinnamon, pines, lemon, and lots of smoke. Peaty too, like moss. The peat feels a little different from what I remember Lagavulin peat to be, but it is big. Gentler, but big. Mm. Salted butter, and tobacco.

Finish - Good and long, with finally some dryness coming in together with spice and oak. Pepper, candied ginger.

Overall - My first ever Special Release purchase (and I think I'm only ever going to be able to afford this and the Caol Ila), but it's really good Lagavulin. Youth means that it isn't superbly complex, but there's a visceral enjoyment in watching a young one land a good, hard straight punch. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this one with Nick Offerman.

Resurrections! Revivals! Resucitations!

The big news in Scotch whisky is undoubtedly the resurrection/revival of three of the most iconic single malts of Scotland. From the island of Islay, we have Port Ellen coming back, and in the Highlands, Brora is going to get its stills going again. Today, Ian Macleod announces the revival of Rosebank. Feels like some kind of one-upmanship from the whisky giants, but if the new stock is as good as the old, then it is the drinkers and collectors who are going to benefit.

This is most probably the result of the moneymen realizing that releases of Port Ellen/Brora/Rosebank going for thousands of dollars each on auction circuits and in Diageo's annual special release. If these single malts are still so popular after so many years, surely there's money to be made by re-opening these distilleries. It is still an open question how much the new bottlings will cost, and whether the new releases will contain any of the old malt. But more brilliant whiskies coming into the market is always a good thing. I guess the owners feel that the whisky bubble isn't going to burst anytime soon? Or, are the re-opened distilleries only targeting the collectors' and high-rollers' market, which is less sensitive to the price fluctuations of the general market?

Can't tell yet, but this is generating a whole lot of buzz. Now we just gotta wait for ten years...

Port Charlotte

This is the next peater in my sequence of peaty whiskies. Great way to wind down the year. Will I end it with Douglas Laing's Big Peat Christmas edition? Probably not. Let's enjoy the peaters while they last. This one comes courtesy of NF, who's practicing temporary abstinence from alcohol as a spiritual discipline (shortly after she bought this one). Port Charlotte is Bruichladdich's peated offering, between the Laddie and the Octomore in peat levels.

Port Charlotte 2007 CC:01 (abv 57.8%)

Colour - hay-ish

Nose - White wine, smells like a Chardonnay. Fairly sharp and sour. A note of sea breeze, followed by lemons and seaweed. Soy sauce and mustard. Smoky, of course. But not overwhelmingly so. Unripe plums. A dusty leather book cover. Honey, to soothe the soul. Mm. I could sniff this for a long long time. With water: A lot more restrained. Loses the white wine notes. Dusty still. Maltier. Peat tunes up and smoke tunes down.

Palate - Ouch ouch ouch. 57.8% hurts. But. Lots of good stuff going on. Smoky and sooty upfront, with a light bitter, charred note lingering throughout. There's some fruit behind all that smoke and peat, for sure. Asian pears, unripe plums, a bit of lemon. A touch of butter. This feels young-ish, which is about right, given that it's been matured for under 10 years. Very oaky - lots of wood tannin, wood varnish. Mm. Yes, more varnish than tannin. Quite classy, I think. Like having barbecued fruit beside a beach that's on fire. With a side of smoked fish. Sounds about right. With water: Still the alcohol burns. Mm. More umami, I think. Smoked fish and a touch of roast meat. Oak becomes less prominent. More pepper, clove, maybe a basil leaf in there somewhere. I think it tasted better without water, with the oak standing out. Feels like French oak, like a Chichibu I had once. But water mutes what made it special, and it becomes a normal peater. Still good, mind.

Finish - Peppery, woody. Drying, tannic. Smoky. That smoke's gonna stay with you for a long time. With water: More pepper and mint. Just as dry.

Overall - Was saying that the woodiness of this reminds me of a Chichibu I had once that was single cask of French oak, and voila, this is also matured in French oak! Is that classy woodiness from the French oak? Has to be, right? But for people who like their whiskies sweet and easy, this will be tough, like chewing your furniture. The wood supplements the peat to give the overall feel a slight bitterness, but I think it just about hits the spot, as far as bitterness goes. Many thanks to NF once again for the sample! The alcohol burns a bit, with or without water.

Indie Caol Ila

Just as Man U is currently stringing together a good sequence of wins, I'm going to do a sequence of peaty whiskies from everyone's favourite Scotch region. A couple of the whiskies in this sequence are very kindly shared by friends - thanks PY and NF (in advance)! As promised in the previous, this one is a strong Caol Ila.

PY bought this indie Caol Ila some time back at LMDW, and we had a quick sip. His initial review was that this Caol Ila is the real thing, making a Kilchoman single sherry cask feel 'feignty'. Big bold claim. He kindly gave me a small sample to try at leisure, and I'm finally giving this a shot.

Caol Ila G&M 'Cask Strengh', 2004/2015 (60.1% abv)

Nose - Sharp attack, like Lukaku - big alcohol tendrils unfurling in your nose. Wasabi-like. A hint of kerosene and flint - explosive, like Rashford's pace. Behind that, smoke and lemons, then salt. Pears, pear rind, a little vanilla, and some rich notes from the cask, I believe - oak, a touch of coconut, peach. Peat turns ashy from the rather grassier initial profile. Complex and intricate, like Mkhitaryan. Ok, enough Man United references...

Palate - Lemonade! Vanilla and honey. Nectar. Toffee. Lots of sweet stuff going on here! Help! I think I'm losing the war on diabetes! Oh, great, there's the chalk and salt to the rescue! Some bitter notes, like tea. Pear drops, stewed fruit. Smoke and ashes. A big beach bonfire. Grapefruit and ginger, then a bunch of pepper sprinkled with clove and...parsley? Tea tannin...overbrewed Chinese tea.

Finish - Charcoal smoke, like sitting beside the campfire after the flames die down. Lots of pepper, some chalk, a hint of nut oils, lingering ginger. A little bitter for my liking though.

Overall - wow. That was intense. I wouldn't say that this makes the Kilchoman feel feinty, for I think the Kilchoman's a little more polished than this Caol Ila. Nonetheless, this IS very big and intense, like Matic's pres...ok, never mind. How does G&M get their hands on so many barrels of such good stock?

Great start to the Islay sequence! Up next is...NF's PC!

Caol Ila for newbies

This bottle is from LMDW's The Ten series. The series is meant to be an introduction to the various prominent styles of whiskies from Scotland, and thus are labelled things like 'Heavy Smoke', 'Intermediate Sherry' (oh wait, was that for Amrut?), 'Light sherry', etc. This one is 'Medium Islay Peat'. The whisky is from Caol Ila, distilled in 2008 and bottled in 2015, making it 7 years. I think it's a marketing strategy for the seventh whisky in the Ten to also be seven years. So, one number, two interpretations, both valid. Yay. A hermeneuticist's best friend.

Caol Ila 'The Ten' for LMDW (abv 40.10%)

Colour - Pale. Very pale. Paler than the picture suggests. The pee of a normal person who's maybe a little dehydrated.

Nose - Light Islay peat, contrary to what the label claims. This is lighter than usual Caol Ilas. Smokey without venturing into the heavily charred territory of Ardbeg. Not even the pure charcoal smoke of Caol Ila. This is more like lightly charred wood. The light smoke helps one to notice the other aspects of Caol Ila - citrusy. Suggestions of apricots. A little savoury, with a generous dash of salt.

Palate - Mm. Alcohol heat, probably due to age. But fairly fruity. Pears and apples, with a hint of grapefruit. Orange pith. Ooh. Surprising sweet touch...tastes a bit like triple-sec. Pepper. Salty too.

Finish - A little minty and maybe one eucalyptus leaf. Peppery, a whiff of smoke that wasn't prominent on the palate comes back up the chimney.

Overall - As an introductory malt, this is actually pretty tasty, and showcases the goodness of a simple, naked Caol Ila. Not complex enough to wow, but good to use as part of an educational tasting set. Though I would probably tell tasters that this is not 'Medium', but light. And, perhaps the peat isn't as obvious here, though perhaps a comparison with, say, a light Laphroaig might help the newcomer to recognize peat. I'm also wondering if the ".10%" abv is part of the branding. Probably, right?

Next post will be a heavy Caol Ila. 

Late Asians

Hakushu 12 (abv 43%)

I'm guessing these Suntories need no introduction or pictures by now. Hakushu's the one in the green bottle. For me, this is the quintessential Japanese single malt. Green, tea, refreshing, simple, not too bold. The 12 used to be the standard entry level, but is now in the premium price category. Sigh.

Nose - Not as green as the Distiller's Reserve. Some soft mossiness here that is Hakushu's style of peatiness that reminds me a little of a three-egg veg dish you often see at Chinese restaurants. Spicy, with some alcohol prickliness. Suggestions of sherry and vanilla. A little butter.

Palate - Lemon zest, tamed by velvety sweetness - honey and I think a bit of stewed pears and cinnamon apples. There's a touch of creamy peanut butter to it, so that'll be...peanut, salt, oil (basically, right?). A slight woody undertone that dovetails very nicely with the mossy peat. Gingery, in a tuber way, and not how I move after a game of football.

Finish - Mm. Not long. Spicy and gingery, a little more honey and lemon.

Over all - Not as good as the 18 (duh), but still pretty great. I really like Hakushu.

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique 

This bottle was had at LMDW's free (!) tasting 2 months ago, but I kept my notes from then. Free! A Kavalan! A former Whisky of the Year! What a treat! Let's see if the whisky is as generous as LMDW. No abv, because I did not take it down when tasting, did not snap a picture, and, yea. I was too happy sipping and chatting. Sorry.

Colour - Almost mahogany, but not quite as dark as the Solist Sherry.

Nose - Mm. Big notes of vanilla, some sweet wine, but actually, to my untrained nose, borders on sherry. A little more on the sour side, but still sweet and raisin-y. Spicy too, with a big alcohol hit. Bold oak, and also very malty. This is a big nose. A little... too in-you-face for my liking, but, hey, sometimes, you don't want it subtle.

Palate - Again, big alcohol hit. Expected for a cask strength (really should have paid attention to abv). Vanilla, sherry, a bit of port, caramel toffee. Browned sugar. Ooh. Turns very drying, a lot of oak, fairly tannic, though the vanilla and toffee makes it pretty bearable. Prunes and plums. Maybe parsley or coriander.

Finish - Oh, burns a fair bit going down. Fairly smooth, after the alcohol on the nose and palate. Aftertaste of dark chocolate, plum peel, and spice.

Overall - Different cask/batch and all that, but I'm not sure if I'll award this a World's Best award.

Lying Low in High Season

Work's been pretty crazy since the summer break, and that has killed off many of the opportunities to go trying new whiskies. That's quite a downer. The upside is, my backlog will not be piling up as quickly, giving me some time to clear stuff...

And, without further ado, 2 whiskies today. A lowlander, the Glenkinchie 12, and a rare (and weird) Bowmore.

Glenkinchie 12 (abv 40%)

Colour - Colouring added, so you know what to expect.

Nose - Mm. Slightly floral, but not overly so. Digestive biscuits. A little jam...strawberry jam? Fig jam? Yea, those are quire different. Citrusy, basically. Some vanilla, but not very big.

Palate - A little malty, some oak and pencil shavings. Some oatmeal biscuits this time. Sweet on brown sugar.

Finish - Fairly short...a little spice from the wood, some oak tannin, and a little drying...maybe the colouring speaking here...

Overall - This was the first whisky in the tasting session I conducted (I'm not noob, not the audience). Good whisky to start a tasting session with - light, uncomplicated, but definitely on the pleasant side without entirely slipping into being nondescript.

Bowmore 8 years 'The Octave' by Duncan Taylor (abv 46%)

This, is what it looks like.

Nose - Strong whiffs of paraffin and perfume. Oopsies. Was this from one of Bowmore's weird years? Some oak, and a bit of smoke...that'll be smoked seaweed, I think. A little tingly on the nose too.

Palate - Mm. I don't like this very much. Characteristic Bowmore smoke, yes. But, the paraffin notes get a bit soapy here. A little floral and perfumed. Pencil shavings. Slightly savoury, like...fish. Cured fish. Mm. Not my favourite.

Finish - Not very long, but oaky, slightly spicy, oily.

Overall - Hmm. Not my favourite Bowmore ever. But, it was $70 at La Maison's sale, so...I guess you get what you pay for?

Anyhows, odd tasting notes at the back of the bottle. "Before" and "after" referring to...before and after the re-casking/finishing? Not the most conventional way, but I guess if you're selling the series on its recasking, that's one way to do things...

First noob-class

Over the long weekend, I had the privilege to conduct a whisky tasting session for MY and his friends from church. Turns out, two of his friends were former schoolmates of mine. Small world, this Singapore island. The guys were having a bachelor's gathering and party for 3 members of their group, and I was honoured to share in that experience by introducing the guys to some of the representative and iconic whiskies. 

As a first time conducting a whisky-tasting, I thought the experience was pretty good! Just gonna list down some of the things that I learnt through the process:

1. Research and preparation is crucial. 

Knowing what whiskies the guys were going to taste beforehand was important, as I needed to do my own research, and dig out old tasting notes in order to know what to help the tasters look out for. That helped immensely as I was talking. The more familiar I was with the whiskies being tasted, the easier it was to talk about it, as I could fall back on preparation instead of having to do my own tasting, and try to help others make their way through the glass.

2. Logistics.

We didn't quite have enough glasses, so it was a bit challenging as it meant that everyone had to finish whatever was in their glass before we could move on. It also meant that not everyone managed to get the most out of the sniffing experience, which forms a significant aspect of whisky tasting.

The venue matters too, I think. For this session, we had it at a friend's house, so that was nice and comfy, but the seating arrangement, and the lack of a table accessible to everyone, made it a little tough to talk to everyone at the same time, while also allowing all the tasters to interact with each other. Access to water thus also became a little challenging.

3. Friendships

Whisky tasting is a great way to make friends, though it also helps if you're doing the tasting for friends. I think, because the 10 guys already knew each other, it was a lot easier getting them to talk about what they were tasting and smelling, and everyone was more comfortable asking questions. If I were conducting for strangers, I think more effort will have to be put into building rapport between the tasters.

4. Pacing

As we all only had 1 glass each, there were long pauses when we had to go around pouring whiskies for everyone. This led to lull periods between drams. It helped that there were snacks, and that the guys knew each other, so the long pauses were actually ok. If whisky tasting was conducted for people who did not know each other, pacing would have to be controlled a lot more tightly.

5. Whisky curation

As we had a few members in the group who were new to whisky tasting, the selection was meant to showcase the distinctive features of the major Scotch regional malts, though this is becoming increasingly illusory due to experimentation by various distilleries. Nonetheless, as an introduction, whiskies that were less complex, but more straightforward with what their region has to offer was probably, on hindsight, a good choice. (though I would perhaps have swapped one or two of the whiskies for something else, but that was going to be very expensive, and we were trying to conduct the session on a budget.)

My own notes on the whiskies will come in bits and pieces in the following days. Work has restarted, and things are getting busier. Whew.

And then there was the Cask Strength tasting session I had with PY, J, and EP the day before this noob master class. Whew. And then there's the whiskies tasted at LMDW, from their June free tasting...What a productive June! So currently on my whisky blogging backlog, are the following whiskies:

1. Arberlour A'bunadh, batch 58

2. Redbreast 12 CS

3. Lagavulin 12 (2016 special release)

4. Caol Ila CS by G&M, 2004/2016

5. North British 25, by Vom Fass

6. Glenkinchie 12

7. Balvenie 12 Triple Cask

8. Hakushu 12

9. Port Charlotte PC12 (2015 release)

10. Edradour 15 Fairy Flag

11. Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique

Wow. When will I ever manage to get all these online...? Soon, I hope...Stay tuned...

Helly......no, noir really....

This bottle was open for free tasting at LMDW this month. Those guys are doing great work, really. Apart from this, they also had a few other interesting bottles open, like some stuff from Valinch and Mallet, an Amrut,  American malt whisky Westland, Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique, and Edradour's 15 year old Fairy Flag. Will write about the whisky that left the deepest impression, not in a good way.

Quick notes of the Hellyer's Road Pinot Noir Finish (46.2% abv)

Colour - Gold

Nose - Hrmph. Odd one. Fairly malt forward, a little yeasty even. A fair amount of oak, and sawdust. After that, some...sour berries. Cranberries, a hint of flowers, but I can't get past the sour-ish yeasty notes.

Palate - Yeasty, again. Then the wine hits - tannic, sour...strawberries? Prunes. Oak. Malt. Hmm. A little sulphur. Some spiciness, and the alcohol feels a bit strong here.

Finish - Some vanilla, maybe some parsley or coriander, then wood and yeast.

Overall - I cannot shake the sour yeasty notes, which don't go well with the wine influence. Not good, I didn't like this. :(

Macallan in Vietnam

Not really a proper tasting per se, but managed to get a sample of the Macallan Rare Cask Black at the DFS in Hanoi's international airport. There was no sales staff there, but the bottles were labelled for tasting, had the sticker seal broken, and were obviously not full. And there were plastic cups available. That's an open invitation, right?

I figured that this is the only time I'll get to try the Macallan Rare Cask Black, so why not. I'm not going to pay $600 for NAS Macallan, no matter how impressive or bulky the packaging is.

This is mysterious. Black, can't see anything inside. The tiny words say that a small amount of Macallan is peated, only 100 casks. Do all 100 casks go into this Rare Cask Black? Probably not?

So, a peaty/smoky sherry bomb, yes? Sounds like Highland Park.

Macallan Rare Cask Black (abv 48%)

Colour - Teak-wood-ish

Nose - The peat and smoke isn't obvious at all on first nosing, becoming a little more prominent with some time. But this is still predominantly a sherried whisky. Raisins, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon...figs? A little peppery too. So far so good.

Palate - Mm. A little alcohol prickliness, but still, smooth. Velvety sherried notes - prunes, raisins, but without the tartness. Some vanilla. A hint of liquorice. The usual sherry spices - nutmeg, cloves. Maybe a touch of pepper. Charred oak and some smoke. A little drying and slightly bitter.

Finish - The smoke is the most obvious here, when you breath in through your mouth after swallowing. Still a little sweet. Not too long. Drying, with fairly strong tannin.

Overall - Pretty good, and the flavour profiles don't stray much from what's advertised. But, while good, this tastes like maybe a Highland Park 18 with less heather and floral notes but more sherry. It lacks the smooth subtlety of the Macallan 18, and doesn't have the abounding richness of the 12. The weak smoke that it gains, I feel, doesn't quite justify its pricing above the 2 other staple Macallans. Nor is it better than the Highland Park 18. So, why is this even worth $600...? Who'll pay for it...??

If you're thinking of getting this, don't. Get Highland Park instead, for your smoked sherry bomb fix.

Benromachs - 10 year, 10 year 100 proof, Peated

Not quite a vertical session as the Benromach Peated was done separately, but I've not done comparisons in a while, so might as well. I've done the Benromach 10 before, so just quick notes here for comparison's sake. Thanks to PY for both the 10, and the 10 year 100 proof.

Benromach 10 year (abv 43%)

Smells like what you'll expect from Benromach. Sherried whisky, sure, but not overly so. The spirit has quite a large voice here. Slightly meaty, a little smoke and soot, caramel, wood - like ply wood, or pencil wood. The palate is nice. Hardly any alcohol, and the sherry sweetness does not musk the slightly meaty and oily taste. Some tannins, some wood, there's quite a bit of complexity in this, you've got to let it take its time. Finish is not very long, but pleasant wood and sherry, with a little spice and alcohol kick at the back.

Think that's fairly consistent with my previous tasting.

Benromach 10 year 100 proof (abv 57%)

Colour: Burnished copper

Nose: Wow. This is way more intense. Similar notes, but a little extra. Some vanilla is coming through a little more clearly, lots of spices on this one. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper. A wisp of smoke. There's just so many things hitting you at the same time, this is quite crazy. A strong malt backing, the wood isn't as obvious in this bottling too, though there's something green in there. I think light peat. Not old dead trees kinda peat. Maybe...moss and/or algae.

Palate: Same intensity as the nosing. Many jabs from all directions. Pepper, ginger, liquorice. Very strong malt. Slightly leathery. Cloves. That's probably the sherry cask talking, though this meatiness seems to be in many Benromachs. Time for Mortlach to up its game. After that...some mint, apples, figs. Sweet, sweet honey. Brings some relief from the rest of the storm...and no, just a brief respite. Some smoke, vanilla, parsley? Something herby, in any case. Brown sugar...some tea tannin. More malt, liquorice, leather, sherry sweetness - prunes rather than raisins, I think.

Finish: Drying, but leaves you with a lot of leather, woodsmoke, ginger. Fairly long, actually.

Overall: This is a class above the regular 10. At $50 more, a no-brainer.

And this was done a few days earlier.

Benromach Peat Smoke (abv 43%)

Colour: white wine

Nose: Yes, this is peated. But not like Islay, obviously. Smoky but fairly clean, with little soot. What did they burn to make this? But the downside is, there isn't a lot on the nose. Give it some time to breathe...Some apples, unripe mangoes...maybe a whiff of vanilla. Not a noser, are you?

Palate: Ok, bigger here. Peat, and by that, I mean, again, not Islay, but more like burning moss. A lot of burning moss. The peat and smoke sits on top of a layer of solid fruitiness. I think this liquid has not known a sherry cask yet, so this is smoke wrapping up a naked Benromach. Mmmmmm. Fruity on figs, pears, apples, chiku, and some coconuts. A little meaty, but not much. Just a little. A hint of liquorice. But this whisky doesn't feel very well-integrated. Like, soot-covered fruits, rather than properly smoked fruits. No, these things don't exist (I hope).

Finish: Hmm. Fairly one dimensional on smoke and wood.

Overall: Not terrible, but not great. Average whisky from a great distillery.

Feis Ile post - Top Bowmore

Sometime back, I was rather unimpressed with Bowmore's offerings, though I probably had been tasting more from their travel retail series than any of their signature bottlings. The standard 12 made me want to give them a chance; a recent tasting of a rare-ish OB blew me away. I think I'll want to try more Bowmores from now on. What did I taste that changed my opinion so drastically?

This:

As usual, whenever I try such old bottlings, DW and his dad has something to do with it. Well, my sister married DW's brother, so this was at the banquet. There were other things as well: Glenfiddich 25, Chivas 25, Yamazaki 18, Hibiki 17, and this Bowmore. Of the lot, this was most impressive.

Bowmore 25 "Small Batch Release" (abv 43%)

Nose - Smoky, like smoking charcoal. Some sherry notes - dried cranberries and raisins, and a light dusting of cinnamon powder. A bit of toffee and dark chocolate as well.

Palate - Oomph. Lots of liquorice. Smoke and a subtle brooding peat influence. Goes well with the light leatheriness of the texture. Raisins, dark chocolate, and maybe a bit of a coffee bean. It is fairly smooth too, with some vanilla and oak. With a bit of time, the cocoa notes get bigger, and the raisins become less dry. This is really great stuff.

Finish - Smoky and oaky. A bit of cranberry and prunes, liquorice lingers a little too.

Overall - yummy. I love it when peat, smoke and sherry casks come together perfectly, and this is great.

The Other Taiwan Whisky

Kavalan's been snagging all the awards, and grabbing all the headlines, but there's another whisky making company in Taiwan - the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TLL). They make a cheaper, more nondescript whisky, the Nantou Omar. Two standard bottlings - the Sherry cask, and the bourbon cask. Recently, they had released cask strength versions of the same whisky, I believe. CO was in Taiwan and asked for cheap recommendations from the Taiwan travel retail. I thought this would be a good bargain, at less than SGD50. Pretty hard to find outside of Taiwan, cheap, and, while not as big hitting as the Kavalan, it's gathered its fair share of awards, winning silver in the International Spirits competition.

CO bought it, and here is the tasting:

Nantou Omar (Sherry type) (46% abv)

Nose - Fairly sharp attack of alcohol. Even after a few swirls around the glass, the attack of the alcohol doesn't weaken. Thankfully, it isn't just alcohol trying to invade your nostrils. There's the fairly obvious sherry influence on the nose - dried fruits like raisins and cranberries. A bit of vanilla. Fairly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg too.

Palate - Mm. The alcohol tickles here. Hardly as fierce as the nose suggests. Raisins and cranberries like on the nose. Vanilla, and quite a bit of oak on this. The spices are really pretty well blended - nutmeg, cinnamon powder. Slight bit of bread crumbs. Drop of honey to sweeten the whole package. The distillate probably wasn't very complex, but I think the cask selection was good.

Finish - Not short, that is to say, above expectations. Very clean. Nutmeg and a touch of pepper; a bit of oak and dried fruits again.

Overall - For a sherry cask whisky, it'll not blow your palate off like the Kavalan Solist Sherry cask, or the Glendronach brothers. This whisky however, gets top marks in the bang-for-buck scale. An easy sipper that is still flavourful enough to spend some time chewing over.

Good buy!

Bruichladdich Catch-up

Some serious catching up to do. Bruichladdich has been awfully prolific with its offerings - local barleys, wine finishings, Octomore, Port Charlottes, the new Laddie Ten...whew. And here I am, cradling my very own Laddie Ten...from the first edition in 2012/3.

This baby was bought in Taiwan last year, in that shop near Tamshui station. Really surprised to find a bottling that was already out-of-production. Guess sales move a little more slowly there.

So, this is the old Laddie Ten, when the distillery was finally rebooted and was celebrating the 10th anniversary of its resurrection with this ten year old offering. Reviews then were generally great, and I'm excited to join the bandwagon, 5 years later. This older bottling is at 46% abv, as compared to 50% in the newer release.

Bruichladdich 'Laddie Ten' (46% abv)

Colour - Between hay and gold. Rich yellow.

Nose - Oooh. Sharp. Minerals, lemons, a touch of smoke, some hay and a bit of...soil. This is not all sharp though, as there's some vanilla to give it a little roundness. Mm. Fairly obvious salt, though this doesn't become salty. You get what I mean?

Palate - A sharp attack on salt, lemons, orange zest. Refreshing, actually. The smell of the sea goes well with the sweetness in this - malty sweetness and a touch of honey about it. A fair amount of pepper. Salt and pepper then. That's my new favourite Kettle Chips flavour. Enjoyable sipper, this one.

Finish - Oak, pepper, a little drying. Still a little salty, and orange peel/lemon zest comes back again. Hmm. Maybe a touch of some herb...parsley?

Overall - I really should be comparing this to the new Laddie Ten, but I don't have a bottle of that yet. Glad I bought this, really. Only SGD60. Wow.

Complimentary Tasting at LMDW - A big mixed bag

For the month of April, La Maison is hosting complimentary whisky tasting in the afternoons, from noon till 6pm, when the bar opens. If you're free, in the area, and wanna sip some good, cheap whiskies and have a lovely chat with the lovely Sarah, then do pop down. A word of warning, though: tasting good and cheap whiskies has a strange effect on you; it makes you a lot more willing to buy. After the complimentary tasting, I bought 2 bottles - the Redbreast 12 Cask Strength, and a Caol Ila from LDMW's The Ten series of whiskies for beginners.

Quick notes of the whiskies that were on offer:

Picture taken from LMDW's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/finespiritsLMDW/

I didn't try everything, and the Kilchoman Caroni Cask ran out.

Whisky de Table
Nose: Could be my eyes playing tricks on me with the colour and packaging of the bottle, but this smelt like white wine. Citrusy, tannic, sour and refreshing. A light malty notes comes out after some time in the glass.
Palate: Ok, yes, this is more like whisky. A lemon and lime edge, slightly smoky, with this whisky carrying a significant proportion of Clynelish. Texture is pretty smooth. Very easy, very quaffable. Sarah kept this bottle refrigerated, and I don't disagree with that.
Finish: Short, slightly sweet notes of honey. Vinous.

Redbreast Cask Strength
Nose: Intense, this one. Rich fruits. Apricots, figs, apples, pears, some hint of minerality...limestone and copper. A little vinous, but maybe more on dessert wine - more sweet, less sour. That's gotta be the sherry talking Rich, velvety vanilla and oak. There's so much going on here.
Palate: Ok, the alcohol packs a punch. After that subsides...rich and smooth. Mouth coating and full bodied. It's like ramping up the normal Redbreast 12 several notches - this one has more flavour coming in huge waves. Similar to the nose. Very consistent, with maybe a touch of floral about it. Maltier on the palate than on the nose.
Finish: Long, intense, clean. Fruity, spicy, oak.

Clynelish 8 years (2008/2015), Signatory 'Very Cloudy'
This one is very cloudy because it is un-chill filtered.

Nose: Mm. Smokier, maltier. Spicy, even on the nose. Compared to the Whisky de Table, of course.
Palate: Lemon, pear, malted barley. Clean, simple, very straightforward. I think I preferred the Compass Box blend...
Finish: Short, slightly spicy, a little woody. Good spirit, young age.

Glenrothes 8 years, G&M 'The Macphail's Collection'
Nose: This is rather meaty and chewy. I would say it smells more chewy than the Mortlach 21 I finished some time back. Chewy, malty too. It's sherried, but the sherry cask must have been a refill, I think. It's not very dominant on the nose, forming more of a backdrop. Like a fruitcake made with preserved fruits.
Palate: Spicy, slightly sherried. Fruits are dried - raisins, dried cranberries. Still chewy and slightly waxy texture.
Finish: Short, spicy and woody.

Cambus 24, Signatory
Nose: Intense. Bubblegum sweetness, corn syrup. Smells more like maize than rye. Mm. Spicy, on ginger and pepper. Big smells, really. Wood behind all the sweetness. Vanilla comes up too, if you get behind the corn syrup. Floral and perfumed.
Palate: Big hitting syrup, but not without complexity - honey, spicy. Ginger, cinnamon, saffron. Toffee, caramel. Solid oak backing too. Pretty good, these old grain whiskies
Finish: Long, spicy. A slight sour note here. Like wine tanginess, if there's such a word.

AnCnoc 12
Nose: Rather straightforward. Honeyed, with wood and light spiciness. Raisins and apple, cinnamon. Simple, good Speyside. But not very special.
Palate: same as above. The body runs out of ideas quite quickly. It starts out nice and supple, but turns flat fairly quickly. Easy, quick drinking. Not one to be mulled over.
Finish: short, sweet. Mm. Slight bitter note here. Artificial colouring, perhaps...?

Ben Nevis Mcdonald's Traditional 
Nose: Whoa. Really old school. The makers wanted to replicate an old style highland whisky, and I think they've succeeded. Big on rocks and charcoal. Sooty, even. A touch of engine oil. Smoky, but on the ashy side. Some lemons and pears too, under all that.
Palate: Slightly peaty - but it's closer to ash than iodine. Big on leather and rubber, but made less brutal by a touch of apples that lies under those big, old-style, industrial notes. Mm. Pomelo - Sour and slightly tannic. I really like this style, but maybe a little more fruit, or wood, or spice would have helped pick it up. I like this, but found it too brooding to buy a bottle.
Finish: Medium, on leather, tannins, and a slight spiciness. Mm. A slight bitter note too.

***************************************************
And, that's a wrap. Didn't try the rest: Highland Park 8 from the Macphail's Collection, and a Caol Ila G&M Reserve. Whew. Couldn't taste anything for the rest of the day.

Many thanks to Sarah, who very graciously talked PY and I through all the whiskies, sharing thoughts, stories, tasting notes from Google, and for being very patient while we deliberated on what to buy. Benefits of going to LMDW on a rainy afternoon eh?

Benriach Flight

Suddenly, like SBS bus service number 55, pigeon poop landing on your shoes, and other general things in life, whisky happens. Several in quick succession after a long break. Maybe it's overcompensation. Maybe it's fate. Maybe it's how the Norse gods roll.

A flight of 4 Benriachs today, from the good people at Auld Alliance. Then, several whiskies for tasting at La Maison. That brings us up to 10 whiskies in a short span of time. Whew. Gotta let my liver regenerate for the next week or so.

Lots of things to write, too little time to jot them down, so pardon the shorter notes, and lack of pictures. More notes from the tasting at La Maison another day.

Benriach 12 (abv 43%)

Nose - standard sherry nose on first nosing, and then develops into something floral and perfumed. Ripe plums, some spice, a soft malty background.

Palate - Mm. Initial impressions are pretty good. Sweet, vanilla, sherry, grapes, raisins. Then slightly malty, but all of this happens in a short stretch - the body gets flat pretty quickly, leaving behind a generic maltiness.

Finish - short, oaky, slightly spicy. Mm. Nothing too great. Easily forgotten, though it is quite pleasant.

Benriach 12 peated, PX finish (abv 46%)

Nose - Ok, first sniff, and this peatiness reminds me of Lagavulin. Some sherry behind it, but it's not obvious - more like a thin layer of jam than actual fruit. Jam that's not very fruity, if there's such a thing. Grassy and hay-y

Palate - Ok, not Lagavulin, though the peat is fairly deep. This whisky is surprisingly meaty, with suggestions of leather, a little drying, some raisins, and a fair amount of oak. I was just quite taken aback with the amount of peat in this. Grassy still. Hay-y again. On top of the peat. Hmm.

Finish - Hmm. Hard to judge this. Dry, again, oaky, spicy finish. Not too long. But everything here feels a bit indeterminate, apart from the grassiness.

Benriach 15 Tawny Port Finish (abv 46%)

Nose - My favourite nose of the bunch, maybe because it was the most predictable. Fairly porty and winey, but I think it comes across in a good way. Maybe a little too much like port. A little oak. Spicy, sweet.

Palate - Ripe berries. Mm. Cherries and strawberries, I think. Sweet, and slightly spicy again. Fairly consistent.

Finish - Feels more like a wine finish, with big fruits like an Australian Shiraz. Slightly drying, but really, more port than whisky, this one.

Benriach 15 Solstice (abv 50%)

Nose - Mm. The weirdest of the bunch. Hmm. There's the fruitiness of wine again, but drier. More...raisin than grape, but...like, before the grape has completely become a raisin. This is peated, but the peat feels...a little less burnt. Smoking grass rather than peat peat.

Palate - Hmm. Again, something seems off. First, the alcohol burn is suddenly very apparent. Then, the peat sits uneasily on top of everything, in my opinion. It isn't very peaty, but slightly smokey and again, it feels like what's burning wasn't completely peat. Kinda odd. There's the dried fruits, and that's been tainted by the peat, but not really merging together.

Finish - I don't really like this. Medium length finish, but more of that odd peatiness that I didn't appreciate but H at the bar said he liked. Odd one. The finish, not the H, bless him.

Overall - No, I don't think I'm going to like Benriachs after this.

Another Revival!

It's again been a long time since I had the pleasure of trying something new. Been really busy with work. It's amazing how much work can sap you if you take it seriously. Maybe the trick is...

After slumbering for a long time, the best way to get back on track is to start a Revival! And, after trying Glendronach's one previously, I'm going for Teeling's Revival this time round.

Image from Master of Malt

Teeling 15 years Revival (abv 46%)

Nose - Ripe pears transiting to brown sugar, caramelized sugar - slight touches of something meaty. Ripe pears give way to greener fruits - figs and a touch of guava that's not fully ripened. Turns slightly metallic - copper? Maybe it's my foreknowledge of pot stills getting in the way of my nose. Suggestion of something meaty, like aged meat or something. Just a whiff though.

Palate - Mm. A slightly stronger alcohol attack than expected. After that fades, this whiskey is good. Pears, then apricots, then figs, ripe green apples. Slightly meaty again, but not in the range of Mortlach. A little metallic, mineral note to keep the palate fresh amidst all that's going on. The apricots become the most dominant fruit note. Honey, brown sugar. Vanilla drifts in occasionally. Malty background throughout. This is a full meal in a relatively harmonious, gentle package. Very mouth-coating

Finish - Mm. Not very long. Medium-short. Spicy on finish - cinnamon and cloves, a bit of nutmeg. Oak presence on the finish. A touch of apricot still. Nice.

Overall - This was tried at La Maison without knowing how much it'll cost me - they've done away with the menus. That's a pretty good move for a bar which changes the bottles available so quickly, but it makes ordering whiskies a real hit and miss. Turns out, one dram of the Teeling Revival 15 cost me almost $50. Oops. Should have asked before ordering... Or maybe I should have gotten something that I know was not as rare, and not presented with as much fanfare...

But, having said that, this is really good whiskey, and definitely one of the best Ireland has to offer. This whiskey was aged in rum casks, but the rum doesn't dominate the whiskey. It's a good maturation process, with the malt and the cask both giving their best.

A toast to Mr. Samaroli - Highland Park 'Flowing Feature', 1992/2016

Mr. Silvano Samaroli is a legend in the whisky industry. He made his name in the industry as the importer and bottler of Scotch whiskies in Italy, and has a reputation for bottling some pretty astounding stuff. Those lucky Italians. In any case, Mr. Samaroli passed on a couple of weeks ago. The whisky world loses one of its great men. In honour of the good work done, I had a Samaroli whisky this weekend.

Mr. Samaroli visited Singapore's The Auld Alliance a couple of weeks before his passing. The friendship between the Italian and The Auld Alliance saw an expansion in the menu here - there are now Samaroli flights that you can try, priced at $40 for the entry level blends, and $80 for single cask single malts. The one I tried was a Highland Park named 'Flowing Feature', and bottled at 45%. It was from a 1992 vintage, and bottled just last year. The bottle's really pretty too. I asked H from The Auld Alliance if they could give me the bottle after it's empty, and he very kindly said yes. Bless him. I actually knew H from the time he was a student in university, so I'm glad to see him doing something he enjoys.

Highland Park 'Flowing Feature' 1992/2016 (abv 45%)

Colour: Straw. This is fairly pale for a single cask whisky that's been maturing for 24 years. Probably a refill cask.

Nose: Oooh. This is a Highland Park, without a doubt. Orange, grapefruit, honey. Then, a big perfume and floral rhapsody that's very captivating. I normally don't like whiskies that are so perfumed, but I think I can make an exception for this one. There's some liquorice and oak, and then, a malty, porridgy undertone. Mmm. This might be close to what S. Valentin of whiskyfun.com describes as "wet dogs".

Palate: Sweet entry, with the honey notes coming to the fore, then some kind of floral tea - both floral, and a little tannic. Dried flowers - that'll be potpourri, I believe. Cloves and maybe one sprig of parsley. Dried orange peel and some lingering citrus notes that remind me of grapefruit. Then, as on the nose, the malty side starts to show itself later in the background, but comes across fairly strongly. What I really like about this, as with the Port Ellen reviewed a couple of weeks ago, was the texture. Thick and viscous, it felt like honey upon entry, like a blob of something viscous entered your mouth, rather than liquid. Ok, that didn't make sense. Viscosity is only used to describe liquids. Okok.

Finish: Mm. Spicy and oaky. Tannins from black tea this time, a little bit of honey and vanilla - odd, I didn't pick this up earlier. Fairly mineral too - wet rocks (no, not wet dogs. Rocks). Some floral suggestions linger, like the time I went to Korea and had a Bimbimbap that used edible flowers instead of vegetables. The finish is fairly long.

Overall - I really like this. The texture is a huge plus for me, and any whisky that combines deep flavours with such a texture will score high in my books. Many thanks to Mr. Samaroli for bringing us such great whiskies for so many years, God bless his soul.

Age to Age - Auld Alliance Irish Single Malt

Another year older, another year wiser, another year drunker. Thinking about what whisky to celebrate my birthday, I thought, why not drink something distilled in the same year I was born? Brilliant. And I know exactly which whisky to get.

When The Auld Alliance re-launched their menu, a couple of whiskies were advertised quite prominently. One of these was an unidentified Irish whisky distilled in the year 1988. Been eyeing that for a year, actually. Finally got to try it, and my my, was it worth the wait.

The Auld Alliance Irish Single Malt Whisky 1988/2015 (51.2% abv)

Colour - light gold

Nose - Intensely fruity. Pineapples, tinned peaches, syrup, figs, some light grapes, some oak in the undertones...This is a massive fruit basket! The fruits are fresh, and the nose is a little sharp, which aids in the delivery of the citrusy nose. There's also notes of some spice in the nose, but man, that's one sexy fruit basket.

Palate - Pineapples on entry, transiting into...I'm pretty sure of this - pink guava. No, not kidding. Pink guava. There's some berries as well - strawberries, and with some time, it becomes closer to something more tart. Raspberries, perhaps? Figs are still there, and the oak tells as well, but the big fruitiness keeps everything fresh and beautiful. With some time, a more malty side emerges. Slight metallic twang, a little bit of black tea, and some toffee at the end.

Finish - Not too long. I think this goes down a little too quickly, actually. Some oak, a little spice. Slightly malty and porridgey too. But nothing lasts very long. Pity.

Overall - Pretty good! Feels very fruity and young for its age, but this is deep and complex. Love the fruits and freshness, though the finish is perhaps not perfect. Many many thanks to EP for celebrating my birthday and enjoying this dram with me! I think she preferred her Whisky Sour better though...

S.A.D.

It promised to be a good day. Left work slightly earlier to head over to Holland Village to meet friends for dinner and drinks. Took a train ride down to Bishan from where I worked, transferred to the Circle Lin, and a short 40 minutes later, I was late. By just a little bit. Headed over for dinner, walking along the swanky but not snazzy underpass, and had dinner at the food centre. However, before dinner, there was an exchange that needed to happen. I passed PY a small bottle of Kilchoman 2008 vintage. In exchange, he passed me a nightmare. Meet the Hong Thong.

To be fair, I asked for it, and PY had it first. He was in Thailand, and decided to try this. A small bottle, about 350ml, was going at SGD$6. And, the producers market this as a premium blended spirit. Wonder how cheap the non-premium options are. PY tried it. Was horrified when he tasted it neat, then conceded that it may be ok if mixed. With lots of mixers and ice. Ok. I was curious. So I asked for a bit of whatever was left. The usual bottle looks ok, but what I was passed...

...looks like a trip to the doctor's:

Yes. It looks like a very dehydrated someone took a pee test. I hope it wasn't PY. I frankly may not have been able to tell. He's been fairly dehydrated.

So Hong Thong is from Thailand. Strictly speaking not a whisky, but some kind of blended spirit made from molasses and rice. Why I'm reviewing it here is because some people call it a whiskey, maybe on account of it being brown. Should I try this after dinner, and let the taste be the last thing I remember? Probably not. I'm gonna have it before dinner, then eat, so that I forget the taste. Good decision. A much better one than the one that landed me this nefarious concoction. I wonder how nasty the non-premium options can be. Oh dear...

Hong Thong (35% abv)

Enough foreshadowing. On to the..."tasting notes"...

Colour - amber. But there's something about the viscosity that doesn't seem right.

Nose - Alcohol, some sweetness, I guess. Caramel.

Palate - Flat. Nothingness for a long time, then a wee bit of caramel. Alcohol burn and bitter. To be fair, a hint of eucalyptus. A very very very vague hint. I must be imagining it.

Finish - Oh dear Lord. Does this abomination never end? How long, oh Lord, How long!! This lingers and lingers. A nasty linger. Prickly, bitter, and some unsavoury yet vague sweetness, antiseptic. Is there pure alcohol added into this? Ugh.

Overall - the worst is not to have a bad dream. The worst is when the nightmare never ends. The lingering finish prolongs all the pain. The nose is inoffensive, as is the palate. Though they are bland, no one complains about normal smelling air. The finish though.

I'm not finishing this bottle. Probably not keeping it either. Some online forums are asking if it's true that drinking Hong Thong can cause blindness. I think you are already blind if you chose to drink Hong Thong willingly on your own free will, if other options are available.

On an unrelated note, I developed stomach flu in the middle of the night, after the Hong Thong. Not saying there's any causal relationship, but the correlation is currently at a solid statistical 1.

Last Glenfarclas...

This is the last, and oldest, of the trio in the sample gift set that CO got for me from The Whisky Exchange in London. I've had this before, a couple of years ago, as part of a Glenfarclas flight at Auld Alliance. Ah, haven't been back there in a long time...In any case, I remember liking this for the light smoke behind the sherry. Let's see if I remember correctly.

Glenfarclas 25 (abv 43%)

Colour - Amber.

Nose - There's sherry alright. Dried cranberries, raisins, cloves. Caramel and burnt sugar, a hint of chocolate fudge. There's also a bit of honey, butterscotch. Coriander. Subtle smoke and charred wood.

Palate - This is very sweet! Lots of honey and syrup. Toffee. Sweet, fortified wine. Closer to port, almost, if I didn't know better. Chocolatey in the middle. Floral and gentle...then the spices kick in. Coriander and mint, then cloves and cinnamon. Mm. A touch of bitter wood, much better integrated this time, than in the 21 or 15. A bit of fire and smoke in this. There's a bit of alcohol burn despite the age, but that tongue burn complements this touch of smoke and pepper well. Not super amazing, but pleasant enough. A little rougher than expected, but I think there's about enough flavour to carry this. Odd though, that 43% should burn. I never had these issues with the Inchgower, which was at 50%.

Finish - The alcohol burn takes a while to recede, making the finish a little hard to pinpoint. That's a fairly big minus. When it does though, there's nice oak and spices - maybe some saffron - left all around in the mouth. A fairly full finish, then. A little bitter, like dark chocolate with high cocoa content, and the sweetness of the entry isn't very prominent. Very dry.

Overall - I'm not an age-ist, but I really do think that this 25 year is the best of the three in the set. Best balance, and a sweetness that is really surprising, given that the nose is less obviously so. I like this, though it's flawed, especially in the finish.

And...that wraps up a really disappointing Lunar New Year. Maybe next year will be better.

CNY Drink 2 - Glenfarclas 21

The Lunar New Year is running out, and this will only be my second new whisky this festive season. I need to repent. As per the previous Glenfarclas, this comes from a small sample bottle, courtesy of CO and her husband, JC. 

Glenfarclas 21 - 43%

Colour - Gold

Nose - Initial burst of sherry and cranberries, then rather more muted. Deep nosing brings out some maltiness, a little leafy. There's something meaty here that reminds me of a braised pig trotter, with that bit of umami and cloves.

Palate - Ouch. Pretty big on alcohol. Thicker sherry here. Cranberries and grapes. Cocoa and dark chocolate, and the aftertaste of black coffee. Maybe a couple of roasted peanuts tossed in too. There's a little trace of sours - like lemon zest, or orange peel. But pretty big pepper to go with the alcohol. Turns bitter again, like the 15. Why do they do that? Fairly malty, with notes of porridge. Consistent with the nose, I guess. With some time in the glass, some floral notes come out, like flower petals and nectar. Pretty pleasant, worth waiting for. I feel it smooths out some of the sting.

Finish - Syrupy and a little caramel. There is some lingering smoke, and pretty big pepper. The pepper comes in a burst, then retreats to leave behind some toffee at the back of the throat. This then transits into sweet oak, but the last word is the slight bitterness of what feels like caramel colouring, so that's not very pleasant.

Overall - It's got more depth than the 15, I think. A little more variety and development, though I don't think I necessarily like this better. It's got the same flaws, I feel, with the bitterness that's a bit artificial, if you get what I mean. Not the bitterness of charred wood, or something smoky/peaty. This bitterness feels like it sits outside of what the whisky is setting itself out to be, and laughing at it through the window. Get what I mean? No? So, not too bad, but not my favourite Speysider, again. Standards are pretty high, eh?

In any case, the results from the first round of judging at the World Whisky Awards have been announced...

CNY Drink 1

It's been yet another long hiatus. I have a bit of a personal principle to not drink when stressed, so that I don't accidentally get myself hooked on alcohol as a destressant (that's not a word, I know). The downside is that this blog moves slowly, and then often in spurts. But it's been a loooong weekend with the Lunar New Year break, so here's the first new dram in a long time.

Looks like I won't be breaking last year's record of 14 new drams in 15 days of CNY.

CO went over to the Metropole for a bit of training, and very kindly popped by Whisky Exchange's store to get me a Glenfarclas sample gift set. Many thanks! This set contains three whiskies - the 15 year old, the 21, and the 25. Of course, we're starting with the youngest of the three.

Glenfarclas 15 (46% abv)

Colour - golden.

Nose - Spicy, on cinnamon, cloves, a touch of something herbaceous, like rosemary. Apples. Malty and a bit of oak. There's some liquorice, as well as a little bit of peanut oil. A light hint of something smoky and fishy...kelp? That's strange...There's that sherry we've come to expect, but it's a little muted. Some vanilla cream. This isn't a sherry bomb. Just a normal, sherried whisky, with a strange twist.

Palate - Fruity. Grapes. Apples are still here, but it's now the part of the apple that's closer to the core. A little more acidic, a little less bright and sweet. A hint of acidic, black coffee. The Singaporean Kopi-O variety. A bit of ginger and pepper. A faint, faint whiff of smoke. The sherry influence is more present in the fruity, grapey flavour, then in velvety smoothness. The creamy vanilla comes in after 10 minutes to give a bit more roundness to this.

Finish - Oooh. Big burst of raisins on the way down. After that, there's a bit of a peppery feel, slightly bitter too. Hmm. Wood tannins lingers all over on the inside. Fairly drying. The finish isn't very long, but the dryness stays for quite a bit.

Overall - This is fairly nice, but it stings a little - maybe, at 46%, it required a little more time in the wood. But then, if it did, it won't be a 15 year old anymore, would it? Perhaps the blenders ran out of older stock to even it out. But if they did, this won't be as affordable anymore either. So, pretty decent, on balance. Nothing to shout about, but a competent dram to sip away. I actually do like it, and don't really mind the sting, though the bit of bitterness (is it artificial caramel??) detracts from the overall enjoyment.

Islay Legend - Port Ellen

This was supposed to be the whisky that started the year, though it was not to be a couple of weeks ago. The legendary Islay distillery that closed down - Port Ellen. After closing in the 80s, the remaining stock was bought by Diageo, and released annually as part of its yearly Special Release. Prices of the Special Release vary between a thousand to several thousands, if you can even find them at all. The Whisky Distillery at Ion carries a few of the Port Ellen Special Releases, if you're interested. Costs a bomb though.

This particular Port Ellen was distilled in 1982, just a year before the distillery closed. It's bottled as part of Vom Fass's Fassination series, though the label says that it's from Hunter Laing and Co. Did Hunter Laing buy the stock from Port Ellen 30 years ago to mature it themselves? Or did they buy it off Diageo after maturation? So...Vom Fass bought it from Hunter Laing? Why didn't Hunter Laing sell it themselves? Mystery.

This baby is 30 years old, and there are only 30 bottles available worldwide. If you've read my blog from its very beginning, you'll know this bottle - it was the one I saw at Vom Fass, but walked away from. Really glad that my friend DW bought it instead of some random rich Indonesian businessman. I was really excited when DW decided to open this as part of his housewarming celebrations. Cue mass horror, paralysis, shock, stasis and gnashing of team when the cork broke in the bottle. DW did not have a corkscrew in his new home, and thus, the Port Ellen was literally one inch away, but we had to pass it by.

After going home, DW unplugged the bottle, and decanted its contents into a wine decanter temporarily. The stopper wasn't airtight though, so better bottles needed to be sought quickly. I went back to Vom Fass, and this is the result:

It filled two 250ml bottles and about 3/4 of a third. I licked the funnel and the spare drop from pouring, and it was excellent. And rather unglam.

We sealed the two full bottles with tape, and tried the whisky from the last one.

Port Ellen 30, bottled by Vom Fass, 16 of 30 (53.1% abv)

Colour - Rich gold. The cask is a refill hogshead. It looks fairly viscous.

Nose - My goodness. Ok, let me get this down in order. Lemon citrus, really fresh. How? This is 30 years old, right? And that's the first wafts that comes up too. Smoke behind the lemon, and really salty. This is a beach! Salt, and suggestions of algae. Fairly sharp sea breeze with the saline levels and citrusy touch. Oak, liquorice, freshly shaven wood. Subtle fruits here, though I can't quite pin it. I would say something like...ripe peaches. But it's subtle. Some spices - pepper and ginger. The peat is somewhat muted, more vegetal than medicinal. Give it some time, and it gets a little malty and meaty - oatmeal porridge with a bit of salted fish-infused ham. No, that doesn't exist. 

Palate - This texture is unique. Like nothing I've had before. It's so fat and viscous, it feels like gel rather than liquid. A blob of whisky instead of a sip of liquid. Really, really full on the mouth. Leathery and chewy, as advertised. This is mind-boggling. Initial burst of smoke, and a lot of sharp lemons, before settling down. The spices - pepper and ginger - are there throughout. Oak is fairly present, but a really nice support for the smoke. Salty and savoury, though not bacon territory. Maybe a lightly smoked ham that's been blanched or soaked in soup for a while - reminds me of the ham they put in your macaroni with soup in Hong Kong's cafes. But with smoke. The fruits are, as they were on the nose, fairly subtle. Pears, peaches, and a hint of...chiku? That'll be sapodilla, for those of you in colder climes. There's a touch of sawdust on this palate. There's a growing minerality - copper and limestone, that somehow goes really well with the viscous texture. That's an amazing development. 30 years well spent.

Finish - Long, lingering smokiness. The lemony citrus stays too. Fairly drying, and strong hints of tea tannins. Salty and gingery/peppery. Somehow, still somewhat metallic. There's wood too. Metal and wood - that's basic materials for Civilizations building.

Overall - Mind-boggling, and amazing. I hope that this isn't the last Port Ellen I will ever taste. And, many thanks to DW for sharing it so generously.