Karuizawa 35yo 1978/2014

Karuizawa, probably the DRC of the whisky world now with prices going through the roof at recent auctions. A very generous friend decided to open one of these at a dinner party. This was a Number One Drinks bottling for LMdW aged 35 years in a bourbon cask. Should be interesting.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Nail varnish followed by intense apricot and pear accompanied by a hint of minty smokiness. The palate is strong on the citrus and honey with a spicy, medicinal finish. What a great dram with such varied complexity.

Whiskylive Singapore Part 3: Balvenie Tun 1858 and George T. Stagg

Taiwanese Tuns

This is the final part of the Whiskylive 2014 whisky tasting session. After so many amazing whiskies, what else could be on offer that could tempt us to have more as most of us were getting a little tipsy. Then we saw the Balvenies and it was a no brainer. The delectable pair that they had was the Tun 1858s, Batches 2 and 3. After the success of the Tun 1401 (Batch 4 reviewed here), Balvenie master distiller David Stewart decided to experiment again with another marrying Tun to create these batches exclusively for the Taiwan market.

Batch 2: Great nose with the usual honey, vanilla with a little leather overtones. Spicy on the palate with prunes, apricots and liquorice. A lingering sweetness on the finish but somehow feels that it lands slightly short overall.

Batch 3: Almost identical nose to Batch 2. Or maybe my olfactory receptors have been shot after so many whiskies. Taste and finish is a lot more balanced on this one though with chocolate and biscuit notes rounding up the profile.

One for the road

We wanted our last dram for the night to be something different from what we had tried. What better way to end with probably one of the most famous bourbons in the market, the George T. Stagg. This beast was a staggering 70.3% alcohol, which is classified as 'hazmat'. i.e. you cannot carry this stuff on airlines! We were almost afraid to touch it without adding water...almost...

 

Comments: Wow, what a punch! Toffee, vanilla, chocolate with spicy fruits with lots of oakiness in the finish. With a dash of water, it opens up with citrus and floral notes. What a way to end the evening.

Whiskylive Singapore Part 2: Hanyu The Game & Ichiro's 8 of Clubs

Who's got game?

Next, we had some fascinating whiskies from the Land of the Rising Sun. First up was a pair of Hanyus from Ichiro called The Game, one from a Mizunara cask (release #2) and the other from a Red Oak cask (release #3). These are special bottlings for Japanese spirits retailer Shinanoya and I believe almost impossible to find now. Those labels are absolutely gorgeous if anything else!

The Game 2nd Edition: Smells and tastes like a forest with fresh oak and grass dominating the palate initially followed by a vanilla sweetness and spicy, zesty lemon aftertaste. The Mizunara cask definitely adds an interesting dimension to this one.

The Game 3rd Edition: Herbacious with a little bite and peppery kick followed by a sweet minty finish. A very fine and elegant dram but if I had to pick, the Mizunara cask would be my choice.

 

A rare treat - 23 year Hanyu

To round off the Japanese whisky tasting, we tried a 3rd Hanyu which was the Ichiro's Malt 8 of clubs. This one is another exciting experiment by Ichiro to take an old Hanyu Hogshead cask and finishing it in an American Oak Puncheon.

Comments: An intriguing nose with vegemite, pepper and whiff of smoke. The taste is heavy on spice with hints of pine nuts and cocoa with a moderate slightly salty finish.

Whiskylive Singapore Part 1: Brora 1972, Glendronach 1970 and Port Ellen 18yr

 

Photo courtesy of whiskylive.sg

My favourite, and only large scale, whisky event in Singapore is the annual Whiskylive Singapore organized by La Maison Du Whisky. This year we were fortunate to get access to the Collector Room where there were many (too many in fact!) outstanding rare whiskies to be sampled. Let's get started on some of the highlights! The first three are interesting drams from independent bottlers.

The legendary 1972 vintage Brora

One of the first whiskies that caught my eye was the G&M 1972 Brora. I've always wanted to try a Brora, which is a silent distillery and quite rare to come by. In the world of whisky, the 1972 vintage for Brora was dubbed the finest ever produced (similar to a Bordeaux 1982 vintage) and is what generated tremendous interest in this distillery. While not an original bottling, I suppose I can't complain!

Comments: Salty smoke, grassy, followed by vanilla and lemon notes. Finish is peppery and waxy. What an unusual and complex whisky. Takes awhile to savour and appreciate and really grew on me with every sip.

They call this a dumpy bottle

Glendronach. Increasingly one of my favourite distilleries and go to whiskies if I'm in the mood for a sherry cask whisky. First time trying an independent bottling but this came highly recommended by the experts at LMDW.

Comments: The aroma of citrus and apricots followed by toasted sesame hits your nose immediately. The taste is honeyed with hints of bitter plum and a long smooth finish. Quality.

 

Can you ever go wrong with a Port Ellen?

Port Ellen, how I miss thee. My first Port Ellen was a 1978 4th release from Diageo (reviewed here). I was only just starting out my adventures in whisky and how I regret not buying more at the time particularly looking at the prices today. So naturally, when I saw this bottle my eyes lit up, ordered a glass and took a sip...

Comments: Hmmm....not quite what I expected. Light and grassy with floral and astringent notes followed by a dollop of smoke. Think of a Lowland whisky mixed with peat, a bizarre combination. Just didn't do it for me. Guess the answer to the aforementioned question is Yes. Sigh.

Tokyo Tastings: Joker, Mars and Ichiro

Back to Zoetrope, my favourite Japanese whisky bar in Tokyo. This time I wasn't rushing so had time to enjoy my whiskies and chat with Horigami-san, the owner, about his collection and his love for film. Will save the details of the conversation and get straight to the whisky!

This is no joke!

The first dram that I was keen on trying was the Ichiro's Malt Hanyu Joker, which is the final release from Ichiro's famous Card Series that sold out pretty quickly even though there were 3,690 bottles released. A shame he did not have the 1st release, which was a black and white Joker, to do a comparison but heaven knows how expensive it would have been.

Comments: Hint of nail varnish and mint on the nose followed by floral and cherry scents. The mouth is chewy with a mish mash of chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, peaches with a nice dallop of spice. The taste just keeps evolving in the mouth and it's hard to pin down an exact flavour profile. A very complex and unique dram in that regard. Truly an important piece of Japanese whisky history!

 Mars Attack!

Next up was an interesting pair of whiskies from Mars, which is from the Shinshu distillery located in the Nagano prefecture. Mars is probably the only Japanese distillery that does not export it's whisky so it's pretty rare to find it outside of Japan. I was quite excited to try 2 single casks, one sherry butt and the other American white oak, both aged 12 years and distilled in 1992, the year Shinshu stopped production before restarting again in 2011 focused on blended whiskies.

Mars Single Cask Sherry Butt #1124: Heavy sherry notes with pomegranate and a spicy, slightly oily finish. Not too bad!

Mars Single Cask American White Oak #1143: Vanilla, apricots and peaches are the variety of the day. Finish is again slightly spicy with a feinty finish. Quite yummy actually and I preferred this just slightly more than the sherry cask.

My eyes were probably bloodshot as well by then

For the last dram of the night I spotted a curious looking bottle with the Zoetrope label on it. A special edition Ichiro's Malt bottled for Zoetrope! This one is unique as it was finished in a rum cask. Why not give it a shot?

Comments: A little sharp on its own and really opened up with a few drops of water. Lemon zest and apples followed by a small wave of pepper and bittergourd. The finish is pretty long and you can taste hints of the rum cask which gives it a spicy and nutty kick at the end.

SMWS 26.63 and 125.30

My very first 2 bottles from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society purchased in Paris when I was in France for G's wedding more than a year ago. They believe in the beauty of single cask whisky and the variations in taste profile that occur cask to cask even within the same distillery. In my opinion, this is the 'true' single malt and is what makes whisky so fascinating and how it should be enjoyed.

THE REVIEW

SMWS 26.63: My very first Clynelish! Has a punchy nose with cinnamon and grassy notes. Upon tasting, lemon and apricots come through. Slightly too sweet for my liking but still a nice whisky.

SMWS 125.30: Oh my goodness! I would never have thought this was a Glenmorangie. Sublime honey (exactly as per the description of Winnie the Pooh!) with peaches and vanilla notes finishing the smooth and long finish. Very, very good and is hands down favourite of anyone who's tried it.

Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 4

From one of my favourite distilleries this is my first review of the very popular Tun 1401 series. We have Batch 4 here which is the marriage of 3 Sherry Butts & 7 American Oak Barrels. An interesting blended Single Malt!

THE REVIEW

Comments: Herbacious notes followed by zesty lemon and vanilla and honeyed finish. A good dram but not sure if worth the current prices they are selling for now.