Halloween Whisky - Glenfiddich 30 Year & Yamazaki 25 Year

Had the pleasure of going to a friend's place for a pre-Halloween dinner and unexpectedly, some seriously fine whisky. 

The first whisky we savoured was the Glenfiddich 30. I've always liked Glenfiddichs and the opportunity to taste on of their top end drams was definitely a treat. This one recently won the Gold Medal at the International Spirits Challenge in 2013.

Comments: Overall a superb whisky that goes down very well and suits all palates. Great balance overall with blends of citrus fruit, honey and vanilla overtones for a mellow, distinct flavour.

A Glenfiddich 30yr would typically be the highlight of any good night out...until an even rarer Yamazaki 25yr gets pulled out of the cabinet. This is the World Whisky Awards 2012 winner of Best Single Malt and is practically sold out everywhere.

Comments: Talk about intense. Chocolate? Coffee? Sherry? Surprisingly flavourful and deep for a 43% whisky. And the finish just goes on and on...lovely stuff.

Laphroaig Tasting

Being our favourite distillery, it is really surprising and shameful that we have not had a single review of Laphroaig on this blog. Well, that comes to an end now as we post our first official Laphroaig review with not one but FIVE bottlings!

THE REVIEW

Laphroaig 10 year: The base of where all the great Laphroaigs come from. Iodine, medicinal, seaweed, sublime.

Laphroaig 15 year: A smoother, more elegant version of the 10 year old. You can almost call it the 10 year old's older brother. Has won multiple awards at whisky competitions so taste to find out why.

Laphroaig 25 year: Cask strength and the marriage of aged Laphroaig whiskies matured in both Oloroso sherry casks and bourbon oak casks, this dram is surprisingly refreshing and tangy. You can taste both the sherry and the peat playing in your mouth followed by a long semi-fruity finish. What a great dram!

Laphroaig Quarter Cask: Matured in smaller quarter casks to speed up the maturation process, this experiment has turned out to be a great success for Laphroaig. Jim Murray calls it the closest to the classic Laphroaigs he has tasted 30 years ago. The taste is a little sweeter than a normal Laphroaig and the finish to be long and velvety.

Laphroaig Vintage Dec 1989 17 yr 2007 Feis Ile: Wow! A surprisingly complex Laphroaig for its age. Winey, lemoney, liquorice flavours take the foreground while the typical peat and medicinal flavours of Laphroaig sit nicely in the background. Very highly recommended.

Macallan Vertical (Finally)

We've been wanting to do our Macallan vertical for quite a while now but haven't been able to find the suitable occasion to do so. The opportunity presented itself when one of our good friends, GC, decided to pack up and leave for London to do an MBA. When asked to come over for the Macallan vertical, his reaction was a very subtle 'Why not?' Macallan is very well marketed as a premium whisky in Asia so let's see if it lives up to the hype. Tonight, we are attempting to be a bit ambitious and sampled 4 whiskies: Macallan's 1851 Inspiration, Fine Oak 18 Year, 25 Year and 30 Year.

The Review

Taste Profile

The Scoring

We were uninspired

Macallan's 1851 Inspiration: A very disappointing watered down Macallan. Absolutely not worth drinking at all. Stay away if you can!

Macallan's Fine Oak 18 Year: Sharp vanilla flavour and sherry on the nose. Apricot notes and hint of peat round up this fine whisky. A delightful whisky for any occasion. Worthy for rich yuppies and towkays (slang for boss in Chinese). Word of caution: Do not mix with Coke. I've seen it done before and it was painful to watch.

Macallan's Fine Oak 25 Year: Vanilla, pear, oak and a hint of peat. A wonderfully complex whisky that brought a tear to our eyes. Sensational in every aspect. A must for every collector!

Macallan's Fine Oak 30 Year: Strong flavours of bitter chocolate and leather. You can chew on the wood for ages. This whisky has a mature taste and a long, constant finish.

Verdict: The 1851 Inspiration was uninspiring to say the least. Nuff said. However, we feel that the Macallan Fine Oak series is an excellent range and an interesting change from the regular 'sherried' Macallans. I bet there are a few Macallan aficianados out there who would be willing to challenge me on this. Here is an article that I found that explains the Fine Oak Series more in detail. Enjoy!

The Macallan Fine Oak - How Fine Is It?