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 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.

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.

Glen Grant 16 Year

Was in Kuala Lumpur and visited C's restaurant for the first time. He recommended the Glen Grant 16 Year, a distillery that I have never actually tried despite it being one of the largest whisky brands in the world.

Comment: A very easy whisky to quaff. I think the 4 of us finished a bottle within an hour. Light, fruity and fresh is the best way to describe it with an amazingly smooth finish.

Whisky and Steak - Part 1 (Balvenie 16 Yr Triple Cask & 15 Yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask)

Last minute steak dinner pulled together at Y's house with some good friends. Had some really good wine to pair with the food but of course had to end the night with some whisky. We had a very random selection of 2 Balvenies, a 24 year New Zealand (yes New Zealand) whisky and the award winning 21 year Old Pulteney.

Let's start with the Balvenies which are recent additions to the range. The first is a 16 year Triple cask available exclusively for travel retail and the second is the newly released 15 year Single Barrel Sherry Cask that is replacing the Oak cask series (reviewed here)

THE REVIEW

 

Balvenie 16 yr Triple Cask: A bit light on the palate and somewhat disappointing. The usual vanilla and honey notes are there but lacks the usual full bodied flavour of a Balvenie. Maybe the 40% abv has something to do with it? For the price point there are other better Balvenies to be had.

Balvenie 15 yr Single Barrel Sherry Cask: A worthy successor to the Oak cask Single Barrel and great if you like sherried whisky. Apricots, raisins dominate with a hint of nuttiness and the finish is long and smooth.

Lagavulin Distiller's Edition (1994 & 1995) and Glendronach 15 Years Revival

Had dinner at one of our favourite sushi restaurants in Singapore after returning from Tokyo. Yes, I love Japanese food. Knowing that the head chef loves his whisky, we brought a bottle of Glendronach 15 Revival to savour as an after dinner drink. Before you knew it, he took out his personal stash of Hibiki 30 (reviewed here, what an amazing dram which was sold out everywhere in Tokyo!) and Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 1994 and 1995 (previous review of 1989 version here).

THE REVIEW

Lagavulin DE 1994: A sherried Lagavulin! Have forgotten what it tastes like already as it has been awhile since I've had the Distiller's Edition version. This one treads the balance nicely between sherry and smoke. The debate will forever rage whether this is better than the 16 YO.

Lagavulin DE 1995: The sweetness in this one overpowers the peat slightly in this one. A little more tannic on the taste buds as well. I prefer the 1994 although I know of people that prefer this one, probably because they prefer less smoky whiskies in general.

Glendronach 15Yr: Not in the same class as the single cask series but nonetheless very impressive for the price point. Fresh floral notes and a strong sherry punch hits you when you taste it with a candied finish. I'm stocking up on this one as an everyday dram!

Tokyo tastings - Ichiro's Malt Single Cask, Balvenie from the 80s and The Spoon

Bar Keith named after the Glen Keith, the owner's favourite distillery

Tokyo always never ceases to amaze me with the infinite number of whisky bars that have fascinating collections. Went to Bar Keith in Shinjuku after doing whisky shopping in Shinanoya and had the fortune to try 3 sublime whiskies thanks to the owner Koji-san, who was extremely knowledgeable AND spoke decent English.

Interesting label for an Ichiro's Malt

First up was a hidden gem, an Ichiro's Malt Single Cask! Bottlings from the now defunct Hanyu distillery are really hard to come by these days. This is my first Ichiro's Malt review and hopefully many more to come from this cult whisky maker...

THE REVIEW

Comments: Bursting with fruits, citrus and plums come to mind, followed by hints of cinnamon and vanilla notes finished. Drops of water bring out the maltiness just a tad. Great whisky! If only I could get my hands on some.

Is this Balvenie masquerading as Cognac? 

I mentioned that Balvenie was one of my favourite distilleries and this was what showed up on the table, a 1980s bottling of a Balvenie 18! It must've been my lucky day as there was only 1 serving remaining in the bottle. I could see Koji-san holding back the tears as he poured the last drop from the bottle.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: The distinct Balvenie cereal malt taste is more mellow and a fresh vanilla and oak finish hits you with hints of leather at the end. The water, barley and casks used must have been different back then. How the taste of Balvenie has evolved over the years.

Balvenie and Glenfiddich elope

Time for a nightcap and I was shown this interesting bottle called 'The Spoon' which is essentially a 23 year Balvenie single cask diluted with a teaspoon of Glenfiddich (in whisky circles Balvenie+teaspoon of Glenfiddich=Burnside). Apparently, this is done as stipulated by the distillery so the independent bottler cannot label the whisky they bought a single cask and dilute the parent distillery brand. Nonetheless, a 23 year Balvenie single cask is a 23 year Balvenie single cask, even if diluted with a drop of Glenfiddich. I was more intrigued by the cool label then anything else. On to the review...

 

Comments: Spice, honey and citrus tones with a medium long finish that is tannic and oaky at the same time. Quite enjoyable and a great way to end the night.

Glendronach 23 Years 1989 Cask 5470

How do you end a fantastic wine dinner night with good friends? With a great whisky of course! Found this hidden in my stash that I've been meaning to try for awhile.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: Yummy raisins and citrus notes dominate with a long clean honeyed finish. Lovely, lovely stuff. If you love sherried whiskies, these Glendronachs are the way to go. I am becoming a fan...

Laphroaig 14 Years Signatory 1998

Had a happy hour session with my reservist army mates and decided to bring an interesting bottle for them to try. This was a bottle picked up from our good friends from LMDW and came highly recommended.

THE REVIEW

Comments: The cask strength style definitely gives a punch! Grassy, floral waves followed by the inevitable smoked brilliance of Laphroaig. Crisp, medium finish makes it a good nightcap.

Ardbeg Tasting: Airigh Nam Beist 1990 & Uigeadail

 

It's been awhile since we tried the Ardbegs and we were in the mood for something punchy that evening. We had 2 interesting ones in the collection that were waiting to be opened, an Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990, which the distillery calls 'Ardbeg Ice Cream' and the Ardbeg Uigeadail, which won Jim Murray's Whisky of the Year Awards in 2009.

THE REVIEW

Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990: The usual powerful Ardbeg smokiness blends nicely with creamy vanilla notes with a hint of cashews and an oily finish. Solid!

Ardbeg Uigeadail: A full flavoured Ardbeg infused with sweet honey and caramel overtones. Nicely balancing the Ardbeg with sherry casks!

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.

Christmas with Hibiki 30 Years and Glengassaugh 1972

It's Christmas time and what better way to celebrate it than to have great whisky. We were having dinner with family and friends at an Italian restaurant and we had brought a Hibiki 30 years to savour at the end of the meal.

THE REVIEW

 

Comments: Wow! What an amazing whisky. If you think the 21 year is good, this one adds another layer of complexity with a fantastic nose filled with vanilla and luscious berries. This is such an easy and delicious drink to quaff that the bottle will be gone in no time. Only for special occasions.

We offered the restaurant owner a dram of the Hibiki and being a self professed whisky lover, he was subtly impressed. Not to be outdone, he was kind enough to let us try his personal bottle of Glengassaugh 1972 which had his name inscribed on it as a gift from a friend!

THE REVIEW

Comments: A really different whisky compared to the Hibiki, this dram is oozing with blackcurrants, apricots with peppery spice and strong sherry elements. It has an unbelievably long finish that never seems to end, surpassing even the Hibiki. In the owner's words, 'this tastes more like a fine cognac than a whisky'. 

Tokyo tastings: Nikka Yoichi 1991 & Rosebank 1983

Here's another whisky adventure from our travels to Tokyo. Went to a whisky bar aptly named Wodka Tonic tucked in a little corner near Roppongi hills with D and some friends.
Classic Japanese whisky bar - long wooden table, meticulously ordered shelves of whisky and the prerequisite bartenders in vests and bowties.
Some of the gems we saw at the bar were the Black Bowmore 1964 and Yamazaki 50 year (only 50 bottles available worldwide with a retail price of 1M Yen!). Unfortunately, they were way out of our price range and all we could do was take a whiff of heaven at the table. Fortunately, there were many other excellent whiskies available that were affordable. I now present you the Nikka Yoichi Single Cask 1991 and the Rosebank G&M Connoisseur's Choice 1983.

THE REVIEW

Comments: We liked the fresh fruity nose and taste of this one. Starts with an amazing burst of citrus and ends with elegant wood notes. Another testament to the great whiskies that Japanese are creating in modern times.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Another one of our favourites, the now defunct Rosebank distillery. Triple distilled goodness reveals the characteristic cut grass and floral notes. Light and fluffy, almost velvety texture. Excellent stuff.

Ballantine's Finest

A blend! It has been awhile since we sampled one (I think our Suntory Hibiki series was the last one) and we've sampled quite a few fancy blends before (Royal Salute series, Middleton, JW Blue Label). I also remember that the Ballentine's 17 year was also one of our first few reviews and we ranked it quite favourably. Now, let's see how it's 'younger brother' stacks up.

THE REVIEW

Comments: Scorched plastic was what we used to describe this. The nose was decent enough but the taste and finish was pretty and disappointing.