Monthly Archives: January 2017

Flashback to the 1970s… Tormore 10 year 43%

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A few exceptions to my Whisky Live Survival Guide approach to sniff, sip and spit was the whiskies in the Collector’s Room.

First up in our selected set was the Tormore 10 year.

This Speyside whisky was a distillery bottling from the mid 1970s… yup you read that correctly, nearly half a century years ago.

For a distillery that only opened in 1958, for a time there were relatively few bottlings to be found – official or otherwise.

However that has changed more recently with a new set of official 14 and 16 year bottlings and select releases of rare older ones like this one.

For example, this particular bottle would set you back a mere £250 – if you can find it.

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Tormore 10 year “Pure Highland Malt” 43%

  • Nose – Rich sherry rum raisins in a very classic style
  • Palate – Super smooth
  • Finish – Finally a proper finish!

It was an enjoyable start to our sampling of rare and exclusive drams.

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Other whiskies sampled in the Collector’s Room included:

PS This whisky came compliments of my Whisky Live Singapore traveling companion – you know who you are and you know how much I appreciated experiencing these discoveries together!

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Whisky Live Singapore – Collectors Room

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Whisky Live Singapore has a special ‘Collector’s Room’ where the unique, rare and exclusive whiskies reside.

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Which ones did we chose?

Then had a bonus Bruichladdich 10 year 58%.

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Whisky Archives – Auchentoshan, AnCnoc, Deanston, Tomatin

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Here’s another post from our archives, this time courtesy of another member from April 2012…

The evening was delightful with a very special malt selection comprising of Auchentoshan 12 year 40%, AnCnoc 40%, a not so common Deanston 46.3% and a Tomatin 21% received as a gift from the distiller.

Deanston sampling in KLWe liked the bitter chocolate in Deanston and the strong, spicy mint (like pudina chutney not altoids) in Tomatin (quite complex and a great Cigar paring we think).

One found the AnCnoc was almost like Compass Box’s Spice Tree with it’s spice burst. Another loves lowland whiskies so anything from there makes a good after dinner drink for him, whereas yet another chose the Tomatin as his repeat drink.

We also discovered the dramatic difference in the overall experience of tasting the same whisky in two different glasses – a regular tumbler styled glass and the recommended nosing glass by Glencairn.

Fast forward…

While I missed sampling with our merry group, I managed to taste them at a later point… most recently the Deanston in Kuala Lumpur.

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Whisky Live Singapore – Benromach Hermitage 45%

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The danger of Whisky Live Singapore is you tease yourself with tempting drams… yet to survive, you have to resist savouring each and every one…

My first swish past the Benromach booth on day 1 was past the prime sampling stage yet left a continued very positive impression and above all – a commitment to return to the delightful Benromach 15 year in another setting.

I returned on day 2 when one of Benromach’s wood finish series joined the mix, more specifically – the Benromach Hermitage (2005/2014) 45%.

It gave the impression of:2016-11-13-benromach-hermitage

  • Nose – Light, bright, fresh crisp fruits, basil
  • Palate – Spice, wood, soft fruits
  • Finish – Bitter, dry with lots of wine tannins

The Hermitage Wood Finish is matured in first fill bourbon casks and is finished for 31 months in casks from the Hermitage Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, in the northern Rhône region of France.

Here’s what the Benromach folks have to say…

Without water:

  • Aroma – Swirl your dram around and enjoy those scents of summer… sweet summer fruits, refreshing red apples, and zesty lemon and lime. A touch of vanilla emerges and cinnamon notes develop, underlined by a touch of peat smoke and a peppermint edge.
  • Taste – Sweet and bursting with intense fruit… succulent dark cherry and orange, sharper kiwi and gooseberry… and these combine wonderfully with creamy milk chocolate and a gentle smoky edge.

With water:

  • Aroma – Nose your dram and you may detect lime and grapefruit at first, with hints of delicious toasted malt and sweet vanilla with eucalyptus notes in the background.
  • Taste – At first it’s gently spicy, quickly followed by sweet raspberry and tangerine flavours, and hints of almonds complementing the underlying peat smoke edge. The finish is gloriously long and fruity with a hint of smoke

It would be interesting to try all three wood finishes side by side – Hermitage, Château Cissac and Sassicaia. I’ve contemplated working towards curating a special ‘wood finishes’ tasting session which go beyond the standard oloroso & PX sherry and port finishes to explore other wines and spirits affect on whisky.

While just a teaser, Benromach Hermitage was a welcome first ‘research’ step…

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Whisky Live Singapore – Benromach

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During Whisky Live Singapore, you could frequently find me loitering around the Benromach and Gordon & MacPhail booth. There is a passion behind the pursuit for quality that is infectious and admirable.

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For a distillery whose whiskies I’ve enjoyed whenever an opportunity arises, I have had relatively few experiences conducive to preparing tasting notes. Whisky Live Singapore was no exception.

2016-11-12-benromach-15By the time I reached the Benromach booth on day 1, I was in sampling ‘over load’ and wasn’t about to waste good whisky on an unappreciative audience. When I did manage to take a break, return to sniff, swish and spit of their collection, my scribbles were lost somewhere along the way.

What I do recall though is that the Benromach 15 year 43% stood out as being exceedingly elegant, refined and beautifully well rounded. At the time, I remember swearing to myself that one day I would acquire a bottle to revisit it properly – just on its own – then share it with our Whisky Ladies in Mumbai.

On day 2, out came the Hermitage wood finish which did manage to make it into my new whisky note pad (post coming soon!).

Interestingly, I returned to Mumbai post Whisky Live to a session in which one of our Whisky Ladies chose Benromach 10 year 100° Proof 57% above all other options from her recent trip to Scotland.

Clearly I am not alone in appreciating what Benromach has to offer!

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Whisky Live Singapore – King Kavalan

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Kavalan has been sweeping global awards – garnering top World Whiskies Awards,  dominated the Malt Maniacs Annual Awards 2016 and many more.

So what did I have the pleasure of perusing in Singapore?

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Kavalan Classic Single Malt 40%

  • Light, fresh nose, smooth on the palate with a slightly sour bitter quality
  • Was like sipping a blend of bourbon, sherry and wine

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Kavalan Concertmaster 40%

  • What can I say about this one? Tried it many times… nothing wrong but also nothing exceptional… reminded me that while pleasant, simply doesn’t float my boat whisky wise
  • Ex-bourbon cask, matured for 2-3 years with a Port finish

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Kavalan ex-Bourbon Oak 46%

  • Nose was sweet honey delight, bright, uncomplicated
  • While clearly not sophisticated, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the ‘watered down’ version… having previously only been exposed to the ex-Bourbon’s cask strength cousin

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Kavalan Sherry Oak 46%

  • Lots of sherry berry nose, round soft on the palate with a bitter, dry finish that stays
  • Surprisingly enjoyable, nice long finish – much more than anticipated

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Kavalan Solist ex-Bourbon B100924087A Bottle 008/200 59.4%

  • Sweet and sassy on the nose, tipping to the softer bourbon notes, palate has substance and the finish is well rounded

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Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask S1001290048 Bottle 102/489 57.8%

  • Familiar territory with this one! Rich, sherry, berry, bursting with flavours, lots of liquorice in this one with a great big sweeping finish

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Kavalan Solist Fino Sherry Cask FI1007070264 Bottle 441/575 57%

  • I wanted to go “Wow!” but found this almost too dry and bitter for my taste, an interesting experiment and quite distinctive but not an easy dram

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Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique W120727102A Bottle 213/231 57.1%

  • Much more my style – some of the rich fruity elements yet more subtle than the sherry, a nice spice, dash of nuts, even a puff of smoke

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There is little doubt that in many circles Kavalan is indeed ‘King’ of whiskies at the moment. Even better – it remains accessible and even in the more affordable category versus others who have reached such heights.

Related Kavalan posts:

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Whisky Live Singapore – Nikka

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Next up after the Teeling trio at the Whisky Live Singapore was Nikka. It was such a treat to try their whiskies side by side in this way… my previous experiences were all separated by months or years, in quite different contexts where it would be impossible to make a connect between the different whisky characters.

With the exception of the Nikka 12 year, all were NAS – a trend that cannot be helped with the popularity of Nikka Japanese whiskies over the years.

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Miyagikyo NAS 45%

  • Miyagikyo has always struck me as a charming whisky… I last had a Miyagikyo 15 year 45% however had not sampled the new NAS
  • What did I find? Simply too young for my taste and not the nuanced delight I hoped for… must admit it was a bit disappointing

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Yoichi NAS 45%

  • By contrast, Yoichi has singularly impressed me with its bold character – particularly the Yoichi 10 year 45%
  • In my ‘speed dating’ revisit of the NAS Yoichi, what did I find? It still had character however I confess I’m looking forward to a return (hopefully) of a more mature avatar

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Pure Malt NAS 43%

  • I’ve had a few Pure Malt whiskies over the years, most of which have not made it to our proper tastings – most recently the venerable Pure Malt 21 year in Winnipeg which did make it into my stash to revisit
  • As for this NAS Pure Malt? It was more sherry berry than I remembered, also much more spice… certainly moving in the right direction

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The Nikka 12 year 43%

  • No stranger to this dram, The Nikka 12 year featured in a ‘Far East’ themed evening earlier in 2016
  • What was the fleeting impression in my revisit? Fruity spice – an easy drinking dram, nicely balanced

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Nikka Whisky from The Barrel 51.4%

  • Similarly, this wasn’t my first sample of ‘From the Barrel’ – it first found its way into our tasting sessions in 2014
  • No doubt this was intended to be the flourishing finish with its contrasting character of ripe plums, wood, sweet and spice… however equally this is a whisky best given time and a mere nip simply doesn’t do it justice

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No regrets stopping by to sample the Nikka whiskies however I hope their popularity does not eclipse the possibility of giving a bit more time to let their single malts mature…

For more details on earlier Nikka tasting experiences, check out:

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2016 Whisky Thank You…

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Sampling whisky is an expensive habit and one most enjoyable when shared. Rather than brag about brilliant drams, talk about top tipples, I want to start 2017 by saying thank you for those who aided in ways big and small Whisky Lady adventures. Because of you, 2016 resulted in over 200 posts – unbelievable!

Above, Whisky Lady in India is a collective effort – a chronicle of tasting sessions – so thank you fellow Mumbai whisky club members:

  • Our original private group that meets religiously at least 8 times a year on the 3rd Thursday for nearly six years.
  • I’m so proud of our Whisky Ladies of Mumbai – an amazing group of remarkable often unconventional ladies who forge unique paths in their lives… our monthly fellowship over a dram is something I look forward to!
  • And our Bombay Malt & Cigar gentlemen – you have introduced me not only to some mighty fine whiskies but the world of fine cigars. I still can’t believe I puffed up in smoke a $400 cigar?!

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Thank you also fellow bloggers and whisky aficionados:

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Two very specific thank yous:

  • Keshav – Friend and fellow spirits explorer, who turned an amateur interest into an avocation with The Vault Fine Spirits. I’m so proud of what you have accomplished!
  • Krishna – India’s very own Malt Maniac for generously sharing your insights and select rare samples from your collection… your dedication to the world whisky fabric is inspiring

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Thank you also distillery and industry well wishers who generously share their wares. Specifically:

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We also have global whisky mules who keep us supplied… sourcing interesting whiskies isn’t easy and many a different dram would never make it to our shores without you.

Above all, I would like to thank my partner. While he does not indulge in whisky, he indulges me – every day in small and big ways. Thank you.

For more related updates and activities, check out:

Whisky Lady – December 2016

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

Just wanted to raise a virtual toast and wish you all a very Happy New Years!!

As I was away in Indonesia for most of December, my Whisky Lady posts were mostly catch-up on earlier tasting experiences…

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Once again the Bombay & Malt and Cigar gentlemen managed to accommodate my mad travel schedule and arranged our night to coincide with my limited dates back in Mumbai. The theme was Berrys’ and a blend featuring:

Old Pulteney, Benromach, Bowmore, Hampden Old Pulteney, Benromach, Bowmore, Hampden

The Whisky Ladies may have skipped the December session, however I published the tasting notes on our November trio of ‘contributors choice’ whiskies plus an experiment comparing Glencairn and Norlan tasting glasses featuring:

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