After our Douglas Laing trio of Timorous Beastie 46.8%, Epicurean 46.2% and Rock Oyster 57.4%, we shifted gears to Germany with a restaurant cum independent bottler Sansibar.
This was not my 1st brush with Sansibar…. I had snagged a cask strength Islay dram for my whisky tasting groups a year earlier… shared in two sessions:
I then had a chance to try more of their range at Singapore’s Whisky Live in November 2017. There was no doubt one of the set I tried was coming home to Mumbai to share…
To then have an opportunity to try it together with BOTH the Whisky Ladies and Bombay Malt & Cigar gents? Along with other independent blends? Well it seemed like just the right opportunity!
Sansibar’s Spicily Sweet 48%
- Nose – Mmmm…. caramel sweet… lots of toffee… Christmas pudding, coconut, brandy butter tart, then started to reveal more fruits like papaya, shifting back in vanilla, more baked goods like butter pecan pie, a hint of cinnamon and other sweet spices
- Palate – “Wow!” It was one of those whiskies where articulating the experience in specific descriptors was lost in the pure pleasure of just enjoying the palate. Nicely rounded, sweet and spice beautifully balanced. In short – it was simply delicious.
- Finish – Continued in the lovely sweet spicy vein
- Water – Why add? Not needed at all
For most this was a return to their whisky ‘happy place’… particularly for one of our gents, this was “his” style of whisky and a perfect accompaniment to a good cigar.
There were a few ‘outliers’ with different impressions. One lady remarked it started off with “old sock” scent.. which may sound atrocious but it actually quite common and not a disaster in drams. Another said she found naphthol in the finish….
Yet the overall consensus was this was an enjoyable dram, aptly named “Spicily Sweet” with more emphasis on the sweetness than the spiciness.
Here’s what the folks at Sansibar have to say:
| COLOUR | gold |
|---|---|
| NOSE | Honey, figs, prunes on butter crumble, with marzipan, raisins, caramel and cinnamon |
| TASTE | Sweet honey, herbal liqueur, caramel and almonds, with pepper, cinnamon and dried fruit |
| LEAVING | Spicy, peppery, with dried fruit and hazelnut |
Photo: Nikoulina Berg
This bottle of Sansibar Spicily Sweet was purchased at La Maison du Whisky, Singapore for approx SGD 150.
What were the whisky blends explored?
- Highland blend – Timorous Beastie 46.8%
- Islands blend – Rock Oyster Cask Strength 57.4%
- Lowland blend – Epicurean 46.2%
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