New year, new beginnings, new opportunities, new experiences. The first quarter of 2024 sped by! And has been full of interesting exchanges over a dram or two – a journey of discovery with other enthusiasts.

We kicked off the year with two sessions in Mumbai: the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents and then an informal Whisky Ladies. For the 1st, it was a rare partners’ gathering with my turn to contribute the whiskies! It was a tough choice, however, I settled on the following from Chorlton independent bottler: 

• Teaninich 12 year 54.2% From May 2022, matured in a Hogshead. Alas for us, a bit of a disappointment. 
• Benrinnes 14 year 55% Also from May 2022, matured for 10 years in a bourbon barrel then finished for 4 years in a sherry butt. Soft waxy fruitiness, then classic sherry palate, shifting with water into tart fruits.
• Deanston 12 year (2023) 52.6% From the Apr 2023 releases, matured in bourbon barrel, reputed to be young, zesty fruits, minerals, bready. 
• Glen Ord 8 year 57.9% From the July 2022 releases, matured in 1st fill Oloroso Hogshead, described as an old school sherry, jammy fruits, smoky and chewy. It was delicious and the clear “hit”!

This was followed the very next day by a special reunion with some of our Mumbai Whisky Ladies. My original plan was an exploration of Canada’s Shelter Point, however, I decided to stick with the Chorltons, given those who have been on our Shelter Point journey – including two fellow Canadians – couldn’t join. 

I also left behind in India an interesting assortment from a sample swap plus three sets of miniatures from Bombay Malt & Cigar sessions that I had missed – TWE Peaty trio, What’s in a Name, and an evening focused on Indie Bottlers.

Back in Germany, we set up the next few months of Nurnberg’s International Whisky sessions. This time with a few guidelines to help reduce the risk of draining a special bottle nearly dry! We kicked off with a fun approach with a session called “Surprise me!“ so named as participants brought a covered bottle, revealing only after trying.

• Auchentoshan 12 year 40% – A good place to begin, however perhaps not one we will run out to acquire!
• Green Spot 40% – A wonderful reminder a might fine dram
• Tullamore D.E.W. 40% – Made us a wee curious why this could possibly be the #2 most popular Irish whiskey in the world?!
• Glendronach 12 year (2018) 43% – Utter indulgence in a glass
• Glen Scotia 10 year (2013-2023) Port 46% (Whisky.de Clubflasche) – An interesting expression 

The next month it was followed by a theme of “Not Your Ordinary Blend” with:

• Glenalba 30 year Blended Scotch Whisky 41.4% – Remarkably reasonably priced for both the age and quality
• Wemyss Nectar Grove Blended Malt Scotch Whisky with Madeira finish 46% – Well crafted with ginger spice and lots of things nice!
• Berry Bros & Rudd Sherry Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 44.2% – A most enjoyable dram, again quite reasonably priced for the quality
• North Star Super Sonic Mach 3 Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 55%  – A powerhouse of sherry!
• GlenAllachie (2009/2011) Olorosso, Chinquapin and Grattamacco Tuscan Red Cuvee Cask Finish 55.9% – Whilst a departure from our theme, well worth savouring

February also brought a series of evenings with friends and acquaintances over different drams!

• Quest for a birthday bottle – Berry Bro’s & Rudd blends, Edradour, GlenAllachie
• Fary Lochan quintet – Exploration of a most unique Danish distillery

February closed with a special evening of mutual discovery... What specifically did we try in our wee gathering of friends over a few drams? It was a combination of sharing open bottles and an excuse to open a couple of new ones too. A few that stood out included:

• Raasay 46.4% – New kid on the Hebridean Island block…..
• Ziegler’s Aureum 7-year Single Malt (2008 – 2015) Chateau Lafite Rothschild 47% – A flood of memories of a remarkable 2020 weekend spent at the distillery with the Sharing Angels
• Ireland’s West Cork Calvados Cask Finish 43% – A complete contrast with the sociable dram anticipated
• Chorlton’s Glentaucher’s 14-year refill sherry butt 61.1% – An elegant fruity compote, opened especially for the evening to compare with the 8 year
• Chorlton’s Glentaucher’s 8-year first-fill sherry hogshead 61.2% – By far the star of the night

We marched on to March which brought Nurnberg’s The Village Whisky exhibition – with my activities limited to a Milk & Honey Masterclass and a small toast with the Sharing Angels.

Our Nurnberg International group had a wee St Paddy’s day celebration with Irish stew and of course Irish whiskies!

• Kilbeggan Single Pot Still 43% – A friendly Irish pub kind of dram!
• Jameson Triple Triple 40% – A pleasant accompaniment
• Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Bourbon + Olorosso 42% – Interesting to try
• Bushmills 10 year 40% – Ye old standard
• Connemara peated single malt 40% – A bit “blah”

March closed back in Bombay with the lads, being introduced to a trio of Waterford Irish whiskies! 

• Waterford Arcadian Farm Origin Heritage Hunter 1.1 Terroir HE01E01-01 50% with a yellow label and bright pink glass top, sold out at Eur 100
• Waterford Single Farm Origin Hook Head 1.1 Terroir F035E01-01 50% with a light green label distinctive yellow glass top, retailing for Eur 80
• Waterford Arcadian Farm Origin Peated Ballybannon 1.1 Terroir P062E01-01 50% with a dark label and smoky grey glass top. This exact whisky isn’t listed on the website, however similar whiskies retail for Eur 94.

This was immediately followed by an evening at St Regis featuring India’s latest Single Malt entry – Crazy Cock – a bawa whisky from amchhi Mumbai!

What else? Aside from the 2024 tastings, I also caught up on previous experiences. Such as an Appetizer Evening in London before The Whisky Show 2023 with:

• Glenfarclas 15 year 46% – Reminder of why we are partial to Glenfarclas
• Aerolite Lindsay 10 year 46% – A nice solid Islay dram
• Smokehead High Voltage 48% – Just not my kind of whisky. Period. 

Thankfully, we didn’t stop on such an unfortunate note. Instead, we carried on to compare two beautiful sherry drams – the Aberlour 16 year and the Arran Sherry. A fine and fitting close to our evening!

As for our Post-show evening in London? Aside from being a most enjoyable dinner with Sukhinder Singh, his wife, and friends, we also opened a bottle or two… as that is simply what you do!

• The Balvenie 19 year “A Revelation of Cask and Character” 47.5% A lovely dram, just not worth the hype or price tag
• Kavalan Vinho Barrique (2016) W160331032A 57.1% Bold and beautiful
• Braon Peat (27 Sept 2021) Refill Sherry Cask, Batch 8, 56.5% A proper Caol Ila dram

As I finished the last posts linked to our London Whisky Show 2023 experience, I was determined to finish the last post from the London Whisky Show 2022! Whilst relaxing in our wee country home in rural Maharashtra, I sat down and finally converted my scribbles into a post about the remarkable Masterclass: The Unbelievable Truth About Whisky with Gregg Glass, James Saxon, Alex Bruce, Sam Simmonds, Phil & Simon Thompson… It was truly like stepping into a private gathering of old friends, catching up and telling tall tales over a fine dram or two.

All in all, it was quite a couple of months of activities and discoveries. Let’s see what the next quarter brings!

Curious to know more? Check out a few more summaries:

• Whisky Lady – October to December 2023
• Whisky Live – July to September 2023
• Whisky Lady – April to June 2023
• Whisky Lady – January to March 2023
• Whisky Lady – October to December 2022
• Whisky Lady – July to September 2022

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