Category Archives: Blends

Johnnie Walker ‘The Spice Road’ NAS 40%

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I love 200 ml bottles of whisky! It is the perfect amount to sample solo, with a friend or two and even revisit.

Even better when they come free… as this little one did. Though I will admit, I did not buy the Johnnie Walker 1 L bottle that had it attached.

I will also admit the last time I had any kind of Johnnie Walker was at “The Journey” festival at Mehboob Studios in December 2014. For those in Mumbai end of the year – it really is a fabulous cultural event well worth catching!

However, I digress… let’s get to the whisky…

Johnny Walker 'The Spice Road'

Johnny Walker ‘The Spice Road’

Johnnie Walker ‘The Spice Road’ NAS 40%

What did I find?

  • Colour – Amber
  • Nose – There is a nice cinnamon, honey, as it airs sweetens more, a little smoke, some vanilla, cereals
  • Palate – Oddly flat, bitter, there’s that cinnamon again however it also has dried ginger and cloves, some peppercorns, quite dry, some malty caramel
  • Water – Even with just a couple drops its insipid – just don’t!
  • Finish – Limited, bit woody

At 40% it honestly is a bit wimpy, not complex and while the ‘spices’ are there, it isn’t in a well-rounded lip smacking kind of way.

So I recalibrated my expectations and threw caution to the wind! It was a warm evening..

Would it do well with ice? Not bad.

In fact if this is served at the next ‘The Journey,’ I might go for it… or consider it as a base for a more interesting cocktail – clearly others have this idea too! However as a duty-free exclusive that is unlikely.

So what’s this JW expression all about?

Focused on the lucrative duty-free crowd, the Explorer’s Club Collection with their Trade Route Series features three expressions:

  • The Spice Road for the journey from Europe to Asia
  • The Royal Route from Europe to Persia
  • The Gold Route of the Americas and Caribbean

What do they say about The Spice Road?

A complex whisky with rich flavour and exceptional smoothness. Matured in old oak casks for an intense finish inspired by the spice markets of Asia yet true to the Johnnie Walker signature.

What others say:

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Compass Box – Asyla 40%

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I’m in love with a beautiful woman… and her name is Asyla.

And who exactly is she? Another captivating Compass Box  blend…

Asyla was named for the plural of asylum, playing on the word’s ambiguous character – sanctuary or madhouse. John Glazer, whisky maker, waxes poetical about a piece of musical inspiration and reflects on whether whisky, like music, can be an asylum… as he describes his creation:

… for a delicate, comforting yet luminous whisky such as this, one which gently enlivens the sense, I have always felt ASYLA an appropriate name. And I believe our lute-playing minstrel is an appropriate image for this label, depicting that penumbra between ecstasy and serenity.

Asyla (Whisky Lady)

Asyla (Whisky Lady)

And what did our Whisky Ladies have to say about Asyla?

  • Colour – Pale straw
  • Nose – Floral, fruity, exceedingly light, vanilla… in short like a feminine perfume
  • Taste – Yummy! Quite delicate, warm, toffee, more vanilla with the lingering floral element, surprisingly ‘thick’ on the tongue, subtle yet with quiet substance
  • Finish – Smooth!
  • Water? Don’t think anyone tried… perfect as is.
  • Overall – Without being insanely sweet, it is like a fluffy desert! Or everyone’s perfect woman in a whisky.

For many, this whisky was the favourite of the evening. A few of us were already massive Compass Box fans, those that weren’t, became converts in the making…

Here is what our note-taker of the evening predicted:

Carissa will probably steal the remainder and snuggle with the bottle for the rest of the evening…

Confession… I did.

Here is what the folks over at Compass Box have to say:

A blend of soft, fruity malt whiskies on a bed of rich, sweet grain whiskies. All whiskies aged in first-fill American oak casks to yield the trademark Compass Box style: soft, rich, vanilla-tinged, delicious. See why this, the lightest of our whiskies, wins the most awards!

For those that want more ‘facts’, Asyla is a blend of single malts from the towns of Alness and Longmorn; single grain whisky from Fife.

However who cares about facts when an achingly lovely lady enters into your life?

The Compass Box sampling suite enjoyed so far include:

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

The Whisky Ladies of Mumbai!

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What do you get when you combine kick-ass brilliant women and interesting whiskies? An insanely good time!

Years ago, I was interviewed as a woman whisky drinker, with the implication that the fairer sex enjoying a good dram is something new. Let me be clear – it is not!

However at all the recent whisky ‘Master classes’ in Mumbai and Delhi, lead by Master Distillers hoping to capture the hearts and palates of the Indian market, just where were the other women whisky appreciators? Why was I a rarity rather than the norm?

Wake up gents! We do exist… we are a growing tribe globally… no less so in India… and you ignore us at your peril!

So, how did this particular ‘Whisky Ladies’ event come about?

It all started with an innocent query about whisky drinking habits… Which lead to a conversation about women whisky afficiandos… Which sparked an idea to bring together a few ladies for a fine evening!
Without any effort, it was easy to gather a group of amusing women with diverse interests and one shared passion – whisky. Our host for the evening opened her gorgeous home in South Bombay for a most convivial setting – perfect for a merry night!
Whisky Ladies 1st Set (Table For One)

Whisky Ladies 1st Set (Photo: Table For One)

As for our killer line up of whisky?? Oh baby!

  • Compass Box’s Asyla – Love Compass Box blends and this delightful light number is like a joyous summer romp – fresh and flowery. A decidedly feminine start to the evening and a favourite of a few.
  • Kilchoman Coull Point – A complete contrast from a newer Islay distillery with a little wild ocean spray… top pick of one discerning whisky aficionado!
  • Nikka Yoichi 10 year – Then a jaunt to Japan for some mid–autumn cider after a wander through pine-filled British Columbia forests… Mmm….
  • Caol Ila 12 year – Ahh…. where would we be without this good old faithful Islay? Many fans in the room welcomed back an old friend!
  • Ledaig 1997/2013 46% – From the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, we closed our evening with a little trip to the Isle of Mull. Calmer seas, peat smoke, complexity with an enthusiastic conclusion – “It’s really, really, reeaaaallly yum!” This one caught favour with more than one female!

I can’t wait for Pollywood‘s weekly vlog which will have a few seconds from our evening. And with the success of our first gathering, there is no doubt this will become a monthly affair!

In fact, such are our ambitions there was talk of hatching plots to get Whisky Live (or something similar) back to India…

So gentlemen be warned. We are loud, proud whisky sipping women and we aren’t waiting around for an invitation. We’ll be making them!

Nikka 'Yoichi' 10 year (Table For One)

Nikka ‘Yoichi’ 10 year with goodies (Photo: Table For One)

Quote of the night from our host: “Please guys, let’s now just enjoy!!” Considering 3 bottles were emptied… we did indeed comply.

Farewell my lovely Ledaig (Table For One)

Farewell my lovely Ledaig (Photo: Table For One)

For a few amusing takes by some other Whisky Ladies… check out:

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Compass Box – Juveniles 46%

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One of the Compass Box whiskies I sampled recently at La Maison du Whisky in Singapore was the playful Compass Box Juveniles.

Compass Box Juveniles sampled at La Maison du Whisky (Whisky Lady)

Juveniles sampled at La Maison du Whisky (Whisky Lady)

Here is what I found:

  • Colour – Light straw
  • Nose – Sweet, fruit with plums and pears, a touch of vanilla… after the first sip, takes on an even sweeter overripe fruit dimension
  • Taste – A little spicy with cinnamon, cardamon and perhaps a little cumin, herbal with sage and thyme, delicate
  • Finish – Light and sweet, doesn’t scamper off immediately but remains teasing
  • Overall – Delightfully playful

This is a clear example where the marketing and whisky character are a perfect match. The green juvenile joker on the label is spot on with the whisky – joking, teasing, chortling its way around your palate. This is no mature robust serious complex dram, it is unabashedly effervescent and fun.

The original bottling was exclusively for the Juveniles Bistro a vins in Paris and I understand it had a stronger character yet still in keeping with a light convivial atmosphere. However its popularity lead to Compass Box creating a 20 year anniversary edition and now a limited retail version.

The one I sampled was bottled in September 2014, part of 1,806 bottles and contains whiskies sourced from Glen Elgin (apparently 15 year) and Clynelish (thought to be 9 year) distilleries, aged in American oak barrels.

Compass Box Juveniles (Whisky Lady)

Compass Box Juveniles (Whisky Lady)

We’ve so far enjoyed the following Compass Box :

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

Compass Box – The Peat Monster 46%

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A recent visit to La Maison du Whisky in Singapore provided a chance to try two new Compass Box offerings. Which prompted a desire to revisit our Compass Box trilogy evening…

Tasting Notes from 21 August 2014

Following our standard approach, we tried ‘blind’ different whiskies before unveiling a theme night of three remarkable blends from Compass Box: Great King Street Artist’s Blend, Spice Tree and The Peat Monster.

Peat Monster isn't so scary after all..

The Peat Monster 46%

  • Colour – Again back to a lighter wheatish shade à la Great King Street Artist’s Blend
  • Nose – Instant Wow! Peat, rubber, a little blue cheese …. After the first powerful notes faded, revisiting was like the waft on opening a closed closet in the rains – that peculiar queer monsoon mold odour!
  • Palate – Peat and ash with mellow spice, not so much smoky as just a well-rounded complex peat, surprisingly smooth for such a forceful dram
  • Finish – Oh baby! A peaty ash, sweet and not harsh at all…. 5 mins after sipping, it still remained romancing ones taste buds…
  • Add water? Oops! We missed trying that… somehow it was just one we enjoyed ‘as is’ without the temptation to try a few drops of pani

Our blind verdict? Yummy yummy! Well worth revisiting during those moments where you need something to just envelope in rich peaty warmth!

The unveiling – Don’t let the name dissuade you! Yes The Peat Monster is peaty but it is also exceptionally balanced.

As Compass Box describes it

“combines extremely smoky malt whisky from Islay with medium-peated Highland whiskies to create a balanced and approachable monster, but a monster nonetheless. Enjoy!”

And yes… enjoy it we did!

Comment of the night

“The Peat monster had a queer smell but was certainly not monstrous enough to scare any of us.”

Compass Box Trilogy

The unveiling was a visual treat. Compass Box takes creative design of the bottles as seriously as the blending. For several, the evening favourite was Spice Tree, however all are well worth trying!

Now… I’ve had my eye on The General but that price tag in Singapore is definitely a deterrent…

Other Compass Box treats sampled:

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

Compass Box – Spice Tree 46%

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On a recent trip to Singapore, I stopped by La Maison du Whisky and sampled two new Compass Box offerings. It reminded me of an August evening a year ago when we were treated to a Compass Box trilogy and decided to revisit…

Tasting Notes from 21 August 2014

Following our standard approach, we tried ‘blind’ different whiskies before unveiling a theme night of three remarkable blends from Compass Box: Great King Street Artist’s Blend, Spice Tree and The Peat Monster.

Spice Tree was the second from our trilogy…

Spice it up with Spice Tree

Spice Tree 46%

  • Colour – A bit more depth than our 1st offering (Great King Street Artist’s Blend)
  • Nose – A delight! Cheese, jack fruit, more sea salt, sweet with a little zest of orange. Quite playful, with a hint rubber and vanilla. From the nose alone, speculated may have spent some time in a bourbon cask…
  • Taste – Rubber, well roasted spices, yet still roguish. Some described it like the sweet spice one finds in chilli chocolate
  • Finish – Much more character than the Great King Street Artist’s Blend. Warm, lingering, sweet like a turmeric leaf
  • Add water?  The chili spice burns even sweeter

Our blind verdict? More of a weekend drink – perhaps Sunday evening when one can sip and savour. The finish alone is superb and worth a lazy leisurely setting. Could pair with chocolate to melt with the sweetness or perhaps cheese? Yet has enough character to hold its own with a meat course. None could quite place it, though there was a sense we have tried cousins of it.

The unveiling – Made from 10 year Highland malt whiskies with new French oak heads, perhaps the cousin we sensed is the Clynelish element? Apparently our friends at Compass Box got themselves into a spot of trouble when they first launched this remarkable blended malt. Check out more of the story here.

Comment

“The Spice Tree was more complex than I initially thought. The spices start “cooking” if you keep the whisky long enough in your mouth (just like my wife starts getting irritated if I keep her waiting long enough), and yet the finish has the sweetness of a bourbon cask (unlike the finish of my wife’s wait.)”

Aside from getting our whisky sampler in trouble with his better half, I would certainly agree that the Spice Tree does better when it has an opportunity to breathe a little, slowly sipping over time as the spice elements blend and mellow.

Other Compass Box treats sampled:

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

Compass Box – Great King Street Artist’s Blend

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One of the things I appreciate most about La Maison du Whisky is they are happy to share tasting samples. Naturally these are provided by the distilleries / bottlers / blenders to promote their products. However the opportunity to ‘try before you buy’ is something I welcome – especially when accompanied by insights from someone who really knows his stuff.

So when I tasted two new Compass Box offerings, I had a flashback to our Compass Box trilogy evening from August last year. Which means, you are about to join a wander down memory lane…

Tasting Notes from 21 August 2014

Following our standard approach, we tried ‘blind’ different whiskies before unveiling a theme night of three remarkable blends from Compass Box: Great King Street Artist’s Blend, Spice Tree and The Peat Monster.

Great King Street Artisan's Blend

Great King Street Artist’s Blend, 43%

  • Colour – Very pale
  • Nose – Light citrus lemon, yet sweet not tart, fresh peaches, slightly reminiscent of a Glenmorangie but more delicate and nuanced
  • Palate – Spice burn, slightly bitter with a hint of sea salt. When trying to describe the spice note, seemed like a kaccha (raw) spice that hasn’t been bhuno’ed (cooked) sufficiently… One described as ghat (strong spice)
  • Finish – Fairly limited… definitely not a lingerer…
  • Add water? The spice reduced with the fresh sweet lemon coming back full force!

Our blind verdict? A beautiful young teenager… more of a brunch drink that could be a marvelous base to a delicate creative cocktail. With its freshness, perhaps a whisky mohito?

The unveiling – A delight to try such a carefully crafted blended whisky. Named after Compass Box’s headquarter’s street… the Artist’s Blend brings together mostly Lowland Grain Whisky with Northern Highland and Speyside Single Malts. Throw in first-fill American oak and European oak ex-Sherry butts, toasted French oak and we have something interesting.

Footnote

One of the samples I tried in Singapore June 2015 at La Maison du Whisky was the new Compass Box version of Great King Street – Glasgow Blend. Personally the Glasgow Blend is closer to my preferred whisky style with a bit more character – fuller bodied smokey sweet lovely peat. While I didn’t pick up a bottle of it (much cheaper to acquire in the UK where I’m heading soon), it certainly is one I plan to keep an eye out for future purchases.

Other Compass Box treats sampled:

From time to time, you can also find other whisky related updates and activities on:

Bailie Nicole Jarvie (BNJ) NAS 40%

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Our January 2015 Mumbai’s whisky tasting club‘s session was hosted by our resident expert and the first whisky sampled was the Scottish blend Bailie Nicole Jarvie – better known as BNJ.

As per our usual approach, we first blind tasted the whisky and then revealed it to then resample and discuss further.

Bailie Nicole Jarvie (BNJ) NAS 40 %

  • 20150115-BNJColour – Pale
  • Nose – Very light, honey, initially had more the scent of fruit than anything specific, then a hint of banana emerged, and vanilla. Post the initial tasting as it settled further to a delightful baked apple pie!
  • Palate – No palate complexity, had a sense of being watered down, slightly bitter and frankly a let down
  • Finish – Not much… if you were polite, you would call it delicate

Before revealing the whisky, we were challenged to identify what it reminded us of – it seemed most like a Glenmorangie – recalling the Nectar D’Or. The unveiling:

  • Scottish blend from Glenmorangie – bravo to our identifying prowess!
  • Our host shared it has been an ‘original’ blended malt long before vatted malt Monkey Shoulder came into picture, a ‘cult’ amongst Scottish whisky drinkers
  • Personally I love the packaging! A pity the whisky wasn’t more interesting…

We did let it breath further and revisited a few times during the course of the evening to see if anything new emerged. Other than the baked apple pie in the nose surfacing, it remained consistently light, pleasant and unremarkable.

Curious, I found out a little bit more information:

  • Blend of old scotch whisky from Lowland, Highland and Island whiskies – according to the bottle notes, all over 8 years
  • While boasts of having the “highest malt content of any blended Scotch Whisky” it seems that it is 60% single malt / 40% grain whisky
  • Blended by Glenmorangie and named after the Walter Scott novel – Rob Roy
  • Considered largely unknown outside of Scotland, was around in 1921 and quite popular in the early 20th century
  • Was re-launched in 1994 in the current avatar shown here

Our final conclusion? It is a mild-mannered whisky that could prompt more conversation than the Glenmorangie 10 year but in that same category. In other words… pleasant but nothing spectacular.

Other whiskies in our January tasting session:

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Jazzy Monkey Shoulder

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When I started Whisky Lady, I had a vague notion of creating a separate space for sharing more than just our monthly tasting notes from a private whisky club in Mumbai…

What better than revisiting a bottle conveniently in the cabinet?

The context

The volume of a jazzy funky beat is high, my partner’s rich baritone accompanies the sexy sax as he rehearses his last-minute substitution in a play ‘Bombay Jazz‘ for the Celebrate Bandra Festival. It is a play he normally produces rather than acts in… hence a bit of panic has set in… all the more reason to get into a more relaxed mode.

The weather in Mumbai is decidedly warm, so I was in the mood for something that I wouldn’t cringe at adding a drop or two of cool water or even – gasp! – a small ice-cube.

The choice

While we have sampled Monkey Shoulder in our monthly tasting sessions, I missed writing tasting notes on this blend of three Speyside single malts: Kininvie, Balvenie and Glenfiddich.

The name is inspired by the folks who developed a strain from turning the malting barley by hand – and for their troubles would acquire a ‘monkey shoulder‘. While the photo doesn’t do justice, there are three little monkeys on the upper right side of the bottle representing the three malts that go into the making of this blend.

It is also one of those whiskies that is relatively accessible, not hard on the pocketbook and consistently good. In this case, I picked up a bottle in Singapore on my last trip expecting to use it for the inevitable parties.

As we had a gathering recently, I already had a bottle open. It came from Batch 27, so I felt zero guilt in taking it down from the shelf to re-sample…

Jazzy play & Monkey Shoulder make a good mix!

Jazzy play & Monkey Shoulder make a good mix!

The tasting notes

So… just what did I find in revisiting William Grant’s Monkey Shoulder?

  • Nose: Citrus, sweet honey warmth, light with a hint of vanilla
  • Taste: Mild mannered, mellow and smooth, a dash of cinnamon and a prick of spice
  • Finish: While not a long-term lingerer, a delightful warmth with clove more than cinnamon

The experiment

However I wanted to experiment a little…  and did something I’d normally crinkle my noise at… I added a single small ice-cube…

Aside from the relief from a little blessed cool… what did it do to the whisky?

Yes it did bring out a tinge more spice, yet Monkey Shoulder was smooth enough to not be defeated by a mere bit of melting ice… however it did dampen the nose considerably.

So I thought to experiment further… what would happen if I added back a tinge of citrus tartness with a squeeze of half a lime?

What delight! The freshness of the lime brought a new dimension…

Then what about a drop or two of Angostura bitters?

A dancing jig on the nose… citrus, sweet, with the vanilla resurfacing after being lost with the ice cube.

And now… what if I added a splash of cool soda water?

Houston! I do believe we have a cocktail! Yup… I might just offer this to someone else interested in a refreshing bright beverage.

If I had a sprig of mint, may have even thrown that in too…

Conclusion

On a hot sultry night, whisky cocktail and jazz make a combustible combination!

Care to share your opinion of the Monkey Shoulder? Or have a whisky cocktail to suggest? I’m clearly not completely averse to the idea…

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