Category Archives: Other

Barbados Rum – FourSquare Criterion 10 year 56%

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When my fellow spirits adventurer and I first sampled this rum with Sukhinder Singh in London – we were blown away. We both bought bottles from The Whisky Exchange and were rather impatient to engineer the right opportunity to try again.

It came out at the close of a rather ambitious tasting evening that started with a set of whisky minis of a peaty persuasion – Peat Chimney 12 year 40%, Big Peat 46%, Longrow 46%, BenRiach Peated Quarter Cask 46%, Ledaig 10 year 46.3%…

Followed by rum Quintet of Diplomatico 40%, Zacapa 23 Solera 40% vs XO 40%, El Dorado 12 year 40%…. then this Criterion… added as a ‘reward’ for our extensive tasting adventures!

Foursquare Criterion 10 year (April 2017) Ex Bourbon / Ex Madiera 56%

  • Nose – Chocolate, berries, lemon grass, nutmeg, tropical fruits
  • Palate – Lovely rich spices, creamy, rich and dry, multiple elements at play
  • Finish – Yes we had a finish with this rum, initially a bit sharp, it mellowed beautifully

This Barbados rum is matured in ex-bourbon & Madeira casks, uncoloured with no additives.

Tasting notes by Billy Abbot, The Whisky Exchange:

  • Nose: Intense brown sugar and roasted tropical fruit to start – pineapples and bananas. Salted caramel and baking spices follow, with nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon joined by a hint of sweet butter. Underneath are sharper notes of candied lemon, and sweet and sour toffee apples.
  • Palate: A burst of Crunchie bars is balanced by touches of barrel char. Caramel runs through the middle with singed sultanas and apples leading the way to medicinal touches that quickly fade under a Portuguese custard tart onslaught. Oaky tannins dry out the sides of the mouth while sweet fruit builds in the middle: more toffee apple and banana.
  • Finish: Mouth-watering, with dark chocolate, treacle toffee and Crunchie bars sat alongside stewed apple and barrel-char bitterness.
  • Comment: Intense, with sweetness balanced by hints of char. The cask influences really make themselves known, with the dual attack of toffee and custard tarts harking back to their previous occupants.

What else did we sample in our rummy evening?

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Guyana Rum – El Dorado 12 year 40%

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After the Diplomatico and Zacapa duo in our rum sampling evening, was  El Dorado. My 1st brush with El Dorado was the 15 year version at the close of a whisky tasting session, paired with a delicious desert.

El Dorado 12 year 40%

  • Nose – Raisins, very sugary, strong caramel
  • Palate – Alcohol to the extent of being more cognac like than rum

By this point you could tell we’d had enough… Truly there is much more going on with this rum and I certainly recalled quite enjoying it with a previous tasting experience as a ‘finish’ to a delightful evening of whiskies.

El Dorado is from Guyana and here’s what the folks over at El Dorado have to say:

Lush tropical fruit and spice nose with hints of honey and dark sugar. Round, mellow, full bodied palate with rich flavours of fruit and spice. The finish is delightful, elegant and dry.

“Hedonistic and well balanced”

What else did we sample in our rummy evening?

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Guatemalan Rum – Zacapa 23 Solero 40% vs XO 40%

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Next in our rum sampling was a head-to-head of two Zacapas – the 23 Solero and the XO… Zacapa rum is from Guatemala.

Before proceeding, there is a caveat… we are primarily whisky aficionados… and this rum distraction followed a rather marvellous round of peaty whisky minis. So I do hope our scant notes can be forgiven and instead just sit back, relax and enjoy our light meanderings into the realm of rum…

Zacapa 23 Solero 40%

  • Nose – Sweet, woody, prunes, cream, almost like port, then shifts into a Malbec, rum raisins
  • Palate – The port like quality is even more pronounced on the palate, more raisins, rich and robust, lots of the deep sherry spice and dark fruits

Here is what the folks over at Zacapa have to say:

Combining a blend of rums from 6 to 23 years old.

  • Keynote – Wonderfully intricate with honeyed butterscotch, spice oak and raising fruit, showcasing the complexity of the sistema solar aging process.
  • Nose – A soft start which develops complexity in the glass; sweet aromas of caramel, vanilla, cacao and butterscotch, combining with layers of flavour indicative of the different barrels in the solera process; sherried notes of caramelised, roasted brazil nuts and toasted hazelnut, and the characteristic rounded toffeed banana and dried pineapple of ex-American whiskey casks.
  • Palate – Wonderfully complex, generous and full-bodied, with a sweet honeyed viscosity atypical of an aged spirit; a great depth of raisined fruit and apricot preserves, building to an intense heart of savoury oak, nutmeg, leather and tobacco with notes of coffee and delicately sweet vanilla, balanced with a spicy touch of cinnamon and ginger on the pleasantly astringent finish; truly a rum for the discerning palate.

Zacapa XO 40%

  • Nose – Honey, dry wood
  • Palate – Lighter, bitter, dry, woody

Here is what the folks over at Zacapa have to say:

Combining a blend of rums from 6 to 25 years old.

  • Keynote – A perfectly balanced combination of sweetness, spice, fruit and spirit, a connoisseur’s delight and the ultimate expression of the Master Blender’s art.
  • Nose – A very open nose with a wealth of aromas that seem to evolve each time you nose the glass; a great balance of mature toasted oak, burnt caramel, dry-roasted nuts, marzipan and orange peel; a delicate floral note of honeysuckle in the background.
  • Palate – A wonderfully complex and satisfying balance of sweetness, fruit, spice and spirit, all tempered by the extra ageing stage in ex-cognac French oak barrels; long, smooth and sweet with a weight of dark cherry chocolate and flavours of intense dried fruits like sultana, date and prune; sweet oak spices of clove, vanilla and cinnamon, and lighter notes of dried mango and raspberry, with a subtle hint of ginger to finish. A connoisseur’s delight and the ultimate expression of the Master Blender’s art.

We found the XO much more restrained on the palate than the 23 Solero. We also tried it in the Norlan glass to find it much smoother, revealing more rum like qualities with brown sugar soaked raisins.

What else did we sample in our rummy explorations?

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Venezuelan Rum – Diplomatico 40%

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The first in our rum minis evening was Diplomatico… which I first avoided at the 2016 Whisky Live Singapore – doing my best not to get my feminist hackles up over their dominatrix styled models wandering about to pique male interest in the rum.

However marketing faux pas aside (from my perspective at least), the chance to share a mini with a merry bunch seemed the best opportunity to get over my prejudice.

Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva 40%

  • Nose – Toast with butter and marmalade, then a bit of marmite, burnt sugar like a crème brulee, spiced rum raisins, caramel custard, a German Stollen or marzipan
  • Palate – Very sweet, lighter than anticipated

In short, this could be described as “sweet and delicious” like desert in a glass.

Diplomatico origins are Venezuelan and can be found in 60 odd countries.

What do the folks over at Diplomatico have to say?

  • Nose: Complex and characterful, with notes of maple syrup, orange peel, brown sugar and liquorice.
  • Mouth: Sweet toffee fudge and a seductive and elegant finish.

What else did we sample in our rummy evening?

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Rum Quintet – Diplomatico, Zacapa 23 vs XO, El Dorado, Criterion

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After our peaty minis session, talk turned to the emerging quality of unique single rums… in part sparked by a few rum miniatures peaking amongst the whiskies and in part sparked by the availability of a few rums to run a few comparisons.

What did we settle on?

This wasn’t my first brush with exploring rums… aside from the occasional opportunity to taste a single rum here and there, there was a rather memorable session at Whisky Live Singapore, Is Single Rum the new Single Malt? Masterclass with Luca Gargano and Dave Broom.

Other remarkable rums….

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Kreuzritter Elixirium Digestivum 30%

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With all my recent travels with two jaunts in two months to Europe for work, it isn’t a surprise that I managed to get a little distracted in Munich by a speciality liquor store and a much more affordable section in a supermarket with its rather civilized wine bar too.

And while Germany does make whisky, that isn’t really its forte. Instead Germany is known for its beer, wine, schnapps, kirsch and herbal liqueurs, known broadly as Kräuterliköre.

The most well-known is Jägermeister followed by Underberg and Kuemmerling.

Enter Kreuzritter Elixirium Digestivum… From a company formed in 2004 in Mühlen, Vechta a doctor, a nutritionist and a spirits expert with an idea to create unusual recipes for a premium herbal liqueurs and aquavitae market.

And while this blog remained firmly devoted to whisky tasting adventures, it isn’t a bad thing to get side-tracked every once and a while… so I found myself picking up a mini to try.

However warning – no elaborate tasting notes were made… just a few observations while giving over to a post meal sipping experience….

Kreuzritter 30%

I had anticipated it to be more bitter like the lip puckering yet fabulous Underberg, however the Kruezritter Elixirium Digestivum was much sweeter, less cloves and more herbal. It was also much lighter than expected, went down easily and was overall quite tasty though a tad too sweet for my palate preference… However I particularly enjoyed it on ice and looked down at my empty glass to realize it was gone too soon!

Here is what the folks responsible for Kreuzritter have to say:

KREUZRITTER is a fine and tasty digestive. His secret is rooted in 11 secret herbs which are responsible for the pleasent and light-spicy taste and smell. In addition, the KREUZRITTER contains 47 other extracts that are well known in herbalism. But the decisive factor is not only the sheer number of extracts contained, but also their selection and arrangement. The 58 extracts unite themselve in the KREUZRITTER with 30 % vol. Alcohol and a pleasant sweetness to a savory Elixir of the highest quality. The ingredients are selected from the best sources and are aranged together with a lot of passion and knowledge.

Hmm… even they don’t provide much specifics on the the actual tasting experience either!

PS Kreuzritter means ‘crusader’ in Germany with some disturbing crackpots using variations of the word as twitter handles…. just makes one sigh…

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Is Single Rum the new Single Malt?

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Recently while in London, my friend and I were conversing with Sukhinder Singh, owner of Specialty Drinks and The Whisky Exchange about what is new and interesting in the world of spirits. Without hesitation, a discussion commenced on single rums and more specifically Luca Gargano – a remarkable figure who has brought rums from around the world from the category of something to mix with coke for a cuba libra to stand on par with exceptional whiskies.

Clearly, this was a sign to finally share insights from my experience at the 2016 Singapore Whisky Live Master Class with master of all things malt – Dave Broom and the unforgettable character – Luca Gargano.

Before us were four brown spirits and one bonus white spirit. The question was to discern which was whisky, which was rum, gaining appreciation into each. Before serving, the rums and whiskies were carefully watered to be the equivalent of 46% to bring parity in strength between each.

1. Habitation Velier Forsyths White (2005) 57.8% (watered to 46%)

Quite clearly rum… and yet clearly no ordinary one…

  • Nose – Pear, apples, bright then becoming more sour
  • Palate – Marvellous spice, fruits, a slight tin or metallic quality, lots of oils, quite soft yet sumptuous in its dancing elements
  • Finish – After the initial burn, leather and pineapple, over-ripe fruits

There was an appealing, genteel yet quirky quality to this rum. Dave Broom observed it has an “Elegant, wonderful fruit… “ with a “funky character.” As it aired, it revealed increasingly sour elements yet still sweet.

The distillery closed in 1962 and then re-opened, remaining completely independent.

2. Balvenie 12 year Single Cask No 12742 47.8%

Whereas the 2nd sample was clearly whisky, yet had some qualities in common with the rum just tasted.

  • Nose – More sweet soft apples, an almost candy floss sweetness, floral, gentle honey, thinned bannana
  • Palate – Spiced yet soft, a kind of juicy fruity character, lots of creme caramel
  • Finish – Clean, soft and sweet

The overall pronouncement? One heard the exclaim – this is a “disgracefully drinkable dram!” And an excellent example of Balvanie character from a single ex-bourbon barrel, released in 2013.

3. Edradour 10 year (2006) 46%

Again, distinctly Scottish whisky yet with character…

  • Nose – Initially had a clear sherry stamp. As it opened, much more sour than the earlier two. Dried fruits, light “new shows” leather
  • Palate – Very smooth with a spice body, rich, powerful and slightly oily,
  • Finish – Sweet spices like cinnamon, all spice, shifts into liquorice, becoming dry, sweet, spice

Quite a beautiful sweet spice whisky and again falls into the category of “terribly drinkable.”

4. Hampden 2010 HLCF 68.5% (watered to 46%)

No doubt this was rum, of an exceptional character.

  • Nose – Darker sugars, spiced caramel, pineapple, egg nog… a symphony of aromas
  • Palate – Such flavours! So multilayered with spice, toffee, cream, roasted nuts, an almost malty quality
  • Finish – Delicious…

As we sipped and appreciated this remarkable single rum, Luca described with graphic imagines the conditions under which this rum is produced. He shared how they still use 18th century methods, in wooden vats, open with flies, horrible breadfruit, bacteria, in an environment that creates something “beautiful” with “fermentation that is magical.”

5. Clairin Vaval 58.1% (watered to 46%)

This last rum is quite distinctive and memorable. I could immediately place it as the Haitian rhum auricle, 1st sampled back in 2015 at La Maison du Whisky.

  • Nose – Very organic like new make spirit
  • Palate – Overripe fruit, tropical and distinctly different. Like sunshine in a bottle. Light sweet spices, a hint of vanilla, then warms into fruits, berries and even a hint of nuts.
  • Finish – Sugarcane, long and sweet

Luca spoke of history of sugar, from Java in 1770s to Haiti, no hybrid sugar cane, transported by donkeys, fermented and distilled in small pot still, then the evolution of multi-cultivation sugar cane.

Dave added his thoughts about the role of artisanal small stills “in conditions that make you humble“… full of “heart, as good, as clean terroir as one can get.”

In comparing the impact of tropical temperatures in which rum is typically produced vs whiskies in Scotland, Luca explained the correlation between evaporation and remaining spirit… pointing out how in just 6 years, spirits aged in tropical climates have only 610 ml remaining, comparing it with 25 years in Scotland with 600 ml.

In speaking about “Pure Single Rum” vs “Pure single Malt”, Luca shared his emphasis on transparency, giving information on the label, educating producers, retailers and bartenders, rather than pushing for imposition of regulatory rules… demonstrating a passion to bring unique, quality rums to the world.

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Of all the gin joints… Native Brews early experiments

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Whisky Lady in India is all about exploring the world of whisky, one dram at a time, with friends and solo adventures too.

However there are reasons rules should be broken every once and a while to spice things up.

And that’s exactly what the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai decided to do one February Sunday.

The venue was perfect… a desultory sunset overlooking the Arabian sea.

The slight chill that comes with a Bombay winter replaced by the growing heat… not quite scorching by day but inching upwards… enough to appreciate the wind off the waters and something a little cool to whet your whistle…

We began with a quick lesson on gin’s standard botanicals with an opportunity to take a whiff of the core ones, neatly packaged by our host and master alchemist – Susan Dias of Native Brews:

  • Juniper berries (Juniperus communis)
  • Coriander seeds
  • Angelica root and/or angelica seed
  • Lemon and/or orange peel
  • Coriander
  • Orris root
  • Cassia
  • Nutmeg
  • Black peppercorn
  • Cinnamon

Then came the real fun! An opportunity to try her new gin experiments…

#1 Gin “Sweet Delight” 42% 

  • Classic nose
  • Citrus on the palate with lemon peel, very sweet, coriander and pepper
  • After taste had spice, slightly bitter

Pairs well with guava, green mango

#2 Gin “Pushing the peppers” 42.8%

  • Lots of spices on the nose, particularly pepper
  • More coriander
  • Finishes with lots of wet peppery fennel

Reminds of Indian salami or… don’t laugh one even said  Axe body spray!

#3 Gin “Classic Style” 47%

  • All the elements pop out – distinct yet married well together
  • Just a hint more bitter than the others with a punchy finish spice

We closed our tasting with a chilled shot of “Mahua” a desi flower native to Maharashtra used to make a country liquor popular with the tribal community. Alas the restrictions and complications of India’s archaic liquor laws means you won’t see it on your shelves anytime soon…

Naturally our evening progressed from sampling to a sociable rather tasty Gin & Tonic made with the 3rd gin which worked perfectly!

Other gin explorations include:

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Jamaican Pure Single Rum – Hampden 2010 HLCF 68.5%

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At the 2016 Whisky Live Singapore one of the most interesting Master Class was the “Velier Master Class: Pure Single…” with Luca Gargano and Dave Broom, putting pure single rum head-to-head with single malts.

After experiencing the Hampden 2010, I was dying to share the unique experience with our Whisky Ladies! Luca was kind enough to indulge my wish and this bottle came back to Bombay with his compliments.

We sampled it completely blind, with no hint of what it was, coming after our “contributors choice” evening with Old Pulteney 21 year, Benromach 100° Proof and Bowmore Black Rock.

hampden-2010-hlcf

Hampden 2010 HLCF 68.5%

  • Nose – Mustard, licorice, varnish, egg nog, butterscotch, sweet maple, fig, nutmeg, milk then cheese, berries shifting into ripe grapes, over-ripe apples just before turning rotten, the South African cream liquor Amarula, fruit & cream, nuts, shifting into ripe tropical fruits, sweet toffee banana, some cinnamon spice, pear drops, a bit of balsam wood sap
  • Palate – Very unexpected… a complete flavour explosion. Spicy, buttery, oily… lots of warm heat, toffee, lemon candy
  • Finish – Strong, heavy, more of the Amarula cream
  • Water – Smooths it out, all the wonderful flavours are still there but now more accessible and not so overpowering

The overall verdict was “Wow!” It was clear there was something distinctive, remarkable and very unique about what we were sipping.

One lady mentioned it was a bit like wasabi peas – the spice hits you and initially you may not entirely like it, but then you get past the ‘pain’ threshold and start to love it, unable to help yourself from eating more and more.

All shared they had never tasted anything quite like it.

I encouraged adding water – not a drop or two but instead a very generous pour of water. Much discussion ensued about its character. Some absolutely loved it, some found it extraordinary but peculiar.

The reveal was a complete surprise. Rum? Seriously rum?

2016-11-13-hampden

There are a few spirits made with such craft that they achieve the calibre of a good single malt. Without a doubt, the Hampden achieves this. Similarly, the Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva Extra Anejo Tequila goes well beyond the standard tequila and could appeal to some whisky aficionados.

PS I did also share it with the gentlemen after our evening with Ghosted Reserve 21 year, Berrys’ Speyside & Islay... let’s just say they couldn’t wrap their palates around it.

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Moonshine in Mumbai? Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine 50%

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According to our Swedish whisky lady, moonshine is all the rage back in Sweden. So naturally she decided a bit of moonshine needed to make its way to Mumbai for the Whisky Ladies to try!

It was our ‘palate cleanser’ between the trio of single malts sampled before we cracked open the bourbons.

ole-smoky-moonshine

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Original 50% (circa 2016)

  • Nose – Big ass open bottle of pure alcohol, curds and whey, candy corn
  • Palate – Cucumber, coconut, butter, weirdly smooth for something so flatly in your face
  • Finish – Huh? Nah…

There was zero doubt we were drinking hooch! The odd thing is it didn’t seem to be 50% and the danger was that it became more sipable… however equally wasn’t to most Whisky Ladies palates.

For some, it reminded of teenage years and our Swedish lady shared how she thinks the reason it appeals so much to a Nordic palate is it harkens back to home-made spirits.

We couldn’t help but compare it with the remarkably tasty Sheringham William’s White Double Distilled Grain (2015) 45%… and admitted our preferences were clearly steered towards the Sheringham. This sparked a discussion about local spirits and plotting began for a country liquor evening as a possible future session.

And the food accompaniment of choice? S’mors around a campfire… that crumbly graham cracker, hot slightly crisped toasted marshmallow and melted chocolate chunk… a great big gooey sinful mess.

Here is what the folks over at Ol Smoky have to say:

Legal. Just barely. Harkening back to its homegrown roots, Ole Smoky® Original Moonshine is made with the same renegade attitude of its forefathers.

Our hundred-year-old recipe produces a white whisky as smooth and bright as the promise of a Saturday night when anything can happen and likely will.

Every shot, swig or slug of Ole Smoky Original Moonshine is highly drinkable and hardly pretentious. Don’t just start your night, fire it up.

Here’s what others have to say:

Other whiskies sampled in our American evening included:

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