Category Archives: Islay

Bar Night – Penderyn, Lagavulin and Aberlour

Posted on by
Reply

In lieu of our original planned evening, the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents shifted gears to enjoy their version of a ‘Bar Night’ with a Gurkha cigar.

There was some debate over the tasting order and, in retrospect, it could have had the peatier Lagavulin last, swapping place with the Aberlour. However it all worked out in the end!

Penderyn Madeira 46% 

  • Nose – Initially distinctly varnish, then sweet, banana, citrus sweet oranges, resin, pine, vanilla, apricot, bannoffee pie, then odd bitter, pine needles
  • Palate – Tingle at the front, sweet, acidity at the back, banana sweet
  • Finish – Pleasant yet nothing substantial

The two of us who sampled it earlier, were reminded of why we found it an interesting conversation whisky. While not for everyone, there is a distinctive quality to it that cannot be ignored.

It also turned out to be the dram choice of the night for most gents, as it complimented our Gurkhas rather well.

Lagavulin 16 year 43%

  • Nose – Clear peat, yet rounded not harsh, wet rag, berry sweetness, black berries, shifting into a briny ocean spray, leather
  • Palate – Spice sweet, peat, ash, lovely balance
  • Finish – Lovely sweet

In short, a beautiful whisky! What a treat to return to a familiar friend…Those who once upon a time treated the Lagavulin 16 as a bar ‘staple’ were reminded of why that is the case – its ability to have balanced peat and sweet.

And how did the Lagavulin fare with the cigar? A contrasting pairing, with the whisky the predominant note.

Aberlour 12 year 40%

  • Nose – Prunes, sherry, berry
  • Palate – Candy sweet, cinnamon
  • Finish – Light spice finish

The whisky was oddly disappointing as it was a pale comparison with the more familiar A’bunadh.

And yet it was an absolutely perfectly balanced pairing with the cigar.

penderyn-lagavulin-aberlour

Though it wasn’t our original plan, the substitute ‘bar night’ theme worked rather well.

What would you chose as a trio of more accessible drams for a sociable evening?

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Bombay Bar Nights…

Posted on by
Reply

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming on quality whiskies, somewhat serious reviews and general pontificating to introduce you to a fine Bombay tradition – the BAR NIGHT.

Now, what you may say makes ‘Bar Night’ here any different than another part of the world?

I’m so delighted you asked!

You see we have a fine colonial tradition of ‘gym khanna‘ in these parts… bastions for a certain sort that once upon a time some were frequented by those mad dogs and Englishmen.

Since then, membership at such clubs may still remain a privilege and yet from time to time a few of us ‘riff raff’ get invited into these rarified domains.

Enter ‘Bar Night’ where more sociable evenings happen opening the doors to members guests on a wider scale.

In our impromptu BMC version, we opened up the ‘Bar Night’ liquor cabinet of our host.

bar-boozeLet’s admit it folks – most of us with a prediliction for quality drams have our ‘jaanta’ (masses) cabinet with an assortment of ‘bar booze’ and then our special ‘reserved’ section hidden away from prying eyes.

Helps avoid those gasps of dismay where a crazy expensive rare single malt is shocked with a bucket of ice or horror of all horrors drowned in soda or some other fizzy substance that has no business going near a prime whisky!

Don’t worry, I haven’t gone all crazy snobby, just some whiskies DO deserve a different sort of treatment.

Here is what we sampled:

penderyn-lagavulin-aberlour

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Undisclosed Distillery Drams – Sansibar, Port Askaig + W+M Highland Heart

Posted on by
Reply

While in the grand scheme of things entering our 6th year of monthly whisky meetings may not seem like much, for our original Mumbai whisky club, it is still a marvellous milestone.

The sincerity, dedication and creativity we bring to our sessions just keeps evolving. We put effort into planning our sessions, often collecting whiskies well in advance – as in a year or two.

In 2015, I went fully Japanese sharing bottles purchased a year earlier in Tokyo.

For my 2016 session, I went with Signatory Session theme.

So what to do for my 2017 session?

I put a cheeky twist on our most sacred of traditions – blind tasting. How, you may ask, could there be a twist to something like that? Either you can see the bottle or not.

In this case, we could see the bottles but still not know what distillery we were sampling!

What did I select?

I then added a further sneaky twist to the mix – sharing the exact same bottles in a completely different setting, different company which added a different dimension to the whisky impressions… You can read about the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents reactions here: Undisclosed Distilleries… Again!

wm-sansibar-port-askaig

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Live Singapore – Port Askaig

Posted on by
Reply

Our saunter through Whisky Live Singapore continues with Port Askaig.

Port Askaig is a project from Sukhinder Singh’s Specialty Drinks, owner of The Whisky Exchange with brands like Single Malts of Scotland and Elements of Islay.

2016-11-13-askaig-100

Port Askaig 100 Proof 57.1%

  • Nose clearly Islay, sweet soft aromas with peat, a bit of fruit and spice on the palate
  • Islay refill bourbon cask, aged for approx 7 years with 50,000 bottles
  • PS This whisky won Malt Maniacs 2016 “Thumbs Up Award“

2016-11-13-askaig-16

Port Askaig 16 year 45.5%

  • Initial impression is of stewed fruits, then soft peat, sweet coconut, overall sense is of approachability – and with a splash of water even more so
  • Brings together a marriage of 80% ex-bourbon and 20% Oloroso Sherry casks

2016-11-13-askaig-19

Port Askaig 19 year 50.4%

  • Lots going on with this whisky with peaty leather, sweet, smoky, yet some citrus too
  • I knew immediately this was one I wanted to more than just ‘speed date‘ – a quick impression was not sufficient to form a proper opinion
  • Which is why the Port Askaig came home to Mumbai with me to join a theme evening of ‘undisclosed distlleries‘

2016-11-13-port-askaig

PS Those in the know would know that most know Port Askaig is actually Caol Ila…

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Bowmore 12 year 40%

Posted on by
Reply

When I spotted this bottle, I knew the Whisky Ladies were already gearing up for a special Bowmore session. So thought why not take a sample to compare…

However as the months went by, our Bowmore Travel Trilogy evening kept getting delayed. And there was no way I wanted this sample to suffer neglect!

Before I begin, part of the curiosity about having an evening dedicated to Bowmore distillery for our Whisky Ladies is that it just so happens to be lead by a woman master distiller – Rachel Bowie. With only a few notable women in the industry, it seemed only fitting that we focus our attention on at least one!

And now… what did I think of the classic 12 year?

Bowmore 12

Bowmore 12 year 40%

  • Nose – Sweet citrus with a hint of sweet leather with a curl of smoke.
  • Palate – A tingle of peat with a nice chewy quality, lots of oak and some sweet spices thrown in for good measure – particularly clove
  • Finish – More dry spices and a hint of bitter chocolate

Overall it was a treat to enjoy a solid Bowmore dram.

Other Bowmore’s sampled include:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Royal Bruichladdich 15 year for Prince Charles + Lady Diana

Posted on by
Reply

Every once and a while, one comes across a whisky that is a piece of history. Crafted to commemorate a special occasion.

Next up from the Collector’s Room at Whisky Live Singapore 2016 was one such whisky.

Bottled in a white ceramic decanter at cask strength, Bruichladdich 1965 was released in 1981 to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles & Lady Di.

2016-11-12-bruichladdich-15

Bruichladdich 15 year (1965/1981) 52%

Royal Wedding H.R.H. Prince Charles, Sherry cask, 900 bottles

  • Nose – Beautiful sherry, restrained, elegant, light perfume
  • Palate – Soft, elegant spice with light peat depths
  • Finish – An absolutely divine finish with a hint of anise

It reminded me of an operatic aria – with achingly beautiful high notes from the 1st soprano which were then joined by rich contralto harmonies and then tenor counter point.

This whisky last retailed for approximately $500… with a warning that it should be carefully weighed before purchasing as some decanters experienced severe evaporation over the years.

I will confess, I hadn’t originally planned to try this whisky. But was persuaded by the lass from La Maison du Whisky… and am so glad I was steered its way. This is one of those unique drams that is completely memorable – a complete original.

Following this stunning whisky, I was given a nip of the Bruichladdich 10 year Samaroli 58% from the 1970s. While not bad, it was somehow lacking ‘soul’.

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!

Other Bruichladdich’s sampled over the years include:

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Live Singapore – Collectors Room

Posted on by
Reply

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

2016-11-12-whisky-collectors-room

Which ones did we chose?

Then had a bonus Bruichladdich 10 year 58%.

2016-11-12-collectors-quartet

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Whisky Live Singapore – Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1

Posted on by
2

One of the special treats from Whisky Live Singapore was an opportunity to sample whiskies I could otherwise never try.

One of the highlights was the Bruichladdich booth with many delights… the pinnacle of which was the mysterious marvel from Master Distiller Jim McEwan otherwise known as ‘Black Art’. The thinking behind this bewitching series is the alchemy of art and science, a secret recipe concocted by the master distiller, without divulging the magic behind the art.

Photo: Bruichladdich.com

Photo: Bruichladdich.com

Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1 23 year (1990) 49.2%

  • Nose – Honey sweet, warm sunshine citrus and much more…
  • Palate – Gorgeous, very well rounded, stunning, smooth as silk
  • Finish – Beautiful ripe fruit sherry finish

This was not a bold brash Bruichladdich but instead a something that contradictorily was both a soft, delicate delight, beyond beautiful while equally being rich, deep and sinfully smooth.

I must confess, my wee nip did not do it justice. This is not the whisky you want to ‘speed date‘. This is the kind of whisky you want to savour and enjoy, either solo or sharing with friends.

Here is what they say:

  • Nose – The aromas rise and mingle beautifully creating an olfactory symphony in your hand. Little notes of rich, plump, crystallised grapes flirt over heavier notes of honey. Go deeper and you will find the tang of lemon and lime – This is the DNA of our Bruichladdich spirit; the terroir of ancient peat lands and Islay’s exposed coastline, living, breathing proof that magic really does exist.
  • Palate – Without water the first thought that enters my head is wow! This is strong and my cheeks flush, my eyes water but my heart is in heaven. Its so, so mellow and mature and yes, you can find all of the aromatics on the taste buds and more!!! I get chocolate and coconut, tangerine and papaya and a wonderful infusion of barley sugar with a pinch of cinnamon and aniseed. Completely mesmerising.
  • Finish – Grilled peach and apricot sprinkled with demerera sugar, quite outstanding.
  • Mood – Drink whenever you wish, with whomever you wish. The last to leave will be the angels who danced with the devil and won.

PS I had a wee ‘sneak peak’ sip of the Black Arts 5.1 – What a stunner! Full of dry, fruit that became juicier the longer one sipped, a burst of rich fall colours and closed on a dry spice. For me, 4.1 was summer and 5.1 autumn. Both remarkable whiskies and a treat to taste – even if just a sweet nip!

A few other Bruichladdich whiskies sampled include:

For more related updates and activities, check out:

Winnipeg stash – Pure Malt 21, Bowmore 12, Macallan 15, Tomatin 12

Posted on by
Reply

It is finally time to sit down before the year comes to a close and share tasting notes from whiskies acquired from the 2016 Winnipeg stash. These four come from a friend’s whisky collection – in his own words “I don’t collect stamps.”

Pure Malt 21, Bowmore 12, Macallan 15, Tomatin 12

Naturally I selected an eclectic range of whiskies not yet sampled…

I then added to this mix, a score from Winnipeg’s Cabinet:

Curious about the 2015 Canadian sampling ‘score’? Read more here…

You can also find Whisky Lady in India on:

Berrys’ Islay Reserve 46%

Posted on by
Reply

After experimenting with Berrys’ Speyside Reserve, we moved on to the Islay avatar.

berrys-islay

Here’s what our Bombay Malt & Cigar club found:

  • Nose: Peaty oily and quite earthy. Old leather. Buttery. Becoming quite sweet. Sunshine citrus yet restrained.
  • Palate: Smoke yet very smooth. Very sweet. Slight spice kick at the back of the throat. The peat while very much present is subtle and joined by slight cinnamon.
  • Finish: Soft spice that mellows out.

Here’s what the chaps over at Master of Malt have to say:

  • Nose: Coastal iodine notes, tarry rope, yuzu, wisps of peat smoke and starfruit.
  • Palate: As is often the case, it’s on the palate that the peat smoke some truly makes itself known, circling sweet golden barley, dried apricot and vanilla.
  • Finish: Lingering peat smoke and sea air.
  • Overall: Islay-ey.

For most, this was distinctly Islay in character and much more along the lines of what we’ve come to expect. And yet the Islay did not pair quite so well with our fancy expensive cigar… pity.

What else did we sample that evening?

For more related updates and activities, check out: