Category Archives: Whisky General

BMC Bourbon – Four Roses Small Batch 45%

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This Kentucky small batch bourbon wasn’t originally part of the trio, however our host received it as a rather timely gift and decided to bring it along as an “appetizer” to our main “meal.”

As we poured, we compared notes on our preferred standard bourbons… names that came to mind included Blanton’s, Elijah Craig and yes – Four Roses… ideally with a nice large chunk of ice.

However, true to our tasting traditions… we sampled each first neat, then some added water, then each bourbon was set aside until all were tasted for a revisit… followed by closing which whisk(e)y we thought could best partner our cigar.

Four Roses Small Batch 45%

  • Colour – Bright yellow straw
  • Nose – Musty sweet mash, wood, bit of citrus, pear drops, oily orange, sweet tobacco leaf or sweet grass, loads of sour mash, hay…
  • Palate – Very smooth and a bit peppery
  • Finish – Orange zest with some thinking perhaps a chaser of anise
  • Water – Makes it spicier initially then once it settles down simply dilutes
  • Revisit – Coming back for a revisit after sampling the others – wow! Pear with sweet white flowers, certainly very easy going

Overall? We were reminded of why this bourbon came to mind in our collective short list. Truth be told, most of us are not typically bourbon drinkers unless it happens to be cocktail hour! In which case, having a base with more power is preferred.

As for what the folks over at Four Roses have to say?

  • Nose – Mellow spice, rich fruit, hints of sweet oak & caramel.
  • Palate – Mellow, ripened red berries, dried spice, well-balanced, rich.
  • Finish – Soft, smooth & pleasantly long.

We tried it from a closed bottle in Mumbai on March 2019.

As for what this would set you back? It remains quite affordable… currently selling on Master of Malt for approx $30.

BMC’s Bourbon Night

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BMC Bourbon Night Take 2 – Four Roses, Clyde May’s, Breaker, Bib + Tucker

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A personal connect often is the magic link in our sourcing efforts… Which is exactly why our Bombay Malt & Cigar group has enjoyed a decidedly Norther American “twang” to some of our tastings…

One member’s spouse is Canadian with a recent trip leading to  a Canadian Club tasting and another’s spouse is American. This member last brought us a Westland Trio and now a special evening focused purely on Bourbon!

But these were no ordinary run of the mill bourbons – nope! Other than Four Roses just to whet our whistles, the other three from Alabama to California are not your standard garden variety brash bourbons.

What did we think? Read on and discover!

BMC’s Bourbon Night

Our favourite? There was zero doubt that the Clyde May‘s came out on top for its delightful sweetness plus made a terrific complement to the cigar initially.

And next up? The Bib & Tucker was the most interesting… and as the cigar became spicier, most of us shifted to pairing with it instead.

For the rest? Four Roses the most accessible – both in palate and as a bourbon.

Whereas the Breaker Bourbon Port Barrel Finish? Not sure it quite worked for us… pity.

Interested in other Bourbon focused evenings? A few memorable ones include:

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Experimenting with Red Casks – Balvenie, Linkwood and Longrow

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I love the creativity and curiosity that our whisky club members have… seeking out something “different”. This session was the result of careful research and hunting down a trio of whiskies experimenting with different cask finishes from a favoured shop in San Fransisco.

An evening with red casks:

We sampled each, completely blind before the reveal. Curious to know more? Just click the links above to read all about what we discovered!

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Whisky Lady – March 2019

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March was mostly in Mumbai with just a wee jaunt to Bangalore… a welcome change after earlier months zipping around to Germany, Dubai, US, Canada, Germany again…

As for tastings? All three Bombay based tasting groups were extra active – making up for a slower Feb! So read on and enjoy!

Our Bombay Malt & Cigar kicked off March with an Australian Starward Flight:

Our Whisky Ladies then carried on with Asian Delights featuring:

Our original group decided to explore ‘red’ cask finishes with:

Both our Whisky Ladies late February and Original club in March explored the 2018 Canadian Shelter Point editions:

Rounding up the month was an evening of Bourbon‘s with the Bombay Malt & Cigar gents:

In addition to our sampling sessions, I finally caught up on tasting notes from a remarkable evening early January 2019 in Dubai with a few “Dream Drams“:

Plus shared a “sneak peak” into a growing stash of German whiskies, thanks to my work trips to Munich.

Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:

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Dubai Dream Drams – Midleton, Strathclyde, Old Pulteney, Longmorn, Kilchoman, Laphroaig

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We brought 2019 New Year in Dubai… after seeing the fireworks on the Marina, the fountains and lights show on Burj Khalifa, a special evening of whiskies was organized. And what an evening it was!

Our amazing host put together with great enthusiasm a remarkable collection of drams:

  • Midleton Very Rare (2011) No 042585 L121731255 40% – You won’t find this vintage outside of auctions, however do keep an eye out for the annual edition!
  • SMWS G10.10 “Busy buzzing bees” 38 years (23 Nov 1977) 49.6% – With only 72 bottles in existence, this Strathclyde was one of a kind!
  • Old Pulteney 17 year 46% – Once part of the standard collection, it has now been archived and increasingly challenging to find… catch it where and when you can
  • Longmorn 25 year (1988/2014) Cask 14384 46% (Berry’s Bro) – Incredibly fruity, a remarkable Longmorn indeed…
  • Kilchoman Sherry (2007/2013) Cask 447/2007 59.5% – A singular peaty single cask, once available at the distillery with only 42 bottles produced
  • SMWS 29.229 “Harmonious balance” 19 year (13 May 1998) 55.2% – We nearly didn’t try this Laphroaig, but wow! So glad we did!

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Whisky Lady – February 2019

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2019 continued with a brilliant February. It began in a rather chilly Canada warmed with a terrific weekend with family and friends in Winnipeg where I picked up a lovely quartet of whiskies from our friends over at Shelter Point.

Then back to Mumbai for the Vault Biennale where I had the pleasure to be part of the Story Telling tent, including anchoring a discussion with Anthony Willis on “Smokey Islay Tales.” Then time to hop back on a plane to Munich, Germany where I managed to add to the German whisky collection.

As for tastings? Read on…

Our other tasting groups – BMC & Whisky Ladies – combined to explore a remarkable North Star 5 Region quintet from Cask Series 005 with guest posts coming soon!

The minis returned with That Boutique-y Whisky Co (TBWC) with:

I also caught up on tasting notes from Whisky Live Singapore 2018 – specifically La Maison du Whisky Artist #8 with Sherry

While I was away in North America a few of the Whisky Ladies got together to catch up with a visiting former member. She kindly left behind an Aultamore 12 year and one fine evening I pulled it out in tribute.

Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:

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The Vault Biennale – Mumbai Feb 16 and 17, 2019

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I’m so excited to be part of this weekend’s The Vault Biennale in Mumbai. For anyone who is in this part of the world – don’t miss!

And while there will be all sorts of interesting spirits to experience, discover and indulge… for those keen to listen and learn, I have the pleasure of helping weave together different Spirited Stories with a remarkable lined-up of industry experts on Saturday, Feb 16th, 2019.

Come find us in the Listen tent with:

1.00pm – 1.30pm – Spirit of Craftsmanship

  • Experts: Michael Vachon (Maverick Drinks, UK), Ewan Gunn (Global Whisky Ambassador), Keshav Prakash (The Vault)
  • Anchor: Tirthankar Dash (Story crafter, Singapore)

1.45pm – 2.15pm – The Curious World of Gins

  • Experts: Ginsmiths-Walter Riddell, Tarquin Leadbetter & Guillaume Drouin
  • Anchor – Shreya Soni (Delhi Secret Supper Club)

2.30pm – 3.00pm – The Rum Renaissance 

3.15pm – 3.45pm – Beyond Jugaad – The Indian Globalists

  • Experts: Spirit makers – Sakshi Saigal (Third Eye Distillers), Ashok Chockalingam (Amrut), Michael D’souza (Paul John)
  • Anchor – Rajeev Samant (Sula Vineyards)

4.15pm – 4.45pm – Vermouth – The Secret Soul of Cocktails

  • Experts: Grazia Di Franco (Vermouth specialist, Italy)
  • Anchor: Dimi Lezinska (Beverage Director, KOKO Mumbai)

5.00pm – 5.30pm – The Smoky Islay Tales

  • Expert: Anthony Wills (Distiller of Single Malt, Islay)
  • Anchor: Carissa Hickling (www.whiskylady.co, Mumbai)

Alas I will be catching a flight to Munich that evening so miss the next day. But you shouldn’t!

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company – Dualiane, Glenlossie, Strathmill, Fettercairn

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One evening over a malty minis evening, my fellow whisky explorer and I did a little online shopping for our combined Whisky Ladies and Bombay Malt & Cigar club… the result was an exceptional collection from independent bottler North Star.

However we were also distracted by the Master of Malt dramples – wee little 3 cl sample bottles that enables you to explore “drinks by the dram.” Who could resist??

My tasting cohort and I selected a range from That Boutique-y Whisky Company which has made a name for itself with its quirky bottle designs that look more like graphic novels than whisky labels…  and for the quality of their small batch whiskies.

So what did we pick for our That Boutique-y Whisky Co explorations?

As these whiskies came out some time ago, you won’t find more details on the “That Boutique-Y Whisky Company” website.

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Whisky Lady – January 2019

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What a great start to 2019! Kicked off in Dubai, then Mumbai, the US and today in my home town of Winnipeg, Canada!

I’m also hugely excited about the upcoming inaugural spirits Vault Biennale in Mumbai on Feb 16 – 17, 2019. If you are in Mumbai those days – don’t miss!! Limited tickets are available on Book My Show.

As for January tasting experiences, our original group paid tribute to Jim McEwan with a remarkable range bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Co:

I continued to make folks jealous sharing tasting experiences from the Whisky Live Singapore 2018 with La Maison du Whisky Artist #8 sans Sherry

Our other tasting groups – BMC & Whisky Ladies – combined to explore a remarkable North Star 5 Region quintet from Cask Series 005 with guest posts!

That Boutique-y Whisky Co (TBWC) with Dailuaine 15 year 47.5%, Glenlossie 17 Year 48.4%, Strathmill 21 Year 47.7%, Fettercairn 21 Year 48.6%

And last but certainly not least, there was a very special evening of Dubai Dream Drams:

Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:

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Jim McEwan Tribute – Mackmyra, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Octomore

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We kicked off our new year with a rather clever range of whiskies from “That Boutique-y Whisky Company“.

Our original whisky group general taste blind, and initially on the reveal, you could be forgiven for thinking the theme was to feature whiskies from independent bottler.

However the theme taped into substance even more than style… paying tribute to whisky veteran Jim McEwan. With over 50 years of industry experience, he isn’t slowing down and after officially retiring from Bruichladdich is now involved with a new Scottish distillery – Ardnahoe.

Here is what we sampled…. with a bit of insight into the Jim McEwan connect…

Bowmore 27 year, Batch 5, 47.6% (TBWC) – McEwan 1983 – 2000

Where Jim began his career at 15 in 1963 as an apprentice cooper, then warehousing, mashing and malting, becoming cellar master. He then moved to Glasgow to become a trainee Blender in 1976, then manager of The Tannochside Bonding Co (Bowmore facility) in 1978. He returned to Bowmore Distillery in 1986 as the manager and stayed for 12 years.

“It was during this time in Bowmore that I started travelling to various whisky events around the world, initially a few times per year but building up to acting as Ambassador and travelling globally about 30 plus weeks per year.” (excerpt from Jim McEwan’s biography).

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Bruichladdich 13 year, Batch 11, 47.6% (TBWC) – McEwan 2001 – 2015

In 2000, McEwan was approached by Gordon Wright who planned to purchase Bruichladdich Distillery together with Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin. McEwan joined as Master Distiller and Production Director. The work then began to dismantle and reassemble the distillery, keeping much of the Victorian decor and equipment.

“The last 12 years with Bruichladdich have been a roller-coaster ride but to see the progress we have made and the friends we have gained, has been the most wonderful experience. To bring this old distillery back from the dead to become 3 times “Distillery of the Year”, 4 times Innovator of the Year plus a host of other awards from around the world has been incredible….  For Bruichladdich to become the cult figure it is, whilst employing so many good Islay people, is for me my greatest reward.” (excerpt from Jim McEwan’s biography).

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Octomore 6 year, Batch 1, 50.4% (TBWC) – McEwan 2001 – 2015

McEwan was the mastermind behind this super heavily peated Islay dram that defies convention. He began distilling Octomore in 2002 and his last (7.1) was released in 2017. With peat levels ranging from 80.5 ppm to 208 ppm, what makes Octomore remarkable – even with all its variation – is its multidimensional character. An Octomore is never merely a peat monster… in fact some of the expressions are outstanding and somehow magically come out the other side of peat to something incredibly silky smooth with no peat punch.

“Octomore is the wild card in the pack and without doubt the guy who drives you crazy but steals your heart every time. Sometimes the peating level is 167 ppm and sometimes it’s 200ppm, we just gave you whatever nature gave us and boy has the wild young islander delivered time after time.” (Interview with Whisky Tower)

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Mackmyra 3 year, Batch 1, 47.2% (TBWC) – Personal connect

And the relationship with Mackmyra?

“I have long been a fan of Mackmyra and I share a small cask with my good friend Angela who is their Chief Blender. We first met when I was the Manager at Bowmore so we we back a long way, she really has the knowledge and the passion that is required to bring the best to the table which she does consistently, so yes I enjoy their single malts very much and I look forward to trying my share our cask which I know will be very drinkable and not for sharing with those who know not the art of distillation.” (Interview with Whisky Tower)

It was a terrific theme and such a treat!

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