Category Archives: Whisky General

Whisky and Jazz… what a brilliant match!

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There is something to be said for combining a good drink with good music. And when that combination happens to be a seriously good whisky and solid jazz? Hard to beat!

Often our whisky tasting sessions are accompanied by jazz music… curated and compiled by one of our members who once upon a time used to organise a large memorable jazz festival in Mumbai.

WhiskyJazzTime

As my partner prepares for his upcoming show Bombay Jazz, I started to think about the different range of jazz styles, their mood and what whisky just might make a good match!

And when sax is being played live in your living room, rehearsing for an upcoming show, it is hard to not think of reaching out for a whisky….

If you are curious to see a play about India’s jazz scene of yore with its influence on Bollywood music, check out StageSmith’s “Bombay Jazz“…

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Feminist twist to whisky?

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Around International Women’s Day there is suddenly an explosion of media hype (and advertising) aimed at and about women.

As if women around the world haven’t been doing remarkable things all along.

Which is where initiatives like SheThePeople.TV come in… calling itself a ‘storytelling platform for women’ sharing stories women from all walks of life.

They don’t need one day a year when they have 365 days…

ScotchAge

So what does this have to do with whisky?

A funny little pernicious perception that whisky isn’t a woman’s drink.

The first time I was interviewed for the mere combination of gender and alcohol preferences, I admit I thought it all rather absurd. After all, what’s the big deal?

That the little ladies in the corner should get wine or something ‘softer’??

I beg to differ.

I’m proud to be a woman whisky drinker.

And I have terrific company!

So when SheThePeople.TV asked for an interview? Thought what the heck! I’d be joining very impressive group of women of substance simply for sharing a common interest.

You can read it here: Interview – Whisky Lady in India, Carissa Hickling (Pssst – you may be asked to sign in as a ‘guest’ or ‘register’)

Whisky selection

There are even more fabulous blogs of women whisky drinkers out there to enjoy!

If you know more to add? Just let me know in the comments or [info @ everydayasia.com].

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Whisky Lady – March 2016

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

As March heated up in Mumbai, Whisky Lady sampling also kept pace…

All three tasting groups had some real gems and discoveries! I also finished the Canadian samples, brushed off posts from the archives and shared an article published in MansWorld (yes I do write for others from time to time).

It also marked two milestones – over 2,000 followers and nearly 200 posts!

Dalmore Smokehead Myckmyra

1st up was the Whisky Ladies of Mumbai with a sweetly smokey session covering:

KilchomanPeat

2nd was our original club with a remarkable exploration of Kilchoman with food…. mmmmmm good! (Notes coming in April… good things come to those that wait!)

  • Machir Bay 46%

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Whisky Lady – February 2016

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What could be more fun than a February full of whisky tasting adventures?

Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

After 25 whiskies in January, you can imagine this month I needed a little ‘catch-up’ time.  Whisky Lady featured posts on both whiskies sampled in February plus the balance notes from January.

Even better, February was filled with three (yes 1, 2… 3) whisky clubs tasting sessions. Anyone who thinks there are no folks passionate about single malts in Mumbai is clearly misinformed!

Glenlivet, Glengoyne, Balblair

1st up was a rather interesting ‘Adult’ whisky & cigar evening with:

  • Glengoyne 21 year 43% – Sigh… we suspect a spoilt cork as something was off
  • Glenlivet 21 year 43% – What you expect from a Glenlivet 21
  • Balblair 38 year 44% – OMG! I’ve gone to heaven!
  • Oh and that Laphroaig 21 peaking around the corner on the left… yeah we had that too!

It was memorable also as ALL corks disintegrated – check out Crumbling cork capers!

2016-02-19 Oak League1

Next with our original club was a special Signatory session. Each…

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Whisky cork crumbling capers!

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A funny thing happened during a recent whisky and cigars evening, featuring only ‘adult’ whiskies.

All four bottles were older than 21 years. Most were stored for several years before our sampling.

All were closed. And yet as each was opened, the same challenge occurred…

The cork cracked and crumbled.

Every single one? Yup that’s all four whiskies!

Then last night, I pulled my trusty old open bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail. Attempted to pull out the cork and…? Was rewarded with disintegrated cork bits!

Earlier during our Whisky ladies cask strength tasting, we went to open the Abelour A’bunadh. And the cork? You guessed it! Crumbled completely with the top cracking clean apart!

Until these experiences, in all my years of whisky tasting, it only happened with a Glenfarclas 105 that sat open in my whisky cabinet far too long!

Is this a new dirty secret of the whisky industry?

Or is Mumbai particularly harsh on cork?

Or are we storing whisky ‘wrong’… leading to such issues?

Crumbling Cork Capers

Proper, crumbled, cracked vs healthy cork

Lew Bryson in Whisky Advocate complains:

Even if the cork’s not tainted, I’ve encountered a disturbing number of crumbling corks lately, some in new bottles. Pull off the plastic wrap, twist the cork topper, and kluhbup…you’ve got the topper and about a centimeter of crumbling cork in your hand, and the rest of it is still in the neck (if you’re lucky and it’s not crumbled into the whiskey).

Do I have the definitive answer on why this seems to increasingly be an issue? No.

However it does indeed happen with whiskies stored upright for several years. And yes – upright is exactly how you should store your whisky 99% of the time!

Is there a solution? Hmm…

There are at least suggestions…

  1. Regularly ‘turn’ your whisky (as in weekly) to lightly wet the cork (Whisky Informative)
  2. If you are less rigorous and didn’t keep turning your whisky, for a week before you plan to open the bottle, store it on its side so that it moistens the cork, reducing the risk of it cracking or crumbling (anonymous expert!)

Any other suggestions or insights?

Surely I am not alone in encountering cork crumbling consequences from long storage of whiskies….

Oh and PS?

If your cork DOES crumble, it is time to immediately consume or decant after straining. Trust me, bits of cork in whisky is a recipe to ruin a good dram.

Others grumbling about cork issues:

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Signatory session with Glenburgie, Bunnahabhain + Edradour

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Most single malts tell you surprisingly little about exactly when they began their life.

Sure – the bottle says 10 year but what that really means is the youngest whisky in that bottle in front you was matured for 10 years.

As for the year it was bottled? Look closely… many do not tell you this.

The key with most age statement whiskies is carefully playing around with stock to produce a consistent flavour profile. Which means more mixing and blending between casks than you might imagine to achieve that distinctive taste you have come to call a familiar friend.

However if you really want to explore the nuances of a ‘pure’ single malt, then a single distillation in a single cask preferably at cask strength is the way to go.

And no one does that better than some terrific independent bottlers who keep an eagle eye (or acute nose and taste buds) out for something truly special.

This is the territory that tells you when that whisky hit the cask, which cask and even how many bottles exist… perhaps your bottle even has its own number.

Over the years we’ve had some fabulous Gordon & MacPhail offerings, a few Douglas Laing & Co, however less from Signatory.

2016-02-19 Oak League1

So for three years, I’ve slowly acquired three distinctly different whiskies – two examples of Signatory’s independent bottlings and one from their own wee distillery – Edradour, each from a different region in Scotland.

What pray tell did I manage to track down?

It seemed a fitting trio to fete the beginning our fifth year of whisky tastings as a dedicated group in Mumbai.

Anyone have a favourite independent bottler? Or tried a particularly interesting Signatory bottle?

Slainthe!

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Whisky Lady – January 2016

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

Yeah! This is officially the beginning of “Year 2” since I started sharing a monthly round-up of Whisky Lady sampling adventures!

January started off slow… then picked up pace to cover 25 whiskies – including back-to-back whisky tastings last night and the night before!

Light, bright, delight and woah! Light, bright, delight and woah!

Our original group had a light sprightly feel to the evening with:

  • Tyrconnell 10 year 40% – Light Irish offering
  • Clynelish 14 year 46% – Delicate sweet spice
  • Speyburn 10 year 43% – Pleasant drinkable dram (3rd time in less than a year!)
  • Then purely for contrast a Wasmund’s 12 month 48% – because we all need a little ‘bad boy’ to spice things up once n awhile!

Whiskies Ladies go American!! Whiskies Ladies go American!!

And The Whisky Ladies of Mumbai?

We went full-on all-out American! We were joined by a special guest – Shatbhi Basu – bartender, cocktail creator and Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) whiskey Ambassador…

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Whisky Lady’s 2015

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What a year!

While Whisky Lady started purely for my own indulgence, a few amazing things happened in 2015:

1980s whiskies

Malt Maniac’s 20th in Mumbai

2015 also brought some rather special events:

Sample setting

Amrut’s Jim Murray evening in Mumbai

Most popular whisky posts for the year were:

  1. Party Whisky – Amrut’s MaQintosh – I guess no one else has reviewed this??
  2. The Quandary of the KininVie 17 year – A quandary no more thanks to a sample!
  3. Glen Deveron 20 year – Infamous to us for being outclassed by a 3 year old Japanese whisky Chichibu ‘The Floor Malted’
  4. Mumbai Amrut and Jim Murray experience – Memorable but not for the reason they would want!
  5. Mystery Malt – Ichiro’s Malt Hou-oui – An exceptional blend of discontinued Japanese whiskies from Hanyu Distillery (12 & 20 year) and Kawasaki (30, 32 and 35 year)

20150604_Scotland Quartet

For me what stood out was:

WhiskyLady2015CountryViews

And who is tuning into Whisky Lady? The top 10 countries by views are:

  • No surprise that my adopted country India tops views by a wide margin!
  • US come up next followed by UK, Canada & Singapore
  • I wonder who my German friends are?
  • For Australia, I suspect most views come from just two fabulous Tasmanian guys!
  • Finishing up is France, Hong Kong / China and Japan…

I would also like to share a special ‘nod’ of thanks to fellow whisky bloggers for their comments and encouragement – particularly Malt Activist, Whisky Den, Whisky Waffle, Whiskyriffic (with extra thanks for the KininVie sample!), Whiskey and Whisky.

Any whiskies stand out for you? Anything you would like to see more of here on Whisky Lady? Ideas? Recommendations? I still consider myself a novice in the world of whisky and welcome words of wisdom from fellow whisky explorers!

Most important – wishing you a very Happy New Year – may you drink a quality dram over quantity!

Airport offerings (Whisky Lady)

Airport offerings (Whisky Lady)

For more 2015 highlights, check out WordPress 2015 Annual Report or delve into the details shared in Everyday Asia’s monthly Whisky Lady summaries: December delights, November novelties, October offerings, Sulty September, Awesome August, July journeys, June joy, May merriment, April adventures, March madness, February fun, January journal.

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Whisky Lady – December 2015

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

Well… my Whisky Lady adventures continue!

With December being full of merriment and mischief as the year came to a close, our original tasting group cancelled our monthly tasting session with many members traveling.

However my new group – The Whisky Ladies of Mumbai – were not deterred from swirling, sniffing, sipping and mmmmm…. swallowing!

In honour of one member’s last days in India before returning to the US, we decided to enjoy a Goan theme featuring a quintet of whiskies kindly provided by Paul John’s master distiller Michael John for our ladies sampling pleasure.

Paul John Christmas Quintet Paul John Christmas Quintet

Here’s what our ladies quaffed in our Paul John evening with some rather cheeky tasting notes!

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80s vs today whisky styles

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The 1980s was a time of pac-man, tetris, Apple computers, big chunky jewellery, hair that defied gravity, caked on make-up, and some very bad pop hits.

For some of us, the 1980s was also a time where we shouted “ban the bomb” and “anhilitate apartheid!”, where we stood firm with our brethren in Tiananmen Square, the Palestinian intifada, watched the wall come down and yes… had funky spiked hair, grunge clothes and hung out at punk rock gigs.

If you haven’t figured out which camp I belonged to… pop over to Everyday Asia and check out the photographic evidence in “How I got ‘hooked’ on going away.”

However, the 1980s didn’t happen to be a time that I could afford whisky! I was far too deeply buried into heavy academic tomes to surface to sniff, swirl, swish and swallow a single malt.

Rumour has it that the 1980s happened to produce many rather good drams. More than a few whisky experts around the globe speak of how whisky styles have changed between ‘then’ and ‘now’, noting that with the increased demand for single malt growing globally, production methods, quality controls and shifts in palates have created differences in whiskies produced 30+ years ago with those matured today.

After sampling the remarkable Glendronach grand dames and then the rare Karuizawa 39 year from 1973 with whisky stock laid in the early 1970s, we had another exceptional evening that sampled whiskies from the 1980s… There is indeed something ‘different’ about these drams!

1980s whiskies

1980s whiskies

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