Category Archives: Whisky General

Whisky double trouble

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A funny thing is starting to happen… as our original whisky tasting group looks forward to our 5th year together, we are beginning to do a little inadvertent duplication.

As our practice is to rotate hosts with each host responsible for curating the evening, not disclosing the whiskies procured for our sampling pleasure until after we have tasted blind, it means we do not coordinate with each other to ensure we aren’t buying the same or similar thing.

At the time of the reveal, we are now occasionally hearing ‘Oh’ in a different tone as the whisky just tried was already acquired for a forthcoming session by another member. That happened in August with the Bruichladdich The Organic Scottish Barley 50%.

However for those that are similar, rather than exactly the same, it means we can play around with interesting comparisons… and in the coming months we will have opportunities to do just that!

Hibiki Harmony, Aultmore 18, Glenburgie 15

Hibiki Harmony, Aultmore 18, Glenburgie 15

For example, November’s three whiskies included:

Why is that remarkable?

We had just sampled the Aultmore 15 year bottled by Gordon & MacPhail the previous month… and here was another Aultmore. Naturally we have asked the hosts from both sessions to bring along both bottles to our next tasting in January!

And now that I have the delightful Whisky Ladies group too, that provides scope for even more such comparisons! Between the two whisky tasting groups, I was able to put side-by-side the distillery release of Caol Ila 12 year next to a Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila 12 year.

For those of you part of a whisky tasting group, how do you acquire whiskies and organise your sessions?

And do you sometimes get that ‘Oh!’ of duplication or ‘Oooh!’ for another opportunity to do a different kind of comparison?

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Whisky Lady – November Novelties

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A very busy whisky November!

Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

As quiet as this blog Everyday Asia’s been lately, my other blog Whisky Lady has been quintuply busy!

November brought incredible ‘novelty’ with a grand total of five (yup! That’s 1, 2, 3, 4.. 5!!) whisky sampling occasions exploring a wide range from the affordable and accessible to the impossibly rare with insane prices!

It was such a busy whisky tasting month that most reviews are currently in the status of *Notes forthcoming!

Hibiki Harmony, Aultmore 18, Glenburgie Hibiki Harmony, Aultmore 18, Glenburgie

Our regular monthly tasting session brought three very different whiskies:

  • Hibiki Harmony NAS 43 – Latest Suntory response to the craze for Japanese whisky!*
  • Aultmore 18 year 46% – Interesting… sense we hadn’t tried before*
  • Glenburgie 15 year 43% – Gordon & MacPhail do it again!*

20151112_105chichibu2009abunadh Glenfarclas 105, Chichibu 2009, A’bunadh

Our Whisky Ladies proved their mettle with two sessions….

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Whisky palate cleansers or palate pleasers?

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With our original whisky tasting group, we are very strict about what can be served with our whiskies – just a few slices of cucumber and perhaps plain bread sticks or crackers – with plenty of water to rinse before we repeat our sampling process with the next whisky.

Palate Cleanser

However with our whisky ladies, we have a bit more fun with mixing and matching, blending sipping without accompaniment then experimenting with different delights like fruit, cheese and chocolate… perhaps a thali of chocolate delights?

goa-deserts

Both work – it just depends on whether your aim is an evening of the purest sampling or playing around with pairings.

Anyone have firm notions of what to accompany (or not) your whisky sipping adventures?

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Whisky Lady – October 2015

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Slow down and enjoy sipping something special…

Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

October in Mumbai is often much hotter than the April – June heat. With no hope of the cooling monsoon around the corner, we simply have to grin and bear it until the we ease into ‘winter’… aka 29’c!

And let’s face it – sweaty weather is not exactly optimal whisky tasting conditions. However, undeterred, this Whisky Lady found ways to soldier through!

October offerings October offerings

Our regular monthly tasting session reminded us to slow down… and savour three new whiskies:

Canada gift! (Whisky Lady) Canada gift! (Whisky Lady)

Beyond the tasting session, I started exploring the Canadian stash:

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10 tips for whisky hosting

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While our original tasting group has perfected the art of hosting whisky tasting sessions, my new group of fabulous women are mostly new to hosting structured tasting sessions.

Lining up for some serious tasting!

So with our whisky ladies in mind, I put together a ‘how to’ for hosting with flair and panache!

  1. Capacity – Start with how many people can comfortable sit around a circle to discuss, debate, swish, swill, swallow and kibbitz together… if you have too many split around the room, that’s more of a party than tasting. Yet too few and you miss out on the fun of different impressions and reactions.
  2. Diversity – The best whisky tasting group has a range of palates and perspectives. How boring would it be to all pontificate in unison?
  3. Scents – If you have novice whisky samplers coming, it is advisable to let them know any strong perfumes are a ‘no no’ as it interferes with the whisky aromas. Ditto for you as a host – including those gorgeous flowers or spicy cooking smells.
  4. Whisky selection

    Whisky selection

    Contributions – Decide how the whiskies will be selected and in which order. Personally, I prefer no more than 3 samples per evening. I also prefer to have a theme behind the sampling journey.

  5. Glasses – I have a distinct preference for either Glencairn or tulip glasses. We’ve tried other options and they just don’t work as well. If possible, it is ideal to have one glass per whisky per person. If not, then just rinse between whiskies.
  6. Presentation – Do you wish to taste blind, then reveal the whisky? Display each whisky openly, sharing stories as you sample? Either works!
  7. Palate cleansers – During the tasting, should only have cucumber or bread sticks / crackers with minimal salt and no other flavours to influence. Best are simple oat cakes, but not everyone goes to the effort of making or finds them easy to acquire.

    Sampling Glenfarclas in Hong Kong

    Whisky + water…

  8. Water – Everyone should have their own water glass to liberally consume – particularly between whiskies. There should also be water jars to refill, rinse glasses, etc. Plus it is ideal to have a couple pipettes or droppers to control adding just 2-3 drops of water to a whisky.
  9. Spittoon – Whether you follow the ‘spit the 1st sip‘ adage or not, it is still good to have a bowl to dump excess whisky and water from rinsing glasses, etc.
  10. Food – The best approach is guests come after having already lined their tummy before tasting – a soup with bread is a great base. However if that isn’t possible, it is good to greet with something light, no strong flavours, just to coat the belly and get the taste buds revved up for the whisky goodies to come! Post tasting, if not dispersing immediately, feel free to get creative, playing around with foods you think will pair well with whiskies! Just refer back to #3 on scents – ideal is to time your food order to arrive when you expect to finish  tasting.

Anyone else have simple tips for organising a whisky tasting evening?

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Three tips for whisky tasting order…

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For those new to Whisky Lady in India, many of the notes come from tasting sessions of a small private whisky group based in Mumbai.

For those not familiar with the approach our whisky tasting club takes… here’s a snapshot:

  • Meet once a month, same time, same day and week of the month
  • Rotate hosts with the host responsible for ‘curating’ the evening
  • Taste blind!

Which means only one person (i.e. the whisky contributor/host) knows what is being served. That puts him / her firmly in the ‘driver’s seat’ as far as whisky selection and tasting order.

Over the years, we’ve tended to apply three simple guidelines. They may seem obvious but can also produce surprises too.

Hello peat! (The Whisky Exchange)

Hello peat! (The Whisky Exchange)

Peat

Naturally we pay attention to peat levels – it is hard to appreciate an exquisite delicate grain whisky after a peat monster!

However usually, the host also has not tried the whisky before our session so relies on the distiller or bottler tasting notes or others reviews – sometimes the descriptions are a bit misleading.

Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask

When 60% seemed like high 40s%! (Whisky Lady)

Strength

We may pay attention to alcohol strength – you don’t want to whallop your guests with a bold cask strength whisky at 60+% then follow with a wimpy 40% strength. However when all the whiskies are in the 45 – 55 % range, this is less of a factor.

We’ve also been surprised by some incredibly smooth cask strength whiskies that are highly deceptive in their alcohol level – one time we guessed at most 48% and it turned to be 63.1%!

Whisky age trivia (Scotchfest 2015)

Whisky age trivia (Scotchfest 2015)

Age

Another way to order whiskies for tasting is by age. Generally, young whiskies with an interesting new make spirit have some character but are still developing whereas there are certain levels of nuance and complexity that really only comes with maturity.

If the young upstart comes after a grand old dame, you may miss appreciating some of what the youngster has to offer. However equally, we’ve had a 25 year old be completely outclassed by a young No Age Statement (NAS) whisky.

So… while these are tips that generally work, half the fun is discovering how in the world of whisky, there are exceptions to every rule!

Additionally, it isn’t one factor alone but a combination that helps make the tasting order decision.

Most important is simply to go on a journey of discovery and explore what works for you!

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Whisky samples – the Canadian ‘score’

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During my June – July 2015 trip to Canada, my ever so amazing aunt and generous uncle decided to indulge their niece in a shared passion – whisky tasting.

I’m a novice next to them. They’ve had a successful whisky tasting club in their home town of Fort Frances, Ontario for years now… As in approximately 15 years.

And lucky me – they cracked open their collection to bring me a few samples! Here is a glimpse into this fabulous ‘goodie pack’:

It is quite the collection of baby jar whisky samples… just check these beauties out!

Canadian stash

Pssst… a year later, I managed to acquire another Canadian score!

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

Whisky Lady – September 2015

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What a Whisky Lady month!!

Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

In Canada, September is when you taste the first chill of autumn. Whereas here in India, the weather remained sultry for this Whisky Lady!

Whisky Lady Top 10 A few bottles from Whisky Lady’s current top 10

It was also a seriously HOT posting month!

Juveniles, Corsair Triple Smoke, Greenore 18 year (Whisky Lady) Juveniles, Corsair Triple Smoke, Greenore 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Our regular monthly tasting session featured three unique whiskies that just so happen to work great in cocktails too:

September Whisky Ladies September Whisky Ladies

Last night, our 2nd whisky women’s Mumbai…

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100 whisk(e)y posts with 100 whiskies!!

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Remarkably… this is the 100th post for Whisky Lady in India!!

That’s 100 whiskies folks! Now… not all posts were devoted to a single whisky and some whiskies for review are ‘in the pipeline’ (marked by an asterisk*).

Still… I’m a doing a little happy dance of celebration for this 100th post!!

post-milestone-100-2x

  1. Sullivans Cove – French Oak Cask
  2. Glen Breton 10 year
  3. Hammer Head 23 year
  4. Kornog bottled for The Auld Alliance
  5. Amrut Single Malt
  6. Amrut Fusion
  7. Amrut Peated
  8. Paul John Brilliance Single Malt
  9. Paul John Classic Select Cask
  10. Paul John Edited Single Malt – 1st bottle, 2nd bottle
  11. Paul John Peated Select Cask
  12. Bushmills 1975 49.1%
  13. Greenore Single Grain 18 years 46%
  14. Jameson Original NAS
  15. Jameson 12 year Special Reserve
  16. Jameson Gold Reserve
  17. Jameson 18 year Special Reserve
  18. Teeling NAS 46%
  19. Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix 55%
  20. Tyrconnell 10 year Madeira Casks
  21. Asama
  22. Chita Single Grain Whisky 12 year 43%
  23. Hakushu 18 year
  24. Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 2009 French Oak Cask 63.1%
  25. Chichibu ‘The Floor Malted’ 3 year 50.5%
  26. Houou-uhi (Phoenix) 46.5%
  27. Nikka ‘From the Barrel’
  28. Nikka ‘Yoichi’ 10 year
  29. Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year 43%
  30. Yamazaki Sherry Cask 1998 61%
  31. Hazelburn 12 year
  32. Springbank Vintage
  33. Balblair 03 1st bottling
  34. Blair Athol 16 year
  35. Deanston Virgin Oak NAS 46.3% 
  36. GlenDronach 18 year Allardice
  37. GlenDronach 21 year Parliament
  38. Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve
  39. Glen Garioch 21 year
  40. Glenglassaugh Torfa
  41. Glenmorangie evening with The Original 10 year
  42. Glenmorangie 18 year
  43. Glenmorangie 25 year
  44. Glenmorangie Signet
  45. Lochside 1981
  46. Oban 14 year
  47. Old Pulteney 12 year
  48. Old Pulteney 21 year
  49. Highland Park 1998
  50. Jura Superstition
  51. Ledaig 1997, bottled 2013 (Gordon & MacPhail)
  52. Ledaig 18 year
  53. Talisker 10 year
  54. Talisker Dark Storm
  55. Ardbeg Uigeadail
  56. Ardbeg Corryvreckan
  57. Bowmore Laimrig 15 year
  58. Bowmore 21 year (1988)
  59. Bruichladdich – The Organic Scottish Barley 50%
  60. Bruichladdich Octomore
  61. Bruichladdich Islay Barley
  62. Bunnahabhaim Eirigh na Greine
  63. Caol Ila 12 year
  64. Caol Ila 1997, bottled 2009 (Gordon & MacPhail)
  65. Kilchoman Coull Point
  66. Laphroaig 16 year (1987) 46% (Silver Seal)
  67. Auchentoshan 12 year
  68. Auchentoshan Three Wood
  69. Auchentoshan 18 year
  70. Auchentoshan Cooper’s Reserve 14 year
  71. Little Mill 25 year
  72. Aberlour A’bunadh
  73. Auchroisk 20 year (Duthies)
  74. BenRiach Septendecim
  75. Glen Deveron 20 year
  76. Glenfarclas 12 year
  77. Glenfarclas 21 year
  78. Glenfarclas 40 year
  79. Glenfarclas 105
  80. Kininvie 17 year
  81. Mortlach 15 year (Gordon & MacPhail)
  82. Singleton Artisan
  83. Speyburn 10 year
  84. Bailie Nicole Jarvie
  85. Compass Box Asyla 40%
  86. Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blend 43%
  87. Compass Box Hedonism
  88. Compass Box Spice Tree 46%
  89. Compass Box Peat Monster 46%
  90. Compass Box Juveniles 46%
  91. Monkey Shoulder
  92. Kavalan Concertmaster
  93. Corsair Triple smoke 40%, Batch 162, Bottle 153 of 450
  94. Jim Beam White Label 4 year
  95. Beam’s Choice 8 year, 1980
  96. Hudson Single Malt Whiskey 46% (2014)
  97. Westland Cask No 395 54.6%
  98. Penderyn Sherrywood
  99. Penderyn Madeira
  100. Penderyn Peated

There you have it!

I consider myself a passionate novice drammer. To have managed to accumulate 100 whiskies to write about, well… that’s really quite fabulous.

Slainthe! Here’s to many more whisky adventures ahead!!

Time to add a wee dram to sample...

Time to add a wee dram to sample…

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You seriously spit out whisky?

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Was the incredulous response when my partner described to a new acquaintance our ‘ritual’ in blind sampling whiskies.

Spit your 1st sip…?

When our monthly group first started our tasting adventures in February 2011, we had a ‘rule’ to spit out the 1st sip.

Now, I must admit, somewhere along the way we mostly abandoned this rule. However, there is a very clear rationale behind it.

Why spit?

It is all about acquainting your palate with the high alcohol content. In short, you let the first sip go so it helps clear the way to enjoy the real flavours. Think of it as calibrating the palate for the delights to come.

Keep it coming…

As most of us whisky aficionados taste whiskies for fun not funds, if you have lined up more than three whiskies in an evening, a certain amount of healthy pacing is in order too.

Psychologically using the spittoon for the 1st sip helps you slow down, distill the different elements before you have that 1st swallow that coats your throat with whisky goodness.

Whaddya do?

Any others adhere to this recommended approach or merrily abandon it in favour of gleefully gulping the 1st quaff?

Whisky sipping...

Whisky sipping…

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