Happy Canada Day!!

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While I may live in India, I’m originally from Canada and the land of my birth is celebrating 150 years today!

In terms of whiskies, most of what is available in Canada isn’t to my taste. However a special treat from my June 2016 trip was acquiring a brand new fresh “hot off” the distillery barrel single malt! Shelter Point single-handedly brought Canadian pride to this Whisky Lady!

I first shared it with our Whisky Ladies of Mumbai in January 2017 followed by a shared nip before the International Scotch Day (by far the best whisky of the night!) and then a rather companionable evening with a fellow whisky lady after we drained the last drops of our Nordic samples.

It is one of those whiskies that just got better and better the more you sipped.

Each time I returned to it, I enjoyed it even more!

No surprise then that they sold out!

I can only hope that Shelter Point’s 1st batch from 2016 is the start of many more interesting and enjoyable whiskies to come!!

So on Canada Day – Cheers to you Shelter Point, eh?!

Shelter Point

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Whisky Lady – June 2017

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Carissa Hickling's avatarEveryday Asia

June was full of so many things – work, travel to London, Winnipeg, Singapore and more!

As for the Whisky Lady side of things?

We had a wee bit of media attention… with a full page feature in the Mumbai Mirror. Be amused… be very amused….

“What next shall why try?”

I was completely humbled by meeting Sukhinder Singh, the guru of The Whisky Exchange, with an opportunity to visit his temple to whisky aka Board Room private collection, rare malts room and private bar in his head office. What a remarkable experience!!

Naturally, our tasting sessions continued…

The Whisky Ladies decided to have ‘A Night with Glen‘ featuring:

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Whisky Cocktail Hour?

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While my jaunt around the globe hasn’t quite finished, my quick zip through a few interesting cocktails is a ‘wrap’!

In case you missed any, here is a quick list:

  • Old Fashioned – Bourbon, bitters, sugar with a twist of orange
  • Manhattan – Bourbon, vermouth + bitters
  • Mint Julep – Bourbon, simple syrup, bitters + mint
  • The Ginger Baker – Tennessee whisky, ginger, lime + pineapple juice, orgeat syrup with a slice of pineapple
  • Spiced Boulevardier – Infused bourbon, vermouth, campari with a twist of orange or almonds

These cocktails all came courtesy of a session with DISCUS in May 2017, Mumbai.

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Whiskey Cocktail – Spiced Boulevardier

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Last in our whiskey cocktails was the Spiced Boulevardier. Unlike all the other cocktails, this one needs a bit of advance preparation.

With the bourbon, do an overnight infusion with spices that include Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and black cardamon.

Spiced Boulevardier recipe

  • 30 ml infused Bourbon
  • 7.5 ml sweet Vermouth
  • 7.5 ml Campari
  • Orange peel and/or cinnamon stick

In a mixing glass filled with ice, stir all ingredients and strain into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange peel and cinnamon stick and serve.

These all came courtesy of a session with DISCUS in May 2017, Mumbai.

Other American whisky experiences:

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Whiskey Cocktail – The Ginger Baker

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Next up in our whiskey cocktails was particularly fun to make – The Ginger Baker.

The Ginger Baker recipe

  • 45 ml Tennessee
  • 10 ml fresh ginger juice
  • 10 ml fresh lime juice
  • 10 ml orgeat syrup
  • 30 ml pineapple juice
  • Slice of fresh pineapple or dehydrated pineapple & 2 almonds

In a shaker glass filled with ice, pour all ingredients and mix well. Strain into an old fashioned glass. Drop a few spheres of ice, garnish with either the fresh pineapple or dehydrated pineapple & 2 almonds and serve.

These all came courtesy of a session with DISCUS in May 2017, Mumbai.

Other American whisky experiences:

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Whiskey Cocktail – Mint Julep

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Next up in our whiskey cocktails was the perfect refreshing hot weather cocktail – the Mint Julep.

Mint Julep recipe

  • 45 ml Bourbon/Tennessee
  • 10 ml simple syrup
  • 3 drops aromatic bitters
  • Fresh mint sprigs

In a silver Julep cup, drop the mint sprigs and add aromatic bitters, simple syrup and whiskey then muddle. Fill the cup with crushed ice and mix well. Garnish with a mint sprig and serve.

These all came courtesy of a session with DISCUS in May 2017, Mumbai.

Other American whisky experiences:

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Whiskey Cocktails – Manhattan

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Let me start off my confessing I’m not a big Bourbon, Tenessee or American Rye fan… I’m also not really a cocktail gal – especially if they are sweet. So the Manhattan is not typically my style.  However it is indeed a classic so no session of whiskey cocktail making would be complete without it!

Manhattan recipe

  • 45 ml Bourbon/Tennessee
  • 10 ml Sweet Vermouth
  • 3 drops aromatic bitters

In a mixing glass filed with ice, pour all ingredients and stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or orange peel.

These all came courtesy of a whisky cocktail ‘masterclass’ with DISCUS in May 2017, Mumbai.

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Whiskey Cocktail – Old Fashioned

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I’m in Canada for a week and I thought while I’m off gallivanting, may as well post a few whisky cocktails – a bit of a departure from my usual style.

These recipes all came from a few hours one Friday afternoon in a sultry hot Mumbai May day where I joined a cocktail making class…

We began with a classic – Old Fashioned – full of ice!

Old Fashioned recipe

  • 45 ml Bourbon/Tennessee
  • 1 sugar cube
  • 3-5 drops aromatic bitters

In an old fashioned glass, drop a sugar cube and add the bitters. Break the sugar and mix well. Pour in the whiskey and fill with ice. Gi e it a quick stir to mix well and add more ice if necessary. Release the oils from an orange peel and drop.

These all came courtesy of a session with DISCUS in May 2017, Mumbai.

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A perfect partner… Suntory’s Toki 43%

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After our rather interesting evening exploring Rampur from India, Royal Lochnagar 12 year and the remarkable aged grain Girvan 28 year…. we had an opportunity to pick anything from our hosts floor to ceiling whisky cupboard…

My eye spied Suntory’s Toki… like Hibiki,Toki is made from Yamazaki, Hakushu and Chita.

Suntory’s Toki 43%

  • Nose – Cheese, lemon miringue pie, light peaches or crisp apples, simple
  • Palate – Exceedingly smooth, very drinkable, think custard, hint of ginger, light citrus, fresh and clean
  • Finish – Short, sweet, a little spicy, simple yet pleasing

Our immediate reaction is this would pair well with a cheese and fruit platter – think a nice range of old cheddar and applies. Or desert – something light not heavy. Or even an arugula salad with blue cheese and caramel walnuts.

I brought the glass with us for the dinner… our desert was a baked lagan nu custard. And the Toki paired with it? Perfection! Just the right interplay between the different elements and an ideal way to close the evening.

Here’s what the folks at Suntory have to say:

  • Color – clear gold
  • Nose – basil, green apple, honey
  • Palate – grapefruit, green grapes, peppermint, thyme
  • Finish – subtly sweet and spicy finish with a hint of vanilla oak,
    white pepper and ginger

Also from our evening:

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Girvan Patent Still 28 year 42%

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One doesn’t often come across an aged grain. So it was such a surprise and treat to have this 28 year old Girvan close our tasting trio. We sampled blind from a freshly opened bottle, having no clue what we were sipping. Here is what we found…

Girvan Patent Still 28 year 42% No 1 Apps KA269PT

  • Nose – Nail polish remover, paint, some fruit, furniture polish, reminded one of a Chemistry lab with a bio-chemistry sweet note, staying steady, not evolving beyond an oil and spice, then after tasting the nose transforms – revealing fruits, pudding, opening up in a beautiful way
  • Palate – Sweet honey water, Parsis toffee green mathai (sweet), then began to open up to reveal a quality almost like an eclair, then a bitter caramel rum ball
  • Finish – Initially a spicy finish then a sweet, walnut bitter, with a chocolate noughat, held and genuinely very nice
  • Water – Nope. Don’t. Just enjoy it neat.

There was something quite unique about this whisky. We began to speculate that perhaps it was finished in a white wine cask – perhaps muscatel or sauternes? Perhaps not a single malt at all? Some corn? With such a honey light colour it was hard to pin point. All we knew was it was quite unique with a very distinctive and interesting character.

And the reveal? An aged Lowland grain! Wow!

Girvan goes by the name The Girvan Patent Still referring to their continuous distillation method using Coffey Stills which they credit for creating “a delicious spirit full of a rich intensity.”

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

Filled to American White Oak our whisky’s soul is forged from wood & mellowed by time. Naturally golden amber in colour – this is Single Grain Whisky at its finest.

Notes of honey, toffee, vanilla & caramelised fruits. It is, quite simply, Deliciously Different single grain whisky. 

  • Rich & Complex
  • Vanilla
  • Toffee Apple
  • Cinnamon
  • Citrus/Chocolate Orange

I suspect, but cannot confirm, this whisky was bought at Dubai’s Le Clos for $361.

Bottom line, did we enjoy? Absolutely! It was a unique experience – both distinctive and memorable.

Also from our evening:

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