Irish Night – Bushmills 16 year 40%

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Next up in our Irish lads n lasses evening was Bushmill‘s 16 year!

Fellow Canadian Paula McGlynn is our 1st guest whisky reviewer…

In addition to her blog & experiments with Pollywood Vlog (now discontinued), Paula is a film maker with her partner (Gulbadan Talkies) and actress, recently making her Marathi film debut.

What matters to our Whisky Ladies in Mumbai, is she’s the kind of lass that will track down a new whisky experiment from Canada, take an hour off from shooting in Goa to zip over to Paul John to collect a coveted bottle of Peated or pop into WhiskyLive when in South Africa… just because… whisky!

Here is what Paula has to say about the Bushmills 16 year….

Bushmills Single Malt Whiskey 16 year old is aged for 16 years in a combination of Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon-seasoned casks, then matured for several months in port wine barrels.

(Photo: www.bushmills.com)

(www.bushmills.com)

Paula’s Tasting Notes

  • Color: Amber
  • Nose: Sweet and subtle nose. Burnt sugar, toffee, citrus, overall restrained.
  • Palette: Cinnamon, caramel, marmalade, orange peel, star anise.
  • Finish: It hangs at the back of the tongue. Fennel and spice.
  • Water: Leather and more spice. Not recommended. It damps it down, but it was noted that after sitting for a while, the water brings out more of the Port notes.

Overall it is reserved and subtle but clean. Retains the distinct sweetness characteristic of Bushmills expressions.

Here is what the folks over at Bushmill have to say about the 16 year:

“The unique maturation process gives this single malt its distinct notes of juicy fruits, nuts and spice, as well as a hint of ruby redness.

It’s best enjoyed neat or over ice.”

It was also awarded Gold at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

PS In the consumption contest, Bushmills 16 year was 2nd!

More reviews by different Whisky Ladies of Mumbai:

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Irish Night – Bushmills 10 year 40%

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Rather than bounce around with multiple distilleries, our recent Irish evening narrowed its focus to primarily Bushmills.

For those not familiar, the Old Bushmills distillery can be found in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and traces its history back some 400+ years.

1st up in our combined Whisky Ladies & Bombay Malt & Cigar evening was the Bushmills 10 year.

Carissa’s tasting notes:

(Bushmills official website)

(Bushmills website)

  • Nose – Light, sweet, sprightly, a bit of banana, hints of vanilla, some honey, a whiff of spice all typical of an ex bourbon cask, mellowed into a soft caramel
  • Palate – Some fruit – apples and pears, very smooth and easy to drink, a hint of sweet spice like cinnamon, malty cereal
  • Finish – Was there a finish? Maybe a little light whisky sweetness…
  • Water – Hmm… honestly don’t… it was already quite ‘thin’ to our palates now more attuned to cask strength than 40%… and the whisky character is already quite restrained so best avoided

Overall we found it was a good start to the evening – one of those eminently accessible whiskies. While it doesn’t challenge, it does an admirable job of lubricating the senses with a sweet, sociable, uncomplicated yet pleasant whisky.

Here’s what the folks over at Bushmills have to say about their 10 year:

Bushmills Single Malt Whiskey 10 year old is triple distilled from 100% malted barley and matured for at least 10 years in bourbon season barrels which give it it’s honey, vanilla and milk chocolate aroma.

It can be served neat, over ice or if you’re feeling a little more adventurous, try it frozen.

We didn’t try it frozen, however…in a muggy Mumbai May night? Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Extra special treat for this sessions are guest reviews by different Whisky Ladies of Mumbai!

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

Irish Night – When the BMC + Whisky Ladies unite!

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To the casual observer, it may seem slightly absurd that one woman living in Mumbai could be part of three whisky tasting groups. Yet each are unique and completely delightful.

Particularly our Whisky Ladies group attracts quite a bit of… ahem… gentlemanly attention with many men wishing to crash our female only party.

However the lads over at our Bombay Malt & Cigar club are a rather more civilised lot. Clever gents, they knew the best way to enjoy an evening with the ladies would be to extend a gracious invitation to the mysterious whisky women of Mumbai.

And thus the Irish night was conceived!

While it didn’t take 9 months for this momentum occasion to become a reality, many  most amusing efforts went into selecting more sociable Irish whiskies, with the gentlemen taking full charge of sourcing everything from the whiskies to pipettes to acquiring more Glencairn classes to even glass covers!

Bushmills Distillery 21 May 2016 (Photo: Arti)

Bushmills Distillery 21 May 2016 (Photo: Arti)

At one point some 10+ whiskies were being bandied about as options, however in the end they settled on:

Then a few more were added as ‘bonus’ whiskies:

As always, the proof of what proved most popular is what was consumed most during the evening… in this case, the evidence is quite clear! The Bushmill’s 21 year beat the pants off the entire competition. Followed by the 16, 10 and Steamship lagged behind…

Bushmills Steamship, 10, 16, 21

Bushmills Steamship, 10, 16, 21

Our venue host personally cooked an Irish stew as the focus entrée of a fabulous sit down dinner which followed our slightly inebriated pronouncements about the various drams. We even had an Irish themed assortment of music and naturally much merriment was had by all!

To say the lads fully embraced our Irish evening is a wee bit of an understatement.

As for the lasses? Let’s just say we are plotting how to return the courtesy… with a theme that may completely disrupt normal notions of what defines a good dram!

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

Good to the last drop! JD Tennessee Honey Liqueur 35%

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To close our Whisky Ladies evening, we needed something to recover from the disasterous Chinese local hooch!

Galloping to the rescue was an American offering, completely out of synch with the predominantly Far East theme, but a welcome accompaniment to our chocolate pizza (oh yes! that is a thing and it is insanely yummy!).

Enter Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey liqueur..

Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey

Whisky liqueurs and other experiments have become more plentiful in recent years as NAS whiskies are given increasingly creative avatars in an effort to capture attention and market share… particularly those not governed by the Scotch Whisky Association rules.

Here’s what the folks over at JD have to say about their Tennessee Honey:

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey is a blend of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and a unique honey liqueur of our own making, for a taste that’s one-of-a-kind and unmistakably Jack. With hints of honey and a finish that’s naturally smooth, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey is something special.

  • Nose – Complex sweet nose, maple syrup and praline
  • Palate – Sweet up front, nutty on the finish, rich without being syrupy

Then proceed to invite you to mix it with lemonade!

As for the whisky ladies? Heck it was sweet JD and we had chocolate. What more can we say?

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Chinese local liquor

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I’ve been lucky to enjoy several work trips to China, however I would be the 1st to admit that exploring the local liquor has not been a priority. By contrast, in Taiwan, my top priority was to track down Kavalan whiskies!

That said, from time to time odd items make their way into my whisky cupboard. This unique offering came courtesy of a fellow whisky lady formerly of China then India and now the US of A. Before leaving, she gifted me a mystery box of what I thought was baijiu. I expected it would be a bit like Korean soju.

When in our recent Whisky Ladies ‘Far East‘ evening came about, decided what a perfect night to take the plunge and check it out!

It was most amusing opening the puzzle box, then figuring out how to ‘unlock’ the clasp on the bottle.

And the ‘prize’ that lay within?

In short… completely, utterly undrinkable. I wonder… does booze like this go ‘off’? Or are our palates simply uneducated in the ways of Chinese country hooch?

Mystery hooch

Mystery hooch

Related posts Beyond Whisky

Transforming common gin to uncommon delight

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What do you do when a delightful craft gin is finished? Give the empty bottle new life with a home made gin infusion!

On an earlier trip to Canada, one of our whisky ladies brought back a bottle of Endeavour Gin from Liberty Distillery on Granville Island.

And when it was gone? It was much missed. And a replacement was needed.

Now here is the thing, your average gin in India is pretty standard stuff… best disguised in cocktails.

In this case, our whisky lady transformed a $5 bottle of local desi gin into a delightful infusion using fresh rosemary springs and grapefruit from the market.

The result? A highly refreshing aperitif!

Infused gin

It was a perfect start to our evening – equally as good just with a cube of ice as it was with a few splashes of tonic.

Much like our whisky evening with Karen Walker, starting with a gin coming straight from a hard day was an ideal transition from work mode to enjoyment mode.

Gin tonic

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Piña colada whisky – Nikka Coffey Grain 45%

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Naturally our Whisky Ladies ‘far east‘ trilogy closed with an offering from Japan. Japanese whiskies are known for their ability to craft exquisite top-notch quality whiskies. Nikka certainly has put out a number of quite fabulous whiskies.

Given the bold Kavalan Solist cask strength whisky, we took care to clear our palates and recalibrate our thinking before sampling this grain whisky. We knew it would be much more delicate and nuanced.

To help switch gears from the strong coffee quality of the Kavalan, we were reminded to think ‘coffey stills’ not ‘coffee.’ Our whisky contributor shared that the whisky is named for the type of ‘coffey’ stills used by Nikka. These column stills were enhanced by Aeneas Coffey, who patented his approach which revolutionised liquor production in the mid-1800s.

Here’s what the folks over at Nikka have to say about this particular whisky:

This Grain Whisky is distilled in a “Coffey still”, which is a very traditional and rare patent still Nikka imported from Scotland in 1963. The Coffey still produces a complex whisky with a mellow and sweet taste originating from the grain itself. Please enjoy the uniqueness of this whisky which Nikka offers to the connoisseurs.

Nikka Coffey Grain

Nikka Coffey Grain

Here is what we found:

  • Colour – Bright gold
  • Nose – Piña colada with coconut, pineapple, lots of tropical dry fruits, sweet as in very sweet, some struggled to get past the ‘alcohol’, vanilla, a little dry papaya, one of those high-end granola cereals chock full of dry fruits
  • Palate – Mmm… some spice, butter, coconut, honey, light banana, quite subtle, only when taking a big swig does the spice peak out
  • Finish – Back to piña colada
  • Water – Adds a little spice and caramel but not really needed

For a setting, we thought would be a perfect pre-dinner whisky to get things started. Or one to sip while having a good chat with a friend where the whisky accompanies nicely but doesn’t command attention or distract from the focus on a good conversation.

Overall it is quite restrained as a whisky, elegant, smooth and easy to drink. It is hard not think this is targeted at what marketeers thing appeals to women, stereotyping preferences for sweet  piña colada like beverages with frilly umbrellas.

What do our whisky ladies of Mumbai have to say?

  • “Instagram whisky with a soft filter”
  • “Gee… are they trying to say this is a woman’s whisky with pretty pink packaging?”
  • “Gateway whisky… easily accessible but…”

In short, most of our lasses prefer a bit less pina colada and a bit more substance and complexity.

That doesn’t mean this isn’t a decent whisky. It absolutely is. However it doesn’t quite hit the preferred character for our whisky women. Talk turned to Yoichi and Nikka’s Taketsuru Pure Malt and away from what was right in front of us.

Just to check if we were missing anything, took a gander at the tasting notes on the bottle:

  • Nose: Fresh and enticing, it reveals ripe pear, cherry and exotic fruit aromas. Citrus notes of blood orange and lemon appear, slowly giving way to more subtle floral scents. With air, aromas of pastry, coconut and bourbon vanilla emerge, with underlying notes of mint and a hint of musk.
  • Palate: Juice and pleasant, the promises of the nose are kept. Intense ripe fruit with rum accents (banana) and caramel. The complexity develops with hints of liquorice and star anise. The mid-palate shows more fruit, dominated by pear nectar and quickly moving on to creamier notes with an omnipresent freshness.
  • Finish: Just as pleasant as on the palate with pear and vanilla bourbon, ending on a very nice light bitter touch.

Do we agree? Well… once they mentioned pear, that rang true. But complex? Musk? Intense ripe fruit?? Hmm… and not one mention of  piña coladas??

Other Nikka whiskies sampled til date:

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Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask 57.8%

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Our whisky ladies evening from the far east continued with a Kavalan comparison… After setting the stage with Concertmaster, the real symphony crashed on our senses with the remarkable Solist Sherry Cask. To say it hit some amazing high notes is an understatement!

2016-04-25 Kavalan Solist

Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask No S1001200358, Bottle No 025/507 57.8%

  • Colour – Unbelievable colour! Like ruby coffee or a very dark maple syrup
  • Nose – Astounding. Coffee, prunes, rum soaked, very berry sherry, hazelnut, maple syrup, vanilla, raisins, almond and marzipan, sweet toffee, figs and other dried fruits
  • Palate – “Wow!” A flood of warm buttery yum. Like a hot rum toddy or warm mulled wine. Cloves, black pepper, allspice. Dry and chewy.
  • Finish – Absolutely gorgeous finish, rich, long and lingering… “The finish just doesn’t end!”
  • Comments – “Giving me shivers up my spine!” “Quite heady and heavy” “Now THIS is a symphony unlike the Concertmaster!!”

Overall, we found this is the kind of whisky where a little goes a long way. It certainly isn’t one you would want to much of… Instead just one dram and you would be completely satisfied. Some compared it to a chewy chocolate candy like those ‘melody’ wrapped toffee coffee chocolate candies. It is a remarkable whisky – very different, big, rich, intense and one that requires you pay attention.

However, before moving on, we decided to experiment with adding water. Normally when we add water, it is just a few drops, however instinct prompted a different approach here… in part as it is cask strength and in part as its intensity begged a little taming…

  • A couple drops – Punched it up to make it even more forceful. It was as though the volume, already quite high, was increased to a thundering crescendo! Cranked up the spices, the sweetness and pushed it into the territory of “I’m not sure I still like this anymore…”
  • A good dollop –  Yes it did dampen the forceful quality brought out by only a few drops, however nothing new was revealed. It simply mellowed into the hot rum toddy style with just a tinge less kick
  • Ice cube – “Holy mother of… !?” Transforms. Normally we find ice ‘shocks’ the whisky – not in a good way. Here? Released a beautiful sweet perfume on the nose. The first hint of something more delicate beneath all the sherry strength. And the palate? Morphs into a smooth, gorgeous sipping whisky that perfectly cuts the sweet. With ice you could settle down, sip, savour and continue to enjoy this unique whisky… perhaps even greedily coming back for more.

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

Matured in Spanish top quality oloroso sherry casks in special editions, Kavalan Solist Sherry is bottled by hand at the distillery, without any colouring, chill-filtration. It is a naturally smooth and rich whisky with a complex character. It is clean and complex with multi-layers of dried fruit, nuttiness and spices with some marzipan and vanilla touches to it as well.

  • Colour – Dark and mouth-watering raisin
  • Nose – Clean and complex with multi-layers of dried fruit, nuttiness and spices with some marzipan and vanilla touches to it as well
  • Palate – Rich, oily and full with pleasant dried fruit and spices that linger on in the mouth plus a hint of fine coffee
2016-04-25 Kavalan Solist Tasting Notes
Related notes from our Whisky Ladies April session:
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Kavalan Concertmaster 40%

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Our whisky ladies evening from the far east enabled us to contrast and compare two very different Kavalan whiskies.

For those not familiar, Kavalan is Taiwan’s answer to the whisky world. While founded only in 2005, it is winning award after award – in 2014 alone over 100 awards! Master blender Ian Chang and the team take full advantage of Taiwan’s warmer climate to produce no age statement experiments, maturing in different casks and playing around with finishes.

Back in 2008, just three years after the distillery was constructed, Kavalan launched its first ‘Classic’ whisky. A year later in 2009, Concertmaster was released.

The bottle I shared with our Whisky Ladies was acquired in Taipei a few years ago. It was honestly a disappointment when first tried and was brought as a ‘base line’ before sampling the Solist.

Concertmaster (Whisky Lady)

Concertmaster (Whisky Lady)

Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish 40%

  • Colour – Light gold
  • Nose – Initially a bit peculiar, like it was pretending to have peat but isn’t, then honey, sour, a bit citrusy, formaldehyde, some vanilla, followed by caramel and orange peel
  • Palate – Smooth. Not horrible but sorta a whole lot of nothing, neutral, non-descript, innocuous, inoffensive
  • Finish – Warm with some bitter orange peel
  • Water? No need, already quite light and thin
  • Comments – “Dare I say… insipid?” “Definitely NOT a concert or symphony of aromas or flavours!”

While overall not bad, it was not particularly memorable either. Clearly we struggled to discern specific elements on the palate. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad whisky at all. Just not one to make the heart sing… let alone a full blown concerto!

Here’s what the folks over at Kavalan have to say:

Using Portuguese ruby, tawny and vintage Port wine casks as the main flavour, Kavalan Concertmaster single malt whisky is the first matured in specially selected American oak cask and then finished in port barriques. The marrying in the barriques mellows the flavours and adds indefinable smoothness to the whisky. It is rich bodied with natural sweetness and complexity. 

  • Colour – Pleasant brownish red
  • Nose – Tropical fruitiness with honey, vanilla, coconut and candy floss
  • Palate – Rich bodied with natural sweetness and complexity

If you look today on the Kavalan website, you will no longer see Concertmaster prominently featured though it is still very much present. However there are rumours of its production being phased out. We have to say its absence would not be a great loss to the world of whisky. And if it means more attention on Solist and other experiments? Please! Please!

For the story on my initially acquiring and sampling this bottle from Taipei… read here.

Related notes from our Whisky Ladies April session:

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

The surprising Amrut Spectrum 50%

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Sometimes our sessions have a small ‘bonus’ offering. A little something extra tagged on after the main show. Call it an ‘encore’ performance.

Usually there is a specific reason it is kept separate from the main trio of whiskies sampled. Hosts often have a little ‘surprise’ like my sharing a rather unique tequila like Tapatio Excelencia Gran Reserva Extra Anejo or another evening with a post dinner El Dorado Rum.

Amrut Mystery Malt

In this case, after dinner we were offered a sample of a sample… introduced blind with no context.

  • Nose: Immediate in your face sherry replete with all the usual dried fruits, diwali crackers smoke, burnt brown sugar, kopra, dry roasted coconut, chokecherry, port wine, rubber and kokum
  • Taste: Dry… then stewed prunes, hint of spice, chilli chocolate, honestly a bit peculiar – very much on the dry spice side without sweetness, different
  • Finish: Wine finish, prunes, closes with spice

Observations: Prunes were consistently there in nose, palate and finish. Distinctive and difficult to adequately describe. None could place. And frankly it wasn’t exactly the kind of whisky that appealed immediately. Like a novel experiment but not necessarily one you would run out to repeat or share with the world.

Our mischievous supplier of the mystery malt then started to drop obscure clues to prompt our guessing the whisky like:

  • Single malt that is a mixed palate
  • If in Scotland, may not meet the rules
  • James Bond…

We gave up.

Reveal? A sampling of Amrut Spectrum which has sparked both controversy and admiration for the innovation of its approach.

Amrut Spectrum (www.amrutdistilleries.com)

Amrut Spectrum (www.amrutdistilleries.com)

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

One of the uniquest whisky malt in the world, to make this whisky malts were initially matured for a period of 3 years in ex-Bourbon barrels after which they were transferred to a custom built barrel. This barrel was constructed at an undisclosed location in Europe with the help of a few experts. Whisky is traditionally aged in a barrel made of one type of wood, which lends the flavor and complexities to the malt, however, Amrut Spectrum in matured in a barrel with five different types of wood. 

Tasting Notes from Biskopen Gustavs Maltklubb
  • Nose: raisins, rum, nougat, figs, oranges, tiramisu, cocoa, caramel, coffee, dried fruit, burnt rubber.
  • Palate: sherry, rum, butterscotch, chocolate, prunes, molasses, pecans, walnuts, almonds, English wine gum.
  • Finish: caramelized almonds, old cognac, apricots, Brazil nuts.

Those who’ve followed Whisky Lady tasting adventures for some time would know that I’m very proud of my adopted home India. I’m also delighted to see its nascent single malt whisky experiments begin to garner attention.

However I’ve had mixed experiences with Amrut whiskies sampled til date. In large part that is because what is available in India is NOT the same as what folks outside India rave about!

Case in point, the Fusion we buy in Mumbai does not have the same alcohol strength as what I sampled in Singapore last December. Fusion at 50% is certainly much more interesting than what you can pick up from your local Mumbai ‘wine shop.’

Spectrum is certainly different. And there is something to be said for pushing the boundaries… so bravo for that.

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