Singleton Artisan 40%

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Time to revisit a past session to get into the mood for this month’s upcoming tasting! This review comes from our 17 April 2014 tasting session with the Singleton Artisan.

Lining up for some serious tasting!

Our merry tasting group are no stranger to Singleton however overall it wouldn’t be a first pick. The previous experience with this Speyside left the impression of fairly standard fare, nothing exceptional. It also can be a bit confusing as Singleton uses different names in different markets with different profiles, with the distillery actually called Dufftown (not Singleton).

However, we are always game to explore more. So one member picked up the Artisan expression on a whim – an airport duty-free purchase. As usual, we tasted blind to discover without bias what the whisky had to say to us…

Singleton Artisan 40% (bottle DF 00319 AA)

  • Colour – Deep amber
  • Nose – Flowery sweet hinting of a sherry cask, rubber quality, spice dabba like cardamom and clove, even dirty sock
  • Taste – Fruity warm with a bitter chewiness, smoky and very dry
  • Finish – Short yet the bitter quality remained
  • With a few drops of water – Dry coconut bitterness emerged, sweetness reduced to highlight the spice more

And here is what the folks over at Dufftown have to say about their Artisan offering…

Made in small batches once a year, hand crafted once a year by our Master of Malts, in strictly limited quantities, this is the ultimate expression of our whisky making craft.

Luxurious and incomparably smooth A rich, defined and ultra smooth Single Malt with hints of sticky dates, raisin-like sweetness, delicate fresh fruit, mixed spice and ginger – perfect for life’s treasured moments or as a gift to someone special.

Finished in hand selected pedro ximenez casks this exquisite Single Malt is finished in hand selected Pedro Ximenez wood Casks. Using this rare, modern finishing technique our Master of Malts has hand crafted a rich, decadent and incomparably smooth Scotch whisky that is a tribute to the art of whisky making.

Marketing “speak” aside, the Singleton Artisan did get us to perk up and pay attention. In short, this whisky reminded us to not dismiss airport offerings!

Singleton Artisan

Other whiskies sampled in our April 2014 session included:

For more Whisky Lady mischief, check out:

 

Airport offerings…

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London should have been a massive ‘score’ for the Whisky Lady… however we had such a hectic thoroughly engaged time, there was narry a chance for whisky. Yeah… I know.. seriously. No excuse really acceptable but there you have it!

So I did what all folks do… checked out the airport duty-free offerings.

Here is the challenge… for us merry malt samplers, we are always seeking something ‘new’. Particularly when traveling, it is our ‘duty’ to help supply something less accessible for our fellow adventurers back home from the world of whisky. Which means we don’t completely dismiss duty-free options, however they tend to not quite satisfy the craving for something ‘different’.

First stop in London Heathrow Terminal 4 was the standard duty-free store with a rather limited selection.

Next stop was the wee World of Whisky outlet in the same terminal. A quick glance confirmed that while there were a few more options, none jumped out as ‘must have!’

The fellow there tried to be helpful however I must have seemed like a complete ‘bevri‘ (that’s a female drunk for those who don’t speak Hindi)… as most ‘interesting’ whiskies he suggested were all previously tried…

So then he started cracking open the distiller samples to tempt with:

  • Mortlach NAS (We’ve tried the 15 before)
  • Cragganmore (Ditto for the 12, however he pulled out another one which didn’t make the cut)
  • Dalmore cigar whisky (Interesting but not worth the price)
  • Aultmore 12 and 21 year (New to our whisky tasting group so a possibility)
  • Kilchoman (I simply didn’t have the heart to tell him we had a terrific whisky dinner pairing with Kilchoman‘s master distiller Anthony Wills and his lovely wife in Mumbai)

With triumph, he then said “I know! I guarantee you haven’t tried this one! Though I don’t have a bottle open to try…”

That’s when he drew my attention the KininVie 17 year. He couldn’t believe I bought a bottle last year in Singapore as it was new to their stock. I confessed that I’ve yet to open it… however thanks to Ronald of Whiskyriffic, there is a wee sample sitting in my cupboard awaiting attention.

I was seriously tempted by the Linkwood 1988 however the price was steep. I’ll probably regret that decision, but there you have it.

You will know what I DID pick up from future reviews. However all in all it either proved our wee whisky tasting group in Mumbai has acquired a reasonable range of whiskies over the years or the selection was particularly limited.

We single malt drinkers can truly be a ‘promiscuous‘ lot, always seeking a new and interesting partner to dance with before moving on to the next twirl around the dance floor with another partner…

Would you agree?

Airport offerings (Whisky Lady)

Airport offerings (Whisky Lady)

Pssst…. Since July I have indeed sampled the KininVie, plus the two I picked up:

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Waffling at Whisky Live

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Most envious of the whisky waffling these lads enjoyed at Whisky Live Australia!

Waffling at Whisky Live.

via Waffling at Whisky Live.

Round the world – Bushmills, Beam’s Choice, Kornog, Yamazaki Sherry

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By far, the #1 whisky sampling evening I’ve experienced til date was at The Auld Alliance in Singapore.

My fellow whisky adventurer and I began our evening with a stop at The Auld Alliance thinking we would have a wee dram there before carrying on to dinner and exploring another whisky spot.

Then we met Arun and were treated to a detailed tour of the remarkable collection, full of fascinating trivia, rare bottles and such a clear passion for the water of life it was almost overwhelming! Worthy of another post however I could never do justice to the experience.

We went to our dinner but were determined to return to settle down for a proper tasting. Return we did and chose from the sampling menu the ‘World’ and ‘Scottish cask’ options. Arun then offered to curate a custom experience for us, along our chosen lines, completely blind. As in dark glass can’t even glean a clue from the colour blind.

How could we say no?

It was such a treat to sample four such distinctive and unique global whiskies.

Bushmills (Whisky Lady)

Bushmills (Whisky Lady)

1st Irish – Bushmills Single Barrel 1975 49.1%

Cask No 164, Bottle No 153, Part of the 365 single barrel millennium series

  • Nose – Spirity, coconut, raw, citrus lemon, not smooth instead a sharp woody scent
  • Taste – Indeed has a kick – wow! Sharp spice, bitter, no body – simply collapses
  • Finish – Dies like that – snap!
  • Impression – A sharp ‘Zap!’ kinda whisky that tingles… something to jolt you awake rather than woo your heart

This was an ‘in your face’ kinda whisky. It had a raw quality – not watered down, natural strength. A dash of water did open it a bit and while it was a terrific ‘kick-off’, just whetted the appetite for further sampling adventures…

Beam's Choice (Whisky Lady)

Beam’s Choice (Whisky Lady)

2nd American – Beam’s Choice 8 year, 1980 (58.7%?)

  • Nose – Sweet flowery fragrance, clean, pure
  • Taste – Bourbon – no doubt! Sour raw mango, curd, raisins, smooth like a good rum
  • Finish – What finish? It was like it was knocked out for the count and simply couldn’t recover
  • Impression – There was zero doubt this was a bourbon. What we also noted was after the initial sip, when we went back to the nose post sampling other drams, the delightful flowery fragrance had disappeared.

While we knew it was a bourbon, we were both surprised it was Jim Beam as there was a different quality than one finds in the current incarnation. For one, it was matured for 8 years instead of the typical 5 years found today. For another, it had such contrasting elements between the nose and palate.

Kornog (Whisky Lady)

Kornog (Whisky Lady)

3rd French – Kornog NAS 2013, bottled for The Auld Alliance 58.7%

  • Nose – Smooth flowers, garden greens, nail polish or varnish, very sweet – almost too sweet, smells light, bright and fresh… just couldn’t get beyond the sweet
  • Taste – PEAT as in serious peat, horses kick kinda peat, with bitter tamarind, super sour yet also rich and creamy – may sound like a contradiction yet it works
  • Finish – Smoooooth, warm, beautiful and simply delightful
  • Impression – Has a distinctly different character. Superb. We speculated that it may be cask strength

Of all the world whiskies sampled, this one stood out as being in a completely different league. I resolved to explore more from this distillery to learn that it is difficult to track down both the unpeated Glann ar Mor or peated Kornog whiskies and is likely to become even more challenging as the distillery just announced it will be closing in August 2015. What?! No!! Say it isn’t so!

PS – Since this post (June 2015), it now has a slightly extended lease on life… however tracking down bottles from this distillery remains challenging!

Yamazaki 1998 (Whisky Lady)

Yamazaki 1998 (Whisky Lady)

4th Japanese – Yamazaki Sherry Cask 1998 61%

Cask # CU70067, Bottled in 2011, Bottle #429

  • Nose – Like a candy store, bursting with sherry soaked sweeties, fresh, young, powder of flour
  • Taste – A fizzy spice, with some ginger, dried fruits, bursting with raisins, citrus zest and a sense of being rather well-manicured, utterly delicious and… well… dare I say ‘nice’
  • Finish – It warms up, more sweet spice, licorice, long and juicy
  • Impression – There is a youthful exuberance about this whisky. The closest of the lot to something identifiably Scottish which meant to us it must be Japanese!

There is a lot going on with this whisky and what made it special was the interplay of many different elements. What is also remarkable is that it is so utterly smooth you would never guess it to be 61%. We had absolutely no temptation to add even a drop of water.

While a complete treat, I would prefer to come back to it when the focus is on this whisky alone. As one amongst eight, it was simply over shadowed by the distinctive quality of the Kornag and the remarkable Lochside 1981. However without a doubt, one to be savoured and enjoyed and I do hope to have another opportunity sample it.

The Auld Alliance World Whiskies (Whisky Lady)

The Auld Alliance World Whiskies (Whisky Lady)

I would encourage you to not miss The Auld Alliance if in Singapore… you can find it at:

  • 9 Bras Basah Road, RendezVous Hotel, Gallery #02-02A, SINGAPORE 189559 
  • info@theauldalliance.sg Tel: +65 6337 2201

Ledaig 18 year 46.3%

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Our June 2015 monsoon tasting trio featured whiskies from Ireland, USA and Scotland:

The Scottish contribution may have been last but was definitely not the least!

Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

  • Nose –  Opening up a box of biscuits, the dive  deep into the forest with wet moss, dripping in humidity, whiff of smoked bacon that became increasingly prominent, some fruit cake or Christmas pudding, fresh sawed lumber, sea salt, cod liver oil, musty
  • Taste – A meaty peaty, chewy body… As our host shared, as a vegetarian, the whisky simply doesn’t fall into a vegetarian profile so she had no real reference point! Tumeric, smokey tobacco, smooth and oddly mild, oily
  • Finish – Sweet, salty but significant. Some thought it had a salty bitter quality.

Ledaig is a whisky line from the Tobermory distillery – the only whisky distillery on the Isle of Mull. While it hearkens its origins to 1798, it has a checkered history with a revolving door of owners, times when the doors shut then re-opened and is currently owned by Burn Stewart Distillers who also own Deanston and Bunnahabhain distilleries.

The Tobermory distillery produces whiskies in various avatars:

  • The peated single malt Ledaig expressions
  • Some whiskies – both single malts and blends – under the Tobermory brand
  • And can be found in blends like Scottish Leader and Black Bottle
We previously sampled the Ledaig 1997 (bottled in 2013 i.e. 16 yr)  – this had some elements in common yet the 18-year-old was distinctively more ‘meaty’.
Ledaig 18 label (Whisky Lady)

Ledaig 18 label (Whisky Lady)

Official tasting notes:

A wonderfully smoky island single malt Scotch whisky which balances sweet and floral aromas with the richness and warmth of sea salt and smoke.

This 18 Year Old Ledaig represents the rebirth of the style of malt whisky that would have originally been produced at the distillery.

This sought after peated Hebridean style Single Malt Scotch Whisky balances rich and fruity, sherried smokiness with seaweed and light creosote that allows for a long and quite pungent finish with more smoke and a hint of liquorice and sea spray. Unchill-filtered @ 46.3% ABV.

Each whisky in our June tasting session was completely different from the others. For some, the winner of the day the American Westland – showing what quality, care and creativity can accomplish! For others, it was the Ledaig.
Monsoon trio - Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Monsoon trio – Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Westland Cask No 395 Hand Filled 54.6%

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Can I simply admit I haven’t yet got on the American craft whiskey band-wagon? I’m just not a crazy bourbon fan… and while I certainly recognise there is some great stuff out there, most American whiskies just don’t seem to float my boat in the way a mature, complex, Scottish cask strength whisky does…

Til now… yes… this Westland just might make a convert out of me. I kid you not – it is that good.

Part of our June tasting trio, our host’s partner studied with the master distiller – Matt Hoffman – and they personally visited the ‘lab’ in Seattle to pick up this remarkable dram. Everything about it simply stood out and demanded undivided attention – in the best possible way.

Westland Whiskey (Whisky Lady)

Westland Whiskey (Whisky Lady)

Westland hand filled 54.6% 
Cask strength, cask No 395, bottle no 365 which was hand filled by our host on 2/5/2015
  • Nose – Sweet peaty charcoal, fills up the glass with its aroma, prunes and plums, the kind of nose that makes you salivate and want to immediately dive in, a scent reminiscent of village life heating water in copper handis with a hint of smoke, fermentation… after it is left for a bit, we returned to discover freshly baked cookies
  • Taste – A bubbly champagne, like a bright proseco with a ‘zing’ that continues, dry, smokey quality that remains on the tongue, an odd yet pleasant astringentness, chilli with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, secretive ash, complicated, an odd yet likable old dry roasted puffed rice
  • Finish – Long… sweet and lingers with a delayed  bitterness
  • Water – Spicy tarka
Here is a whiskey that is simply bursting with character! Very creative, complex, insanely interesting. While likely only three years, Westland has managed to produce a whisky people will definitely enjoy. In our opinion. this whisky is in the ‘watch out’ category as opposed to simply ‘interesting but…’ league.
Westland Cask No 395 (Whisky Lady)

Westland Cask No 395 (Whisky Lady)

Our host shared her experience visiting his  lab in Seattle, enjoying an opportunity to sample a range of whiskies before picking this one – hand filling her own bottle. She described the new make spirit as ‘almost there’ even before maturing in new American oak casks – amazing. In part, this is a result of Matt’s practise of using Belgium yeast which gives the whiskies a slightly chocolate flavour.

There are few reviews out there of Westland and even fewer for Cask No 395 – which alas is now sold out. The official notes share:

The latest cask in our Hand-Filled series is Cask #395, filled with 30% of our signature 5-malt new make spirit and 70% peated new make spirit. Interestingly, the peated malt doesn’t dominate the character of the final whiskey. The 5-malt holds its own and more while the heavy toast/light char cask adds a nice third dimension to the overall profile.

FLAVOR PROFILE NOTES

This multi-dimensional whiskey has a lot to offer. The peat notes are floral and fruity with a mossy aroma on the nose, all underpinned by smoky barbecued meat. The presence of the 5-malt is exhibited by a backdrop of waffle cone with chocolate custard.

For more info, check out their website – Westland Distillery – Thoughtfully Made

Or see what others say about the distillery:

For many, the Westland was the highlight of our June 2015 monsoon tasting trio which also featured whiskies from Ireland and Scotland:
Monsoon trio - Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Monsoon trio – Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix 55%

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Our June monsoon tasting session featured a merry trio from Ireland, the US and Scotland – harkening back to our May session which also represented each country.

It kicked off with a little Irish lilt from Tullamore D.E.W….

Tullamore DEW Phoenix (Whisky Lady)

Tullamore DEW Phoenix (Whisky Lady)

Limited edition bottle no 14/08360
  • Nose – Freshly opened, it greeted us with a hit of instant alcohol – sharp! Then it started to have the more familiar whisky notes with a hint of vanilla, out popped a fruit basket, overripe bananas, sweet and pleasant, classic malt smell, not dry, in a comfortable band, caramel, taking time to open.. sweet milk chocolate
  • Taste – It tingled on the tongue –  bright, sweet, yet surprisingly ‘thick.’ As it rested on the palate, it continued to remain sweet, then a bit of chocolate, gaining a salty then bitter turkish coffee quality, and finally a little sour, creamy element
  • Finish – Mild spice with a bit of a kick
  • Water – Made it much sweeter, harsher on the throat. Spoiled the whisky for some, enhanced for others…
Before the unveiling, one member kept saying how it reminded him of Irish whiskies sampled til date – spot on! Though it didn’t have the ‘sociable’ character of the Teeling Single Malt.
The Tullamore Dew Phoenix was released to celebrate the first aviation disaster in history and the re-opening of the Tullamore distillery. It also has a higher alcohol percentage than most Tullamores.
Tullamore Dew Phoenix close-up (Whisky Lady)

Tullamore Dew Phoenix close-up (Whisky Lady)

Official tasting notes – with slightly confusing information abut the ‘3 types’ of whiskies:
This special limited edition is a triple distilled blend of all three types of Irish whiskey; golden grain, malt and pure pot still whiskey. It is characterised by its high content pot still whiskey finished in old oloroso sherry casks and comes to you at 55% ABV. Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix is a medium bodied whiskey, with distinctive sherry notes and pleasantly spicy creamy pot still whiskey flavours nicely balanced. 
  • Nose – Warm and spicy initially, then rich, toffee, vanilla notes become evident. The characteristic leafy, malty notes of Tullamore D.E.W. are enriched with deeper, toasted oak aroma and a hint of sherry nuttiness.
  • Taste – The higher strength tingles on the tongue leaving a spicy pot still flavour. Addition of a little water releases layers of caramel sweetness, delicate floral notes and oak tannins.
  • Finish – Long lasting with a lingering warmth. A perfect balance of oloroso sherry sweetness and spicy creamy pot still.

While we didn’t pick up on the nutty quality, the sherry was unmistakably there and ‘creamy’ is an excellent way to describe it overall.

Monsoon trio - Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

Monsoon trio – Tullamore DEW Phoenix, Westland Cask No 395, Ledaig 18 year (Whisky Lady)

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Hazelburn 12 year 46%

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My astute whisky sampling companion in Singapore selected the Hazelburn 12 year at Quaich bar. Thank goodness as our first sample – the Glengassaugh Torfa – simply wasn’t to our taste!
Hazelburn 12 year (Whisky Lady)

Hazelburn 12 year (Whisky Lady)

Hazelburn 12 year
  • Nose – Clear sherry element with caramel, fruit – particularly plums. A hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and then dried fruits. Quite peaceful… with wet moss, a drizzle of rain… After sampling and more time to breathe, the nose gained even more sugar until it became almost too sweet like sugary orange marmalade
  • Palate – Well-structured, balanced, smooth, spice with a very pleasant curl of smoke, not ‘chewy’ but has some substance with darker elements – roasted coffee and chocolate?
  •  Finish –  Some warm spice, licorice, sweet…
  • Overall – Simply delicious, complex, lots of sherry yet still well-balanced

The Hazelburn is triple distilled, non-chill filtered with no caramel added.

Without a doubt, both my fellow Whisky Lady in Singapore and I put this in our ‘Would buy‘ category… Satisfying in every way and enough to make me regret passing up buying a 1st release Hazelburn 8 year from earlier in the week.

While most would already be aware, the Hazelburn distillery in Campletown was technically in operation only from 1825 and 1925, when it was bought by Springbank distilleries and shut down. Which means this whisky is produced in honour of Hazelburn rather than actually from the original distillery.

Springbank produces three distinct whiskies:
  • The Hazelburn’s you find today are part of their un-peated line
  • They use the Longrow brand for their peated line and
  • Their most popular Springbank standard can most readily found in their 10 year vintage

So far, I’ve overall enjoyed all three ranges from Springbank and look forward to seeing what will emerge with 18 years maturity – for many Scottish whiskies this seems to be their most interesting age.

What others say:

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Glenglassaugh Torfa NAS 50%

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I’m all for experiments. I’m also not averse to trying younger variants and have found some promising young bucks out there!

When I shared that I had already traipsed through most of the suggested whisky sample sets at Quaich bar in Singapore, the Glenglassaugh Torfa was recommended. I thought why not?

However just because something is ‘new’ (or in this case ‘re-new‘) or ‘different’ doesn’t necessarily make it ‘good’…

Glenglassaugh Torfa (Whisky Lady)

Glenglassaugh Torfa (Whisky Lady)

  • Nose – Overripe fruit, peat, grass… as it continued to breathe, could identify some gingery orange citrus. After sipping, the nose took on a sour curd note with a hint of jackfruit
  • Palate – Sharp, bitter, almost like diesel, young, brash and not balanced. My fellow sampler identified something akin to cleaning solvent. As soon as she said this, I couldn’t help but agree and then couldn’t get past this element either…
  • Finish – Smoke, but nothing significant and quickly dissipated
  • 1st impression – Disappointing

As the 2nd whisky we sampled (Hazelburn 12 year) was simply so much more to both our tastes, we left the Torfa alone for some time. We found it mellowed out a bit yet still retained the overall young attitude.

So we decided to see what happens when we added water…

  • On the nose, it shifted into overripe fruit, salty (almost like salted popcorn)
  • On the palate, became smoother, then some spice and finally light leather in the finish

As my companion put it

“Kinda like a hip hop dude who realised he needed to drop the attitude and be a bit more real.”

Certainly the drops of water helped, however the Torfa still feels like it has been pulled out of the maturation process too soon. I wonder if that is also the case with the other Glenglassaugh expressions – Revival and Evolution?

Of the three, Torfa is their ‘richly peated’ expression and my issue isn’t with the peat, it is the lack of balance.

However, in fairness, I should share that we have no idea how long this bottle lay open with Quaich and whether that had an impact, dulling other elements. The official tasting notes speak of melon, pineapple and roasted red apples on the palate – we discovered nothing of the sort! And when I checked the reviews from folks whose opinions I’ve found reliable, they seemed to have a different experience.

Bottom line – would we buy? Nope. In fact, we didn’t even finish our dram.

If this experience is any indication (which it may not be), one has to wonder if the investors for Glenglassaugh are simply being too impatient. The Speyside distillery only re-started production in 2008 and has already pumped out a trio of whisky expressions plus a few experiments like “The Spirit Drink that dare not speak its name” which is one mash of malted barley, fermented and distilled twice then bottled without ageing and “The Spirit Drink that blushes to speak its name” which is produced in the same way then aged 6 months in California red wine casks.

Now, if the Glenglassaugh folks had the advantage (or disadvantage) of a hot climate like India, perhaps one can understand releasing expressions after limited time… however in Scotland? Me thinks a wee bit more patience is in order!

What others say:

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Will Quaich Bar in Singapore quench your whisky cravings?

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The ‘big close’ to my Singapore whisky tasting adventures was my last evening in town – Saturday night – with a fellow Whisky Lady. We had ambitious plans to hit a few different places however after a slow start at her place, then the limitations of my newly twisted ankle, we decided to take a more selective approach.

After a stellar evening earlier in the week at The Auld Alliance and the usual delightful purchasing pit stop at La Maison du Whisky, I was primed for surprises and an opportunity to discover something completely different – in a good way!

After considering :

  • The Secret Mermaid – known for craft American whiskies yet eliminated as shortly off to N America
  • 28 Hong Kong Street – reservations required
  • Pony & Jigger – likely crowded Saturday night
  • B28 – the latest incarnation of the Malt Vault – closed for an indeterminate time…

We finally settled on beginning our evening at Quaich…

Quaich (pronounced Quake) takes its name from a traditional whisky bowl offered as a symbol of friendship. Around since 2006, it is one of the well-known whisky sampling spots of Singapore.
Quaich Bar Singapore (Whisky Lady)

Quaich Bar Singapore (Whisky Lady)

We strolled into a cosy space that conveniently has both an outdoor area for smokers, indoor for non-smokers plus semi-private cigar lounges around the side… in which a couple were (ahem), taking advantage of the seclusion offered.

The whisky menu began with suggested tasting sets then long lists by region.

Excited, I perused the sets, then had a sinking realisation that I’ve sampled just about all the whiskies listed in the them…

Now… I consider myself a novice in the world of whisky, so this did not bode well.

While the overall selection is fantastic by Indian standards (easy to achieve!), clearly one of the pre-set samplers was not going to satisfy my quench for something unique.

So naturally I asked for help from the staff which was… erm… just not on par with my Singapore single malt sampling experiences til date.

Whisky dram (Whisky Lady)

Whisky dram (Whisky Lady)

Now, I’m sure they must get this a lot “I want to try something different!”

And it is not easy to know what someone will enjoy until you have a deeper conversation about experiences til date and preferences… but that’s just it, there wasn’t much of a further probe and well… let’s just say the lass helping us didn’t seem terribly enthusiastic.

I shared my quandary about the sample sets with a sincere request for guidance.

No offer to craft a modified set, and in the dance to determine what may be of interest, my queries lead to her frankly admitting that she hadn’t been permitted to sample most of those I asked about, and hence could not speak to their character. Hmm…

Not that it should impact the equation, however, I shared a bit more background:
  • I live in India and appreciate the range available in Singapore
  • Am part of a whisky tasting group in Mumbai and
  • Share our tasting notes in a blog on whisky

All to provide context as to why I was so keen to try something less accessible and open to recommendations.

Normally, this would be the point during which other support would be brought in, if needed…

Off she went and came back suggesting the Glenglassaugh Torfa which, indeed, I’ve not tried. Unfortunately, it was not an entirely positive experience and we did not even finish our whisky. My friend opted for the Hazelburn 12 year – smart choice!

A bit of India at Quaich Bar, Singapore (Whisky Lady)

India at Quaich Bar, Singapore (Whisky Lady)

What amused me the most was spotting two bottles of India’s Paul John proudly displayed… with one bottle clearly already empty!

It could be that I just happened to get someone newer to the team or perhaps I wasn’t able to articulate my expectation well enough. However, would I go to Quaich again? Doubtful unless there is a specific draw…

What stood out was staff pride in their new Quaich bar in Myanmar – “Do come visit us in Myanmar! Here is the card!” I simply wish that level of passion had extended to the collection right there in Singapore.

In our case, the evening ended on a high note as we gave up on further whisky adventures in favour of going straight to BluJaz to catch the end of a friend’s set. There the whisky choices may be limited, but the price is as reasonable as one gets in Singapore and best of all, by the time we reached, the band was smoking. I opted for a Macallan and considered my Singapore trip overall a success.

Slainthe!

Quiach Bar is located at 390A Havelock Rd, Grand Copthorne Waterfront, Singapore 169664.