Murray Campbell | Whisky Lady

Popping by the Bruichladdich booth at Whisky Live Singapore was a distinct highlight.

One of the Masterclass sessions I hoped to join was Richard Gillam’s “Bruichladdich Presents Truth and Lies in Whisky.” Alas it was sold out. Fortunately their whisky booth was well stocked!

After the extraordinary Prince Charles & Lady Di Wedding Bruichladdich from the Collector’s Room, it was time to go back to the basics… and beyond…

My notes with brief impressions of the different whiskies were scant, the memory of the booth was not!

Manned by a merry bunch, the passion and enthusiasm of the team was completely infectious! It was a popular spot, sparking conversations amongst samplers… the ability to do a peat progress from none to “Holy toledo Batman” ppm was a hit!

So too was a ‘tip’ from Murray Campbell, Bruichladdich’s Brand Ambassador for Asia… understanding the warmer climes of our region, he suggests cooling your mouth with a ‘shot’ of ice water before enjoying your dram.

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie 50% – Ahh…. Lip smacking lightly floral, fruity, clean and honey sweet

Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Scottish Barley 50% – Bacon – that wonderful sweet peat element that comes through with a few whiskies – yum!

Then a pair of mighty Octomore 5 years:

Edition 07.1 PPM 208 59.5% – Syrupy, no doubt this is peat on steroids yet somehow manages to remain not only a drinkable dram, a most enjoyable one too!
Edition 07.3 PPM 169 (2010) 63% – Sweet & fab, amazing what balance between peat and sweet can be achieved!

Later, I had an opportunity to sample Bruichladdich‘s Black Arts 4.1 49.2% and a sneak peak into their Black Arts 5.1 % which is now out… Exceptional both!

What a wonderful treat and terrific way to finish a quick nip through some Bruichladdich whiskies.

Other Bruichladdich‘s sampled til date include:

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There are times when we sip, dissect our impressions, discuss and then look at the official whisky tasting notes and simply scratch our heads in puzzlement.

Now before you think this is only because of overly creative marketing speak, there is another element in the equation that needs to be considered.

Temperature.

Let’s face it… Scotland’s average temperature is 15°C… And Mumbai? 30°C…

Which does indeed have an impact on your whisky tasting experience.

Hence why the standard way of serving in India is “on the rocks” with generous number of ice cubes. But that can “shock” a whisky and for some, it is a complete sacrilege!

As an alternative to killing a whisky’s nuance with chunks of ice, we’ve tried:

Those “rocks” that you freeze and then are supposed to cool your whisky… trust me, they warm up so quickly there is nearly no impact! Useless in a place like Bombay…
Cooling the whisky by keeping it in the fridge before serving… this actually works for a few minutes however soon enough the ambient temperature takes its toll. What we haven’t tried is storing our whisky bottle in a bucket of ice as we continue our evening…
Norlan glass is supposed to help keep the whisky from warming in your hands… yet when your starting point is hot? We have also found there is quite a different tasting experience between Norlan and Glencairn glasses overall with some whiskies much better suited to one or the other type of glass

Any other options?

Enter a ‘tip’ from Murray Campbell, Bruichladdich’s Brand Ambassador for Asia…

Here is his ‘recipe’ for dealing with the warmer climes of Asia:

Take two glasses
Fill one to the top with ice then water
In the other glass, pour your preferred whisky – neat!
Take a “shot” of the ice cold water, hold it in your mouth for a few seconds then swallow
Then enjoy your whisky
Alternate between cooling your mouth with the ice water and quaffing your whisky