Whisky Ladies Conquer a Cask Strength Diwali!!

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

We are no shy retiring missish lasses… no siree! Mumbai’s Whisky Ladies aren’t afraid to take on a trio of cask strength malts against the backdrop of India’s Festival of Lights – Diwali! After all, if firecrackers are bursting around us, why not have a few sherry bombs and whisky booms delighting our senses?

Last night we explored:

And here is what we found…

Glenfarclas 105 NAS 60%

Colour – Burnished copper
Nose – Smells like Christmas! Very sherry-y, caramel, then vanilla notes as it opens up
Taste – Sweet, dark and smokey, honeyed prunes, raisins, nutty and chocolatey
Finish – Smooth yet also quite dry – especially with a few drops of pani (water)
Pairing – We just happened to have a few truffles on hand… so naturally started testing out pairings and pronounced it successful though “The kick comes back after a hit of chocolate truffles!”

Comments…

“It’s just like bad life choices… with caramel”
“Like cafe patron!”
“No sweet tooth here, just alcohol tooth!”
“Now it is simply a sherry wine bomb!”

This Speyside dram got things off to a rollicking start! Some missed the step of… “Perhaps you may wish to spit your 1st sip“ as going from 0% to 60% in the first swig can be a bit jarring. However our ladies were undaunted and found it became increasingly dangerous as this dram does go down rather well, easy to just keep sipping and sipping and sipping…

Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 2009 French White Oak Cask #2357 63.1%

Colour – Golden straw
Nose – A little spicy, very sweet, light floral notes and yet can pack a punch or hit you between the eyes too!
Taste – Cayenne pepper, very summer-y and light, flirty, smooth yet confusing, bright and bubbly
Finish – Deceptive… there but much more subtle than the aroma and palate would indicate
Water – A couple drops of water rounds it out
Pairing – For some, the Chichibu and strawberries was a killer combination – who needs champagne if you have an effervescent whisky? For others, it was the brie cheese that did it. And the balance? Well… let’s just say there are a few of the opinion that chocolate goes with practically everything, doesn’t it?

Comments…

“From the wrong angle, just a sniff will get you!”
“While light and flirty, if you look at it the wrong way, it will kick you in the ass!”

This young Japanese single cask has many unique qualities and distinctly different from the straightforward Glenfarclas. It has a bright light element that completely belies its strength. Again – a dangerous combination!

Abelour A’bunadh Batch No 35 60.3%

Colour – A deep dark burgundy with ruby highlights
Nose – Cinnamon and cloves, gingerbread, honey, pronounced prunes, black cherries, Christmas cake, classic sherry-bomb
Taste – Apple cider, caramel, warm and smooth, very ‘Christmassy’, rum-soaked raisins, robust and bursting with character
Finish – Think curling up by a cosy warm fireplace…
Water – This one works straight yet also does a happy dance with drops or a dollop!
Pairing – Best with a sharp old cheddar, needs something that can hold its own with such brilliant flavours.

Comments…

“Beautiful things are happening in my nose! And its not what you are thinking!”
“This is one you notice every sip… and yes! It is probably getting you drunk…”

When the A’bunadh came out, there was literally a squeal of delight from one lady – as she would be re-uniting her taste buds with an old favourite. Talk turned to the slight shifts in flavour profiles between batches, fruitless efforts to track down certain batches from the 20s! Disbelief they are now into the 50s and a recommendation to simply ‘grab it’ if you see it!

What makes this Speyside stand out is its unabashed sherry quality. Rather than simply acquiring a sherry ‘finish,’ A’bunadh matures exclusively in Spanish Oloroso sherry butts, gaining a rich, robust and surprisingly well rounded profile.

Even better was the realisation that the price point for both Speysides remains reasonable (i.e. below $70) though the Japanese is near impossible to find at any price!

Our whisky ladies relished this cask strength trio – without a doubt a Diwali night to remember!

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Compass Box – Hedonism 43%

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

I seem to be on a bit of a Compass Box roll… til date have sampled: Asyla, Great King’s Cross Artist’s Blend and Glasgow Blend, Juveniles, Spice Tree, The Peat Monster… and now Hedonism.

This sample came compliments of the Canadian stash from my aunt and uncle – fellow whisky aficionados with their own whisky tasting group running for more than a decade.

Compass Box Hedonism (Whisky Lady’s uncle)

Hedonism 43% – Blended grain scotch whisky

And here goes my impressions:

Nose – Lots of coconut oil, light and perfumed, sweet vanilla flowers, subtle, over time a light white chocolate emerged, then an overly sweet marzipan
Taste – A slightly odd quality… not so much oak more like a ‘woody’ coconut, a bit herbal, very soft with a bitter edge, like faded cinnamon bark
Finish – Very dry, light yet somehow hangs in there, a curl of oak and something else I simply wasn’t able to pinpoint
Water – Adds a slightly spicy element, creamy, the pronounced coconut remains but a tinge subdued

Interestingly, we had the dregs of another bottle of Hedonism passed around at the end of our August Whisky Ladies session. It had been transferred into a small glass jar… and I found the coconut oil so predominant we actually speculated whether the container may have contaminated the sample.

Clearly it had not as this one from my aunt and uncle had that same quality.

In some ways, it reminded me of my first foray into the land of single grain whisky from Chita. Yet while the Chita is quite ‘technical’ in its soft, delicate, floral nature, Hedonism has more of an ‘edge,’ there is personality peaking through that coconut and a sense of age.

I wanted to love it as I do many Compass Box offerings. I was pre-disposed to find it delightful. It isn’t.

Yet it is intriguing. Unusual. Difficult to describe. Completely unique. And it grows on you… sip after sip…

Do I like it? After a bit of warming up and aligning to its special qualities… yes!

Would it be 1st priority for future purchasing? Perhaps not but it is absolutely worth trying if you get a chance.

For a bit more info, here’s what the folks at Compass Box say about Hedonism

Flavour Descriptors – Elegant flavours of vanilla cream, toffee, coconut.
Recommendations – As an aperitif, serve with a small amount of chilled water. Late in the evening, serve neat. Also makes a great whisky sour.
Distillery Sourcing – Will vary according to batch but typically whiskies from the following distilleries: Cameron Bridge, Carsebridge, Cambus, Port Dundas or Dumbarton.
Wood – 100% first-fill American oak barrels or rejuvenated American oak Hogsheads.
Bottling Details – 43%. Not chill filtered. Natural colour.

And here’s what others say:

Canadian stash…

Other Compass Box treats sampled:

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Kilchoman Coull Point NAS 46%

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

Kilchoman may be a young whisky distillery, however it is making its mark.

Our merry malt group were fortunate to sample the Kilchoman Machir Bay and 100% Islay… long before I was disciplined about writing tasting notes. We even had an opportunity to meet the master distiller Anthony Willis and his delightful wife for dinner in Mumbai for a marvellous pairing of these whiskies that could hold their own with desi khanna (that’s Indian food folks!).

So on my last chance to grab a bottle at Heathrow Airport, the quite reasonably priced Coull Point caught my eye.

And when we decided the kick off a kick @$$ whisky women evening, it seemed fitting to bring along the Kilchoman.

Kilchoman Coull Point (Table For ONE)

Kilchoman Coull Point NAS 46%

Colour – Pale straw
Nose – Needs to breathe if just opened (unless you enjoy chloroform!), then the most gorgeous sea breeze, salty, briny, peat, a little sour curd… after some time sweeter fruity elements emerge, a little vanilla
Taste – A touch of cinnamon spice then sweet, citrusy or pear, then just cranks up the sweet, replacing the cinnamon spice with cinnamon candy like those red heart candies, increasingly softer the more it opens
Finish – Bold yet smooth, a hint of spice and that woodsy peaty breath
Water – Yes please! While it doesn’t need it, brings back the zing on the palate and awash of sea breeze
Overall – A mighty fine dram. It may be young, but it transports one to a beatifull bonfire on a beach.

I love one of our merry lasses (TableForOne) tweeted about the Coull Point:

This ‪#‎Kilchoman‬ is like a kiss on the beach, snuggled up against a bonfire.

Yup! Sounds about right!

While I will admit at the end of the evening my hand reached for the Compass Box Asyla, it was in part as I knew this baby was coming home with me.

It would be interesting to revisit the Machir Bay, 100% Islay with Coull Point. While my memory was overall positive for the others, I have a funny feeling there is something more with Coull Point… just a few baby steps further into the territory of more complex nuanced whiskies… Bottom line, these folks are on to a good thing!

Coull Point (Whisky Lady)

Like all Kichoman expressions, there is a story behind the name. In this case, Coull Point is half a mile north from the distillery on Machir Bay, described as a “rugged outcrop of rocks on the west coast of the Island.”

The box notes share it is a vatting of 4 to 5 year single malt, matured in fresh bourbon barrels, with the 4 year old finished in oloroso sherry butts for 4 weeks prior to bottling.

What the Kilchoman folks have to say:

Colour – Light beech
Nose – Soft cooked fruits with strong peaty aromas
Palate – Soft mixed fruits and vanilla with an intense sweetness
Finish – A classic Islay malt now showing the benefit of additional ageing. A long lingering finish.

And here’s what others say:

Kilchoman Coull Point 46% (Whisky Lady)

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Compass Box – Asyla 40%

Posted on August 31, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

I’m in love with a beautiful woman… and her name is Asyla.

And who exactly is she? Another captivating Compass Box blend…

Asyla was named for the plural of asylum, playing on the word’s ambiguous character – sanctuary or madhouse. John Glazer, whisky maker, waxes poetical about a piece of musical inspiration and reflects on whether whisky, like music, can be an asylum… as he describes his creation:

… for a delicate, comforting yet luminous whisky such as this, one which gently enlivens the sense, I have always felt ASYLA an appropriate name. And I believe our lute-playing minstrel is an appropriate image for this label, depicting that penumbra between ecstasy and serenity.

Asyla (Whisky Lady)

And what did our Whisky Ladies have to say about Asyla?

Colour – Pale straw
Nose – Floral, fruity, exceedingly light, vanilla… in short like a feminine perfume
Taste – Yummy! Quite delicate, warm, toffee, more vanilla with the lingering floral element, surprisingly ‘thick’ on the tongue, subtle yet with quiet substance
Finish – Smooth!
Water? Don’t think anyone tried… perfect as is.
Overall – Without being insanely sweet, it is like a fluffy desert! Or everyone’s perfect woman in a whisky.

For many, this whisky was the favourite of the evening. A few of us were already massive Compass Box fans, those that weren’t, became converts in the making…

Here is what our note-taker of the evening predicted:

Carissa will probably steal the remainder and snuggle with the bottle for the rest of the evening…

Confession… I did.

Here is what the folks over at Compass Box have to say:

A blend of soft, fruity malt whiskies on a bed of rich, sweet grain whiskies. All whiskies aged in first-fill American oak casks to yield the trademark Compass Box style: soft, rich, vanilla-tinged, delicious. See why this, the lightest of our whiskies, wins the most awards!

For those that want more ‘facts’, Asyla is a blend of single malts from the towns of Alness and Longmorn; single grain whisky from Fife.

However who cares about facts when an achingly lovely lady enters into your life?

The Compass Box sampling suite enjoyed so far include:

Juveniles 46%
Great King Street’s Artists Blend 43% (and a sip of the Glasgow Blend too!)
Spice Tree 46%
The Peat Monster 46%

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The Whisky Ladies of Mumbai!

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Carissa Hickling

What do you get when you combine kick-ass brilliant women and interesting whiskies? An insanely good time!

Years ago, I was interviewed as a woman whisky drinker, with the implication that the fairer sex enjoying a good dram is something new. Let me be clear – it is not!

However at all the recent whisky ‘Master classes’ in Mumbai and Delhi, lead by Master Distillers hoping to capture the hearts and palates of the Indian market, just where were the other women whisky appreciators? Why was I a rarity rather than the norm?

Wake up gents! We do exist… we are a growing tribe globally… no less so in India… and you ignore us at your peril!

So, how did this particular ‘Whisky Ladies’ event come about?

It all started with an innocent query about whisky drinking habits… Which lead to a conversation about women whisky afficiandos… Which sparked an idea to bring together a few ladies for a fine evening!

Without any effort, it was easy to gather a group of amusing women with diverse interests and one shared passion – whisky. Our host for the evening opened her gorgeous home in South Bombay for a most convivial setting – perfect for a merry night!

Whisky Ladies 1st Set (Photo: Table For One)

As for our killer line up of whisky?? Oh baby!

Compass Box’s Asyla – Love Compass Box blends and this delightful light number is like a joyous summer romp – fresh and flowery. A decidedly feminine start to the evening and a favourite of a few.
Kilchoman Coull Point – A complete contrast from a newer Islay distillery with a little wild ocean spray… top pick of one discerning whisky aficionado!
Nikka Yoichi 10 year – Then a jaunt to Japan for some mid–autumn cider after a wander through pine-filled British Columbia forests… Mmm….
Caol Ila 12 year – Ahh…. where would we be without this good old faithful Islay? Many fans in the room welcomed back an old friend!
Ledaig 1997/2013 46% – From the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, we closed our evening with a little trip to the Isle of Mull. Calmer seas, peat smoke, complexity with an enthusiastic conclusion – “It’s really, really, reeaaaallly yum!” This one caught favour with more than one female!

I can’t wait for Pollywood‘s weekly vlog which will have a few seconds from our evening. And with the success of our first gathering, there is no doubt this will become a monthly affair!

In fact, such are our ambitions there was talk of hatching plots to get Whisky Live (or something similar) back to India…

So gentlemen be warned. We are loud, proud whisky sipping women and we aren’t waiting around for an invitation. We’ll be making them!