Hellyers Road Aged 22 Years, 21 Years & 12 Years (Tasted #702 - 704)

Happy New Year! Hope you all managed to get some downtime over the holiday period (hopefully with a dram or two in hand).

We're back into it for 2026, kicking off where we left off, with a few more Australian whiskies...

My two trips to Tassie last year (after a 17 year absence) gave me a great opportunity to get back into the Aussie whisky scene I’d been away from for so long - to try a bunch of new distilleries, rediscover old ones, and to connect and re-connect with some great whisky folk in Tassie.

One of those people was Mark from Whisky is my Jam - arguably one of the most knowledgable, passionate and connected people in all of Tasmanian whisky, and also a genuinely great bloke.

On a few occasions Mark took me through a range of Tassie whiskies - some I was experiencing for the first time, and some I hadn't tried in over a decade. In the latter camp was Hellyers Road, which in a "full circle" kind of moment was actually the very first two whiskies I ever wrote about on this blog (over 13 years ago)!

Mark put me in touch with David from Sales & Promotions at the distillery (someone I'd been following on IG for years), who was kind enough to send me a few well-aged samples to re-acquaint myself further. Included were:

• American Oak Aged 22 Years cask #2325.03 (80 bottles, full maturation, 56.5% ABV)
• World Whiskies Awards 2025 Best Australian Single Malt winner Peated Cask Finish Aged 21 Years Cask #20F05C01 (301 bottles, 17 years in ex-Bourbon then 4 years in an ex-peated Hellyers Road cask, 52.5% ABV)
• World Whiskies Awards 2022 Best Australian Single Malt winner American Oak Aged 12 Years (fully matured in 1st Fill ex-Bourbon casks, 46.2%)

Let's dig in...

 

Hellyers Road American Oak Aged 22 Years (Cask #2325.03) (56.5% ABV, Single Malt, 22yo, 1 of 80 bottles, Tasmania, Australia, $1,450AUD)
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Colour: Amber sunset.

Nose: Big and complex - orange / citrus notes and perfume, with some slight hints of peach, treacle and oak.

Palate: Immediate zesty orange peel, followed up by whole orange slices. Some oak spice & marmalade, ginger, and a slight grassy herbaceousness. It's complex, and it all works well. 

Finish: Long, marmalade, stone fruits.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). 

Hellyers Road Peated Cask Finish Aged 21 Years (Cask #20F05C01) (52.5% ABV, Single Malt, 21yo, 1 of 301 bottles, Tasmania, Australia, $1,350AUD)
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Colour: Golden sunset

Nose: Keeps the citrus oil and perfume of the 22yo, but with a subtle underlying campfire note, and more tropical notes (passionfruit mostly).

Palate: The peat smoke is more pronounced on the palate, but the passionfruit and oranges (whole) are there too, in perfect harmony.

Finish: Residual BBQ smoky meatiness, with some final orange zest. Long and lingering.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). Peated cask finishes sometimes don't work too well, but I'm glad to say in this case it works very nicely.

 

Hellyers Road American Oak Aged 12 Years (46.2% ABV, Single Malt, 12yo, Tasmania, Australia, $260AUD)
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Colour: Light golden sunset.

Nose: Bubblegum and Juicyfruit, orange oil, oaked passionfruit

Palate: Follows the nose, with big citrus oil notes, passionfruit, chocolate orange, hints of cinnamon, strawberries and a slight savoury note.

Finish: Long, with a lovely citrus zest that lingers.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100 (Martin). Complex and tasting - wonderful to see how far the spirit has come over the years.

It was great to revisit the distillery that I kicked off this blog with all those years ago, and even better to see the spirit come so far in that time. Thanks Mark for the intro and David for the generous samples.

Cheers,

Martin.

Benriach New Range [Tasted: #545 - #551]

Benriach has had a long history. It started off as Longmorn's sister plant in 1898 (four years following the establishment of Longmorn). Founded by the entrepreneurial John Duff, the Speyside distillery was then known as Longmorn No 2. Benriach's initial fate was fairly short-lived when it closed in 1900 and it wasn't until 65 years later that it began to distil whisky again. In the intervening years, Longmorn went through various cycles and though it officially bottled as a single malt, those releases were never as startling as Longmorn or Glen Grant.

In 2003, Benriach was once again mothballed. This time by Pernod Ricard and at the time, it looked like Benriach had jinxed its fate once again. However, this time was different, Benriach was bought in 2004 by a South African consortium, led by former Burn Stewart managing director, Billy Walker. Walker and his team launched a series of different malts including rich, heavily peated whiskies. Over the subsequent years, Walker grew Benriach into one of the most fascinating distilleries in Scotland which led Benriach to be known for carrying complex, spicy, and rather exciting quality on the palate.

Thanks to a long-standing tradition of distilling three styles of whisky; classic unpeated, Highland peated and triple distilled, together with an eclectic selection of casks from around the world, Benriach has been known to be able to explore different flavour possibilities of single malt.

This tradition continues today, under the guidance of Master Blender, Rachel Barrie and Rachel has been instrumental with Benriach's latest portfolio of single malts. The new portfolio of single malts and the new look is inspired by the distillery’s creative heritage and presents a rather diverse, versatile, fruit-laden style and a range of spectrum of whisky flavours that Benriach is known for.

On the new range, Benriach Master Blender, Dr Rachel Barrie said:

“The new range perfectly marries tradition and innovation that is central to Benriach’s story. Inspired by the 1994 bottling of the Original Ten, with its fruit-laden complexity and smooth, rounded taste, the new range re-imagines the 1898 origins of Benriach, brought to life in the 21st century through fusing distilling styles with extraordinary casks.

The new Benriach range is for those open to new possibilities, building on a wealth of experience and tradition. I invite the drinker to join me on this creative journey, as we explore the rich rewards of Single Malt whisky.” 

The core range is made up of four different expressions from a three cask maturation process

• Benriach "The Original Ten"
• Benriach "The Twelve"
• Benriach "The Smoky Ten"
• Benriach "The Smoky Twelve"

"In the new Original Ten, a more richly flavoured, rounded malt character might be discerned, whilst The Twelve balances richly sherried malt with added layers of fruit complexity, reaching a pinnacle at twelve years old.

The new Smoky Ten and Smoky Twelve explore the sweet smokiness of Benriach, enriched through innovative combinations of rum, virgin oak and marsala casks interwoven with more traditional bourbon and sherry." Barrie says

In addition to the core range, there are also three premium releases and two travel retail releases:

• Benriach "Twenty One"
• Benriach "Twenty Five"
• Benriach "The Thirty"

• Benriach "Quarter Cask" (Travel Retail)
• Benriach "Smoky Quarter Cask" (Travel Retail - note the change from peated to smoky)

In addition to Benriach The Original Ten, the Core Range will feature a new recipe for Benriach’s richly sherried twelve-year-old whisky, including port and bourbon casks combined to add to the complexity. The sweet smoky whisky distilled in the distillery’s smoke season also features in the new Smoky Ten and Smoky Twelve Year Old expressions.

The premium set sees the Twenty One, Twenty Five and Thirty Year Old Single Malts that have been put together through a diverse selection of oak casks (four different casks in fact) to provide additional layouts of complexity and richness.

The new range offers something for everyone, in particular with the core range where there are two different takes of the 10yo and 12yo that offer both, classic Speyside style malts or a smoky variant. I particularly enjoyed both the Twelve expressions and found both to be rich, creamy and quite intriguing on both the nose and the palate. The premium range, with its four cask style, provide a very unique profile. Rachel Barrie has created a very balanced yet intriguing set of whiskies, in particular across the older age profiles.

The new range; the 10yo, 10yo Smoky and 12yo will roll out this month. The 12yo Smoky will be released after Christmas time. The premium range; the 21yo, 25yo and 30yo will not land on our shores until 2022.

Benriach "The Original Ten" (43%, Speyside, Scotland, A$85) 

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Nose: The nose is rather fruity, there is apple, vanilla, sweet bread, maple syrup, sticky honey. It is quite fragrant and rich.

Palate: The palate is ladened with caramelised burnt sugar, nutmeg, nectarine or citrus, there are oranges and dry, peppery spices. There is a hint of smoke.

Finish: The finish is long and there is a level of soot and smoke

Rating: 91/100 

Benriach "The Smoky Ten" 10yo (46% ABV, 10 Year Old, Speyside, Scotland, A$95) 

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Nose: The nose has apple, peat smoke, golden maple syrup covered pancake, pineapple, crumpet, honey. It is also quite creamy on the nose.

Palate: The palate follows the nose, it is creamy, viscous and smooth. There is sweet honey and the smoke is now weaning though it is still pleasant. There is caramel and some ginger spice.

Finish: The finish is long, there is the smoky campfire

Rating: 91/100 

Benriach "The Twelve" Triple Cask (46% ABV, 12 Year Old, Speyside, Scotland, A$97) 

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Nose: The nose is filled with forest fruit, oak spices. It's peppery though balanced with some sweetness from raspberries and wild berries

Palate: The palate is rich, mouth-coating followed by some citrus and a mix of spiced elements; pepper, nutmeg, cherries

Finish: The finish is dry with some spices that remain

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Smoky Twelve" (46% ABV, 12 Year Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available post Christmas 2021) 

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Nose: The nose is filled with apple, vanilla waffles followed by a subtle bonfire smoke and cherries

Palate: The palate is creamy, viscous, round and mouthful. It's a very rich mouthfeel, almost like tasting chocolate. There is moreish smoke, some cocoa and burnt orange

Finish: The smoke gently disappears into pepper and spices

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Twenty One" (46% ABV, 21-Year-Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available in 2022) 

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At twenty-one years old, Benriach takes on an elegant character, elevated by long maturation, four cask types and a combination of Benriach's unpeated and peated styles. The characters of aged bourbon, sherry, virgin oak and red wine casks intertwine to present a range of flavours.

Nose: The nose is filled with sour citrus, some fresh pine forest. Then there are gummi bear lollies, fruit, and berry fruits

Palate: There is more of those berries, citrus notes, some cocoa, peppery spice and rose water. The palate has a subtle smoke

Finish: There is a subtle smoke that remains

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Twenty Five" (46% ABV, 25-Year-Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available in 2022) 

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A rich single malt, interwoven with mellow smoke and curation of oak. After twenty-five years, it is then enhanced by four cask maturation in sherry, bourbon, virgin oak and Madeira wine casks. An appealing dram for sherry lovers

Nose: smoked apricot, dark cherry chocolate, hazelnut toffee and a mixture of dark fruits, raisins and currants. 

Palate: baked fruit, toasted oak spice, orange and cinnamon spice, finishing with rich caramelised smoke. The peppery spice builds up from then on.

Finish: Long, oaky, the cinnamon and spices continue to linger for some time

Rating: 93/100 

Benriach "The Thirty" (46% ABV, 30-Year-Old, Speyside, Scotland, $TBC - available in 2022) 

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The final malt in the premium portfolio. This expression continues the four cask maturation tradition in sherry, bourbon, virgin oak and port casks. The final product offers a deep aromatic complexity in flavour. 

Nose: The nose is buttery, filled with vanilla, honey, citrus and dark fruits; plum, figs and raisins. Cinnamon doughnut anyone? There is nuttiness that follows with subtle smoke.

Palate: The buttery, honey prevails, so too is the cinnamon doughnut. There are more raisin notes, followed by orange, citrus that followed. Some intense spices start to build at the end.

Finish: The finish is subtle, long and sweet and leaves an oaky, smoke that remains for a while.

Rating: 93/100

Cheers

Hendy

Thanks to Brown Forman for providing us with samples from the new portfolio.

Tasting the new Double Cask range at The Macallan Room Hong Kong [Tasted #490 - 492]

If you make your way to Level 5 of the incredible K11 Musea shopping centre, you might find a small piece of Speyside, in the form of the new "Macallan Room" - a permanent space next to Liquid Gold which serves as a showcase for the brand, and event space for product launches.

A relatively cosy space (ideal for holding COVID-compliant gatherings at the moment), the space boasts a marble bar overshadowed by a wall (or perhaps wave) of Macallan bottles, with rare Macallans lining most walls, including a Macallan 72yo Genesis Decanter, Exceptional Single Casks (available for purchase from Liquid Gold next door, albeit not at original retail pricing) and Fine & Rare releases. 

Outside the room sits a more temporary exhibit currently, hosting "The Macallan Extraordinary Wood Journey Exhibition", using photography from Steve McCurry to tell the story of oak (and subsequent casks) that make up the new Double Cask range.

Double Cask is a whisky we first met back in 2016, although at the time the range comprised a single 12yo expression. Fast forward to 2020 however, and the range has been expanded with the addition of both 15 and 18 year old expressions. Both still 100% sherry maturation, but (like the 12 year old), from a 50:50 mixture of American and European Oak sherry casks (the better-known "Sherry Oak" Macallan range uses European Oak exclusively).

As nice as the new Macallan Room was, we weren't there just to see the space, with Edrington kindly arranging a tasting of the new Double Cask Range - 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old and 18 Year Old, expertly led by The Macallan Brand Ambassador Patricia Byott.

The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask (40% ABV, 12yo, Speyside, Scotland, $500HKD / $105AUD / £51.95)

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Colour: Yellow-honey gold.

Nose: Vanilla, honey and dried orange peel. It's clearly from sherry, and has trademark Macallan notes, but (as I found back in 2016), a bit more fruity and less intense than the Sherry Oak 12yo.

Palate: Still more honey and vanilla, with some oak spice and ginger tea.

Finish: Medium in length with a warming ginger note.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100.

The Macallan 15 Year Old Double Cask (43% ABV, 15yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,150HKD / $199AUD / £90.95)

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Colour: Maple gold.

Nose: The European Oak has started to work some of its magic here. There's still orange, but the honey has become toffee, and there are some sultana and demerara notes too.

Palate: From the same family as the 12yo, but with more wood spice and dried fruits - sultanas, sweet raisins and pot pourri.

Finish: Long, with lingering dried fruit mix and woodspice.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. The "sweet spot" in the range, if you ask me.

The Macallan 18 Year Old Double Cask (43% ABV, 18yo, Speyside, Scotland, $2,200HKD / $499AUD / £249.95)

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Colour: Copper gold.

Nose: Toffee and sultanas, but the orange has become grapefruit, and there's a noticeable Brazil nut quality coming through.

Palate: Less sweet than the 15, with more dried fruit mix, almonds and Brazil nutes, but also bitter dark chocolate (yum) and more grapefruit.

Finish: The longest of the three, with some oak tannins starting to show at the very end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. 

The Macallan Double Cask range is available in Hong Kong now (with pretty keen pricing from Dram Good Stuff I've noticed - certainly better than Watsons and the like). Those wanting to visit The Macallan Room or the exhibit can find the details below:

The Macallan Room

To immerse, discover and savour The Macallan 

Address: Shop 507, Level 5, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui

Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday 10am – 10pm 

Contact No: (852) 5988 0777

 

Steven McCurry - The Macallan Extraordinary Wood Journey Exhibition

Address: Level 5, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui

Exhibition period: 22 September 2020 to 10 October 2020

Time: 10am – 10pm. 

Cheers,

Martin.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo Sherry Cask launch dinner [Tasted #470]

The Singleton doesn't get a lot of attention in Australia, but it certainly does in parts of Asia - in Taiwan especially (where we're told it's the #1 selling single malt brand), but more recently Hong Kong, where the brand and its three distilleries are rapidly gaining a large profile.

Those three distilleries are Dufftown, Glendullan and Glen Ord, and it's the latter which recently gave us a new release for the HK market - The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo Sherry Cask, released just last month.

To celebrate the new whisky, The Singleton held an elaborate dinner at the St Regis Hong Kong's Astor Ballroom, with a menu by lauded Singaporean chef Justin Quek.

The dinner saw 5 Singleton whiskies paired with a variety of dishes, many of them surprisingly well-matched (particularly given how hit-and-miss whisky pairings can be).

What was more unusual however, was the non-food pairing. A booklet on our table told us that we'd be given an "interpretive dance recital", telling the story of the whisky, with three dancers each interpreting the "European Oak Sherry Casks", "American Oak Bourbon Casks" and the final "Sherry Casks" used for marrying the whiskies together.

I'm not sure I really "got" the interpretation of cask type in dance, but it was certainly a unique and interesting take on the whisky dinner format, which often follows the exact same formula time after time.

At the front of the elongated, twin-tabled room was a chef's station where Chef Quek talked the 120 or so guests through each dish, with a live feed being broadcast over screens throughout the venue (it was significantly less Owellian than it appears in the photo below, and actually a nice touch).

You can tell when a "whisky pairing" dinner has been thrown together, and that certainly wasn't the case here. It was clear much thought had gone into matching the whisky with each dish, such as the trio of starters (House cured salmon/Royal Oscietra Caviar, Light Smoked Hamachi Fillet/Konbu & Gillardeau Oyster Fritter/Spanish ham/Mushrooms) which Chef Quek explained were specifically chosen to match elements of the whisky - the Oysters to represent Speyside, the Hamachi to represent the subtle smoke in the whisky, and the salmon to represent...The Singleton's logo! Fair play.

Taste-wise, the combo worked well with the new 12yo Sherry Cask, as did Wok Fried Maine Lobster with The Singleton of Glen Ord 15yo, with the whisky adding a sweetness to the Lobster that worked very well.

As is often the case, the dessert pairing (Chocolate variations and Singleton Whisky Ice Cream, paired with The Singleton of Dufftown 25yo) worked a treat. It's not hard to get a dessert and whisky pairing right, but this one worked particularly well, with a creamy, fruity sensation coming out in the whisky that wasn't as prominent on its own. The Singleton infused ice cream was a nice touch as well.

Despite enjoying 15, 18, 21 and 25 year old expressions of The Singleton, it was the Sherry Cask 12yo we were all there to celebrate, and I thought it fitting to give it a proper tasting on its own, before the dinner.

The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo Sherry Cask (40% ABV, 12yo, Highlands, Scotland, $548HKD)
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Colour: Deep copper/amber with hints of red.

Nose: Candied brazil nuts, cherries, with hints of cloves and a slight berry-laden wood spice.

Palate: Initially light, but quickly settling into rich berry notes (raspberries, cranberries) then a dustry dry-rub spice. Cherries, fresh raspberries, caramel and and hints of oak are rounded out with a subtle underlying smoke.

Finish: Longer than you might expect, with hints of oak spice and pot pourri and dried raspberries.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  88/100. A solid dram. It's nice to see a new release carrying a decent age statement for a change too.

MHDHK and their PR partners PRime Asia don't do things by halves here in Hong Kong, and this dinner was no exception - a beautifully curated event to suit an evening of highly enjoyable whiskies.

Cheers,

Martin.

TimeforWhisky.com attended this event as guests of MHDHK.

Toast the Macallan Australia, and the Macallan Double Cask 12 (Tasted #360)

The Macallan has had its fair share of moments over the past years, be it in Australia or in Hong Kong, with its various releases and events. The recent auction of The Macallan Lalique Legacy Collection; a collection of six rare Macallans made news globally when it sold for an incredible $993,000 USD at a charity auction. This was followed recently by the launch of the sixth official Masters of of Photography release which saw whisky from the post war 1940s / 1950s era blended with Macallan aged in ex-Rioja wine cask (see Martin's write-up from the HK launch here).

The prestige of the brand and the style of The Macallan has always drawn people to discussions on aged vs NAS, luxury vs affordable and old vs new (as commented by Andrew Derbridge in his Whisky & Wisdom article; The past, present and future collide) etc...

Nevertheless, the launch of The Macallan Double Cask 12yo in Australia this month has excited people once more and may mark the re-invigoration of aged Macallan malt in Australia since the 1824 series was last released in 2013. Speaking to Sietse Offringa, Global Brand Ambassador for The Macallan at the Toast the Macallan pop up dining earlier this month - he certainly shared a view that Australia is a market that Macallan has its eyes on, and we will have to watch this space for more exciting releases from The Macallan - perhaps Edition 3?!



The launch celebration saw the establishment of a pop up dining event series across both Brisbane and Sydney, dubbed 'Toast the Macallan' - Led by premium marketing and distribution company, Spirits Platform. The event was Spirits Platform’s first marketing initiative since its partnership with Edrington (which will see the company distributing The Macallan, Highland Park, The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark in the Australian market) started in April 2017.

The event featured whisky tasting masterclasses led by Sietse and a three course menu curated by James Viles of Bowral's two hatted restaurant; Biota Dining. James Viles commented on his excitement to have worked with The Macallan to curate the menu, which saw a series of dishes that complemented three Macallan expressions, including the Fine Oak 12 Years Old, Double Cask 12 Years Old and the Macallan Rare Cask.



We joined the Sydney celebration and attended the pop up event held at Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay. Upon arrival guests were presented with the opportunity to have their photos taken as well as savour a couple of Macallan cocktails - Fine Oak Copa and the Double Cask Old Fashioned.

The Roslyn Packer Theatre had been transformed to reflect the opulent nature of The Macallan and the special 'Toast the Macallan' occasion. Macallan bottles were plastered across the theatre wall and there was even an appearance by the Macallan that had been dubbed as the most expensive whisky in the world; The Macallan 'M Decanter' whisky from the 1824 Series. Unfortunately, there was no tasting of the M on the night though Sietse did bring it out for photos when we chatted with him on the night.

Led by James Viles, the selection of dishes were impeccably curated and paired. James introduced each dish, paired with a Macallan which Sietse would introduce.

The Fine Oak 12 was paired with an entree of smoked kingfish loin and showcased the marrying of the honied, fruity malt notes with the fresh, citrus fish dish. The citrus was also compounded with a side dish of citrus and wild fennel salad. I have always found food pairing to be an interesting challenge for chefs as paired dishes can either complement or over power a whisky, and striking a balance is often more challenging than it seems.

The newly released Double Cask 12 Year was paired with the main dish which to me was the highlight of the night. The fruity, citrus, sweet caramel and spiced characters of the Double Cask complemented the sweet and earthy glazed beef rib that was served with wild mushrooms. The glistening glazed beef rib was succulent and tender and the Double Cask pairing defied the old adage of serving meat with malt.

The dessert of honey creme with toasted rye and j choke ice cream elegantly helped to finish off the night, with the dish showcasing a textural play on the palate with the toasted rye bark and the nitrogen granulated ice cream. Served with The Macallan Rare Cask which I found to not be as rich as others found - the honied, fruity notes presented well with the sweet and malty ice cream.

Martin reviewed the Double Cask when it was released in Hong Kong last year in June, though I have appended some notes of mine from the night, to try and compare or perhaps find commonalities.

The Macallan 12yo Double Cask (40% ABV, 12yo, Highlands, Scotland, A$109.99, $548HKD)
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An enjoyable every day dram either with or without a meal. The sweet, fruity and spiced nature of the Double Cask is fairly balanced and I found the overall malt quite fresh and zesty.

Colour: Gold.

Nose: Fresh with citrus, vanilla, raisins, candied orange, cloves - perhaps Christmas cake and dried fruits, followed by notes of stone fruits and black pepper.

Palate: I found the palate to be interesting - fresh, zesty, sweet caramel, honey, nutty, peanut bars even, bitter melon and starting to dwindle into this lighter, tannic spiced malt - nutmeg and more of that pepper.

Finish: The sherry influence is there. The finish is floral and medium long with lingering bitter sweetness and nuttiness.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. 



Thanks to the Edrington Group, Spirits Platform and Porter Novelli for having us on the night to celebrate the launch of the Double Cask in Australia.

Cheers,
Hendy

The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 12yo and Peated Cask Reserve launch lunch - Hong Kong (Tasted #320 - 322)

Last week I was thrilled to be invited to lunch with Ronnie Cox (The Glenrothes' and Berry Bros & Rudd's Brand Heritage Director (Spirits), and Global Brand Ambassador for The Glenrothes), to celebrate the launch of both the Vintage Reserve 12 year old, an Asia-only release, and Peated Cask Reserve. It'd been almost two years since I last caught up with Ronnie in Hong Kong, so I was keen to hear him present these new expressions.

Held at Hong Kong's Lai Bun Fu, the lunch saw a small group of media enjoy an 8 course traditional Cantonese meal with a selection of The Glenrothes - served of course in those great little Glenrothes mini- Glencairn-esque glasses!

Ronnie opened proceedings in his usual trademark enthusiastic style, managing to relay all key facts about each whisky whilst making us all feel like we were catching up with a mate we hadn't seen in ages. Truly a great lunch companion. Soon though it was time to dive into the first course (there were eight, after all, and some of us did have to be productive later in the day!)

First on the menu was Steamed crab claw with chinese wine paired with The Glenrothes Select Reserve. A lighter whisky, with a little creaminess which I found worked well with the wine. None of the flavours dominated here and all worked together in harmony.

Moving along, the second course saw reliable old favourite The Glenrothes Vintage 2001 matched with Steamed Choi Sum with preserved vegetables, stir-fried Kale with shrimp paste. Described by Ronnie as a "conversational" whisky, I found it to be exactly that - an easy-going, enjoyable sipping whisky. It paired well with the dish (they all did) but I didn't find any particular standout highlights about the pairing (unlike some others).

The third (and fourth) dishes were the first to be paired with one of the new whiskies - The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 12 Year Old. First Pan-fried minced pork and lotus root cake, with truffle seasoning and then Baked squid stuffed with glutinous rice. 

Despite carrying a (12 year old) age statement, Ronnie explained that the whisky is actually comprised of 12 different vintages, the oldest dating back to 1973 (the others being 1978, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003). Designed to show the "true character of The Glenrothes", I found it to be quite a decent whisky for the (relatively small) price tag in Hong Kong - $550HKD. Full tasting notes and pairing thoughts can be found below.

The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 12 Year Old (40%ABV, 12yo, Speyside, Scotland, $550HKD)

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An Asia-only release including whisky from casks dating back to 1973. 

Colour: Straw-gold

Nose: Fruity - lots of berries. Strawberries, raspberries. Some sweet, fragrant spice - like a middle Eastern spice souk, but toned down.

Palate: Following the nose, the palate showed more berries (strawberries most notably), touches of burnt sugar, and more spice, with a hint of oak.

Finish: Long and slightly tannic.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  91/100. Not mind-blowingly complex, but a lovely dram to sip and savour. 

With the truffle-seasoned course I found it emphasised the truffle quite a lot, without producing any conflicting flavours. With the baked squid (which on its own was a little bland), there was a new-found subtle sweetness which worked well.

Our fifth course, Braised sea cucumber stuffed with prawn mousse was paired with the oldest whisky served - the 24 year old The Glenrothes Vintage 1992 (note: link is to an older, 21 year old release). Our second "sea cucumber and whisky" pairing in a week! How did it fare? Very well, with the whisky adding a gentle creaminess to the dish, which seemed to be a theme with the seafood dishes served. Full tasting notes below.

The Glenrothes Vintage 1992 (44.3%ABV, 24yo, Speyside, Scotland, £132 - previous version)

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Colour: Gold

Nose: Soapy! Creamy and floral too - lots of Jasmine.

Palate: Rich, creamy, mouthfilling. Lots of floral notes - Jasmine still, and some rose. Hints of red apples.

Finish: Long and creamy, with more red apple notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  93/100. Probably one of the best Glenrothes I've had in recent memory.

Sifu's crispy chicken with 5-flavoured condiments was up next, paired with the other star of the show, The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve. Released to celebrate the discovery of a connection (way back in 1887) to Bunnahabhain, the whisky is actually 1992 vintage Glenrothes given a brief finish in casks that formerly held (unnamed) peated whisky from an Islay distillery.

Whilst it was a little hard to match the whisky with all five condiments, it did compliment the green tea salt nicely, strangely enough. We saved the rest of the whisky for a proper detailed assessment though...

The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve (40%ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $715HKD)

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Colour: Very light straw.

Nose: Tropical. Custard mixed with mango and peach. Slightly perfumed. Really no discernible peat.

Palate: Oh, there's the peat! It's obvious, but not in your face, and it blends well with the (still) tropical notes. There's orange now too. It's an ashy, BBQ style peat, rather than an iodine-esque, seaside peat.

Finish: Medium length, oranges, smoke and slight bitteness.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  93/100. Also probably one of the best Glenrothes I've had in recent memory.

The last two dishes (Lai Bun Fu special fried rice with lobster, abalone with scallop truffle oil and Double-boiled snow fungus and lotus seed) were not paired with any whiskies, but were a fitting end to the meal, which turned out to be a great way to explore a range of The Glenrothes whiskies, including the new Vintage Reserve 12 Year Old and Peated Cask Reserve. Both are available in Hong Kong now.

The same whisky-pairing menu is also now available at Lai Bun Fu, until 1st December, at a price of $980HKD/head. Further details can be found on their Facebook page

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Edrington Hong Kong, Signature Communications, Berry Bros & Rudd and of course Ronnie Cox himself for a wonderful lunch.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #303: The Macallan Double Cask 12yo (Hong Kong Preview)

There's been an undeniable NAS trend in the whisky industry over the past few years, with many distilleries increasing the range and volume of their NAS (or Non-Age Statement) whiskies. In some cases, we're seeing NAS releases replace their age-statement counterparts in certain markets (like Glenlivet's Founders Reserve, which has replaced the old-faithful 12yo in many markets), and in other cases, NAS releases are merely complimenting the standard age-statement lineup (like Laphroaig and their recent Select).

NAS isn't a new thing, and nor is the debate that surrounds it. We first threw in our $0.02 back in February 2014, but NAS as a concept existed well before that. In 2013, Macallan unveiled a series of NAS whiskies which, in many markets (including Australia), is all that's readily available. We've seen other, more recent major NAS releases from The Macallan too, most notably the Edition No.1 and Rare Cask last year.

....all of which makes it interesting (and slightly refreshing) to see The Macallan's latest whisky being released with an age statement! No, we're not talking about the incredible 65yo in Lalique released last month - we're talking about something much more attainable...

The Macallan Double Cask 12 year old is the distillery's latest release, and whilst it isn't yet available in Hong Kong, we were lucky enough to have a sneak preview recently.

You might wonder where this release slots into the line up - especially in markets which still offer the 12yo Sherry Oak and 12yo Fine Oak. Put simply, it sits right in the middle:

• 12yo Sherry Oak - matured in a mixture of American Oak Sherry casks and European Oak sherry, with more influence from the latter
• 12yo Fine Oak - matured in a mixture of American Oak Sherry casks, European Oak sherry casks, and American Oak bourbon casks.
• 12 year old Double Cask - matured in a mixture of American Oak Sherry casks and European Oak sherry, albeit with a higher proportion of American Oak sherry casks used than the traditional 12yo Sherry Oak (we're told it's very close to 50:50).

So, on paper it sits between the existing 12 year olds...but does it in taste?

The Macallan 12yo Double Cask (40% ABV, 12yo, Highlands, Scotland, yet to be released in HK or Australia. Pricing to match that of the 12yo Sherry Oak in HK - ~$580HKD).

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Colour: Light gold.

Nose: Distinctively (Sherried) Macallan, which for us means Christmas cake and dried fruits, but also flinty matchheads... however there's also honey here. It's lighter - noticably lighter on the nose than its Sherry Oak sibling.

Palate: The same notes you can find on the 12yo Sherry Oak are here - raisins, brazil nuts, orange zest and dried apricots, but it's all just a bit lighter, sweeter, with a good dollop of honey thrown into the mix

Finish: The sherry influence is there, but it doesn't dominate the finish. There's a floral, citrusy note at the end that we haven't seen on the more traditional sherried Macallans, but is evident on the Fine Oak 12.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. An enjoyable and very sippable dram - one that perfectly fills the gap between the 12yo Sherry and Fine oak bottlings.

The Macallan 12yo Double Cask will be released in Hong Kong in the coming months. Thanks to Edrington HK for the recent preview.

Cheers,

Martin.