Highland Park Hong Kong Single Cask Edition #4 [Tasted #542]

Edrington's two most well-known distilleries (The Macallan & Highland Park) get a lot of airtime on this blog, and that's largely because their commanding presence in the HK market means they can bring some pretty cool whiskies here, and launch them with some pretty amazing events. 

One area the brands really differ though is in their single cask offerings. The Macallan has the "Exceptional Single Cask" program (which has included everything from 12yo to 67yo whisky), but these are pretty tough to get a hold of, and typically come with a price tag to match their rarity (to be fair, their retail prices are very reasonable - but rarely can they be found at retail prices!)

(The Macallan also have a private cask program, but it's so incredibly limited I won't cover it here.)

Highland Park's single cask program on the other hand has seen hundreds of casks released, often at very reasonable prices. Some have been specific to certain shops, whisky clubs, bars or events, others are specific to the distillery visitor centre and yet others are bottled only for certain locations. In the latter camp, we've previously seen no less than four HK-exclusive casks (the first of which we covered almost 3 years ago) and now, Hong Kong has it's fourth - this time an 18yo!

Distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2020 @ 56.6% ABV, the Highland Park "Hong Kong Edition 4" 18yo comes from a refill Hoghhead (Sherry no doubt) and is limited to 296 bottles. It also comes in a pretty nice and very heavy wooden box.

To celebrate the new single cask, and the launch of the latest edition 50yo (which I later tasted thanks to Dram Good Stuff, but that's for another post...) a lunchtime tasting and pairing was held at St Regis Hong Kong with HK whisky stalwart Ron Taylor. The canapés were delicious and the whiskies expertly paired, but there was one whisky I was there to taste, and really spend some time with, and that was the new single cask...

Highland Park Single Cask Series "Hong Kong Edition 4" (56.6% ABV, 2001-2020, 18yo, Refill Hogshead #2585, 1 of 296 bottles, Orkney Scotland)

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Colour: Amber copper.

Nose: Slight sulphur notes at first, then followed by citrus (calamansi?), vanilla and sour mix. The sulphur dissipates but some mild tannins remain, alongside some sweet orange notes.

Palate: Zesty orange, vanilla and coffee grounds. It has a sweetness, but at the same time there's a robust earthy note. Slight hints of grassy peat, then raw honey, hazelnut and orange chocolate. A few drops of water adds a little more earthy spice, with a hint of vanilla.

Finish: A long, floral honey nuttiness.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91. A very enjoyable cask.

The Highland Park "Hong Kong Edition 4" 18yo sells for $4,650HKD at Dram Good Stuff (but given its limited outturn, I suspect it won't be around for long).

A big thanks to Edrington Hong Kong, Ron and Lee Wolter for the invitation to the event.

Cheers,

Martin.

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.

Tasted #478: Bladnoch x Boilermaker House Select Cask 18 Year Old

Aussie-owned Scottish distillery Bladnoch is one we've featured on the blog and socials before, but always covering bottles from their standard line-up (i.e. what you can buy at Dan's). What we tried recently however, is a little bit more special...

Bladnoch, in conjunction with Melbourne's temple of whisky and beer Boilermaker House have bottled a single cask, 18yo Bladnoch specifically for the bar...finished in Moscatel casks no less!

To quote the bar:

"In creating this release, Bladnoch’s acclaimed Master Distiller, Dr Nick Savage hand selected a collection of Bladnoch malts for the Boilermaker team to taste. In a private tasting, Cask 102 was specially selected by the team led by Greg Sanderson as the perfect malt for the Boilermaker House customer. 

In August, Boilermaker’s bar manager, Asher Spitz travelled to Bladnoch Distillery in the Scottish Lowlands to meet Nick Savage and Distillery Manager, Neil Bulloch and taste directly from the team’s selected cask. Finished in luxurious Moscatel casks, the malt shows notes of sweet baking spices and fruitiness on the palate.

Just 275 bottles have been made from the cask and will be on shelves at Boilermaker accompanied by a custom beer to celebrate the release."

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Whilst the majority of stock has been kept for the bar, 30 bottles will be available for purchase, by ballot registration here. So should you? The team at Bladnoch were recently kind enough to send us a sample, so judge for yourself with the tasting notes below...

Bladnoch x Boilermaker House Select Cask 18yo Cask #102 (48.3% ABV, 18yo, Lowlands, Scotland)

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Colour: Orange gold

Nose: There's a big hit of stewed fruits at first - poached pears, apricots, raisins (notes which continue throughout). There's a sweetness too - maple syrup perhaps.

Palate: More stewed fruits. Baked pears, apples, apricots. The oak is there, but balances well with the fruit. The first whisky it reminded me of was Glenmorangie's Bacalta, and that's not a bad thing! Peach and caramel pie follows up, making for a deliciously fruity dessert dram.

Finish: Relatively long and warming, with hints of cinnamon, star anise and dried apricots.

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

Cheers,
Martin.

Thanks to Bladnoch and Boilermaker House for the sample.

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.

Experiencing the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Bothy (Tasted #434 - 437)

No strangers to hosting impressive whisky events, Diageo HK exceeded even their own high standards last week with the launch of the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Bothy at Test Kitchen in Hong Kong - the global launch of what is to become (over the coming year) an experience whisky fans in a number of countries will get to enjoy.

Non-Scottish readers may be wandering exactly what a "bothy" is, and for that we'll turn to that Oracle of (mostly) truth, Wikipedia:

"A bothy is a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge. It was also a term for basic accommodation, usually for gardeners or other workers on an estate. Bothies are to be found in remote mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland and Wales."

Far from "basic" however, the Johnnie Walker version saw Mr. Noël Berard (Chef de Cuisine at 2 Michelin-starred Écriture Restaurant) and Mr. Nicholas Chew (Executive Chef at BIBO) team up to produce a 5 course tasting menu matched to some of the malt & grain whiskies which make up Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Kicking things off with a delicious cocktail made with Johnnie Walker Gold Label, caramel and bitters (alongside a Foie gras mousse, Huon Valley cherry and royal schrenki caviar amuse bouche), Diageo Marketing Director Drew Mills welcomed us, explained the concept of the Bothy and introduced us to our two chefs.

Upstairs in the intimate 15 seater dining room, we took our seats and within minutes were poured a healthy serve of JW Blue Label, which Drew assured us would remain topped up throughout the lunch, should we wish. 

Drew explained we'd be taking a tour around Scotland, enjoying four drams from distilleries that make up JW Blue Label, and that these were no ordinary bottlings (two of them being from Diageo's "Special Releases" range, and one being a 2016 40year old Special Releases whisky...but at 43 years of age)! With 10 million casks in reserve (worth more than all the gold in the Bank of England's vaults), Drew explained that Diageo had their fair share of quality whisky upon which to draw...

Starting with the islands of the West Coast, our first dram was Talisker 25 Year Old (45.8%), matched with Smoked Scottish langoustine, onion dashi jelly and beetroot feuillantine (by Écriture). Absolutely no word of a lie - this was the best whisky and food pairing I've ever had. The langoustine and Talisker each accentuated the saltiness in the other, but there was a beautiful underlying sweetness from the jelly. This was one of those pairings where everything just worked perfectly, and both food and whisky (whilst excellent on their own) were dramatically improved by each other.

Talisker 25 Year Old (45.8% ABV, 25yo, Skye, £216.58, but not available at time of writing)

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Colour: Golden orange sunset.

Nose: Rich salted caramel and red berries. Aged oak, and more rich fragrant caramel.

Palate: Lots of citrus initially - whole oranges, and even some nectarines. Then creamy toffee apple notes, some subtle underlying salt-laden sea air, caramel chews, BBQ smoke and dried mango pieces.

Finish: Long, sweet with an underlying salty smoke to the end.

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

Next we moved over to the Highlands - Teaninich specifically, in the form of Teaninich 1999 17yo (55.9% ABV) from Diageo's 2017 Special Releases line-up, paired with Celeriac, sepia ink, Hokkaido oursin/urchin and Lardo di Colonnata (by BIBO). 

Another stunning pairing (quite possibly the second best I've ever had), the whisky and Lardo di Colonnata produced this rich, creamy, vanilla sensation together which was truly delicious.

(Having enjoyed my fair share of whisky lunches and dinners since starting this blog, it was incredible that the first two pairings qualified as the best I'd ever had. Clearly a lot of thought went into this lunch on both the food and whisky side.)

Teaninich 1999 17yo (Special Releases 2017) (55.9% ABV, 17yo, Highlands, £220.83)

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Colour: Light straw.

Nose: Malty, oat cakes. Some subtle pineapple, rockmelon and Malteaser chocolates.

Palate: Big, sweet and fruity - pears and apples predominantly. There's a lot of wax here too - if someone told you it was a Clynelish, you may just believe them.

Finish: Long, with hints of waxy apples and toffee.

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

For our last savoury course, it was over to Speyside, for a dram of Glen Elgin 18yo 1998 *54.8% ABV), also from Diageo's 2017 Special Releases. Matched with A4 Wagyu, truffle and seaweed compote and horseradish (by Écriture), this was another solid pairing with the whisky seemingly bringing out more earthiness from the truffle, which was otherwise somewhat subtle.

I didn't realise when I first tried the  2017 Special Releases, but this wasn't just an ordinary, higher-ABV 18yo Glen Elgin. It was actually an interesting experiment in...yeast! The 5,352 bottle outturn was a vatting of two whiskies - one an 18yo made with the use of "Pombe" yeast (matured in ex-bodega casks), the other an 18yo made with the more traditional "cerevisiae" yeast (matured in refill European butts). The Pombe yeast is said to give some strong apple notes, and that was certainly the case with this dram.

Glen Elgin 1998 18yo (Special Releases 2017) (54.8% ABV, 18yo, Speyside, £229.12)

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Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Fresh apples, lemon juice. Quite tart.

Palate: Big orchard fruits - pears (stewed) and apples (both fresh and cooked). There's a maltiness, a creaminess, and some honey. Very much a "breakfast" whisky - grains, honey, toast and fruit!

Finish: Huge on the stewed apples, with a slight underlying hint of oak and lingering sweet apple chew lollies at the end.

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

Our last whisky saw us heading to the Lowlands, for a 43yo Cambus (distilled in 1975, 51.6% ABV) paired with Chocolate 'Trio' & pistachio nougatine (by BIBO). Now a 43yo single grain whisky might sound pretty special, but this one was extra special for me. 

In 2016 I'd been fortunate enough to try a few of the 2016 Diageo Special Releases (during a visit to Johnnie Walker House in Singapore), and was absolutely floored by the Cambus 40yo, which I'd given 95 points. When I heard about the Bothy, and read the line-up, it appeared we'd be tasting the same whisky (and indeed, the menu suggests so, as does the label on the bottle below).

...but no. And yes. The whisky paired with this course was indeed that whisky, but with another 3 years of age (left in the vat presumably as it wasn't a single cask), and with a 0.9% reduction in ABV. As a whisky geek, this is the sort of stuff I love...especially when it involves a whisky I enjoyed so much the first time. I have to admit, I didn't really try much of the whisky paired with the dessert here. For me, the whisky was the dessert (although having said that, the dessert on its own was absolutely delicious, with three different chocolate cacao percentages all coming together beautifully).

Cambus 1975 43yo (Special Releases 2017) (51.6% ABV, 43yo, Lowlands, not commercially available however the 40yo release from 2016 is £662.50)

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Colour: Honey gold.

Nose: Rich varnish, sweet, fruit. Some of the grape notes I originally found on the 40 were still there, but there was more oak this time alongside them.

Palate: There's the grape notes - grape hard candy, grape Hubba Bubba, a toffee creaminess, with some peaches and cream.

Finish: Long, fruity and creamy. More peach, more grape, and no noticeable oak tannins.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  93/100. I scored this higher in 40yo guise, however this was still a fantastic dram.

Having enjoyed such an incredible meal, there was nothing left to do but savour the remainder of our Johnnie Walker Blue Label downstairs in the comfort of the bar, perusing one of only 8 copies of "Around the World" in existence - a travel guide (of sorts) created by Alexander Walker himself covering all the markets Johnnie Walker was sold in at the time.

An absolutely huge thanks must go to MHDHK, Drew, and the PR team for the invitation to this stunning event. If and when a Bothy pops up in your city, I can highly recommend the experience.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #264: 1959 The Macallan 18yo (#101drams)

At the recent Dragon8 Hong Kong auction a few weeks ago, I mentioned that we were treated to some incredible old drams, including Bowmores, Highland Parks, and of course, Macallans.

...and when I say rare, I mean r-a-r-e. Like this little selection:

When the youngest bottle is a Macallan 18 from 1985, you know you're in for a treat...

I was lucky enough to try two of these, and I'll kick off the tasting notes with the younger of the two - a 1959 The Macallan 18yo, bottled by Campbell, Hope & King of Elgin, and imported by Flli Rinaldi, Bologna for the Italian market. Being 1959 distilled spirit bottled 18 years later also happens to put it squarely into the #101drams category - allowing me to tick off #98 "A Scotch bottled in the 1970s". Winner - it's time I started ticking off a few more.

But hold up...this was the "younger" whisky? Well yes, the other was a 1938 31yo The Macallan - tasting notes up next!

Now sure, old Macs come up at auction somewhat often (always accompanied by lofty price tags), and occasionally you see an old bottle pop up for sale (like this 1976 Macallan 18yo, which was recently available but sold out in a matter of days), but how often do you actually get a chance to try these rarities? For the vast majority of us, it's probably fair to say "not every often".

So in summary - a rare treat indeed. But how did this spirit, distilled 57 years ago and bottled 39 years ago, hold up?

1959 The Macallan 18yo Pure Highland Malt Scotch Whisky (80˚ Proof aka 46% ABV, 18yo, bottled by Campbell, Hope & King, Highlands, Scotland, try your luck at auction)

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Colour: Dark, dark copper.

Nose: Quintessential sherry. Toffee, burnt orange, a nuttiness. There's also some cola lollies, and a hint of furniture polish. Makes you want to dive right in...but you don't. You wait, you enjoy the nose longer, longer. This liquid's been waiting 57 years...you can wait a few more minutes.

Palate: OK, can't wait anymore. Zesty - lots more of that burnt orange. A slight hint of smoke. More citrus - not bitter, but getting there (in a good way). Plenty of toffee, hints of mocha, more orange (whole oranges now), and some more nuttiness. Glacé fruits, walnuts, it's all here, and it's all delicious. So far, pleasingly, no signs whatsoever of oxidation or "old bottle effect" either.

Finish: Long (LONG), a little more smoke. More citrus (orange zest this time), some leather, a little bitterness, and somewhat surprisingly, some butter menthols.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 95/100. Honestly a stunning dram. If this is how "Old Macs" are, then I wish I was a whisky drinker back then (or at least, I wish I had the foresight to stock up when whiskies like these were within the realms of affordability!)


Cheers,
Martin.