"Secret Speyside" launch dinner (Hong Kong) [Tasted #552 - 555]

Things have been a little quiet(er) on the Pernod Ricard whisky front in Hong Kong over the past few years, which is a shame as there had been some great releases and even better events from 2015-2018. Thankfully, that all seems to be over now, with an increasing focus on the HK market - a point punctuated by the recent local launch of the "Secret Speyside" range, a "carefully curated selection of 18–30-year-old whiskies from Speyside’s rarest distilleries: the vanished Caperdonich distillery, the pioneering Longmorn distillery, the landmark Glen Keith distillery and the remote Braes of Glenlivet distillery".

To celebrate the series' launch in Hong Kong, an intimate dinner was held at the recently-opened Ami / Woodear restaurant & bar in Landmark (who, sidenote, this blog was very happy to be able to convince to offer their amazing whisky selection by the half-dram recently). Hosted by Zachary Yu, the dinner paired Ami's modern French cuisine with four whiskies from the new range:

• Longmorn 18 Years Old
• Glen Keith 21 Years Old
• Caperdonich 21 Years Old (Peated)
• Caperdonich 25 Years Old (Peated)

Aside from Longmorn, I'd only tasted the other distilleries as Indie Bottlings, so was keen to see how they fared as OBs (and doing so alongside four courses of Ami Executive Chef's Nicholas Boutin "fine bistronomie" cuisine was certainly a nice way to do it).

Zachary introduced the range, explaining it as a 15 bottle collection in total (each individually numbered and bottled at ABVs ranging from 43% to cask strength, with most in the 48% range), covering the four distilleries to show different sides of Scotland's Speyside region - from the Glen Keith's balanced sweet fruitiness, to the Longmorn's smooth toffee creaminess, to the Caperdonich's complex peat smoke.

With the whiskies introduced (and welcome Longmorn 18 Highballs consumed), it was time to dive in and try each whisky...

Secret Speyside Longmorn 18 Year Old (48% ABV, 18 Years Old, Speyside Scotland, $1,280HKD, £70.38 )
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Nose: Fresh orchard fruit, most notably peaches.

Palate: Citrus zest and slightly earthy stone fruits. Orange cake topped with orange rind. A lesson in citrus - and lovely for it.

Finish: Long, oaked and sweet.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Paired with Chutoro tuna, egg & heirlom tomato brought out some sweeter notes in the whisky - quite a good pairing overall.

Secret Speyside Glen Keith 21 Year Old (43% ABV, 21 Years Old, Speyside Scotland, $1,480HKD, £133.33 )
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Nose: Vibrant pear & apple notes (green apples). Fresh, slightly floral. After time, an almond florentine nuttiness emerges to replace the fruitiness.

Palate: Quite complex - the apple notes have become richer, red apples, there's a slight saline note and noticeable viscosity. After time, aged pineapple rings emerge.

Finish: Long, smoked apple tart, with a cashew & almond nuttiness towards the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. With Langoustine, seaweed & duck foie gras the whisky's tropical/pineapple notes were ramped up, and chocolate orange notes emerged.

 

Secret Speyside Caperdonich 21 Year Old Peated (48% ABV, 21 Years Old, Speyside Scotland, $2,838HKD, £200)
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Nose: Noticeable fruity peat smoke. Smoked cherry pie. With time, strong notes of pineapple juice (just like I drank as a kid). 

Palate: Initially a meaty smoke, then cherry, strawberry notes emerge but the smoke remains underneath. Some orange rind comes out towards the end.

Finish: Long, berry smoke. 

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Wagyu beef cheeks, apple & sea urchin sauce complemented this nicely, with neither whisky nor dish significantly changing the other.

Secret Speyside Caperdonich 25 Year Old Peated (53% ABV, 25 Years Old, Speyside Scotland, $5,898HKD, £404.17)
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Nose: Beautifully floral, fragrant, subtle fruit smoke. With water, slight salinity.

Palate: The peat smoke is more noticeable than on the nose, but still soft and subtle. Apple, pear & peach comes through, and with water, some grape notes.

Finish: Long, savoury with subtle residual smoke. With water, the peat smoke is a little stronger.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. All up, an incredibly elegant dram. Whilst it paired well with the Guinea fowl & octopus dish, this is a dram to enjoy on its own, with/without a few drops of water as you prefer.

 

It's wonderful to see Pernod Ricard's single malts "back" in a big way in Hong Kong, and we can't wait to try the rest of the "Secret Speyside" range. If these four are anything to go by, there's a great deal of variety (and deliciousness) to enjoy - which is pretty great considering they're all from the same ubiquitous region of Scotland.

A big thanks to Pernod Richard Hong Kong, Asian Vibe & AMI/Woodear for the invitation & wonderful dinner.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #393: The Glenlivet Code

The Glenlivet Code has launched in Hong Kong (and Australia), following The Glenlivet Alpha and The Glenlivet Cipher. What's with the funny names, you might ask?

Well...back in 2013 Glenlivet released Alpha, a mysterious Glenlivet with barely any details provided (no information on age, cask types etc..) . Next came Cipher, similarly with no details or tasting notes. Both came in matte black bottles and invited people to guess the production, tasting notes and so on before details were finally revealed.

For 2018, the distillery are back at it with a third release - "Code". Similar to Alpha and Cipher, Code invites you to "test your senses" with a online game in which you identify certain aromas and tastes within the whisky, and then learn how close you are to the "actual tasting notes", for example:

The "actual" (i.e. distillery official) tasting notes will be released at the end of 2018, but as nosing and tasting is such a subjective thing, here's hoping they also release the details on the whisky's make-up (age, cask type(s), and any other unique details), as that's what whisky fans will really want to know.

Until then, here are my thoughts and guesses..

The Glenlivet Code (48% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $1,250HKD / $210AUD)

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Colour: Light orange-gold

Nose: Youthful, tropical notes. Pineapple chunks in milk chocolate. Raspberries, paw-paw, with a solid dusting of coconut over the top. Then some peach.

Palate: More mature fruits - ripe mago and paw-paw, with cinnamon, lots of milk chocolate, hazelnuts and a fair amount of oak (1st fill?).

Finish: Medium to long sweetly fruit-spiced, cocnut, raspberry jam.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. My guess (probably way off): ~17yo with 1st Fill ex-Bourbon and ex-Chardonnay casks.

Many thanks to Pernod Ricard HK and DNA for the samples of this interesting new dram. The Glenlivet Code is available in HK for $1,250HKD and in Australia $210AUD.

Cheers,
Martin.

Comparison: Chivas Brothers' Royal Salute 21yo "Polo Collection" and Royal Salute 21yo (Tasted #376 - 377)

Back in 2008 when I was just starting to get "into" whisky, I picked up a Royal Salute 21yo ceramic flaggon during one of my work trips. I didn't know a whole lot about it (other than it was a 21yo blend), but it was a purchase I was happy with - one of my first "better" whiskies, and the (empty) bottle still adorns a shelf back in Sydney to this day.

The Royal Salute has continued to be a staple of the Chivas Brothers portfolio (note it's not a "Chivas Regal", but a separate brand owned by Chivas Brothers / Pernod Ricard), and over the years various limited edition variants have been released.

One such variant is the new "Polo Collection" (aka "Polo Edition") 21yo, released originally in Singapore travel retail, and (as of September 2017) world-wide. Marketed as a "lighter, more delicately flavoured" expression to be enjoyed during the day, it comes in an eye-catching turquoise porcelain flaggon, with distinctive Polo markings to celebrate the brand's long-standing association with the sport of Polo (the horse kind, not the water kind).

A day-drinking whisky? What's not to love about that? A good mate from Pernod Ricard was kind enough to give me a sample of the new expression, along with a regular Royal Salute to allow a comparison - see below for my thoughts.

Royal Salute 21yo "Polo Collection" (40% ABV, 21yo, Blend, Scotland, $194SGD)

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Colour: Deep orange gold.

Nose: Light and fruity - you can see where the "daytime" whisky tag comes from. Tropical fruits - pears at first, then some mango, with banana undertones. Some lychee too.

Palate: Light, but flavoursome - lychee and lemon predominantly, then salted / dried mango slices.

Finish: Long, slightly oaked and with residual hints of toffee / burnt sugar.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  89/100. Definitely a summer, "day drinking" whisky, and an enjoyable one at that.

It'd been a few years since I'd had the "regular" Royal Salute 21yo, so it was nice to be able to compare the two back to back...


Royal Salute 21yo (40% ABV, 21yo, Blend, Scotland, $175.99AUD / $1,268HKD / £95.64ex-VAT)

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Colour: Deep orange gold. I really couldn't differentiate between the two.

Nose: There's some fruit like on the Polo Edition, but it's more citrus, and in the background, as toffee, caramel and milk chocolate take the forefront. Eventually some cherries and stewed apple slices emerge.

Palate: Caramel / chocolate chews, toffee, apple tart, oak with occasional wisps of smoke.

Finish: Long, slightly smokey with the apple tart notes carrying through to the end.

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


For me, the regular Royal Salute *just* wins this comparison, but it's close, and really, each whisky suits a different time and place:

• Daytime in the middle of summer, outdoors? The Polo Collection. 
• Nighttime, relaxing after a nice meal? The regular edition. 

Let's call it's (Polo) horses for courses.

Thanks to Muzz and Pernod Ricard Hong Kong for the samples.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #341 - 342: Longmorn 16yo (2016 release) and Scapa Glansa

Two new single malts have launched in Hong Kong recently - Longmorn's new 16yo and Scapa's new NAS "Glansa". The latter I found a truly fascinating whisky which I want to tell you all about, but first the Longmorn...

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It's fair to say that between Longmorn's distillery bottlings (like their previous 16yo) and their independent bottlings, the distillery has gathered quite a loyal fan base over the years. So understandably, some of those fans were a little put out when the new range was announced last year, and the price of the new 16yo jumped from ~£80 to ~£150 ($189USD / $1,580HKD).

The new 16yo was joined by an NAS (£45 rrp) and a 23yo ($1,087USD rrp), all of which featured new packaging and a re-positioning to show off the "luxury" side of the brand. Comparisons with Mortlach were inevitably made.

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To be fair, the new 16yo and 23yo are both non chill-filtered, bottled at a higher-than-usual 48% (as was the old 16yo), and the new packaging is indeed very nice - the leatherette base in particular is a unique touch.

Ultimately though, it all comes down to taste and value for me. Forget what the old version cost, forget what other whiskies cost - simply put, is it a good whisky, and is it worth the asking price? Only one way to find out...

Longmorn 16yo (2016 release) (48% ABV, 16yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,580HKD / AU pricing not available)

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Colour: Bright sunny gold.

Nose: Apricots and raisins. Slightly floral, vanilla, pears. With some air comes a perfumed sweetness, and some creme brûlée.

Palate: Rich, zesty and buttery. Much sweeter than the nose hints at. Apple Tarte Tatin, and lots of pear. There are noticeable sherry notes, and they're all clean - no sulphur here!

Finish: Quite long, fruity and sweet. Hints of fruit tingles towards the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. A well-made, smooth and elegant speyside dram, without a doubt. There are a lot of characteristic Speyside notes here, and the cask selection has clearly been well thought out. For me though, for $1,580HKD / $189USD , I'm looking for something a little more. Maybe that's just my years of drinking weird and wonderful cask strength / single cask whiskies talking. This is a good whisky, and the asking price is not unreasonable. Note: Aussie fans of the previous 16yo can still find it at Dan Murphys for $113AUD.

Now, onto the Scapa Glansa - Scapa's first foray into peated whiskies. The Glansa new make spirit itself wasn't peated, rather the whisky has been finished in casks that previously held peated whisky (similar to expressions released by Balvenie and many others in the past).

It's not being pitched as a high-end malt in the same way Longmorn is, but it costs a very reasonable $598HKD / £40.95 rrp. I say "very reasonable", because I really loved this whisky! Sure, it's not the most complex malt in the world, and I'd like it to be at a higher strength than 40%, but for me, it has these notes that are eminently reminiscent of old bottles of Bowmore (to a small degree) like this beautiful 15yo bottled in the 1980s).

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That might seem like a weird thing to say, but I've revisited it several times now, and I still get these slightly perfumed, earthy, "funky" subtle notes of smoke that I find very prominent on older Bowmore bottles...and that I really enjoy! I wonder if the peated casks used for finishing came from Bowmore...?

Scapa "The Orcadian" Glansa (40% ABV, NAS, Orkney, Scotland, $598HKD / £37.46 / AU pricing not available)

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Colour: Toffee gold.

Nose: Earthy funk, with a hint of perfume. JUST like an old school Bowmore (for me, that's a very, very good thing)! Sour gummy worms, earthy burnt toffee and a little tropical fruit.

Palate: Floral and perfumed, with nectarines, apples and peaches. There are herbal notes, and a slight brininess. Put together those notes might not sound too appealing, but they come together brilliantly. I just wanted to keep going back for more. If I have only one complaint about the palate, it does feel a little thin - I'd love to see this at 46%.

Finish: Short to Medium in length, with a subtle, earthy, vegetative (not coastal) smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  92/100. Just a really, really lovely drinkable dram. It can be a little "thin" on the palate, and it's not super complex, but I'll happily drink this on a regular basis (and in fact, I have been).

A big thanks must go to Pernod Ricard HK and Mazarine for providing the bottles for review.

Cheers,
Martin.

Chivas Regal Ultis Sydney Launch (Tasted #329)

Walking into Palmer & Co, Merivale's renowned small bar tucked away in one of Sydney’s oldest lanes, one could easily mistake the bar for something more akin to the "House of Chivas Regal". Plastered across the room were Chivas Regal bottles, Chivas Regal mementos and five special Chivas stations. What was about to take place was the special launch of Chivas Regal Ultis, Chivas Regal’s first blended malt expression - though certainly not the first in the industry, with Johnnie Walker Green, Monkey Shoulder and various Compass Box expressions having already represented the segment for some time.

The launch celebration was rather special as not only was the occasion to celebrate the new Ultis expression, but also to celebrate Chris Evans (better known as Captain America) as the new Asia Pacific Ambassador for Chivas Regal, and Michael Klim as the Australian Chivas Regal Ambassador. Both Chris and Michael co-starred in Chivas Regal’s "Win the Right Way campaign" which launched in 2014 to help recognise and advocate for the power of shared success - or simply the message that real success is not measured by a one's wealth alone, but by how many lives one has enriched.

The name Ultis, derived from ‘Ultimate’ and ‘Fortis' (Latin for ‘strength’) was bestowed upon the new blended malt expression, which sees five Speyside malts from Chivas Brothers’ portfolio (Tormore, Longmorn, Strathisla, Allt A’Bhainne and Braeval) selected to form the whisky. The malts were specially selected by Chivas' blending team as a tribute to the work of the five generations of Masters Blenders that have worked on the Chivas brand and its distinct style since 1909. As Chris Evans highlighted on the day, Ultis is simply a "Whisky with people at its heart!”

What I truly loved at the launch were the five Chivas stations with each station representing the individual malts that help form Ultis, along with different sensory experiences that all related to the individual malt. The deliciously fruity and sweet Longmorn was well represented with pears, vanilla pods, honeycomb and milk chocolates whilst over at the Straithisla station we saw stone fruits and nuts visually describing the nutty nature of Chivas’ foundation malt.

Speaking to a few bloggers and Pernod Ricard representatives at the event, we discussed the on-going challenge that the whisky industry has with transparency. This is a topic that is at the heart of Compass Box's continued efforts to challenge the status quo by disclosing additional detail on the composition of their blended malts. The Ultis launch saw a move to do something similar by exposing the five individual malts and allowing an appreciation of the five individual malts in addition to the final blended expression. Although the percentage composition of the five malts was not disclosed, it is perhaps a step in the right direction. Having come onto my whisky journey only a few years ago, I am certainly an advocate for such transparency as it allows a deepening of my appreciation of the final expression.

Check out more photos from the launch event at our Facebook page.

Chivas Regal Ultis (40% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, AUD$198.90 / ~ AUD$265 for 1L Travel Retail, from December)
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Ultis is a delicious and balanced blended malt and having tasted some of the individual malts at the launch, the final expression clearly reflects different characteristics from the contributing single malts. Time and place? A comfy lounge with few good mates celebrating a momentous occasion.

Colour: Deep, dark caramel.

Nose: The nose is beautiful and loaded with sweet and fruity notes. There are hints of apple, apricot, toffee fudge, vanilla, burnt orange and cinnamon.

Palate: The palate is soft and mellow to start before opening up notes of apple, toffee followed by warming burst of spices; cardamon, cloves and black pepper.

Finish: A warming medium sweet and velvety finish.

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

Chivas Regal Ultis 700ml will be available from November through selected retailers and from December at Duty Free retailers in a Travellers' Exclusive 1 Litre bottling.

Cheers,
Hendy.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Pernod Ricard and Eva McKenzie of One Green Bean for the invite to the launch of the Chivas Regal Ultis.

The Glenlivet pairing dinner at Le Méridien Cyberport Hong Kong

Steph and I had barely been back in Hong Kong a few days (after a great trip to Sydney) when an invite arrived for a whisky dinner with The Glenlivet, to be held at Le Méridien Cyberport. It'd been a few years since the last Glenlivet dinner we attended, and although Steph had plans,  my fondness for The Glenlivet (and you know, eating..) meant I wasn't about to say no. So on a Friday night recently, myself and good mate Eddie Nara jumped in a cab and headed towards "Sou ma gong" (Cyberport).

Upon arrival we were greeted by Darren Hosie (Regional Mentoring Manager for Chivas Bros and good friend of TimeforWhisky) and handed a cocktail made with Chivas and...Dragonfruit?! Different, but it worked perfectly as a refreshing antidote to the heat outside.

Taking our seats shortly after, the hotel's GM gave a brief introduction and explained how the hotel has run successful wine dinners in the past, but was looking to expand into whisky, hence the five malts laid out in front of us.

With guests ranging from whisky novices to enthusiasts (and one CEO of an Australian distillery...) Darren gave a brief introduction into how to taste / appreciate whisky, before we jumped into the first dram - The Glenlivet 12 Excellence. We first tasted the Excellence earlier this year with Charlie Maclean, and enjoyed the sherry matured notes that aren't present in the regular 12yo (the "Excellence" is designed for Asian palates and distribution is limited to only certain countries in Asia).

With hints of chocolate, orange, paprika and cinnamon, it's noticeably different to the regular 12yo, and when paired with Parma ham and (vodka-infused) melon balls, proved a great way to kick things off.

You'll have to forgive the references to "wine servings"...

Next came Steamed Foie Gras with Banana Chutney paired with The Glenlivet Nadurra. Whilst not the most visually-appealing dish, it was spot on in terms of flavours, and matched better than I'd expected with a cask strength whisky like the Nadurra.

Gazpacho on a heavenly-cloudy peach malange was next, paired with The Glenlivet 18. Given the spiciness of the dish, at first I thought this might have paired better with the Nadurra....but that just goes to show you why I'm not a chef (or food pairing expert). This was a fantastic pairing, with the spiciness of the dish picking up the some of the cloves and asian spices in the 18yo, and adding an overall Demerara-like sweetness. 

Next came Roasted beef fillet topped with Hazelnut, seasonable vegetables and orange gravy, paired with The Glenlivet XXV (25yo). A subtle / nuanced dram with a simple dish like a well cooked piece of beef was a smart option, and again these two complimented each other well.

Desserts often provide an opportunity for great whisky pairings, and this was no exception, with Whisky chocolate mousse with vanilla ice cream playing nicely off the sweeter, apple-like notes in the Limousin-aged The Glenlivet 15yo French Oak, even adding some hints of cinnamon that weren't obvious in either the dish or the whisky on their own.

In addition to the whisky and food pairings being a big success, the event also struck that perfect balance by being informative without going over guests' heads (or worse, putting them to sleep). With each course Darren gave a brief intro, explained a little about the whisky and thought process behind the pairing, and that was it. Guests seemed to appreciate the introduction, but also the chance to form their own thoughts on each pairing.

With the courses finished (and an extra dram or two of the XXV to wrap things up) it was time to call it a night. I'd have to say as the first Le Méridien Cyberport whisky pairing dinner it was a big success, and I look forward to seeing them run others in the future. Whilst I'd kindly been given a ticket courtesy of Pernod Ricard, at $888/head the dinner was great value - especially when you consider you'd almost pay that for a single dram of XXV in some Hong Kong bars!

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Darren, Pernod Ricard HK and Le Méridien Cyberport for the invite.

Cheers,
Martin.

The Glenlivet "Exclusive Whisky Party" (Hong Kong)

Pernod Ricard Hong Kong, in conjunction with the new Whisky Magazine Hong Kong & Macau (which you'll be hearing more about shortly) recently held an "Exclusive Whisky Party" at the recently-opened Seafood Room in Causeway Bay, with stunning views out over Hong Kong harbour.

Despite the name, the party was probably the busiest and most well-attended Hong Kong whisky Party we've attended (and we've been to plenty), with crowds filling almost every inch of Seafood Room's humungous 10,000 combined sq ft space. In one way though, the party was "exclusive", with guests being the first in Hong Kong to try the latest single cask offering - the 52.5% 16 year old "Bletherman". 

Unfortunately we couldn't make the earlier tasting session, and were only able to try it from a tumbler so we don't have detailed tasting notes, but what we did taste we liked - an incredibly rich dram, sherried but not overly so, with a delicious vanilla creaminess. Limited to 570 bottles, we suspect quite a few were gone by the end of the night.

With so many guests, you'd hope there'd be enough to keep everyone entertained...and the organisers didn't disappoint, with cocktails, cigars, a rooftop band performance, food stations (including some fantastic Jamón, but surprisingly little seafood), a choice of The Glenlivet drams (12, 15, 18, Single Cask "Bletherman" and Guardian's Chapter, which we helped select way back in 2013) and a whisky and tea pairing station, not to mention a photo station (where guests could have their photo taken and receive it instantly via e-mail and a few minutes later in printed form).

The highlight though was the game table, where guests tasted whiskies and nosed scents, and used tokens to guess the whisky / flavour. Winners at the end of the night walked away with a bottle of Glenlivet 12 Excellence and the Guardian's Chapter.

With the whisky flowing and everyone seemingly having a great time, the only downside of the night was when reality struck and we realised we had work the next morning...

Oh well, one more "Bletherman" for the road... (when it's gone, it's gone, right?)

Cheers,

Martin.

Upcoming Event: World Whisky Day 2016 at Tiffany's New York Bar (Hong Kong)

World Whisky Day is coming up again this Saturday, and Tiffany's New York Bar at the InterContinental Grand Stanford (featured in our list of Top Hong Kong Whisky Bars) are going all out in conjunction with Pernod Ricard HK, with a 5 hour celebration of whisky, cigars and food. As a bit of a teaser, they were also kind enough to give us this box...

No strangers to holding brilliant whisky events (their inaugural Hong Kong Whisky Festival earlier this year was an absolute smash hit), Tiffany's are planning the event as a mini-festival, with the following highlights:

• Over 100 whiskies from all over the world at $50 or $80HKD/glass
• "Meet the ambassadors"
• Cigar corner
• Outdoor garden lounge
• Jazz performance
• Welcome drink on arrival (Glenlivet 12yo or Chivas Whisky cocktail)

Entry is $120HKD and includes the welcome drink and an engraved Glencairn glass. Full details can be found here.

We've seen the list of drams and there are definitely some winners in there - plenty of favourites as well as some unusual drams that many may not have tried (or even heard of) - Slyrs single malt, Mars Komagatake Rindo and Amorik to name a few. There's also a list of (higher-priced) special drams, inlcluding Arran Smuggler's Series Vol.1, Kavalan Amontillado Sherry Cask, and two Michel Couvreur whiskies (whose range we recently tasted and will write about shortly).

So...what was in the box? A selection of 5 of Tiffany's famous home-finished whiskies, which are finished right in the middle of the bar, in a number of oak casks they have on display. As I write this, I'm enjoying the "Speyside Shiraz Finish" and it's beautiful - smooth and rounded, with some citrus notes and some big red berries, with a lovely toffee finish. No harsh oak or overt tannins either, as you might get with extra cask-finishing. Try them at the bar, and hopefully they release these sample boxes for sale soon.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #260 - #263: Chivas Regal "The Icon" (and Strathisla, Glen Keith and Longmorn single casks)

Back in December last year we attended the Hong Kong launch of Chivas Regal "The Icon", which launched in Australia and Hong Kong last year and is shortly to launch in the UK.

The launch event was incredible, but the real treat came after lunch, when ourselves and 7 lucky other individuals were treated to a tasting of The Icon with Master Blender Colin Scott. Held in one of Foxglove's many stunning private rooms, the tasting was opened by Stephen Notman (IWSC judge and founder of Whisky Live Shanghai / Taipei and "Whisky L") who took us back 100 years, describing the origins of Scotch whisky as we know it (and the 3 year minimum aging rule set by the Immature Spirits Act), the rise of Scotch throughout the 1900s, and the more recent rise of "ultra premium blends".

Colin then took the stage, to talk us through the origins of "The Icon" (the idea of which was first hatched in 2014, designed to feature "nuggets" of mothballed / closed distilleries), an overview of Chivas Brothers' immense selection of casks, which total over 6 million, and left us with a quote that, whilst simple, we thought neatly summed up the difference in character between blends and single malts:

"A blend is looking at a person, a single malt is looking at a distillery"

Simple, but true.

It was then time to dive into our tasting of "The Icon", but not before the rare opportunity to taste three unique single cask expressions of Strathisla, Glen Keith and Longmorn - malt whiskies which all help to make up Chivas Regal blends.

Glen Keith 1990 single cask - 1st fill ex-Bourbon barrel (40% ABV, 26yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Colour: Bright yellow gold.
Nose: A real "summertime whisky". Passionfruit, vanilla cream. Lots of peaches, some strawberry, and even some pine needles.
Palate: Oranges, nuttiness (peanuts). Slight hint of smoke. More peaches. Orange taffy. Very smooth and easy drinking (being cut to 40% no doubt helps).
Finish: Long, whole oranges, with hints of asparagus at the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A fairly complex yet easy drinking, light whisky.

Longmorn 1987 - 2nd fill ex-Oloroso Sherry butt (40% ABV, 29yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Colour: Copper.
Nose: There are plenty of traditional sherry notes here - rich christmas pudding, cherries, raisins, but there's a freshness too. Fresh laundry(!), with some strawberry hubba bubba.
Palate: Honey, noticeable oak, spice, cinnamon, Sriracha sauce. A few drops of water adds a slightly fruitier, strawberry note.
Finish: Earthy and slightly metallic.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Nice but in comparison to the amazing 20-30 year old Oloroso-matured whiskies we've tried before, it didn't quite reach the same lofty heights.

Strathisla 1980 - 3rd fill American Oak hogshead (40% ABV, 36yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Colour: Orange gold-copper.
Nose: Citrus zest - orange peel, and almonds.
Palate: Banana, toffee, caramel and passionfruit.
Finish: Long, tropical, creamy. Passionfruit and whipped cream.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A real dessert whisky.

Chivas Regal "The Icon" (43% ABV, NAS, Blend, Scotland, $4,699AUD / $28,800HKD / £2000GBP)
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Colour: Golden-copper.
Nose: Stewed pairs, toffee, oranges. Terry's Chocolate orange (loads of it). A honey sweetness.
Palate: Quite sweet, velvety, creamy. Smooth swiss milk chocolate, with a slight nuttiness. A hint of confectionary too - boiled lollies, Allen's Fantales.
Finish: Long and sweet, sherberty, with residual hints of milk chocolate.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Not quite what I'd expected at first - much sweeter. There's complexity here, sure, and it's an extremely enjoyable dram, but out of this lineup, I'd take another glass of that Strathisla first. I'd love to try the The Icon at a higher ABV though, perhaps 46 or 48%.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #239: J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel

We've covered many Scottish, Japanese, Irish and American bourbon whiskies on this blog, though we've yet to cover many Canadian whiskies. Having only tasted (and enjoyed) the Canadian Club 12 year old a few months ago at the Whisky Rumble, I was curious when I heard that another Canadian whisky; J.P. Wiser's, was entering the local Australian market for the first time. J.P. Wiser's; Canada's oldest continuously produced Canadian whisky will join Pernod Ricard's ever expanding portfolio here in Australia - the move appearing to signal the increasing focus for Canadian distilleries on the local market and abroad, riding the global wave of whisky appreciation.

I was sent a sample of J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel from CavCon for tasting - a blended rye whisky matured between five and eight years in three different barrels and vatted together. The Triple Barrel uses virgin American oak barrels, ex-Bourbon barrels and also ex-Canadian whisky barrels. 

JP Wiser's Triple Barrel (40% ABV, NAS, Ontario, Canada, $40AUD)
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J.P. Wiser's Triple Barrel packed beautiful characters on the nose though the palate was slightly disappointing as it was almost too gentle, too refined and light on characters, perhaps a characteristic of its triple barrel maturation approach. The Triple Barrel though make a good mixer given the inherent 'rye' spices that you get on the palate and finish.

Colour: Chinese tea

Nose: Layers of buttery scones, toasted fruit bread, toffee apple, floral. The nose is great.

Palate: Soft, almost too gentle, very light macadamia notes and some light (rye) peppery spices. There are also vanilla, caramel and peppermint notes. The notes on the palate did not line up with the notes I got on the nose, the characters I picked up on the nose were certainly more exciting than what I tasted on the palate.

Finish: The finish is short to medium with lingering dried (rye) spices.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 87/100.

In addition to the Triple Barrel, J.P. Wiser's is also releasing the award winning 18 year old into the local Australian market. All the Wiser's are now available Australia wide.

Cheers,
Hendy.