World Whisky Day 2016 at Malt Whisky Bar

As the world celebrated World Whisky Day, and many in Hong Kong celebrated at Tiffany's New York Bar's event (which we heard was excellent but sadly couldn't attend), we were celebrating in a more low key manner, with a few friends and a few bottles at the excellent Malt Whisky Bar - one of our Top Whisky Bars in Hong Kong.

Organised by good friend Eddie Nara, the premise was simple - kick off with a cocktail (a delicious take on the Whisky Sour made by Bar Manager Tico and his fantastic team, with Chivas Regal Brothers' Blend and a real piece of barley as garnish), then move onto the drams...and speaking of drams, it was an international assortment (very fitting for "World" Whisky Day), with whiskies from Japan, Scotland, America, Australia and even a "Hong Kong whisky" (more on that one in a future post).

With whisky fanatics and newbies alike, it was a great few hours trying different drams and exploring the different profiles of each. Personal highlights included a 1995 Batch 11 GlenDronach single cask (18yo) ex-PX Puncheon and a 2011 Lagavulin Cask-strength....not to mention this:

With Feis Ile also kicking off, Eddie thought it fitting to crack out a special dram - his as-yet unopened bottle of Caol Ila Feis Ile 2013. Matured for 12 years in refill butts, hogsheads and barrels, it was then vatted and given a few extra months in more active hogsheads, before being given the finishing touches in European oak. A trademark Caol Ila in our books, but a lovely one at that, with slight hints of walnuts and a few obvious citrus notes.

All up, a brilliant way to spend World Whisky Day.

Cheers,
Martin.

Trading one of our "TimeforWhisky.com" Glencairns with one of Eddie's Barrel Concepts glasses.

The Whisky Show Sydney 2016 review (Tasted #294 - 297)

Annually, coinciding with World Whisky Day on 21 May, renowned Sydney whisky shop World of Whisky host one of the three whisky shows for Sydney - dubbed simply "The Whisky Show". We attended the Friday session which was rather good as the session hadn't been fully sold out and as such the crowd was quite manageable (although we did miss out on the four masterclasses which were to be held on the Saturday; the Kavalan, Laphroaig, Paul John and Bourbon masterclasses).

Hosted at the same location as the previous two years; the Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport (see our 2014 write-up here), though not the most convenient of locations, was large enough to accommodate a diverse range of distilleries and/or their distributors. Upon arrival, all guests were provided with a nosing glass and a bag containing a bottle of water and few nibblies. There were also a couple of water fountains placed along the centre of the exhibition room to allow rinsing of glasses and re-hydration.

As with previous years, 2016's show was well represented with a large range of brands (big and small) and various related exhibitors. Standouts included:

Ardbeg, Balvenie, BenRiach, Big Peat, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Connemara, Dalmore, Glendalough, Glendronach, Glenfiddich, Glenglassaugh, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Glenrothes, Jura, Kavalan, Kininvie, Laphroaig, Makers Mark, Old Pulteney, Paul John, Springbank, Starward, Tomatin, Uber Bar Tools, Writer's Tears



On the night, we observed that there was quite a mix between the line-ups across the different brands, some showcased an extensive range of their expressions whilst others showcased a select few:

• Starward focused on their two classic expressions; the Solera and the wine cask edition - though when asked nicely, Brand Ambassador Paul Slater was happy to bring out the ever-secretive Project X from behind the counter
• Springbank brought their limited release 17yo sherry wood expression into the mix, along with a Longrow and the Hazelburn 12yo
• Kininvie made its first appearance following its launch late last year with the Kininvie 17 and 23. The lovely Laura Hay was on the stand with Kininvie friends
• Similar to Kininvie, Paul John also made its first appearance, presenting five unique expressions from its portfolio (and a single cask which was presented to us from behind the counter)
• Bruichladdich put on a strong showing with two Octomore expressions; the 7.1 and 7.3. Phillip Mack of Dram Full represented Bruichladdich
• BenRiach was manned by our friend WhiskNick, and the line up included the 12yo sherry, 15yo sauternes, 16yo, 17yo Septendecim and the newly released (and one of our favourites from the night), Cask Strength Batch 1
• Tomatin showcased their range including few highlights; 14yo Port Casks and the ghostly Cù Bòcan
• The Glenrothes brought the Peated Cask Reserve which was released late last year, together with the 1992 Vintage and 2001 Vintage releases
• Disappointingly, GlenDronach only showcased the 12yo and there were no signs of the older core lineup, cask strength, or any of their single cask releases
• The hype around the Kavalan Solist Amontillado must have sent the expression straight to the shelves with no samples available, though it was available for purchase at the show
• Kavalan though did have the most expressions available, with a whopping eight expressions, including the Solist range and the King Car expression; and
• Douglas Laing held the Indie bottler fort, showcasing a number of bottles from the "Old Particular" series including a Ben Nevis 14yo and a Glengoyne 17yo.

Here are some tasting notes for a few favourites of the night...


Springbank 17 Year Old Sherry Wood Whisky (52.3% ABV, 17yo, Campbeltown, Scotland, $290AUD)
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A limited release from Springbank, fully matured in sherry oak casks and bottled at cask strength, this full bodied expression was quite enjoyable.

Colour: Rusted gold

Nose: The nose is filled with sweet cranberries, rich sticky date, moss and molasses.

Palate: The palate is clean and delightful with notes of berries, raisins and the sticky date from the earlier whiff. The palate is then slowly transformed with red chilli pepper and toffee notes.

Finish: Long with lingering peppermint spices.

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


BenRiach Cask Strength Batch 1 (52.3% ABV, 17yo, Campbeltown, Scotland, A$220 / £44.03)
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The inaugural release of the Cask Strength series from BenRiach. This malty, creamy and delicate expression was one of our favourites of the night. Can't wait to see future Cask Strength releases from BenRiach.

Colour: Champagne

Nose: The nose is sweet, fruity and creamy, loads of  sweet burnt caramel and butterscotch, sticky date pudding.

Palate: Merry Christmas, though not in July. Oaky and spicy, where is that Christmas pudding? There are hints of cinnamon tart and cinnamon dusted creme brulee. The creamy mouthfeel is then followed by a lingering black pepper spice. 

Finish: Long, sweet and not too drying.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

Paul John Select Cask Classic (55.2% ABV, NAS, Goa, India, A$128 / £49.96)
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A limited cask strength release from Paul John; the second Indian distiller to hit the Australian market after Amrut. This unpeated cask strength release had been aged for around 7 years in ex-bourbon barrels.

Colour: Gold with amber tinge

Nose: The nose has bourbon all over it. Almost smells like a good breakfast; fruity malty, oaty with notes of honey and sweet vanilla.

Palate: The malt continues on the palate; creamy, mellow and loads of honey with a layer of black pepper spices from the oak. The higher ABV balances the sweet, malty notes.

Finish: The finish is long and there remains a chewy oaky mouthfeel. A nice solid dram.

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


Paul John Single Barrel (58% ABV, NAS, Goa, India, not commercially available)
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We were offered a sample of this Paul John Single Barrel following discussion of the general expression they had on offer. It is a preview of what is to come from Paul John, in the form of Single Barrel releases. This particular expression was aged in an ex-Jack Daniel's barrel for (presumably nine) years and bottled at cask strength. Overall, this was an excellent dram and we look forward to the official release of the expression.

Colour: Light amber

Nose: The nose is filled with loads sweet malt, honey and there's a strong hint of oak, almost resembling the smell of new wood lacquer.

Palate: The palate is deep, rich and presents a nice layer of vanilla tart. The tannic, citrus notes follow the sweetness and then there's some oak spice to finish. Similar to the Select Cask Classic, the higher alcohol ABV provides a layer complexity to this expression.

Finish: Long and lingering with plenty of oak and spice.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.




The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve (40% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $99.80NZD)
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This newly released expression from The Glenrothes combines vatting from three vintage casks and finished in an Islay cask. This was a clean, elegant expression that packs a small hint of peat to balance. Interestingly the only online shop we could find selling it was based in NZ!

Colour: Pale straw

Nose: Malty, breakfast cereals; or rather breakfast whisky. There's no peat on the nose though the nose is fun with plenty of jolly lollies.

Palate: The palate is clean and very light, sweet molasses are evident and there is a gentle peat note that fades over time. A light layer of spice lingers.

Finish: Medium though there is a lingering malty sweetness.

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


As the clock hit eight o'clock, David Ligoff of World of Whisky rounded up the troops and called last drams. As we sign off, here are some more photos from the show:

The Sydney Whisky Show is on for this entire weekend. Whether you'll be at the show celebrating World Whisky Day or at home savouring your favourite dram, Happy #WorldWhiskyDay!

Cheers,
Hendy.

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.

This week in whisk(e)y #30 - World Whisky Day at Tokyo Bird, Exile Casks "The Trojan" and John Walker & Sons 2016 release

As you might know if you read this blog regularly, we get a fair few interesting press releases and news articles here at TimeforWhisky, and usually try to feature them with our own spin, experiences or comments. Sometimes though, they come thick and fast, and we just don't have time to do them all justice.

So we've decided to take a leaf out of some other excellent whisky blogs, and feature a "PR roundup" every now and then - basically a wrap-up of relevant press releases we've received in the previous week or so (including other interesting whisk(e)y news Steph, Hendy & or I think you might enjoy). So on with it then...

World Whisky Day at Tokyo Bird (Sydney)
As far as bars go, we love Tokyo Bird here, not just because we were mates with the team before it opened, but also because it's a genuinely cool, relaxed bar with a great vibe, an awesome selection of Japanese whisky, great yakitori, and well thought-out classes and events.

Following a sold-out night of whisky tasting on World Whisky Day in 2015, Tokyo Bird is extending the whisky celebrations for the entire week leading up to the big day, with whisky cocktails, tasting flights, and a Japanese whisky-matched dinner in collaboration with Melbourne’s Adam Liston, ex chef and owner of Northern Light Yakitori Bar.

“We’ve seen the explosion of interest in whisky first-hand here, especially Japanese whisky,” says Tokyo Bird owner and general manager Jason Ang. “Over the past 15 months that we’ve been open, connoisseurs and novices alike have enjoyed our 80+ varieties of Japanese whiskies – many of which are not available at other bars, even in Japan ­– while drinking us dry out of the likes of Yamazaki 12 and Hibiki 12 on several occasions!

“The enthusiasm for whisky is contagious. It’s great to see people introduce their partners and friends to whisky through their favourites on our menu, or through tasting flights or even whisky cocktails,” Jason adds. 

The bar will be running the following events for World Whisky Day (or perhaps that should be World Whisky "week"):

WORLD WHISKY COCKTAILS - all week from MONDAY, 16 MAY
Available all week, Tokyo Bird bar manager Yoshi Onishi has concocted five whisky cocktails featuring a dram from each Japan, Scotland, Australia, Ireland and the US - to celebrate the world of whisky / whiskey / bourbon.
Available Monday 16 May - Saturday 21 May
Cocktails from $18 

JAPANESE WHISKY DINNER - TUESDAY 17 MAY
Tokyo Bird is hosting an exclusive dinner in collaboration with Melbourne's Adam Liston (ex chef / owner of Northern Light Yakitori Bar). Indulge in five premium Japanese whiskies and five courses of modern Japanese cuisine in celebration of Japan's 'water of life'.
Tuesday 17 May; 6pm or 8.30pm sitting
$135 per person; bookings essential via info@tokyobird.com.au
See whisky menu here (food menu to be announced late April)

WORLD WHISKY DAY TASTING FLIGHTS - SATURDAY 21 MAY
From 1pm on World Whisky Day, choose from four whisky flights covering world or Japanese whiskies to taste your way through the glorious world of whiskies!
Saturday 21 May, from 1pm
Bookings available; email info@tokyobird.com.au
Whisky flights from $38 (to be announced)



Exile Casks' First Release - "The Trojan"
Those who have been reading the whisky "blogosphere" for a while may be familiar with Joel Harrison & Neil Ridley - founders of caskstrength.net who went on to become "whisky celebrities" through their writing, events, "A to Z" of whisky, blog and general fun attitude to the world of spirits. Since shuttering the caskstrength site, they've started up World's Best Spirits and recently launched their first whisky under the "Exile Casks" banner - a 25yo single cask Speysider at 57.1%, with a total outturn of 306 bottles (500mL).

Whilst the distillery of origin is unknown, the story is that the cask was found in a distillery other than the one in which it was distilled (hence the "Trojan" name). All you need to know though, is it's a 25 year old single cask Speysider, for £65, about which Dave Broom said:

"You’d be a fool not to buy it for quality and for price"

and Serge Valentin (of WhiskyFun.com) said:

"Excellently modern. Well done."

We're a little surprised that, given the excellent pricepoint and good reviews, there are still bottles available (we ordered ours on release day), but there you go. You get pick one up here (worldwide shipping is available). We'll have tasting notes up once ours arrives.

John Walker & Sons Private Collection - 2016 Edition
Another year, another exquisitely presented John Walker & Sons "Private Collection" - the 2016 edition this time. Following on from 2015's red-hued release, and 2014's blue release comes this honey-coloured release, again limited to 8,888 bottles.

Of course, it's the liquid that counts though, and this year's interestingly makes significant note of the grain whiskies within, even listing the distilleries. We're not sure if this is to become a trend with these releases, but we like it.

To quote the press release:

“This is the most complex edition to date in its making, blended with whiskies drawn from over 100 casks due to the many subtle variations required in flavour styles and effects, and the precious little remaining after the lost ‘Angels’ Share’ from years of maturation.

The blenders had the luxury of selecting, one by one, rare casks of Single Grain Scotch Whisky, including from five Johnnie Walker distilleries (four now silent and therefore irreplaceable – Caledonian, Cambus, Carsebridge and Port Dundas). These were gathered into two styles - woody, vanilla fudge notes, and sweeter, estery, honey notes – and laid down in casks for several months of marrying to ensure seamless integration of flavours and smoothness in the final blend.

Grain whiskies, as well as having soft, delicate, honey, heady or estery characters expressive of each distillery and the cask in which each whisky has matured, are also vital in revealing the wealth of malt whisky flavours.

In the 2016 Edition, they are set exquisitely against unique casks of a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Jim’s treasured experimental stock. Aged in American oak with specially chosen cask ends, the result is a wonderfully subtle distillery character. Mature and intense, yet restrained, it highlights the effects of the grain whiskies in the blend gloriously.

After marrying individually, the three components were blended to 43.0% ABV to reveal the myriad delicate aromas and flavours." 

The 2016 Private Collection release is available in Hong Kong (from selected retail stores) and in Australia (from Dan Murphy's), for $977AUD.



Thats all for this week. Until next time...

Cheers, 
Martin.

"A World of Whiskies" Preview at Tokyo Bird

As part of World Whisky Day, officially set on Saturday, 16 May 2015, Time for Whisky was invited to preview the tasting flights at Tokyo Bird ahead of the exciting day on which the world can have a dram (or five) and celebrate the water of life. We previewed the tasting event a few days ago with all the details on how you can celebrate World Whisky Day (or in the case of Tokyo Bird, World Whisky Week) at their great little Japanese yakitori bar in Belmore Lane, Surry Hills.

The two tasting flights offered are either the singles tour; tasting of three drams or the world tour; a tasting of five drams. We opted to sample the balanced and focused singles tour - consisting of the following three whiskies:

• Starward Wine Cask Edition 1
• Hakushu 12 Year Old
• Aberfeldy 21 Year Old

Tokyo Bird Bartender, Yoshi Onishi explained the selection of the three different whiskies and how they each pay homage to the different whisky regions; being Scotland (Highlands), Japan (Mt. Kaikomagatake) and Australia (Victoria) and allow one to appreciate the varying spectrum of whiskies across those regions.

The Starward Wine Cask dram tends to lend quite a sweet, aromatic and tannic note from the use of the ex-Shiraz wine cask with the Aberfeldy also offering a level of sweetness though allowing a more floral, fruity, vanilla, citrus note to rise from its use of a combination between ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon casks. The Hakushu on the other hand, like most of its Japanese whisky brethren is refined, balanced and clean - there are light and grassy, sweet fruit notes with a hint of smoke on the palate.

Though, with the flight, what are the three whiskies like?

Starward Wine Cask Edition 1 (41% ABV, NAS, Victoria, Australia, $75AUD)

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I would have this dram on joyful or festive occasions, perhaps Christmas? The berry, gummy bear nose and the sweet creamy palate can simply complement those occasions.

Colour: Dark copper

Nose: There are cherry, shiraz and sweet gummy bear which brings me back to my childhood
Palate: The palate is creamy, the sweet berry comes first then the palate develops into vanilla shortbread, tasty
Finish: A medium tannic finish with a nice coating of the palate that hints of gingerbread

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

Hakushu 12 Year Old (43.5% ABV, 12yo, Mt. Kaikomagatake, Japan, $119.99AUD)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A light, clean dram that you can have any time of the day, perhaps with your cereal or with your lunch.

Colour: White wine

Nose: The nose is light, it smells of summer grass and it is quite floral
Palate: The palate, like many Japanese whiskies is refined, clean and there are sweet fruits with a hint of soft smoke
Finish: The finish tapers slowly into a combination of sweet honey, vanilla and a hint of citrus

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

Aberfeldy 21 Year Old (40% ABV, 21yo, Highlands, Scotland, $199AUD)

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An innovative use of a different barley varietal, the "Marris Otter" winter barley gives way to a soft, refined and creamy expression.

Colour: Amber, gold

Nose: The nose is fresh, floral with hints of strawberry, citrus and apple
Palate: The palate is soft, smooth and light and the age has slightly represented itself through the creaminess on the. There are notes of almond shortbread and vanilla.
Finish: The finish is long and the mouth coating, vanilla notes lingers.

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

The three dram whisky flight provides a nice, balanced tasting that does not push one to any extremities (though other expressions are also available behind the counter). The flight is certainly ,quite easily, palatable to many, especially for those who may want to simply appreciate a flight of delicate, clean whiskies - for the sake of celebrating such fantastic water of life. The five dram whisky flight expands the three drams offering by including, the well known (and loved) Buffalo Trace bourbon and also the light and supple Jameson Irish whiskey.

Both the three and five-taste whisky flights will be available from the official World Whisky Day – Saturday, 16 May – through to Wednesday, 20 May. Full background and tasting notes and matching yakitori options will also be provided. Bookings for World Whisky Day tasting flights from Saturday, 16 May to Wednesday, 20 May are available via info@tokyobird.com.au.

Happy World Whisky Day!

Cheers,
Hendy

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Jason, Tina and Yoishi of Tokyo Bird for the invitation and their hospitality when previewing the three-dram World of Whiskies tasting flight.

PR #25: A world of whiskies for World Whisky Day at Tokyo Bird

Tokyo Bird, who opened in Sydney's Surry Hills earlier this year, quickly established themselves as the place to drink Japanese whisky in Sydney. Owners Tina and Jason (close friends of this blog) have done a great job and, with a huge amount of hard work, built a great little neighbourhood bar.

Now to emphasise their passion for whisky, and celebrate World Whisky Day, they're inviting whisky fans and those new to whisky to try one of two tasting flights, taking into account Japan, Australia, Ireland, USA and (of course) Scotland.

"A world of whiskies for World Whisky Day at Tokyo Bird
Saturday, 16 May 2015 is the official World Whisky Day around the world – a global day of celebration for whisky, whiskey and all their deliciously drinkable cousins.

World Whisky Day invites whisky fans and those who have never tried whisky to try a dram and celebrate the water of life. It's about making whisky fun and enjoyable, celebrating all types of whisky/whiskey from anywhere in the world and encouraging everyone to enjoy whisky responsibly.

Surry Hills small bar Tokyo Bird is taking World Whisky Day literally with tasting flights traversing the world of whiskies: from Japanese whisky (of course!) to Irish whiskey and Scotch whisky, and even American bourbons.

A three- or five-taste whisky flight will be available from the official World Whisky Day –Saturday, 16 May – through to Wednesday, 20 May.

• The Singles Tour, $30: Tastings (15ml) of 3 single malts – from Japan, Australia and Scotland (with bar snacks)

• The World Tour, $45: Tastings (15ml) of 5 whiskies/bourbons – from Japan, USA, Ireland, Australia and Scotland (with bar snacks)

Whisky nerds and newbies alike will receive background and tasting notes, and drinking and food recommendations as they tour a world of whiskies.

Bookings for World Whisky Day tasting flights from Saturday, 16 May to Wednesday, 20 May are available via info@tokyobird.com.au"

Even if you can't make it for the World Whisky Day celebrations, we highly recommend dropping by Tokyo Bird in Belmore Lane for a dram or two (and maybe some yakitori skewers) at some point. 

Cheers,

Martin.