The Macallan TIME : SPACE Launch [Tasted: #684]

Last week, Martin and I had the pleasure of attending events for The Macallan TIME:SPACE Collection in both Hong Kong and Sydney, as a celebration of the distillery’s 200th anniversary. The events took us on a journey through The Macallan’s storied past, from founder Alexander Reid’s dedication to quality in 1824 to the wartime ingenuity that shaped its legacy.

The Sydney launch event featured tastings of Macallan’s Classic Cut and 18yo expressions, two drams that beautifully reflect the distillery’s artistry. The Classic Cut 2023, bottled at 50.3% ABV, showcased vibrant notes of orchard fruits, elderflower, and citrus with hints of almond biscotti and toasted oak. Meanwhile, the 18yo Sherry Oak has rich layers of dried fruit, spice, and chocolate, a classic Macallan.

At the heart of the celebration was the unveiling of TIME : SPACE, a dual-chambered vessel housing two extraordinary whiskies. The 1940 Vintage, aged an astonishing 84 years, matured in meticulously selected sherry casks. Representing the future, the 2018 Vintage is a youthful 5-year-old whisky, marking the first distillate from Macallan’s state-of-the-art distillery.

Also revealed was TIME : SPACE Mastery, a stunning single malt created from 14 exceptional cask types. This whisky delivers rich layers of dates, pineapple, and coffee, all while retaining Macallan’s signature elegance. Presented in a circular bottle symbolising the cycle of time, the red case, complete with 200 spikes, is a bold celebration of the distillery’s bicentennial milestone.

With only 200 units of TIME : SPACE dual-chambered bottle available globally, the TIME : SPACE Mastery is the more accessible of the two (priced at $2,700 and arriving in Australia in November 2024, with the exact number of bottles produced not disclosed). The TIME : SPACE Collection is more than a celebration of the past—it’s a toast to the future of The Macallan's whisky mastery. 

Having both recently sampled the TIME : SPACE Mastery, here are our thoughts:

The Macallan TIME : SPACE Mastery (43.6% ABV, Speyside, Scotland, A$2,700 / $11,000HKD)

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Colour: Rich honey gold.

Nose (Hendy): A captivating aroma unfolds with a gentle musky scent, with a mix of ripe summer fruits—peaches and apricots—balanced by the sweetness of dates, figs and dried fruits. Subtle notes of chocolate with sweet oak.

Nose (Martin): There's a maturity here that (despite its years) you don't find on the 18yo. Not to the same extent anyway. Deep rich zesty coffee notes follow, rich honey notes, with some underlying milk chocolate and ginger. If you look hard enough, slight hints of tropical stone fruits (peaches mostly) appear.

Palate (Hendy): The palate opens up with soft ginger spices, offering a delicate palate with a touch of gunpowder before giving way to layers of citrus, oranges and honey bring a level of sweetness, with sweet oak at the end.

Palate (Martin): Viscous and mouth-filling, with notes of mature oak, a slightly earthiness (which increases over time), some orange zest, dates, maple syrup, ginger and caramel. It doesn't feel like 43% in the mouth - I'd say closer to 46-48%. Power and finesse here.  

Finish (Hendy): Long and lingering, with a gentle, soft spice and fading into notes of vanilla. It was a good Macallan.

Finish (Martin): Long, quite drying, with hints of oak, some BBQ pineapple, Oranges and residual peach notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 

93/100 (Hendy) 

92/100 (Martin)

Martin's final comments: Having also tried this side-by-side with the 2023 18yo Sherry Oak, I can confidently say it stands well above as a much more rich, viscous, sherried dram with significantly more complexity. It also has those hints of tropical notes shining through which you just don't get on the 18yo (Lead Whisky Maker Euan Kennedy, who presented our tasting, said he finds the tropical notes tend to come through at around 20 years of age). That said, whether the increased complexity and richness (and admittedly, very cool bottle design) justifies the price jump over the 18yo is a personal decision everyone will have to make for themselves...

Here’s to the next 200 years of Macallan.


Cheers,
Hendy.

Westward Dominio IV Pinot Noir, Tempranillo [Tasted #611 - #612]

Shape tasting? What is shape tasting? It's the term coined by Dominio IV's founder, Patric Reuter, to describe the pictorial representation of the aromas and flavours that unfold in time with his wines. 

Dominio IV wines, based in Mosier, Oregon is known for its syrah, tempranillo and pinot noir. Dominio IV winery is also where the method of "shape testing" was developed by Patrick Reuter. Visual presentation of tasting notes of the flavours and aromas can be seen on the labels of the Dominio IV Imagination Wine Series.

Inspired by both, the wines of Dominio IV and the visual representation of the profile of those wines - Miles Munroe, the Lead Distiller of Westward Distillery developed the Cascadia Creative Series. Dominio IV's innovative shape-tasting method was essential to the development of this new release with Patrick also painting the sensory experience from the whiskey to which his drawings are now featured on the Cascadia Creative Series boxes.

So what forms part of Westward's Cascadia Creative Series? The series will include Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Single Barrel Tempranillo Whiskey as well as a re-release of the Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Single Barrel Pinot Noir Whiskey. Both whiskies will have an ABV of 62.5% and the series has been developed exclusively for the Whisky Club.

We joined Miles Munroe for the launch of the Cascadia Creative Series here in Sydney where Miles talked through the long partnership that he's had with Dominio IV winery that culminated in the development of these expressions.

The last time Miles was down under was back in March 2019 and I got to sit down with him and spent some time getting to know him and his back story prior to joining Westward and what inspired him at Westward. Fast forward to 2022 and Miles has undoubtedly taken Westward to the next level, inspired by all the elements that make Westward what it is.

The Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Tempranillo Single Barrel at cask strength is made from scratch with Westward's original single malt. The distillation begins with a brew of an American Ale, using locally sourced two-row barley, ale yeast and a slow, low-temperature fermentation process. The whiskey is then distilled twice in custom low-reflux post stills before being matured in lightly charred American Oak barrels and finally, transferred at cask strength into an emptied Dominio IV Tempranillo French Oak Wine Casks. The whiskey is finished for an additional year before being bottled.

Head Distiller Miles Munroe noted, “The Dominio IV Tempranillo vineyard on the east of the Cascade Range produces incredibly robust grapes that match the fruit-forward flavours of Westward Whiskey. Because of this, we knew that finishing our Westward Whiskey at cask strength in their Tempranillo barrels would be the ideal flavour pairing and make for an extraordinary first expression to launch the Cascadia Creative Series in Australia."

So what's the Cascadia Creative Series like?

Westward Dominio IV Pinot Noir (62.5% ABV, NAS, Portland, Oregon, United States, A$195) 

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The re-release of the Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Pinot Noir Single Barrel at cask strength comes after an incredible response to the initial release in Australia, which previously sold out through The Whisky Club in January 2021. Another exclusive release at cask-strength, this re-release expression sees the maturation of Westward's original single malt for 19 months in French Oak Pinot Noir Barrels from Dominio IV Wines.

Nose: Fruity, loads of strawberries, orange peels with some coconut shaving, mixed with raisins, some vanillin beans, green apples and a small remnant of nutmeg.

Palate: The palate is reminiscent of a Christmas panettone cake, with raisins and some candied orange. This sweetness is then followed by lots of spices, particularly cinnamon, nutmeg and some light chilli. 

Finish: The finish is long and elegant and transitions from the spice bomb to remnants of tannin, and nougat.

Rating: 92/100 (Hendy) 

Westward Dominio IV Tempranillo (62.5% ABV, NAS, Portland, Oregon, United States, A$195) 

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The Westward Whiskey Dominio IV Tempranillo Single Barrel at cask strength sees the original Westward single malt being finished for 12 months in an emptied French Oak Dominio IV Tempranillo cask.

Nose:  The nose has layers of sticky date and sticky pudding. I can sense some crème de la crème and caramel. The sweetness is then followed with some earthy spices, clove, cinnamon, and perhaps a cinnamon donut. The nose is very dessert-like.

Palate: Those layers of sweetness ripple through the palate with notes of sticky date, burnt caramel, crème brûlée and maple-covered pancake. The spices that follow cut through the sweetness, with loads of clove and notes of cedar oak, 

Finish: The finish is dry, earthy and with some remnants of tobacco.

Rating: 92/100 (Hendy) 

I am quite impressed with both the expressions that make up the Cascadia Creative Series. Personally, I've been a fan of Westward's core single malt and seeing the culmination of the core single malt with the casks of various wine varietals has elevated the profile of their core single malt.

Thanks to Westward Whiskies and Agent 99 for having us as part of the Whisky Club preview event.

Cheers
Hendy

Brown-Forman Whisky Showcase ft. GlenDronach 28yo (Batch 19) and Glenglassaugh 47yo [Tasted #608 - 609]

With an extensive portfolio of whiskies, how does one select a handful to showcase and highlight the different characters that may represent the portfolio.

That was the challenge taken on by Andy Tsai (Brown-Forman NSW/ACT Brand Ambassador), Grant Shearon (Brown-Forman Advocacy and Development Manager) and Stuart Reeves (Brown Forman Brand Manager) at the recent Brown Forman showcase event. 

The brief was simple, select 3 Benriach whiskies and 3 GlenDronach whiskies out of the extensive Benriach and GlenDronach portfolio to highlight the best of the rest. If that wasn't enough, the team also brought out a Glenglassaugh 47yo to accompany the set of Benriach and GlenDronach whiskies.

So what got selected and presented? These were the six whiskies that were featured:

• Benriach Malting Season Batch 2
• Benriach The Twelve
• Benriach The Twenty One
• GlenDronach 15yo "The Revival"
• GlenDronach 18yo "The Allardice"
• GlenDronach 28yo Batch 19 - Cask #6871

The Benriach Malting Season Batch 2 was the first one we first tasted. The Malting Season expression is the first expression to be produced entirely using barley malted from Benriach's Speyside distillery's historic floor maltings. The first edition of Benriach Malting Season is two-cask matured in bourbon and virgin oak barrels to bring out the wholesome, creamy flavour. There are notes of barley sugar, almond fudge and poached apple with smooth flavours of vanilla and honeyed pear, with nuttiness on the finish.

My favourite Benriach from the core series, the Benriach The Twelve was our second malt. The Twelve is a rich and smooth expression of Benriach Single Malt. Matured in a sherry-rich profile and combined with the addition of bourbon and port casks. Everything from rich honey, chocolate, baked black forest and some lingering oak spice. There is some citrus, sultana and spices on the finish. Very delicious.

The Benriach The Twenty One was the third expression we tasted. The unique aspect of the Twenty One is that this expression is known for its long maturation and the use of the four-cask maturation process. According to Dr Rachel Barrie, it is somewhat of a delicate process that requires patience and also combines unpeated and peated styles. The characters of aged bourbon, sherry, virgin oak and red wine casks are combined into this expression. It is very elegant. There is subtle inland peat, and some smoked bacon, together with honey, glazed cherry, baked orange, hazelnut and elegant spices.

The GlenDronach 15yo Revival Whisky has been refreshed recently and it is matured in PX and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía. The GlenDronach Revival has been a core feature of the GlenDronach series and there are notes of dark fruits, raisins, rich chocolate and manuka honey. It's almost like drinking Christmas in a glass. Delicious and by far remains my favourite GlenDronach go-to expression.

The 18yo brethren of the Revival is The GlenDronach 18yo Allardice. Matured in fine Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía, Spain, the 18yo is similarly rich sherried Highland malt whisky with notes of dark treacle, allspice and walnut carrying and with a long, lingering finish. Many consider this expression as the ultimate sherry bomb.

The GlenDronach Cask Bottling Batch 19 - Cask #6871 (53% ABV, 28yo, Highlands, Scotland, A$1,100) 

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If the Revival is considered Christmas in a glass, this GlenDronach cask series would be the main event. 

Nose: A whiff of raisins followed by some Christmas pudding alongside caramel tarts with some milk chocolate shavings. There are also notes of creme brulee and treacle syrup

Palate: Salted caramel with particular saltiness that comes through. The palate is viscous, layered with milk chocolate, and raisins before transitioning to spices; nutmeg, cinnamon and ground coffee

Finish: medium lingering with spices, in particular cinnamon

Rating: 93/100 (Hendy) 

Glenglassaugh 1972 vintage 47yo, cask #3802 (44.4% ABV, 47yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$7,750) 

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The Glenglassaugh cask #3802 is a PX cask. Filled to cask in 1972 and bottled at 47yo, this Glenglassaugh 47yo is non-chill filtered and matured in coastal warehouses on the shores of Sandend Bay, it has notes of passionfruit and buttercream, kissed by the sea.

Nose: The passionfruit is prominent, with lots of passionfruit lollies, tropical fruits, some raisins, blackberries,  and vanilla. It's like a fruit salad mixed with berries. 

Palate: The passionfruit continues to dominate the palate followed by citrus notes before settling into sweet berries. The tannin is quite prominent before a spiced finish, white pepper. 

Finish: The finish is dry and there is a lingering oak note. 

Rating: 92/100 (Hendy)

The Brown Forman showcase event was a remarkable walkthrough of what Brown Forman has to offer. Everything from your classic Benriach Twelve to those bottlings from GlenDronach that would appease those around the Christmas table with its prominent rich, Christmas notes.

Thanks to Adrian of 'different' and Stuart Reeves from Brown Forman for extending the Brown Forman showcase event to us.

Cheers,

Hendy.

Ardbeg Day 2022 - Ardbeg Ardcore [Tasted #577]

If there's annual whisky event we never fail to cover on TimeforWhisky, it's ArdbegDay! The annual event sees Ardbeg Committee members over the world celebrate all things Ardbeg, whilst enjoying one of Dr Bill Lumsden's latest creations created specifically for the celebration.

This year the creation is "Ardcore", a punked-up take on Ardbeg (harkening back to the 1970's alleged "hotbed of anti-establishmentarianism" in Islay), described as "like biting on a spiky ball". Not exactly a tasting note which immediately makes me want to dive in, but I'll admit I was intrigued.

Continuing 2021's trend, Hong Kong again held an actual event this year, and whilst recent events haven't quite been on the scale of 2014's epic Sydney tasting for "Auriverdes", it was fantastic to again be able to celebrate Ardbeg in person with other Committee members.

Held at Wan Chai's TMK (a suitable venue if ever there was one), Committee members came together to taste a lineup led by local brand ambassador Leo Jockovic, including:

• Ardbeg 10
• Ardbeg An Oa
• Ardbeg Corryvreckan
• Ardbeg Uigeadail
• Ardbeg Ardcore

...preceded by a Wee Beastie Highball, and paired with a menu of TMK's delicious sushi.

I love getting the opportunity to taste an entire range side by side - particularly as it gives me the opportunity to see how bottlings (and/or my own taste) have evolved. For example while Uigeadail has always been a favourite, during this taste I had the Corry slightly ahead in terms of score.

Of course, it was the Ardcore I was most interested in though, so on that note...

Adbeg "Ardcore" (Ardeg Day 2022) (46% ABV, NAS, Islay, $2198HKD in a pack with Wee Beastie, $235AUD, £87.46)

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Colour: Pale, light straw.

Nose: Citrus-infused peat, then a slight bittersweet choc note. Grapefruit, followed by some oak.

Palate: Sweet toffee initially, followed by some dark chocolate. There's an underlying herbal note I also got on the 10 (almost a slight grassiness), but it's subtle - the sweeter notes dominate.

Finish: Smoked herbal lonzenges with wafts of BBQ smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 88/100. Not quite what I was expecting (for me, not exactly "biting on a spiky ball", but a relatively straight-forward, enjoyable dram. Given the choice though, I'd choose the Ten.

Think this sort of event is something you'd want to take part in? This year Ardbeg held many events like this, with Ardbeg Committee members getting the opportunity to attend. Make sure you sign up here for your chance next time around.

Cheers,

Martin.

Thanks to MHDHK for the invitation, and the bottle reviewed here.

"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.

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.

Ardbeg Day 2021 - Ardbeg Scorch [Tasted #527]

Ah, Ardbeg Day, that wonderful annual celebration for Ardbeggians all around the world, with increasingly epic events since its inception a decade ago. From digging up Arbdeg treasure at 2013's "Ardbog" event, to human foosball at 2014's "Auriverdes" event, to a secret island for 2016's "Dark Cove" event, not to mention all the great bar events in both HK and Australia in 2018 and 2019, there have certainly been some fantastic times (and that's not even including the actual Feis Ile events at the distillery).

Last year COVID did what COVID does (i.e. messed everything up), but that didn't stop us from tasting the 2020 "Blaaack" release, nor celebrating with a small bar night at Tiffany's New York Bar in Hong Kong - which incidentally is exactly what we did again this year, with COVID still making large-scale parties a non-starter.

Ardbeg Scorch is 2021's limited release (and again comes in both Committee Release and regular guise in Australia, but only the latter in HK, shown below). Matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks which have been heavily charred "by the fiery exhale of Warehouse 3’s definitely-real-and-totally-not-made-up dragon" (gotta love these press releases) the whisky harkens back to 2011's Alligator - now a cult favourite and yet another whisky I regret not picking up at Changi Duty Free when I had the chance!

LVMH were kind enough to send me a sample to try, along with an invitation to Tiffany's for a live stream tasting with new distillery manager Colin Gordon. We were guided through a tasting of 6 Ardbegs, which was great because whilst I'd tried almost all of them before, I'd never tried them all side by side. From Wee Beastie (a great value dram) to the Classic 10, An Oa, Uigeadail & Corryvreckan, it was great to spot the differences (some subtle, some very noticeable) between each. 

Of course, there was one whisky we were particularly there to try...

Adbeg "Scorch" (Ardeg Day 2021) (46% ABV, NAS, Islay, $2098HKD in a pack with the 10yo, $225AUD)
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Colour: Orange brown-gold.

Nose: Smoked candied lemon & orange peel at first, then a burst of coastal salty peat. 

Palate: Initially velvety and sweet, with strong citrus notes then an emerging BBQ smoke. Caramel chews, salty sea air, licorice and oat cakes round things out.

Finish: Long citrus smoke and jelly babies, with some residual BBQ notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. More complex than I was expecting. Sweeter too, but overall another winner. Not quite up there with Alligator if you ask me, but definitely worth your consideration. Well done Ardbeg.

Cheers,

Martin.

Thanks to MHDHK for the invitation and sample.

Diageo Special Releases 2020

The Diageo Special Releases 2020 have now arrived in Australia.

This year's series is made up of eight whiskies including Cardhu 11yo, Cragganmore 20yo, Dalwhinnie 30yo, Lagavulin 12yo, Mortlach 21yo, The Singleton of Dufftown 17yo, a Caribbean Rum cask finished Talisker 8yo and another release from the ghost distillery Pittyvaich 30yo.

The annual collection once again explores different age points, experimental maturation techniques and introduces the first-ever release finished in pot-still Caribbean rum casks. This was an interesting one. The theme of 'Rare by Nature' alludes to the relationship between nature that surrounds each distillery and also in the illustrations used on the bottles.

Dr Craig Wilson, Diageo Master Blender, says, “I’ve created this year’s Special Releases Collection, from some of my favourite distilleries across Scotland, with whisky enthusiasts in mind.  For those who enjoy spicy flavours, my recommendation would be to try our Cardhu, and for those who favour rich, intense and smooth flavours my choice would be Mortlach 21 year old. If you are curious about discovering something very rare, the Pittyvaich - the single ghost distillery in our Special Releases Collection this year is an unforgettable dram.”

For those curious to discover the very last drops from unique casks or get a little taste of history, the collection includes: Pittyvaich, from the Speyside ghost distillery, finished in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, a rare Highland expression of Dalwhinnie matured in refill hogshead casks filled in 1989, the best of Isle of Skye, Talisker, finished in pot-still Caribbean rum casks, and the stalwart Lagavulin, a perfect expression of this Islay distillery’s character.

I was lucky enough to have had the pleasure to sit down through the eight releases. I've noted my notes on the different releases below but I'll do a write up on each one over the next few weeks:

Dalwhinnie 30 Year Old (51.9% ABV, 30yo, Highlands, Scotland, A$970.00) Clean and elegant, matured in refill hogsheads filled in 1989. The nose smells of leather, floral, sweet honey and peaches. The palate is peppery-spicy and warm on the tongue with a good mixture of oak and citrus and an elegant and smooth (yet short) finish.

The Singleton of Dufftown 17 Year Old (55.1% ABV, 17yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$209.99) Mellow and mild. A first-ever release matured only in refill American oak hogshead instead of the usual combo of European oak/ex-sherry cask and American oak/ex-bourbon cask. The taste intense and sweet overall with honey, marshmallow, I'm in a candy shop with lots of creamy candy. The palate is also quite viscous and soft with some citrus and ginger snap. The finish is both drying and slightly coating.

Cardhu 11 Year Old (56% ABV, 11yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$159.99) A small-batch distilled in 2008 and combined from three distinct casks refill, new and ex-bourbon American oak. The nose is floral and sweet, with a hint of apples and stone fruits. On the palate, it's sweet, juicy, creamy with a delicious vanilla slice within. The finish is long and peppery.

Cragganmore 20 Year Old (55.8% ABV, 20yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$239.99) An age never before released from the distillery, matured in refill and new fresh-charred casks. The texture is creamy-smooth, while the taste is ladened with citrus, sour warhead notes; it's both rich and sweet. The finish is mellow with charred notes, ginger spice and some lingering apple note.

Pittyvaich 30 Year Old (50.8% ABV, 30yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$690.00) A 1989 ghost, the first release ever to be finished in first fill ex-bourbon casks. The taste is rich, oily and creamy vanilla-sweet. There are also some dry notes from non-ripe banana. Overall, there's a balance between the sweetness, lemon/citrus notes, orange peel to some peppercorns. The finish is clean and drying with a gentle spice at the end.

Mortlach 21 Year Old (56.9% ABV, 21yo, Speyside, Scotland, A$1,100) Rich and smooth, breakfast on the nose with dried fruit, warm croissants and mild, malty rich golden syrup. The intensity comes from a small batch finished in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso-seasoned casks. The palate is both savoury and fruity, there are melons, lemon and some resinous leather. The finish is nice and long and warming.

Talisker 8 Year Old (57.9% ABV, 8yo, Islay, Scotland, A$169.99) A big taste, the first-ever release of Talisker finished in pot-still Caribbean rum casks. A soft, smooth texture and a big taste; salty and lightly sweet, before the full-on Talisker pepperiness takes over.

Lagavulin 12 Year Old (56.4% ABV, 12yo, Islay, Scotland) Soaring and intense, lots of tar and iodine/medicinal notes. The Lagavulin 12 is a small batch of single vintage Lagavulin matured in refill American oak casks. A clean, fresh Lagavulin that is very lightly drying mid-palate. The finish is relatively long, coated with the char and spices from the palate.

Cheers

Hendy

Tasting Glenmorangie's little-discussed "Truffle Oak Reserve" 26yo [Tasted #510]

Back in 2019 Glenmorangie quietly released "Truffle Oak Reserve", a 1000 bottle release of 1993 Glenmorangie, matured for 26 years (16 of which were in "Truffle Oak").

("Truffle Oak" you might rightly ask? In a nutshell, a porous oak sourced from Germany's Black Forest.)

Interestingly, this wasn't the first release of this liquid, with the distillery first releasing a 12yo (with a 2 year Truffle Oak finish) in 2005, limited to 886 bottles. The remainder of the 4 original casks was set aside, matured for an extra 14 years, and the result is what you see here.

Little has been written about this bottle, and I might know why. It seems the marketing is focusing on private clients and high-end events, rather than press release saturation and seeding samples out to bloggers and other media. Understandable, given the limited release and significant price tag. Thanks to good friend of this site Eddie Nara, I was able to attend one of those events (held in the Tatler Suite at Hong Kong's Upper House, no less) and try the whisky.

It's a shame most won't get to try this, as it's an absolutely stunning Glenmo - possibly one of the best I've had (definitely up there with the earliest Signets, which I adore, and the 1963). You can find my full tasting notes below, but it's a hugely complex dram with the Truffle Oak clearly having a significant influence (as you'd expect after 16 years of "finishing").

With exclusivity and quality though, comes cost, with Truffle Oak tipping the scales at $21,500HKD (or over $3,500AUD). Compared to the 1991 grand vintage (also 26yo) at $5,795HKD, it's not a cheap dram...but it is an incredible one. Only 12 bottles came to Hong Kong, and given I tried this a few months ago now, they may well all be sold.

Glenmorangie "Truffle Oak Reserve" (55.7% ABV, 26yo, Highlands, Scotland, $21,500HKD)
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Colour: Vibrant orange gold.

Nose: Initial hit of spiced oak, then an earthy nuttiness comes to the fore. More damp earth eventually involving into intriguing, mossy, mushroom notes. There's vanilla, but for me it's more of a rich, intense vanilla essense note.

Palate: Spicy at first, but rich and juicy at the same time. There's still some of that musty damp earth (in a good way, trust me) and huge mouthfeel thanks to the 55.7%, but it's never harsh. With a bit of time, peach and raspberry notes begin to emerge and complement the earthy notes.

Finish: Hugely long, with red berries, peach and some melon notes.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. This...this is very good.