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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers,

Martin.

TimeforWhisky.com attended this event as guests of MHDHK.

The BenRiach Distillery Company x Ming Court Whisky Dinner (Tasted #402)

It's always nice when one of your favourite distilleries (GlenDronach) comes to town, especially when they're accompanied by their two sister distilleries (BenRiach & Glenglassaugh), and especially when they really get embedded into the local culture, as this video shows:

In addition to filming the video, Global Brand Ambassador (for all 3 brands) Stewart Buchanan was in Hong Kong to host a whisky dinner at Cordis Hotel's Ming Court restaurant, pairing 6 Cantonese courses with whiskies from the three distilleries:

• Glenglassaugh Evolution
• The BenRiach Heart of Speyside
• The GlenDronach Original 12yo
• The GlenDronach Allardice 18yo
• The GlenDronach Parliament 21yo
• The Benriach Curiositas 10yo
• The GlenDronach Single Cask 1993 24yo (Cask #55)

Whisky pairings can be a lot of fun, especially when the chef puts in the effort to actually design and match dishes to the whiskies, not just finding complementary flavours, but actually enhancing notes in one with the other......which was absolutely the case with this menu. It was clear the time that Stewart and chef Li Yuet-Faat spent together was time well-spent.

Stewart started the night with a brief introduction to the three distilleries, explaining that whilst the three are relatively close geographically (GlenDronach and BenRiach being Speyside distilleries, Glenglassaugh sitting just outside in the Highlands), they all have unique surroundings (someone may have mentioned "terroir") and characteristics - from BenRiach's traditional Speyside profile, to GlenDronach's heavier, more sherried profile and Glenglassaugh's fruity, sweet spirit (largely due to the water having the highest mineral content of any distillery).

Kicking off with Glenglassaugh Evolution, Stewart explained that whilst it's currently a NAS (and has been since 2008), when it hits 10 years old it will carry a 10yo age statement. As the name suggests, it's evolved over time, and certainly this expression was markedly different to the one I first tried over 5 years ago back in 2013. Matured in ex-Tennessee barrels (guess which ones...), it shows sweet, stewed fruits on the nose, lots of ginger spice on the palate and a long sweet ginger finish. An excellent match for the Sautéed Fresh Lobster with Honey and Lemongrass, with the ginger notes in the whisky really lifting the honey notes in the dish.

Next was The BenRiach Heart of Speyside, paired with Braised White Asparagus and Sautéed Matsutake, Termite, Shimeji and Shitake Musrhoom with Chilli Sauce. It was the asparagus which stood out here - when combined with the whisky, there was an earthy-but-floral note sounds odd, but was very enjoyable.

Moving onto GlenDronach (referred to on the night as the "double espresso of single malt"), both the Original 12yo and Allardice 18yo were paired with Braised Port Rib in Homemade Royal Sauce. The Allardice 18yo was my favourite whisky of the two (unsurprising given its sole makeup of Oloroso, and my penchant for Oloroso-matured GlenDronach!) but the 12yo I thought was a better pairing, adding a sweetness to the already very rich "royal sauce".

Keeping with The GlenDronach theme, The GlenDronach Parliament 21yo was next, paired with

Braised Wagyu beef cheek with aged dried tangerine peel. The 21yo has always been one of the sweeter GlenDronachs (due to its mix of PX and Oloroso sherry casks) and the sweetness in the whisky really melded with the dried Tangerine Peel well, adding a sweetness to the latter and amplifying the flavours in both.

Back to BenRiach next, where The Benriach Curiositas 10yo was paired with Fried Rice with Cram Meat, Dried Shrimp paste, Ginger and Spring Onion. A pretty tasty dish on its own, the perfumed smoke in the Curiositas brought out wood smoke & BBQ notes which were very enjoyable.

There was one dish left at this point, but Stewart surprised (and delighted) guests by whipping out a single cask GlenDronach. Not just any single cask, mind you - a 1993 (said by GD fans to be a special year) Single Cask 24yo (Cask #55) - one of the highest regarded 1993 single casks! 

The GlenDronach Single Cask 1993 24yo Cask #55 (56.7% ABV, 24 Years Old, Speyside, Scotland, no longer available)
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Colour: Bright red-brown copper
Nose: Big, sharp Oloroso notes. Sultanas, woodspice, polish. Cherries. Plums.
Palate: Rich, sweet leather. Ginger spice. Coffee beans and some sweet tobacco notes. With time herbal notes emerge, then more cherries, plums and red berries. Dark chocolate.
Finish: Long, sweet oak with a slightly herbal and slight raspberry note.
Rating (on Martin's very non-scientific scale): 93/100. A very high performing GDSC!

The sole remaining dish (Molten Whisky and Chocolate Custard Bun) was due to be paired with The BenRiach Heart of Speyside (as the bun was actually cooked with the whisky), however I found The Benriach Curiositas 10yo to be the best pairing, with the smoke doing wonders for the molten chocolate.

Stewart presents Chef Li with a signed bottle of Allardice 18yo

With bellies full of great whisky and equally good food, it was time to retire to head home...but not before another dram or two of that lovely cask #55!

Cheers,
Martin.

Time for Whisky attended the dinner as a guest of Telford Wine & Spirits, distributors of BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh in Hong Kong. A big thanks to the team (and Cordis Hong Kong) for a fantastic night.

The Balvenie Dinner at Hong Kong Parkview with David Stewart and Kelsey McKechnie

One of the benefits of being a whisky lover in HK (as I've mentioned a few times) is the steady stream of international whisky personalities who pass through. William Grant & Sons are no exception, with a visit by Glenfiddich Global Band Ambassador Ian Millar in 2014, The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart in 2015 and former global brand ambassador (and the funniest man in whisky) Sam Simmons in 2016.

Fast forward to 2018, and The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart again came to town (for one night only), this time with Kelsey McKechnie who had only just been announced as new apprentice Malt Master weeks earlier.

The pair had come to Hong Kong for a Balvenie pairing dinner, held at Hong Kong Parkview's Ming Yuen restaurant, in conjunction with Parkview's brilliant whisky bar and Telford Wine & Spirits.

For a select few media, the event actually kicked off a little earlier in the evening, with a tasting of The Balvenie 40yo kindly sponsored by the Parkview's brilliant Parkview Whisky Bar. I'll save the tasting notes for a separate post (suffice to say, it was a special dram indeed), along with an even older Balvenie post I've been saving...

Kicking off with a rich complex cocktail made with The Balvenie 12 Doublewood, sherry and coffee, as guest arrived we chatted with David and Kelsey, and collectively wondered if they'd make their flights the next day, given the impending typhoon (subsequently the strongest in HK's history).

Admiring the drams laid out, it was clear we were in for a good night, with the following on the menu:

• The Balvenie 12 Doublewood
• The Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask
• The Balvenie 17 DoubleWood
• The Balvenie 21 PortWood Finish
• The Balvnie 30 ("Thirty")

After taking our seats, David gave a brief introduction, reflecting on his incredible 56 years (and counting) with William Grant & Sons, and talking us through the DoubleWood's 25 year history, starting with the first bottling in 1983 (coincidentally, recently marked by a limited-release 25yo DoubleWood). David, known for his pioneering ways in the field of cask finishing ("ACEing" in some circles), explained the first four whiskies were finished (Sherry, Rum, Sherry, Port), whereas the 30 is a marriage of 1st fill American Oak casks, refill American Oak casks and 1st fill European Oak casks.

Kicking off with Chilled Fresh Abalone (which is actually kind of clever, because Abalone itself doesn't have a lot of flavour, but soaks up other flavours), and then Double Boiled Shi Hu with Sea Conch & Pigeon (soup), both with The Balvenie 12 Doublewood, and then Kurobuta Pork Roll with Teriyaki Sauce, paired with The Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask, it was clear the new chef has taken Ming Yuen in a much more interesting and modern direction (presentation-wise), whilst keeping the flavours traditional and delicious. Steph and I had eaten there only once before (it's typically only open to Parkview residents), but this was much, much better than I'd remembered.

Kelsey presented the The Balvenie 17 DoubleWood next, paired with Pan-fried Cod with Passionfruit Jus with each bringing out (or rather, amping up) the sweetness in the other.

It seemed like almost every attendee had brought at least one bottle of their of Balvenie to ask David / Kelsey to sign (I was no exception), and in between courses queues started to form. There were a number of rare and interesting bottles (DoubleWoods from the 80s, TUN 1858s etc..) but none more so than this bottle, brought by Kam from Dram Good Stuff...

Not on tasting, obviously!

(We also learnt that the DCS5 collection is likely to have a 1962 release with an even older age statement - 56 or 57yo!)

Whilst Dessert and whisky pairings are an "easier" match to make, this one was particularly good, with Mango Pudding with Rose Jelly paired with The Balvenie 21 PortWood Finish. David explained the casks for the 21 come from Speyside Cooperage, supplied from Portugal (exact provenance unknown), with about 100 casks used each year and the whisky undergoing a 4 month finish.

The 30yoI figured was deserving of tasting on its own, and will post tasting notes in a separate post shortly. I'd tried the Thirty before and always found it fantastic, but this (more recent) release even more so - a sentiment echoed by friends and others online too, who all agreed it was a great whisky which seems to have recently gotten even better. A truly beautiful dram.

As the dinner wrapped up, those of us who stuck around availed ourselves of a second (and umm, third) dram of our favourites, before heading home with a bottle of DoubleWood 17yo for our troubles. 

A wonderful night spent with great company.

Cheers,

Martin.

Time for Whisky attended the dinner as a guest of Telford and Hong Kong Parkview, and would like to say a massive thanks to all involved. It should be noted that the price of this dinner also included a bottle of The Balvenie 17 DoubleWood.

The Macallan Masters of Photography Magnum Edition Hong Kong Launch (Tasted #395)

We've been fortunate since moving to HK to attend some brilliant Macallan events (particularly lately), including a few for the various "Masters of Photography" releases. First it was the Mario Testino (5th) Edition, then last year's Steven Klein (6th) Edition (we also tasted one of the 58 different Elliott Erwitt (4th) editions), and this week we attended the launch of the 7th edition - the "Magnum Edition", celebrating the new distillery via the work of 6 Magnum photographers.

One thing I like about the "MoP" series is they don't follow any rules when it comes to the whisky's make up. Single cask, vattings, age statement, NAS - doesn't matter. The whisky is designed to reflect the nature of the photographers / photography, and over the years there's been some really interesting releases (The Mario Testino Edition especially, being a vatting of 6 casks, with the package including a miniature of each of the 6 casks).

The new "Magnum Edition" is also a vatting, of 7 casks, and whilst you can read the detail about how each cask reflects its photographers personality here, the one thing that really interested me was that one of the casks was an ex-Rioja cask - apparently one of only 3(!) the distillery has ever done.

Bottled at 43.7%, the whisky carries no age but after spending a good amount of time nosing and tasting it (see below), it's clearly not young. I'd hazard a guess the majority of the casks would be north of 20 years old (but that's just a guess).

Ken Grier, Creative Director for The Macallan was our host for the night, in what was sadly his last ever event for The Macallan. Ken opened proceedings by talking us through the 6 photographers (each had examples of their Macallan photography on display around the room), then introduced our dinner pairings, explaining that a "Triple Cask Vertical" of 12/15/18 was chosen to accompany the first three courses, as a nod to the original "Masters of Photography" release, which was a 30 year old Fine Oak 

("Triple Cask" being the new name for the "Fine Oak" series originally launched in 2004).

Dinner was a 4 course affair, expertly paired as always, consisting of:

Vanilla poached mangrove forrest prawn, smoked watermelon carpaccio, avocado creme, basil, roasted crustacean aspic

• Paired with The Macallan Triple Cask 12yo

Seared Foie Gras, sour cherry jus, hazelnut creme

• Paired with The Macallan Triple Cask 15yo

US prime beef sirloin, black garlic mashed potato, abalone sauce glazed morel mushrooms, cress salad

• Paired with The Macallan Triple Cask 18yo

Dark chocolate 68% cigar, Baileys Cremeux, streusel, Hazelnut ice cream

Of course, it wouldn't have been much of a launch event if we hadn't actually tried the whisky being launched...

The Macallan "Masters of Photography" Magnum Edition (43.7% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $26,600HKD)

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Colour: Yellow gold with a reddish tinge.

Nose: Fruity creme brûlée at first. Toffee apples. Then you get this subtle, but definitely noticeable smoke. Not big Islay-style peat (although one of the casks was "peated", we learned), but a definite dry, dusty, earthen smoke. There's some tobacco and aged leather, and after some time, some burnt orange peel.

Palate: Dry - very dry, with oak tannins quite noticeable. There's also some grassy tobacco, butterscotch, some hints of mandarin peel and more smoke, but underneath it all, an undercurrent of dry oak tannins.

Finish: Extremely long, with the oak tannins carrying right through.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. One that definitely needs time, and the more time you give it, the more you discover. To me, that complexity is something I look for in a whisky, so it scores well because of that. Whilst the palate didn't appeal to me as much as something like Edition 4, or a juicy old Macallan Cask Strength 10yo, it's still quite enjoyable (taste-wise), and the nose is definitely intriguing and hugely complex. Taste is a matter of opinion and plenty of others on the night really enjoyed the taste. Either way, it's definitely one to sit with and enjoy.

The Macallan Masters of Photography "Magnum Edition" is available for $26,600HKD, with a limited allocation of 72 (of 2,000) bottles coming to HK.

Thanks again to Edrington Hong Kong for another successful Macallan launch.

Cheers,

Martin.

Follow @TimeforWhsky.com on Instagram for regular whisky content

The Macallan Edition No.4 Launch in Hong Kong (Tasted #390)

Just a few weeks after we attended the launch of The Macallan New Distillery and Visitor Centre, Edrington HK were back at it again with the launch of Edition No.4, along with the HK presentation of the new distillery.

Ken Grier (whom we first met during the Lalique 65yo "The Peerless Spirit" launch) was in town to introduce the new distillery, and guide HK's media through a tasting of the new Edition, alongside a four course menu at Quarry Bay's ArtisTree.

As Edrington's many Hong Kong launch events have proven, the company likes to celebrate new products properly, and this was no exception. The space was set up with a panoramic screen (showing scenes from the new distillery and The Macallan estate), a large model of the new distillery and estate, and two tables for the forty or so media guests.

After a welcome dram and some reminiscing about the epic Macallan trip some of us had taken a few weeks prior, we settled into our seats for the first course - Oak smoked ocean trout, Vanilla scented cauliflower, Apple creme & burnt caramel splash, paired with The Macallan Triple Cask 12yo (previously known as Fine Oak 12yo). The two complemented each other well, with the whisky adding a serious creaminess to the trout.

Confit pigeon breast, coffee crumble, roasted parsnip & dried sour cherry jus was next, paired with The Macallan Double Cask 12yo (which despite a lot of online comments, is actually a 100% sherried whisky, made from a mix of ex-American and ex-European Oak casks). A delicious dish on its own, the Double Cask accentuated the gamey notes in the pigeon, in a good way.

Before the next course Ken Grier got up to say a few words about the new distillery, and give us a quick run through The Macallan's history, commenting on the linkage between the project and the new Edition No.4. Whereas Edition No.1 focused on cask types and Edition No.2 & Edition No.3 focused on collaborations (2 with The Roca Brothers, 3 with Roja Dove), Edition No.4 takes its inspiration, Ken explained, from the new distillery itself, aiming to be a layered dram, echoing the layering of elements which make up the new distillery.

Specifically, the casks (which The Macallan have always given a surprisingly large amount of information about, for the Edition series), 7 types in total, are said to represent the Capstone, Structure, Form and Foundation of the new distillery, as follows:

• Capstone: European/American Oak Refill Butts
• Capstone: European/American Oak refill Hogsheads
• Structure: American Oak First Fill Vasyma Hogheads
• Form: European Oak First Fill Diego Martin Rosado Butts
• Form: European Oak First Fill Jose Y Miguel Martin Butts
• Foundation: European Oak First Fill Tevasa Butts/Puncheons
• Foundation: European Oak First Fill Tevasa Hogsheads

Our next course was 48 hours braised short rib, root vegetable and bacon lentil, porcini mashed potato, caramelised baby carrot & Bengal pepper jus, paired with old favourite The Macallan Sherry Cask 12yo. Strongly-flavoured meat and a decently-sherried whisky are often a good match, and this was no exception.

It was then time to taste the new Edition No.4, which had been tantalisingly sitting in front of us for the past 10 or so minutes...

The Macallan Edition No.4 (48.4% ABV, NAS, Highlands, Scotland, $890HKD)

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Colour: Copper-orange gold

Nose: Figs, creme caramel, some ginger and a slight note of salted caramel. Honey, toffee.

Palate: Lighter and less sherry-dominant than I remember No.1 and No.2 being. Lots of ginger spice and warming lemon zest. Then some mandarin, more ginger, toasted hazelnuts and toasted oak.

Finish: Well that's different. Oak, but lots of lemon zest and juicy ripe mandarins. 

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  91/100. Delicious - one of the best yet.

It also paired incredibly well with the dessert of Chocolate creme, burnt marshmallow, Graham cracker ice cream and bitter chocolate soil, but then you kind of expect a whisky like the Edition No.4, with its toffee, honey and ginger notes, to pair well with a dessert like this.

Afterwards it was time to head back to reality (and anxiously wait the August release date of Edition No.4), but to tide us over Edrington gave us each one of these fantastic little miniature kits, with a diorama of the new distillery. Very cool indeed (and no surprise to learn it was designed by Bompass & Parr, designers of many a whimsical and crazy setting).

 

The Macalan Edition No.4 will be released in Hong Kong in August priced at $890HKD. Thanks to Edrington HK to the invitation to the launch (and for the beautiful collectible miniature diorama set).

Cheers,
Martin.