The Bar That Jack Built

The month of September has always been a month of celebration for Jack Daniel. His exact birth day is not known to many, so celebration of his birthday takes place throughout the entire month of September.

Last month, to celebrate 'Jacktember,' a call to Jack's Facebook friends was made. The call was for all who share a passion and love for Jack Daniel's to donate a host of "resources", whether that be materials, time or expertise, to build what would be the first 'crowd-sourced' bar. Fittingly, the bar was named 'The Bar That Jack Built'.

Utilising the old Locomotive Workshop at the Australian Technology Park as a base - artists, musicians, electricians and carpenters alike worked together to build 'The Bar That Jack Built' 

The resulting bar; beautiful and impeccable, the hand made bar shared a rustic, industrial and unique feel and showed excellent level of craftsmanship. 'The Bar That Jack Built' was only open for one night though such curation may inspire others to build other similar 'crowd-sourced' bars in the near future. 

As the saying on the night went - "Here’s to raising a Jack to Jack."

More photos of The Bar That Jack Built at our Facebook page: The Bar That Jack Built Album Page

- Hendy

The Whisky Show Sydney 2014 Review (#101drams)

We love our whisky fairs here at TimeforWhisky.com. What better way to meet the people behind the whisk(e)y, chat about whisk(e)y with like-minded individuals and try some rare, interesting, unique and (sometimes) downright weird drams, all with a cost of admission less than a single one of those drams might cost you at a bar?

Sydney has three main whisky shows/fairs each year, and they all serve very different purposes. There's our pick of the bunch, The Oak Barrel's Whisky Fair, where you're guaranteed to try some stunning, rare, often one-off drams and meet some real enhusiasts and industry legends (this year for example, they had their own cask of Glenfarclas selected by George Grant himself).

There's Whisky Live Sydney, which is more of a "beginners'" show and may be good if you're just getting into whisky, or you want to try a large part of Dan Murphy's range.

..and then there's this one, The Whisky Show, run by Double Bay's World of Whisky, held in May this year, and the only 2014 fare we attended (as our July move into Asia saw us miss the 2014 Whisky Fair).

Held for the first time at Mascot (a fair way out of Sydney city compared to previous years' events, though easily accessible on the train from the CBD), the event saw a number of familiar faces presenting the latest offerings from their respective distilleries and distributors.

The show was a decent size, though the hall did start to fill up and towards the end some booths were a little difficult to access. Steph and I left before the end though, as the shortage of food meant we headed off in search of sustenance (having spoken to the organisers subsequently, we understand they have plans to address this next year - hear hear we say!)

There were many interesting drams on-show, mostly available for retail purchase at the show's shop (handy that). Highlights for us,  or rather drams of interest (for various reasons) were:

• Scallywag Speyside Blended Malt - we'd heard a lot about this blend, and given the enjoyable and well-priced Big Peat also from Douglais Laing & Co, we were happy to start with this as our first dram of the night. Sadly, for me at least, it was a let-down. Too much young spirit and not enough character. Great label and name though.
• Stagg Jr - I'd been wanting to try this for a while, and it was enjoyable, but for only $30AUD less than the excellent George T Stagg, I know where I'd be putting my money.
• Tobermory 15, a #101drams dram! I found this to have a citrusy, slightly musty nose, with a drying, tannic, earthy palate and a slightly peaty finish. A decent dram.
• Sinatra Select - an incredibly smooth, and stunning looking (though pricey) Jack Daniels. A dram worthy of 'ol Blue Eyes for sure.
• Bruichladdich "The Laddie" Classic - another #101drams dram. Grain-driven, but smooth and with a sweet nose. Sweet vanilla palate with hints of dark chocolate. A medium length finish with wafts of smoke, though certainly not what you'd call an overly peaty whisky.
• Glen Grant Five Decades - an interesting concept and one which I'd been wanting to try for a while. Created to pay tribute to Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm, this contains Glen Grant from 5 different decades. Enjoyable, as long as you're not expecting to taste a 50 year old whisky.

 

• Octomore 6.1 Scottish Barley - you may not like peaty whiskies, but you have to appreciate what Bruichladdich have done with each of their Bruichladdich releases. Far from just being "overbearing peat monsters", they've released some truly unique, distinct and collectible whiskies. The 6.1 Scottish Barley was no different. Peaty, sure, but so much more than that.
• Laphroag Select Cask - a lot has been said about this dram and I tend to agree with a lot of it. Not exactly my taste - too much young Laphroaig, and for the money, I'd rather drink the reliable, standard 10yo any day.
• Still on Laphroaig though, we were fortunate enough to try the very rare Laphroaig 25yo, at cask strength. With a sweet nose (with muted peat influence), a citrusy, ashen palate and a great mix between the stereotypical medicinal notes and chocolate sweetness on the finish, this was a fantastic dram. I gave it a 94, which probably doesn't tell you much, but it does give you an idea of some of the other drams in it's league, in my opinion.

• SMWS - nothing but brilliant drams throughout the whole lineup, as expected, including the 39yo 21.27 "An Enticement of Sweet Oak".
• Balvenie 15 - but wait, that was already one of my favourite drams. Why include it here as a "dram of note"? Well, Mr James Buntin (who readers of this blog would be familiar with, and who has recently taken up the coveted role of UK Balvenie Ambassador) was representing the William Grant & Sons single malts, and brought along two bottlings, both the older, Bourbon-aged 15yo, retail bottles. Yet the two were incredibly different! One was peppery and spicy and the other had these incredible honied notes. Both stellar whiskies, but it just goes to show you how much influence a single cask can have over the lifetime of a whisky.

 

There were far too many interesting and enjoyable whiskies to mention - including Berry Bros & Rudd with a large lineup of Glenrothes, Pernod Ricard with the usual fantastic assortment of Chivas and Glenlivet whiskies (and Strathisla, Scapa and Arberlour thrown in for good measure), Starward,Diageo with a few of the newer Talisker releases, the usual Aussie contingent (Lark, Overeem etc..) and plenty more.

Suffice to say, it was an enjoyable event and one we'd recommend for next year (where, we're assured, there'll be more food!)

Cheers,
Martin.

Fine spirits amongst fine suits (Tasted #126 - #128)

Last week I headed back to The Whisky Library (which we featured recently) to chew the fat with their whisky guru Marlon, and taste two recent whisky arrivals (and a sneaky rhum agricole thrown in for good measure).

The whiskies to be tasted were Douglas Laing Old Particular Glen Grant 18yo (48.4% ABV, $1,550HKD) and Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2014 (46% ABV, $1,150). Having tasted and enjoyed the 2013 Loch Gorm earlier this year when Anthony Wills visited Sydney, I was keen to see how the 2014 stacked up. The rum, a 45% ABV Rhum Agricole from Guadeloupe, bottled by Samaroli (who I suspect you'll hear more of now that we're based in Hong Kong) was a unique way to finish off the tasting.

The setting for the photos was the stunning The Armoury store in Landmark Men, conveniently connected to the Whisky Library. Fine spirits and fine suits - a perfect match.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Glen Grant 18yo (48.4% ABV, 18yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1550HKD)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colour: Light, golden sunset.
Nose: Vanilla, toffee and hazelnuts.
Palate: Spice, but sweet. More cinnamon than paprika. Toffee notes. Some heat, but not excessively so.
Finish: Long and smooth, with some lemon notes and a continuing cinnamon tinge right to the end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A fine example of a middle-aged, enjoyable, reliable Speysider.


Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2014 (46% ABV, 5yo, Islay, Scotland, $1150HKD)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colour: Deep Amber
Nose: Campfire smoke and raspberries.
Palate: Deep intense smoke, but not in a "bite your head off" style like some other younger Islay malts. but not bite your head off. Toasty cinnamon with some berries.
Finish: Long, smoky and earthy.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. An improvement on the 2013 release I think - less bananas and youth, and more of a well-rounded, full-bodied Sherried Islay whisky. Can't wait to try future releases.


Samaroli Rhum Agricole - distillery unknown (45% ABV, Guadeloupe, $1800HKD)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colour: Orange golden
Nose: Citrus - lemon and grapefruit mostly.
Palate: Smooth, very smooth. Very light and "thin" when compared to the previous whiskies. Boiled lollies predominantly. Very easy-drinking.
Finish: Medium to long, with oranges, apples and a hint of toffee at the end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

Whilst none of the whiskies in the photo below were tasted, I noticed this 40yo OB Laphroaig on the shelf and just had to include a photo (the company it keeps isn't too bad either). Bottled in 2000 at 42.4%, it's not too often you see an OB Laphroaig that was distilled in the 1960's!

Cheers,

Martin.

Glenfiddich Excellence 26 year old Launch in Sydney (Tasted #125)

The Australian launch of the specially crafted Glenfiddich Excellence 26 was matched with an intimate story of the journey of the casks from which this single malt was bottled. The story, captured through a series of 26 delicate images by the celebrated Scottish landscape photographer Simmon Butterworth, explains the life of the casks from their humble beginning to their final home in Scotland.

Held at the old, splendid and well preserved Elizabeth Bay House, the folks at William Grant & Sons Australia have not only allowed the elegance of its new expression to shine, but also allowed the intricate and fine details of the house be appreciated. Once a private house, the house is remarkably delicate and beautiful with sweeping staircases, lavish interiors and furnishings (the perfect setting for the launch of such a whisky). Over the years, the house  has been converted into a museum and is now open for public viewings throughout the year.

Matching the elegance of the house were a number equally elegant and more commonly appreciated expressions including the Glenfiddich 12yo, Glenfiddich 14yo (Rich Oak), Glenfiddich 15yo, Glenfiddich 18yo and the Glenfiddich 21yo. Also making an appearance on the night was the "And see my baby" cocktail - finalist cocktail from the Pioneers Cocktail Competition last year, also served at the 125 years of pioneering spirit dinner TimeforWhisky attended in 2013.

Following the warm embrace of the welcoming cocktails and canapes, we were ushered into the cellar for the second part of the night. Located below the house, the original sandstone cellar was delicately used to showcase the 26 photographs which visually narrated the voyage of the casks from Kentucky through to their resting place in Scotland. The American Oak was originally used to age bourbon whiskey for 3 years in Kentucky, before being transported, refreshed and used as basis for maturation of this single malt in Scotland.

James Buntin, the Glenfiddich / Balvenie Australian ambassador (and soon to be Balvenie ambassador in the UK) presented the star of the night, the 26 year old final result of the journey, the Glenfiddich Excellence 26. James described the Glenfiddich Excellence 26 as one of his favourite, with a particularly long, deep and complex finish - the underlying character that warrants the value of such malt.

A hug and a kiss of the bottle by James before we dove into the tasting. At first glance, the Glenfiddich Excellence 26 appears quite lighty coloured for its age. Then again, Glenfiddich does tend to control the colouring of its whisky across certain expressions (Martin: When you're the world's number 1 selling single malt, people expect you to be consistent!). On the nose, this expression is quite light and sweet though the fieriness soon arrives on the palate. As James hinted, the finish was incredibly long, peppery and lasted for quite some time.

Glenfiddich Excellence 26 (43% ABV, 26yo, Speyside, Scotland, $590AUD)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nose: Light and golden
Nose: Gentle, sweet pudding, honey
Palate: Very light (for the age) at first, peppery, fiery then vanilla
Finish: Incredibly very long finish with lingering pepper
Rating (on Hendy's very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

The launch of this new, beautiful 26 year old expression along with the exhibiting of the 26 remarkable photographs was astounding. The retail price of this expression is $590AUD, higher priced than other Glenfiddich expressions though suitably justified given its delicate craftmanship and final characters.

The Glenfiddich Excellence 26 is available in Australian stores from early October.

A big thanks to the William Grant & Sons Australia for what was another successful event.

- Hendy.

The Naked Grouse "Less is More" Concert 2014 (Hong Kong)

Since Steph and I started this blog over two years ago, we've tasted some fantastic whisky, attended some brilliant events, and met some wonderful people.

We've also experienced whisky paired with amazing views, delicious dinners, rare cheese and even bespoke chocolate.

...but there's one pairing we haven't yet explored. In fact, one question we haven't yet answered:

Does blended whisky pair well with Korean A Cappella?

Turns out....it does.

I should explain. Edrington's The Naked Grouse is a blended whisky containing a good proportion of The Macallan and Highland Park, aged in first fill sherry barrels. It follows the "less is more" ethos, with pared-back packaging allowing the whisky to take focus.

To celebrate, each year for the past three years the brand has hosted a "Less is More" event in Hong Kong, showcasing the whisky in a relaxed, 'Less is More' environment. What better accompaniment to such an event than an A Cappella band right? This year, it was Korean group MayTree.

 

Held at Hong Kong's The Fringe Club, the night started with canapés and The Naked Grouse served neat, on the rocks or with soda. Again, keeping to the 'Less is More' principle and letting the whisky be the focus. 

Not having tried this whisky before, I decided to go for neat. Not always a good move with cheaper blends, but I was pleasantly surprised. Whilst I didn't take detailed tasting notes (they wouldn't have been too accurate tasting from a tumbler anyway), it reminded me a lot of a younger Macallan. Definitely a big sherry influence, certainly very enjoyable on its own, and considering its $380HKD pricetag (around $55AUD), good value indeed.

 

After a few drams, a few more of those tasty canapés and bumping into fellow whisky friends (Hong Kong really is a small place), it was down to the basement for the concert.

...which, I have to say, was fantastic. We weren't really sure what to expect (this being our first Korean A Cappella gig and all...) but we really enjoyed it. The voices of all five members were amazing, but most impressive were the musical instruments they emulated. You'd honestly think you were listening to a live band, instruments and all, if you closed your eyes.

Don't take our work for it though - check out the clips below (unfortunately not the best sound recording, but impressive singing nonetheless).

   

After a lengthy enjoyable set and a few more drams (the frequency with which glasses were topped up was a sight to behold - needless to say no-one went thirsty) it was time to leave, finally being able to answer the question "Does blended whisky pair well with Korean A Cappella?" with an emphatic "yes"!

Cheers,

Steph & Martin.

PR #22: Ardbeg Supernova 2014 Australian release

Ardbeg...we've featured them once or twice (*cough*) on this blog, and gushed (jusifiably so) over their brilliantly-run events, their stunning releases and of course their absolutely fantastic whisky.

Moet Hennessy Australia, and their PR company EVH PR have a knack for knocking it out of the park when it comes to new Ardbeg releases in Australia, so when a familiar black bag arrived on the door step last week, I was understandably excited.

Could it be...a sample of the new (yet to be released) 2014 Supernova we've been hearing so much about?

It could indeed:

This new 2014 release celebrates a few things. Firstly, it sees the return of Ardbeg's "Supernova" after a four year absence (the original, released in 2009, was so popular with Committee members that it was brought back in 2010). Secondly, it coincides perfectly with the return of Ardbeg's ground-breaking space experiment launched in 2011.

After 1,045 days in space, that now-famous vial of Ardbeg sent into space in 2011 has returned, and is ready to be re-united with its "control sample" (an identical vial which has been housed at the distillery's No.3 Warehouse). Dr Bill Lumsden, along with a team of scientists in Houston, Texas will analyse the samples to determine the impact gravity has on whisky maturation. A white paper on the subject is due in 2015 and will no doubt prove very interesting reading.

The "one small step for man, one giant leap for whisky"-style comments will be inevitable, but the fact remains this is a pretty fascinating experiment, and one which could shed some new light on the maturation project. I for one can't wait.

Now, back to the 2014 Supernova, or "SN2014". Bottled at 55% (down from the respective 58.9% and 60.1% of "SN2009" and "SN2010"), the SN2014 is set to retain a similar level of peatiness to the previous releases, adding in citrus, smoke, peppermint and medicinal notes.

We'll of course be tasting it ourselves and giving you our personal notes (despite the frankly ridiculous prices these minis are fetching at the moment, we'll most definitely be opening and consuming it - as that's why it was sent to us), but that will be in mid October. As an added bonus though, we'll post up tasting notes on SN2009 too (which we found recently at a bar in Hong Kong).

The new 2014 Supernova will be released in December 2014 in Australia with an RRP of $240AUD. Sign up for notifications (and buy it) through the Moet Hennessy Collection.

Cheers,
Martin.

The Whisky Library - Hong Kong Whisky shop

When Steph and I moved to Hong Kong back in July, I dropped into one of my favourite shops The Armoury (in Landmark Men) in the first few days for a look around, and picked up a free magazine advertising some of the local shops. My eyes were instantly drawn to a feature on one called "The Whisky Library", in the very same building.

So next visit to Landmark Men I walked around, and around, and around, and couldn't find the shop anywhere. I asked in The Armoury who gave a vague response, and I eventually worked out (from the shop's Twitter account) that they'd closed for Summer, and were re-opening in another shopfront in the same building.

Fast forward to September and we dropped by after work one day (having seen the construction of the shop underway over the previous weeks), and managed to pick the opening day. Timing!

A quick chat to Marlon, the store's manager / whisky specialist, and it was clear this was a bloke who knew his whisky (somewhat a rarity in Hong Kong, it seems). We agreed to meet up for a dram and a longer chat the next week, when I brought the camera along and decided to snap a few photos.

The selection, whilst not huge (though certainly not small, and definitely the best we've seen in Hong Kong), is a well-curated mix of both Original and Independent Bottlings (some definitely on the rarer side), with a few Douglas Laing & Co staples (Big Peat, Scallywag) and Kilchomans as the core products.

Marlon explained the shop isn't just about "shifting bottles" and they only stock whiskies they've personally tasted and approved. Walking around with a dram of 22yo Littlemill in my hand (and later a G&T made with the excellent Bar Hill Gin), I took a look around the store and noticed some pretty impressive bottlings, including a number of Samaroli whiskies and rums (Samaroli being an Independent Bottler that I'd always heard good things about, but that we never heard much of in Australia). Other interesting independent bottlings included:

• 22yo Ardbeg (Hunter Laing & Co "Old & Rare")
• 21yo Ardbeg from 1992 (Hunter Laing & Co "Old Malt Cask")
• 31yo Caol Ila (Hunter Laing & Co "Old Malt Cask")
• 23yo "Dunyvaig" from Silver Seal ("Dunyvaig" being the name used to mask the real distillery, which may or may not be a distillery which is closest to Dunyvaig castle...)
• 30yo Port Ellen (Douglas Laing & Co "Executive Decision")
• 40yo Glen Grant from 1973 (Samaroli)

All of which were impressive, but it was the Original Bottlings that I was most impressed by, including:

• 40yo Ardbeg OB from 1965 (one of only 261 bottles)
• 35yo Talisker
• Ardbeg Lord of the Isles
• Glenfarclas 1971 Family Casks (bottled for Independent Bottlers Silver Seal, but still an OB)
• ..and some very old Macallans!

Not bad for day 1! The prices of those latter bottlings were, as expected, up there, though considering Hong Kong's 100% tax on anything over 30% ABV, the prices in general were reasonable, especially considering the rarity and quality of a number of the bottlings. The "core" range of Kilchoman, Big Peat, Scallywag and Double Barrel etc... were all the price you'd expect in Hong Kong (and there was even a 4.5L Jeroboam of Big Peat, if you just can't get enough of the stuff!)

After sufficiently touring the store, Marlon took me to visit their smaller, more private store a few blocks away ("The Gentlemans' Library") which houses an equally good selection and is conveniently located right next door to a fantastic cigar lounge. Match made in heaven? I think so.

Anyone looking for a unique, rare or just downright good quality bottle of Whisky in Hong Kong could do well to drop by The Whisky Library and pay Marlon a visit.

Cheers,

Martin.