The Balvenie Masterclass with David Stewart (Tasted #187 - #191)

It's no secret that we're all huge fans of The Balvenie here at TimeforWhisky - Steph, Hendy and myself. For me personally, Glenfiddich may have been the malt that got me into whisky in the first place, but The Balvenie has since taken the mantle as my favourite whisky in the William Grant and Sons stable.

It was therefore with much excitement that I went along to Tiffany's New York Bar at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong last Friday, to meet The Balvenie Malt Master (and industry legend) David Stewart. We've mentioned David a few times in this blog before (when we met Sam Simmons, and when we were fortunate enough to try a 1973 40yo The Balvenie pulled from the warehouse just weeks earlier), but this was the first time we'd met him. David had been in Shanghai to launch the new range of single barrel releases (12, 15 and 25) and luckily for us, made a brief stopover in Hong Kong for a few events.

This event was attended by a mix of media and industry, and was a full house, with every seat at every table taken with people keen to hear David talk about the whisky he's worked with (most of the time, creating) for an incredible 53 years.

Starting off with a dram of The Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood, guests chatted and explored the exhibits placed around the bar, showcasing the various elements that make up The Balvenie (copper from the stills, wooden staves from the oak barrels, malted barley, even some peat etc...) while enjoying substantial canapés from Tiffany's New York Bar kitchen.

After half an hour, it was time to take our seats and soak up some of David's wisdom. David started by talking us through some of the background of The Balvenie (being one of only 6 Scottish distilleries that still performs its own in-house malting, using Barley grown from their own fields around the distillery, as well as barley brought in from elsewhere) and his background within it - from starting off as a teenager, through to being William Grant and Sons' master belnder, through to his current (part-time) position as The Balvenie Malt Master.

David also explained the significant variety The Balvenie has in their "core" lineup - wine finishes (21yo Portwood), rum finishes (14yo Caribbean Cask), DoubleWoods (12, 17), single cask (15) etc.. something for everyone.

After the introduction, it was time to start tasting. We've tasted all of this lineup before (here, here and here) but it's always a special experience to taste a range with the Malt Master who created it (and hey, re-visiting a line-up like The Balvenie's core range is never a chore)! First up, the 12yo...

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 (40% ABV, 12yo, Speyside, Scotland, $488HKD / $87.99AUD)
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Aged in American oak ex-Bourbon casks and finished in first fill sherry casks for between 6 and 9 months.
Colour: Light, golden honey
Nose: Big honey, and some vanilla. Trademark ex-Bourbon cask aged whisky really. Has a slight hint of a fuller, richer nuttiness too.
Palate: Initially light, but growing in intensity. Some citrus, lots of vanilla and plenty of honey, but not just average honey - richer, creamier, honey. Manuka honey almost.
Finish: Medium length, sweet and with some spice at the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A dram you'd happily sip every day.




The Balvenie Carribean Cask 14 (43% ABV, 14yo, Speyside, Scotland, $980HKD / $115.99AUD)
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Interestingly, The Balvenie have introduced a number of rum-finished 14yo releases in the past - Golden Cask, Cuban Cask and this Carribean Cask. David explained that they mainly differ in the rum used, and that the casks for the Carribean cask are filled with rum for 6 months at The Balvenie, before being used for finishing.
Colour: Orange gold - darker than the 12.
Nose: Rounder, fuller and more sugary than the 12. Plenty of toffee, but no spice and hardly any of the honey that was so evident on the 12.
Palate: Fuller, richer than the 12. A lot of Demerara sugar and some brief citrus notes. Still some honey, but it's in the background, not the foreground like with the 12.
Finish: Medium to long length. Toffee-like sweetness.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Very different to the 12 but equally enjoyable.




The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 (43% ABV, 17yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,468HKD / $163.99AUD)
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Made using a similar method to the 12 - ex-American Oak aged whisky finished in first fill sherry for 6-9 months.
Colour: Golden - somewhere between the 12 and the 14.
Nose: The honey is there, but it doesn't hit you in the face like the 12 does (not that it's a bad thing in the 12!). It's sweet, but there are also some vegetal notes.
Palate: Smooth, oaky and lots more caramel and toffee than honey or vanilla. A hint of BBQ meat (?) - a nice complex palate which still retains trademark The Balvenie characteristics.
Finish: Longer, oakier, and extremely moorish.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Fantastic.

The Balvenie 21 Portwood (40% ABV, 21yo, Speyside, Scotland, $1,968HKD / $229.99AUD)
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Finished (for only ~4 months) in 40yo 600L port casks. One of David's favourites.
Colour: Noticeably red-amber.
Nose: Rich, with lots of sultanas and toffee.
Palate: Big and bold (I'd love to try the 47.6% duty-free version!). Lots of Christmas cake, sultanas, and some mulled wine, but with a backbone of vanilla all the way through.
Finish: Sweet, honied, but with cake icing at the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Please, could I have another?


Finally, it was time for the pinnacle dram of the night - The Balvenie Thirty. No fancy finishing with this one, just good old fashioned aging of a quality spirit in high quality wood (bottled non-chill filtered).

The Balvenie Thirty 30yo (47.3% ABV, 30yo, Speyside, Scotland, $6,480HKD / $899.99AUD)

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Non-chill filtered (anything below 46% from The Balvenie is chill-filtered) and laid down to rest in the 80s.

Colour: Rich amber.

Nose: Furniture polish and leather. Honey. 75% cacao chocolate. Whole oranges, mandarins, even some almonds. So much going on. So complex. So wonderful.

Palate: Big mouthfeel, oily, lots of citrus and honey, with a constant undertone of oak (though not overpowering), brazil nuts and hints of leather.

Finish: Long, subtle honey and vanilla - almost back to the key notes from this same whisky in its youth! Much smoother though, and much longer. Slight hints of bitter dark chocolate at the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. Marvelous, the sort of dram you'd enjoy every day if you could afford it! Complex and robust, but also very approachable.

After an interview with David (which will be up on the blog soon), it was time to head home, content in the knowledge that I'd just thoroughly enjoyed 5 of my favourite drams with the man who's been making them for longer than I've been alive. A fantastic evening.

Time for Whisky would like to thank Telford for the invitation and for putting on such a wonderful event.



Cheers,

Martin.

PR #27: Public events for Sydney fans of The Balvenie and Glenfiddich...

William Grant & Sons Australia certainly know how to put on a fantastic event, as evidenced by The Balvenie Craft Bar  Sydney in November last year, the Glenfiddich 26yo Excellence Launch in September last year, and the evening we spent with Sam Simmons back in November 2013, just to name a few.

One thing WG&S are particularly good at is engaging a broader audience with these types of events (the Balvenie Craft Bar, for example, was open to the public for a limited time, and during Sam's visit there were public tastings held....of two different 40yo single cask whiskies pulled from the casks just a week or so before!)

Put simply, WG&S know how to look after their customers.

So, it comes as no surprise then to hear that, with Winter upon us in Sydney, they're at it again, this time with two separate events covering both Glenfiddich and The Balvenie.

First (and you'll need to be quick) is the Glenfiddich Original Master class held at the Lord Dudley Hotel, Woollahra this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are only $25 (proceeds going to the charity Soldier On), and include a tasting of standard range (up to the 21yo) AND a taste of the new Glenfiddich "The Original":

"To celebrate the launch of Glenfiddich The Original we are hosting a series of masterclasses. Sampling the Glenfiddich range from the 12 year old to the 21 year old, including of course a tasting of The Original. This will be one of the first opportunities to taste this unique limited edition whisky. 

All proceeds will be going to www.soldieron.org.au a charity caring for physically and psychologically wounded members of our defence force."

Tickets available here.

Not enough for you? Prefer your single malt a little more handcrafted?

The Balvenie Craft Fair might be what you're after then. This pop-up bar will be open from Thursday 25 June to Sunday 27 June and The Balvenie will be running tastings every hour from 6pm – 9pm on Thursday, 12pm – 5pm on Friday and Saturday, and 12pm - 4pm on Sunday.

"...sample The Balvenie 12, The Balvenie 14 and The Balvenie 17. At each tasting, the whiskies will be paired with handmade delectables from various restaurants at the Arcade, including La Rosa and Sydney staple Pendolino. Craftspeople from The Strand Arcade will present their creative talents to delight patrons."

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

So if you've ever looked at the fantastic parties and events that Steph, Hendy and I are lucky enough to attend, and thought "I want in"...now's your chance. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Martin.

Chivas 18 Architecture Awards 2015 dinner

Earlier this week saw the 2015 Hong Kong Architecture Awards dinner held in conjunction with Chivas 18. I say "held in conjunction" because it was quickly apparently upon arrival that this was more than simple sponsorship (where, for example, you might be served a Chivas on arrival, and see a few logos around).

No, Chivas were clearly at the core of this event, from the presenters (including Colin Scott, Chivas Brothers' Master Blender, and MD of Pernod Ricard HK & Macau Frantz Hotton), to the bar (serving signature Chivas 18 cocktails), to the entertainment (more on that below), to the theme of the night - "The Art of Blending".

On arrival at the Conrad Hong Kong, guests were served cocktails made with Chivas 18, with something to suit everyone's tastes - from a stronger, citrus-driven take on the Manhattan, to a taller, lighter punch-based concoction, through to the classic whisky sour. Canapés were served as guests (from both architecture and whisky fields) chatted and waited for the main event.

Now, that entertainment? After taking our seats (Steph and I being fortunate enough to be seated at the head table), we were introduced to the gentleman below (whose name we didn't catch unfortunately) - a speed painter. We weren't quite sure what was being painted at first - there was a crescent moon, the outline of a city, and something in the middle we couldn't quite make out...

..but just a few minutes in, all became apparent when, as a finale, a handful of glitter was thrown all over the canvas, revealing an impressively detailed bottle of Chivas 18:

Afterwards it was time for a few speeches (including a discussion on the Art of Blending from Colin), a toast, and then dinner. We were lucky enough to spend some time chatting with Colin (who also kindly signed a bottle for us), seeing as Steph and I had missed him (by one day!) when Hendy covered his visit to Sydney.

The dinner, with courses matched to Chivas Regal, was fantastic, with the highlight surely being the "Salmon Trio", which played off brilliantly with the rich honied notes in Chivas 18.

(The dessert, a series of chocolate delights including sea salt chocolate Mille Feuille and white chocolate pafait, was also expertly matched.)

With the awards handed out, dinner finished and everyone having enjoyed a good Chivas or two, it was time to head home, full, content, and with another signed bottle to add to the growing collection!

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Pernod Ricard HK & Macau and the South China Morning Post for the invitation.

Cheers,

Steph & Martin.

PR #26: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Father's Day Promotions (HK)

We all know Hong Kong loves Johnnie Walker Blue Label (which was certainly evident at the Johnnie Walker Blue 2015 launch we attended last year), and whatever your stance on blends, the fact remains that "JW Blue" is always a popular gift option, especially around Father's Day.

In recognition of that, MHDHK have announced a number of promotions for this coming Fathers' Day (Sunday 21st June in Hong Kong) - from a special menu at Kowloon Tang (with a take-home 200mL JW Blue bottle) to personalised engraving and a limited edition bottle at SOGO:

A Rare Moment Shared @ Kowloon Tang

Enjoy a special set menu at Kowloon Tang through June and enjoy a complimentary 20cl JOHNNIE WALKER® Blue Label to savour with your father.

Promotion Date: 13, 14, 20, 21 June 2015.

Address: Shop R002-003, 3/F Roof Deck, Elements, Kowloon 

Bookings: 2811 9398

Personalised Engraving @ c!ty’super

An exquisitely hand engraved message onto your father’s bottle of JOHNNIE WALKER® Blue Label or John Walker & Sons Collection with a purchase of HKD3,500 of selected Johnnie Walker product.

Location: c!ty’super Harbour City, c!ty’super New Town Plaza, c!ty’super Times Square

Promotion Period: June 1 2015 onwards.

JOHNNIE WALKER® Blue Label x SOGO 30th Anniversary 

Limited Edition Bottle

To celebrate Sogo’s 30th Anniversary, JOHNNIE WALKER® is honoured to offer this special collaboration with Sogo. Inspired by dahlia, the motif representing Sogo’s 30 Anniversary,   the bottle is exquisitely and elegantly designed. Paired with JOHNNIE WALKER® BLUE LABEL liquid, which only 1 in 10,000 casks containing whisky of sufficient character to deliver its smooth signature taste, this limited release is a one-off collaboration showcasing a remarkable partnership between two iconic brands.

Location: SOGO Causeway Bay

Promotion Period: To redeem a pair of crystal glasses upon purchase on 27 May – 16 Jun.

A symphony in a bottle @ Wai Shing Wine & Spirits 

Often described as a symphony of flavour, JOHNNIE WALKER®   Blue Label is accompanied by a Bluetooth portable speaker at any Wai Shing Liquor Store. Complimentary with any purchase of JOHNNIE WALKER® Blue Label 75cl or John Walker & Sons Collection

Location: All Wai Shing Wine & Spirits Outlets 

Promotion Period: 1 - 30 Jun 2015

Two lead crystal signature glasses @ Voi_la

Two lead crystal JOHNNIE WALKER® Blue Label signature glasses (not available to purchase separately) are offered upon any purchase of JOHNNIE WALKER®   Blue Label 75cl.

Location: All Voi_la Outlets 

Promotion Period: Now until 31 July 2015.

Cheers,
Martin.

Diageo World Class: David Rios martini menu launch at aqua spirit Hong Kong

Whilst we ARE a whisky (and whiskey) blog here, and have featured over 240 posts relating to those topics alone, let it never be said that we don't enjoy the odd cocktail, or for that matter, the odd gin (especially now as Hong Kong starts to heat up)...

...and when it comes to cocktails, there are few better experiences than the annual Diageo World Class competition, which sees bartenders globally competing in a range of events for the title of "World Class Bartender of the Year".

So, when an e-mail from MHDHK arrived, inviting us to the launch of David Rios' new Martini menu at the stunning aqua spirit Hong Kong, it wasn't like we were about to say no... (David of course, being the 2013 winner, who took the place of 2012 winner Tim Phillips, whose Bulletin Place bar in Sydney was coincidentally the first bar we ever reviewed on this site!)

The event was to celebrate the launch of a new exclusive menu of four martinis, developed as a collaboration between aqua and David Rios and served in bespoke glassware, available only at aqua spirit from now until the end of June.

Almost instantly on arrival at Aqua Spirit's 30th floor location, we were handed the first cocktail - a Vermouthcito Time, consisting of Tanqueray No. TEN, dry vermouth, red vermouth, orange liquer, orange bitters and an olive, served over a hand carved ice ball. Whilst not usually a martini drinker, this was one cocktail I'd happily request a second time, and was not entirely dissimilar to a white Negroni (a regular Negroni being one of my favourite non-whisk(e)y cocktails).

Next up was the more traditional Eastern Martini, made with Tanqueray No. TEN, manzanilla sherry, lychee liquer, a line twist, olives and almonds, served in a coupette. Designed to pay homage to the "enjoyment of Sherry by expats in Hong Kong in bygone years", the cocktail was a sweeter take on the martini, but equally as enjoyable as the first.

Before long, it was time for David to present his signature cocktail (also on the menu) - the Smell. David took charge of the bar and (with just the right amount of showmanship) showed us how he creates this aromatic take on the martini, made with Tanqueray No. TEN, dry vemouth, bianco vermouth, lime bitters, a twist of lime and served in a "lavender fog". Visually stunning, and when enjoyed from the signature metal, stemless cone-shaped vessel (above), a fantastic experience - made all the more impressive by aqua spirit's stunning backdrop (honestly, no-one could ever tire of that view).

With the show over, it was time for guests to enjoy David's creation and the fantastic canapés (which, par for the course with any MHDHK event, were excellent). A fourth cocktail, Sake, though not served on the night, draws on Tanq TEN's grapefruit notes, with sake, ginger liquer and a twist of pink grapefruit.

The night, which saw guests mingling, chatting to David, enjoying martinis and soaking in the view, was a brilliant, intimate launch and a perfect way to sample the new menu.

The new martini menu is available now at aqua spirit, and will end at the end of June.

Cheers,
Steph & Martin.

Tasted #185 & #186: SMWS 2.89 (Glenlivet) & 132.2 (Karuizawa)

Probably somewhat unsurprisingly, when Steph and I visited The Society in Tokyo (as part of our JapanTour14), we tried a few Scotch Malt Whisky Society drams. Namely, a 20 year old Glenlivet and a 22yo Karuizawa.

Thoughts?

Absolutely fantastic, both of them...

SMWS 2.89 "Slow cooked beef stew" Glenlivet (50.7% ABV, 20yo, One of 332 bottles from a refill hogshead, Speyside, Scotland, only available at auction now it seems)
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Colour: Orange copper

Nose: Fairy floss, followed by toffee.

Palate: Initially hot, but quickly settling to smooth, gentle mouthfilling pleasantness. Whipped cream (but not too sweet), meaty and thick, but also with notes of tropical fruits, and then candied fruits. Slight hints of orange peel and marmalade.

Finish: Short to medium length, with final notes of creme brûlée.

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

SMWS 132.2 "Stunning panorama of exotic fruits" Karuizawa (62.4% ABV, 22yo, One of 355 bottles from a refill sherry butt, Karuizawa, Japan, only available at auction now it seems)
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Colour: Rich vibrant gold.

Nose: Closed up at first - grassy, candied lemons (even Yuzu lemons). A drop of water brings out more sweetness, in the form of sherbert.

Palate: Hot, so rich and full of plums, then sherbert (again), and finally licorice.

Finish: Slightly drying, spicy. Cherries. Very long, with the tiniest waft of smoke.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. Fantastic, and not just because of the Karuizawa mystique (we tried one absolutely terrible Karuizawa on the trip too - not an SMWS bottling).

Cheers,

Martin.

This week in whisk(e)y #19 - Artbeg, Laphroaig 15, Oak Barrel's WhiskyFair 2015 and more

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...



Artbeg comes to Islay
No, that's not a typo...

You'd think the good folks at Ardbeg would have their hands full around this time of year, what with Ardbeg Day just around the corner, but apparently they've found time in their busy schedules to unveil the first ever Artbeg exhibition, to be launched at the distillery and online today.

Artbeg comprises 20 complex, layered artworks, created by photographer Peter Heaton, that "evoke the intriguing heritage and unorthodox personality of Ardbeg and its homeland, the small Scottish island of Islay."

The Artbeg exhibition can be viewed on the walls of the Distillery and on www.ardbeg.com from today. To quote the press release:

"Heaton found inspiration for his unusual works on a visit to Islay in 2014. By layering photographs of the Distillery and surroundings with material from Ardbeg’s archives, his exhibits encourage the viewer to take a deeper look at the single malt’s heritage and island home

In one work a striking image of the 9th Century Kildalton Cross, which stands near the Distillery, is layered with a vintage map of Islay and a press clipping alluding to Ardbeg’s renaissance in 1997. In another, the buildings of Ardbeg appear to rise out of archived, handwritten letters sent to the Distillery, as the artist engages with the whisky’s past and present, while hinting at its future

The exhibition will be displayed on the outer wall of the Distillery’s West Maltings building and a selection of works will also feature on www.ardbeg.com. Distillery visitors will be able to share their impressions of the Distillery on the website by uploading their own photographs. Peter Heaton said: “I have always had a fascination with Islay and its single malts, particularly Ardbeg. The exhibition interprets the Distillery over time and I wanted to create layered, complex imagery which would encourage people to give the work some time and think about the theme of past, present and future.

Mickey Heads, award-winning Ardbeg Distillery Manager, said: “This exhibition provides an intriguing twist on the story of Ardbeg – and contains more than a few surprises. The complexity of these remarkable images makes you stop and think about the whisky’s heritage and its future”."

If these two previews are anything to go by, it's sure to be an impressive exhibit:

To attend Ardbeg Day events across Australia on Saturday 30th May, sign-up to the Ardbeg Committee at http://www.ardbeg.com. 

Oak Barrel's Whisky Fair Sydney returns for 2015
The Oak Barrel in Sydney (who we like so much on this blog they have their own tag), are bringing their excellent Whisky Fair back again in 2015, to be held Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August.

Tickets are $80 / $90AUD (members / non-members) and, if the show is anything like it has been in previous years, that'll be money very well spent (especially seeing as, in previous years, there's been at least one special bottling bottled specifically for the show, not to mention a variety of drams you just don't see at other whisky shows in Australia).

Further details can be found here and here, and we recommend getting tickets ASAP as these do sell out.

Laphroaig 15 returns to Australia
Almost 180 drams ago, we tried the original Laphroaig 15yo (which at the time we'd managed to get for a very decent price). Fast forward almost 2 and a half years, and the 15yo is back, hitting Australian shelves for a limited time to celebrate Laphroaig's 200th anniversary.

"A long revered expression in the Laphroaig range, Laphroaig 15 Year Old was originally launched more than 30 years ago, with a lower level of peat and a higher bottling strength of 43% all combining to give the whisky a mellow, rounded taste, its briny orchard fruits adding bite and depth, the overall feel rich and smoky.

Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell decided to re-release this product, one of his long-time favourites, in celebration of Laphroaig’s 200th anniversary. Beautifully made, Laphroaig 15 Year Old pays homage to the original edition, answering the call for its return by many a long term friend, while at the same time introducing new fans of Laphroaig to a whisky that they have yet to taste."


Laphroaig 15yo is bottled at the same 43% ABV as the previous release, and is available now, retailing for around $180AUD. We hope to be able to put up our own tasting notes soon for the peat-heads amongst you, and do a comparison with the earlier 15.



The Last Drop - 48yo blend and 1967 Glen Garioch
Over to Hong Kong now, where two very rare whiskies (one blend, one single malt) will soon be available, and a third, even rarer whisky (The Last Drop 50yo blend) is going under the hammer.

"Rare spirits hunters, The Last Drop Distillers Limited, are bringing an extraordinary treat to Hong Kong’s most discerning spirit enthusiasts and collectors by presenting a series of three rare and exceptional whiskies, including their award-winning fourth release – The Last Drop 48 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky. Awarded “Scotch Whisky of the Year 2015” in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, the 48 Year old was launched in the UK in April, with only 592 bottles in existence. Now available in Hong Kong, 22 bottles will be available to purchase exclusively through Crown Wine Cellars.

Alongside the 48 Year Old, The Last Drop Distillers will also present a remarkable 1967 Single Malt Whisky from Glen Garioch - one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. This release, planned to launch in August 2015, is The Last Drop’s first Single Malt and was awarded “Scotch Single Malt of 2015” (Jim Murray) with only 118 bottles available worldwide.

The third whisky presented will be The Last Drop 50 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky, released in 2014 and now all but sold-out worldwide. Awarded Best Blended Scotch Whisky of 2014 by both Jim Murray and The Whisky Advocate, Bottle No 1 will be auctioned at Sotheby’s on 23rd May, in celebration of Crown Worldwide Group’s 50th Anniversary, with all proceeds going to Hong Kong’s Sunshine Action Charity.

The Last Drop Distillers was founded in 2008 by three long standing friends and veterans of the spirits business, James Espey, Tom Jago and Peter Fleck, who together have over 120 years of experience. Between them, they have been responsible for the creation of some of the best known and best loved spirits brands including Chivas Regal 18 Year Old and The Classic Malts, as well as Malibu and Bailey’s Irish Cream, two of the most original and successful new drinks categories in the world.

Now the next generation has come on board with Beanie Espey (Sales & Marketing Director) and Rebecca Jago (Creative & Production Director), James and Tom’s daughters respectively, joining the team. Together with the founders, they are committed to continuing the quest to identify spirits worthy of The Last Drop bottle."

Available to purchase exclusively through Crown Wine Cellars, connoisseurs and collectors will be able to purchase The Last Drop 48 year old from May 2015, RRP HK$33,888.

The 1967 Glen Garioch will be on strict allocation, in advance of its release in August 2015. To pre-order a bottle, please contact the team at Crown Wine Cellars.

Sotheby’s will auction bottle No. 1 of The Last Drop 50 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky on 23rd May. The last remaining five bottles of The Last Drop 50 Year Old are likewise available to purchase from Crown Wine Cellars.

Cheers, 
Martin.

Whisky Live London 2015 review

You know how occasionally things just work out incredibly fortuitously? Whisky Live London was one of those occasions for me. 

I had to be in London for 4 days for work. Having not been for a few years, I decided I'd take the Friday as leave rather than head home a day early - figuring it shouldn't be too hard to find something to do in London for a day. I got in early the weekend before too, had a great time bar-hopping with this bloke, and at one point dropped by the SMWS bar in Greville St, London, where I got talking to Martyn, The Whisky Cyclist. Upon hearing I was only in town for the week, Martyn asked was I going to Whisky Live on Friday?

"Umm...well I bloody well am now!" was about all I could manage.

I genuinely had no idea it was on (which was surprising, considering how many UK bloggers I follow on Twitter), but it looked like I'd sorted out my Friday! Even better - just before plonking down £50 on a ticket, I noticed Whisky Live were offering media passes for an early media/blogger session. So with one of those sorted, all I had to do was wait for Friday to roll around.

I was excited to visit Whisky Live London because I'd heard good things (and generally, from what I could tell, major whisky shows held in the UK have been pretty high quality). I was also keen to see how it compared with Whisky Live Sydney, which I don't consider a bad show at all, but in my opinion is more of a beginner show, as opposed to say The Whisky Show or Oak Barrel's Whisky Fair, who cater more towards the enthusiast.

Fast forward to Friday, and I turn up to the impressive grounds of The Honourable Artillery Company for my first taste of a UK whisky show...

Arriving into the relatively empty hall, I quickly spotted a few familiar faces from the whisky blogging world - the likes of Dave and Kat from Whisky Discovery, Greg from GreatDrams and later the famous Joel Harrison (formerly Cask Strength, now Worlds Best Spirits). One thing that struck me first was that whilst a number of the big whisky companies were present, they weren't necessarily presenting the whiskies you might think. William Grant & Sons for example, had no Balvenie, Glenfiddich or Kininvie in sight. They did however have an impressive lineup of seven different Girvans. Diageo too were present, but with Mortlach (and yes, the new NAS Talisker Skye).

Then there was Wemyss Malts, Maverick Drinks (who are as entertaining in person as they are online), and Whisky Magazine presenting the full set of World Whiskies Awards winners (the competition having been held in London the night before).

The Rare Old Bar allowed attendees to sample some pretty rare drams (such as a Glenfarclas 1961 Family Cask, Glengoyne 35yo or even the Appleton Estate 50yo rum) for a fee, but there were plenty of impressive drams on offer at the exhibitor booths too, including a few gems I managed to sample on the night:

• Girvan 25 and 30
• Teeling 21
• Wemyss "Velvet Fig" (winner of the previous night's "Best Scotch Blended Malt")
• Balcones Brimstone
• Kavalan Vinho Barrique (winner of the previous night's "World's Best Single Malt Whisky")
• The Lost Distilleries Blend
• Master of Malt 40yo Liquer
• ...amongst many others (notes up soon)

As mentioned, the World Whiskies Awards were held the night before (also in London), and I imagine there would have been a few sore heads during the show. Nevertheless, a few legends made an appearance - including these two fresh from their recent wins:

Unlike previous shows where we'd run into Bill Lark, Bill was there as a punter (from what we could tell), enjoying the show and as always, happy to chat to fellow whisky lovers. A legend (or should we say the legend?) of the modern-day Australian whisky scene.

Maverick Drinks (known and loved for their fantastic range of Drinks by the Dram) had an interesting stand, with a number of expressions from That Boutique-y Whisky Company and Balcones (not a bad drop amongst them) and a live Tweet board, where you could tweet them, see your tweet in real-time, and score a dram for your troubles (a Batch 4 Arran from That Boutique-y Whisky Company, thank you very much).

After about 2 hours the public started to shuffle in and the hall started to fill up, so I headed off to one of the masterclasses - an introduction to Dewar's (Bacardi's) "The Last Great Malts", with an enticing lineups of whiskies that, until recently, were not often seen for sale:

• Aberfeldy 21
• Craigellachie 13
• Craigellachie 23
• Aultmore 25
• Royal Brackla Single Cask 21yo (my pick of the line-up)

It might have been an "introductory" masterclass, but these certainly weren't "introductory" whiskies, with at least two of them retailing for £300+. A great experience though, with a very entertaining host in Stephen Marshall (ex-SWMS and current brand ambassador the Last Great Malts).

After a few more drams shared with a few more bloggers, it was time to call it a night. Was it a good show? Without a doubt! With a line-up of some very interesting / not often seen whiskies, some great characters, an enjoyable masterclass schedule and the ability to taste the complete lineup of the World Whiskies Awards winners just a day after the awards, it was about the best possible way to spend a Friday evening.

Cheers,
Martin.

TimeforWhisky attended Whisky Live London as a media guest of Whisky Live (as we did in Sydney in 2013).

Dramnation ("The love of whisky") - Hills-based whisky courses in Sydney's North West

Good friend of TimeforWhisky, fellow whisky blogger and all-round nice bloke Matthew Wooler has recently launched Dramnation, which will run whisky appreciation courses based in Sydney's Hills District and surrounding suburbs.

In Matt's own words:

"Dramnation is a business created to impart knowledge about whisky appreciation through the tactical approach of speaker driven presentations, combined with measured whisky tasting samples and sensory exploration. We intend to nurture and focus a growing community of whisky appreciators in the Hills district.  

The Dramnation whisky appreciation course is to introduce individuals into the dynamically expanding world of whisky. Through the 4 part course, each individual will have the opportunity to taste a minimum of 20 whiskies from both the traditional Scotch foundations and new world whiskies. All samples tasted during the course will be drawn from whiskies readily available on Australian store shelves. 85% of all whisky samples to be tasted are valued at below $100AU and the remaining 15% valued at above $100AU. This ration is to ensure we deliver attendees a showcase of quality whisky that can fit an average whisky buyer's budget. Dramnation’s ultimate aim is to instill enough valued information to allow for a confident, educated decision making process when selecting and purchasing whisky at retail liquor chains or individual specialist stores.  

The Dramnation course will be held over 4 sessions of consecutive or alternating weeks. A minimum of x5 15ml whisky samples will be served at each session per attendee. It is intended to also include a small tasting of a beer, sherry, and port to give the link between malt to beer to barrel to finish. Tastings will also be accompanied with a light finger foods of cheese, crackers, mixed nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, with potentially some cured protein. "

Those who have met Matt, or know of him through the Distant Thunder Whisky Club or Dram Full Sydney would know he has a genuine passion for whisk(e)y, coupled with a deep knowledge of the liquid we know and love - facts that will no doubt shine through in the soon to commence courses.

The courses will be conveniently held at Castle Hills Bowls Club (1 year membership to the club included in the course fee), and will consist of four sessions spaced one to two weeks apart. At a cost of $210AUD per course - $52.50AUD per session (with an initial discount available at the time of posting using the discount code DRAM50) each session will focus on a different theme and will typically include:

• Wooden tasting flight 
• x5 stemmed tasting glasses 
• 600ml sealed water bottle 
• Pen and note book 
• Printed basic tasting notes 
• Shared water vial and pipettes 
• Shared finger food platter 

Matt has shared with us a list of the 20 whiskies Dramnation will cover during the courses (not including the "mystery drams" that will also be available for purchase during the courses), and I have to say - they've built an impressive list of quality, but accessible drams. From Small batch Irish whiskies, to classic Speysiders, to Japanese NAS whisky, Islays, Islands, Bourbons and well-aged blends, it's all covered. It's actually a very impressive list and would be sure to give anyone a very solid grounding in the world of whisky / whiskey.

As the photos show, Matt puts a lot of care into everything he does, and we have no doubt these courses will be a huge success (Hendy will hopefully be attending one soon). If you live in Sydney and would like to learn a bit more about whisk(e)y (or you know someone who fits that bill), we recommend you consider booking one of Dramnation's courses, stat.

Cheers,

Martin.

The photos provided for this article belong to Matthew and Dramnation - and just quietly, are stunning.

"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.