Malt Masters Hong Kong Whisky Festival 2016 review

Hot on the heels of the inaugural Hong Kong Whisky Festival came the Malt Masters HK Whisky Festival, which celebrated its third year in Hong Kong last weekend.

Re-locating from last year's event at PMQ, this year's festival saw an entire function floor of Conrad Hong Kong taken over by a mixture of booths, masterclass rooms, and a very special "Rare Whisky VIP Room", not to mention the pool-side whisky and cigar pairing classes.

The festival ran over both Saturday and Sunday, but actually kicked off on Friday with a fantastic poolside party featuring whisky, "sensory" pairing (with the talented Ewan Henderson of Scotch Broth Events), cocktails, cigars and even a whisky highball matched with fairy floss! Ian McKerrow (Malt Masters founder) introduced the festival and explained that the focus this year would be on both education and world whiskies. A quick look at the masterclass schedule, and the distilleries represented certainly echoed that claim.

Whilst the selection of drams wasn't quite as big as the HKWF, it was certainly well curated, with Scotland, Ireland, America, Japan, Wales and Sweden all well-represented. Making good use of the entire hotel floor, the festival split booths up into a number of individual and naturally-lit function rooms keeping the event from ever feeling too busy, despite the fact that there were actually a lot of people in attendance. 

All drams were included in the entry price ($600-$800HKD) and attendees were given a clever smartcard for bottle purchases (clever, although perhaps someone dangerous given the smartly-discounted prices on offer).

A few of the more interesting whiskies for us were the Mackmyra Vinterrok and Svensk Rök (both very popular amongst attendees), Wyoming Whisky (a sweet, easy-sipping Bourbon with no rye in the mashbill), and Arran, who had their usual huge selection on offer.

The masterclasses were many and varied - offering everything from molecular food pairing and whisky for beginners to masterclasses covering specific brands, and even a masterclass on whisky investing. The variety was clearly a hit with the crowd, with attendees constantly shuffling back and forth between classes and the booths. For next year's festival we may even consider attending both days - one to focus on the masterclasses, the other to focus on the rest of the festival.

One theme that ran through the day was "fun" - everyone we spoke to, everywhere you looked, people were having fun, catching up with old friends, or making new ones. Adding to the fun (in a responsible manner) was an Uber breathalyser called "Uber Safe". It was the first time we'd seen one of these at a whisky festival, but we'd like to see more! Even if some people (most?) used it as a form of competition amongst their mates, it still did a good job of reminding people how quickly their blood alcohol level can rise at events like these, and to never drive afterwards. The freebies on offer from Uber (battery packs, sunglasses, bottle openers) were a nice addition too.

At 1pm the Rare Whisky VIP Room opened (sponsored by Platinum Wines HK, founders of the first whisky investment fund), which provided guests with two additional complimentary drams (a 27yo Macallan independently bottled under the "Prometheus" label, and a 16yo 1987 Laphroaig), as well as the opportunity to purchase 20mL drams of some incredibly rare whiskies. We'll let the photos do most of the talking, but to name a few of the drams on offer:

• 1984 single cask Karuizawa
• 1973 Ardbeg 15yo bottled by Sestante
• Highland Park 35yo
• Various Single Cask Yamazakis
• 1982 Port Ellen, Old Malt Cask Bottling, 18yo

After a few incredible drams, and a chat to David Robertson (former master distiller of The Macallan, founder of the Rare Whisky 101 and great bloke), who had some interesting insights into the world of investing, the rare whisky market, and the proliferation of fake whisky bottles, it was time to head out to the pool for our Cohiba & Glenlivet pairing masterclass.

With the sun shining and the temperature a beautiful low to mid 20s, the class was the perfect way to wind down our time at the festival. Presented by Darren Hosie of Pernod Ricard, the class offered no pretension, no complicated tastings, and plenty of fun. A selection of 5 drams (Glenlivet 12 Excellence, 15, 18, Nadurra and New Make Spirit), a cigar (Cohiba Siglo II), a brief introduction into the whisky, and that was it - time for guests to enjoy the whisky, decide on their own favourite pairing, and chat with fellow whisky lovers.

Perfect - just like our whole day at the festival really.

Cheers,
Martin.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Malt Masters HK for the invitation to the party, festival and Rare Whisky VIP Room.

Tasted #260 - #263: Chivas Regal "The Icon" (and Strathisla, Glen Keith and Longmorn single casks)

Back in December last year we attended the Hong Kong launch of Chivas Regal "The Icon", which launched in Australia and Hong Kong last year and is shortly to launch in the UK.

The launch event was incredible, but the real treat came after lunch, when ourselves and 7 lucky other individuals were treated to a tasting of The Icon with Master Blender Colin Scott. Held in one of Foxglove's many stunning private rooms, the tasting was opened by Stephen Notman (IWSC judge and founder of Whisky Live Shanghai / Taipei and "Whisky L") who took us back 100 years, describing the origins of Scotch whisky as we know it (and the 3 year minimum aging rule set by the Immature Spirits Act), the rise of Scotch throughout the 1900s, and the more recent rise of "ultra premium blends".

Colin then took the stage, to talk us through the origins of "The Icon" (the idea of which was first hatched in 2014, designed to feature "nuggets" of mothballed / closed distilleries), an overview of Chivas Brothers' immense selection of casks, which total over 6 million, and left us with a quote that, whilst simple, we thought neatly summed up the difference in character between blends and single malts:

"A blend is looking at a person, a single malt is looking at a distillery"

Simple, but true.

It was then time to dive into our tasting of "The Icon", but not before the rare opportunity to taste three unique single cask expressions of Strathisla, Glen Keith and Longmorn - malt whiskies which all help to make up Chivas Regal blends.

Glen Keith 1990 single cask - 1st fill ex-Bourbon barrel (40% ABV, 26yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Colour: Bright yellow gold.
Nose: A real "summertime whisky". Passionfruit, vanilla cream. Lots of peaches, some strawberry, and even some pine needles.
Palate: Oranges, nuttiness (peanuts). Slight hint of smoke. More peaches. Orange taffy. Very smooth and easy drinking (being cut to 40% no doubt helps).
Finish: Long, whole oranges, with hints of asparagus at the very end.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. A fairly complex yet easy drinking, light whisky.

Longmorn 1987 - 2nd fill ex-Oloroso Sherry butt (40% ABV, 29yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Colour: Copper.
Nose: There are plenty of traditional sherry notes here - rich christmas pudding, cherries, raisins, but there's a freshness too. Fresh laundry(!), with some strawberry hubba bubba.
Palate: Honey, noticeable oak, spice, cinnamon, Sriracha sauce. A few drops of water adds a slightly fruitier, strawberry note.
Finish: Earthy and slightly metallic.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. Nice but in comparison to the amazing 20-30 year old Oloroso-matured whiskies we've tried before, it didn't quite reach the same lofty heights.

Strathisla 1980 - 3rd fill American Oak hogshead (40% ABV, 36yo, Speyside, Scotland, not commercially available)
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Colour: Orange gold-copper.
Nose: Citrus zest - orange peel, and almonds.
Palate: Banana, toffee, caramel and passionfruit.
Finish: Long, tropical, creamy. Passionfruit and whipped cream.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A real dessert whisky.

Chivas Regal "The Icon" (43% ABV, NAS, Blend, Scotland, $4,699AUD / $28,800HKD / £2000GBP)
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Colour: Golden-copper.
Nose: Stewed pairs, toffee, oranges. Terry's Chocolate orange (loads of it). A honey sweetness.
Palate: Quite sweet, velvety, creamy. Smooth swiss milk chocolate, with a slight nuttiness. A hint of confectionary too - boiled lollies, Allen's Fantales.
Finish: Long and sweet, sherberty, with residual hints of milk chocolate.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. Not quite what I'd expected at first - much sweeter. There's complexity here, sure, and it's an extremely enjoyable dram, but out of this lineup, I'd take another glass of that Strathisla first. I'd love to try the The Icon at a higher ABV though, perhaps 46 or 48%.

Cheers,
Martin.

Dragon 8 Auctions "Fine & Rare" Whisky Auction wrap-up

Although never our intention when we started this site roughly 3 and a half years ago, we've recently started covering the whisky auction scene a little - first with Bonhams' August 2015 Hong Kong whisky auction, and more recently with their January 2016 auction (not to mention the odd update on UK auctions via our Facebook page). 

The former saw some incredibly high prices (especially for anything Japanese), whilst the latter saw prices for many lots cooling off a little (while the ultra, ultra rare bottlings still brought in lofty bids).

We were keen then to see how Dragon 8's inaugural Hong Kong Whisky auction would fair, held yesterday at the Grand Hyatt's stunning Pool House (also the venue for 2014's Highland Park "Freya" launch).

The format and approach taken by Dragon 8 was noticeably different to that of Bonham's (in our opinion, for the better). For a start, Dragon 8 clearly took a "quality over quantity" approach, with a smaller, but more focused high end selection of lots (approx 160 in total). Whisky auctions usually have one or two "highlight" lots, whereas this auction had several - four separate whole casks (The Macallan, Dalmore, Highland Park and Bowmore), an entire vertical of The Macallan 18yo from 1954 to 1985, The Macallan Lalique V 62yo, the 70yo 1940 Glenlivet "Generations" from Gordon & Macphail (AND the 75yo 1939 Mortlach under the same label), not to mention a several bottles from The Macallan Fine & Rare series.

Hanyu and Karuizawa also featured, but Scotch (especially Macallan) was the star. There were even a few interesting non-whisky lots, including a 58yo Long Pond rum, and a  30L bottle (Melchisedech) of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Champagne.

The other point of difference was the set up of the live auction - held in the more intimate surroundings of the Grand Hyatt Pool House, all guests were treated to a buffet lunch with a selection of Champagne, wine and truly fantastic drams on offer (including a few incredibly Rare Macallans, one dating back to 1938. We'll have tasting notes on that one up shortly). Dragon 8 founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz conducted the auction, and was vastly more entertaining than any other whisky auctioneer we've seen too.

So....how were the results? In summary, positive and realistic. There wasn't a huge amount of frenzied bidding, but almost every lot sold (unlike previous auctions in HK and UK where we've seen several lots passed in), and, as evidence that Dragon 8 had read the market well, most lots sold within, or very close to their estimate range.

The Macallan "Fine & Rare" bottlings performed very strongly, proving the demand for rare and aged Macallans is definitely still there. as did Springbanks, Bowmores, and the G&M "Generations" decanters to name a few.

Specific results of note were as follows (amounts exclude premiums):

• 75yo Mortlach 1939 "Generations" decanter by Gordon & Macphail: $180,000HKD
• 70yo The Glenlivet 1940 "Generations" decanter by Gordon & Macphail: $180,000HKD
• 27yo The Macallan bottled by Silver Seal (in a 2.75L decanter): $110,000HKD
• The Macallan Peter Blake Decades set: $70,000HKD
• 1986 cask of Dalmore: $1,000,000HKD
• 1988 cask of Highland Park: $900,000HKD
• The Macallan Lalique V 62yo: $260,000HKD
• Highland Park 40yo (Original Bottling): $18,000HKD
• Glenfiddich 50yo First Edition (bottled 1991): $140,000HKD 

Strong bids against realistic estimates.

One thing we would have liked to see done differently (though it's a minor point), is splitting up of some of the multi-bottle lots. There were a few lots we would have bidded on if they were single bottles (like Longmorn 83 and a few Macallan 18s), but the 6 bottle lot prices were more than we were happy to part with. Still, it's a testament to the seller (and Dragon 8's) savvy that they were easily snapped up.

Dragon 8 plan to hold several wine and whisky auctions throughout the year, and we're already looking forward to the next one.

Cheers,
Martin.

Hong Kong Whisky Festival 2016 review

Last Saturday saw the inaugural Hong Kong Whisky Festival take place at the InterContinental Grand Stanford in TST, with 600 whisky fans (and a handful of media) sampling drams, attending lunches/dinners/masterclasses, pairing cigars and food, and generally just enjoying the increasingly vibrant Hong Kong whisky scene.

The event, which offered attendees cheap entry with 2 dram tokens (and additional tokens available for purchase) differed to the model chosen by Hong Kong's original whisky festival, Malt Masters (which returns for its third year this coming Saturday and Sunday). It was clearly a popular model though, with all 600 tickets selling out in advance.

The event was organised primarily by the hotel itself, which of course meant the full array of facilities was at their disposal (and we have to say, used to brilliant effect). Despite there being 600+ people in attendance, the event never felt busy or crowded, and there was never a long wait at the booths, even the more popular ones. By using not only the function rooms, but also restaurants, suites, a large outdoor area and even the club lounge, the event felt spacious and well thought-out. 

Common areas between function rooms were also used as a thoroughfare for festival goers moving from booth to booth, and numerous chairs and tables meant there was always someone to relax over a dram or catch up with friends. For a first-year effort, there was an impressive amount of thought and foresight put into the planning.

There was an immense range of whiskies on offer, with a good selection of cheaper, 1 token drams right up to rare and bucket-list drams costing several tokens, like The Macallan Rare Cask "Black" (a dram we'd been seeking out for a while), several old 30-40 year old grain and malt IBs, and some lovely old Samarolis. The range really took a "something for everyone" approach, with:

• "Regular" Scotch brands (Glenlivet, Chivas, The Macallan, Glenfiddich, The Balvenie, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Highland Park etc...)
• Less-common Scotch brands (Tomatin, Arran, Benriach, Balblair, Tamdhu etc...)
• Indie Bottlers (Douglas Laing, Hunter Laing, Samaroli, Cadenheads, Wemyss)
• World Whiskies (Amorik, Mars, Akashi, Mackmyra, Slyrs, Amrut, Kavalan, Buffalo Trace and Suntory's core range)

Caskells (distributors of Glencairn Glassware and Hepburn's Choice whiskies in Asia) had a large presence, and were also responsible for bringing the one and only Charlie MacLean to Hong Kong for the festival - said by many to be the world's foremost authority on Scotch whisky. Charlie was at the festival to host a lunch and masterclass (both of which we were fortunate enough to attend), and a dinner for a handful of lucky attendees.

Lunch with Charlie was held in the private dining room of Mistral Italian restaurant, an intimate gathering with only 14 attendees and a selection of whiskies from The Balvenie not so much "paired", but served alongside each course, which were:

• Smoked Salmon and Crab Salad (served with The Balvenie 12 Doublewood)
• Spiced Mussel Soup (served with The Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask)
• Roast Rib of Beef (quite possibly the largest we've ever seen), Roast Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables and Yorkshire Pudding (served with The Balvenie 17 Doublewood)
• Chocolate Hazelnut Gateau (served with The Balvenie 21 Portwood)
• Coffee, Tea & Petit Fors (served with The Balvenie 30)

Between introducing each whisky (and giving his own unique spin, plus some fascinating insights from his extensive experience in the industry), Charlie and us attendees basically just "chatted whisky" for 2 hours while enjoying the delicious courses. Pretty much a whisky lover's dream lunch, really.

Straight after the lunch, we headed into one of Charlie's famous "Now & Then" masterclasses, which gave a fascinating insight into three modern day single malts, and their counterparts from the 1970s. We'll have a detailed write-up on that class in a separate post shortly, but suffice to say it was an incredible and eye-opening experience.

As 5pm hit (with the festival feeling busy, but still very spacious), the outdoor "peat lounge" opened, giving guests an outdoor venue to sit, enjoy a dram and match peated whiskies to oysters, sea urchin and cigars.

As we left, the Festival was still heaving, with guests clearly having a great time. We didn't see any drunken behaviour, or people who'd "had their fill", which, considering how many whiskies were on offer (even excluding the "standard" whiskies), was quite impressive.

If there was one suggestion we'd make for next year's festival (and it's a minor suggestion), it would be to have a few more counters at the "Dram Shop". A victim of its own success, we suspect - the huge range and excellent prices meant the queue was at times 20-30 minutes long.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank InterContinental Grand Stanford for the media ticket and invitation to the lunch and masterclass with Charlie MacLean. A round of applause needs to go to John and James too (they know who they are), for putting on such a fantastic show - a first-year effort, no less.

Cheers,
Martin.

This week in whisk(e)y #28 - Highland Park Ice Edition, Teeling St Patrick's Day celebrations and Australian launch of Revival 15yo, Dragon-8 to auction incredible Macallan collection in Hong Kong

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...

Highland Park Ice Edition
Spotted recently by eagle-eyed US patent-watchers, and just recently posted on Master of Malt's website, is the first of what seems to be a new series of Highland Park limited releases, picking up from where the "Valhalla Collection" left off, following its final release in the series - Odin (which recently launched in Hong Kong).

Photo credit: MasterofMalt.com

Keeping with the Norse theme (of course), the new series begins with the "Ice Edition", which apparently will also come in a cradle, like the Valhalla Collection's longboats, although this time shaped like a mountain.

Matured in primarily ex-Bourbon casks, the whisky is said to most closely resemble the Freya (which we saw launch in Hong Kong in 2014), with a light, fruity nose and hints of peat smoke on the palate.

At 53.9% ABV and 17yo, it sounds like one we're keen to get our hands on. Limited to 30,000 bottles apparently (no exact word on release dates or markets just yet, but watch this space).


St. Patrick's Day with Teeling Whiskey and the launch of "The Revival" 15yo in Australia
There's probably not much more to say about Teeling Whisky that we haven't already said (suffice to say, we're fans). In three years the range has grown to 46 countries, and the new limited edition "The Revival" 15yo Single Malt will soon be available in Australia.

Teeling’s Asia-Pacific Brand Ambassador and Dublin native, Martin Lynch, has helped Teeling grow to become available in Australia at Dan Murphy’s, independent liquor stores and, since 2015, bars too, including some of the country’s top cocktail establishments.

“As an Irishman and whiskey enthusiast, it really is a dream job to be representing such a unique Dublin brand here in Australia. The Teeling brothers have been working extremely hard and we have already won some brilliant awards. Since launching, it’s been great to see the fantastic response to the whiskey from Australian consumers and trade,” says Martin."

Teeling are celebrating St Patrick’s Day (Thursday 17 March) in Australia this year with a decadent event in Melbourne, kicking off celebrations early at the St Patrick’s Day Eve Party at Bar 1806 in Melbourne on 16 March. For those keen to join in the celebrations (and perhaps see what makes Teeling so good), see teh details below:

St Patrick’s Day Eve Party
When: Wednesday, 16th March 7pm
Where: Bar 1806, 169 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
What: An evening of Teeling Whiskey with cocktails on arrival, Irish inspired canapes, and a tasting of five Teeling whiskies including a new limited edition
Tickets: $40AUD
Booking: online via http://www.1806.com.au/activity/st-patricks-day/ call 03 9663 7722, or stop by the bar to pick up your tickets.



Dragon-8 Auctions to auction incredible collection of The Macallan in Hong Kong this weekend
The Hong Kong whisky auction scene is certainly popular the moment, with a number of high profile auction houses (led by Bonhams, whose latest auction we recently attended) and equally high profile lots (like the $900k+ HKD 52yo Karuizawa during "peak Karuizawa" last year).

A relative newcomer to the scene, Dragon-8 are no exception, with their upcoming auction (this Saturday 27th February) featuring a few lots that are rarely (if ever) seen. For example:

• A full vintage set of The Macallan
• A full set of The Macallan Lalique decanters
• An entire cask of The Macallan (and Highland Park, and Dalmore, and Bowmore)
• There's even a 30L bottle (that's a Melchisedech) of Armand de Brignac - Ace of Spades Champagne should anyone feel like celebrating after winning a sought after lot...

We met a few of the staff (and Founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz) at the Hong Kong Whisky Festival on the weekend, and had a chat about some of the upcoming lots, which also include the likes of rare Laphroaigs, a 50yo OB Highland Park, both the 70yo (Glenlivet) and 75yo (Mortlach) decanters from Gordon & Macphail, a few rare Ardbegs and a smattering of Karuizawas.

With some lots continue their meteoric rise, and other lots seemingly "cooling off" from the mid last year, this should be an interesting one to watch. One thing's for sure - those Macallan lots will be popular!

The Dragon 8 Auction will take place at The Pool House on the 11th floor of The Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai on Saturday, February 27th, 2016, beginning at 11 am. To reserve a place, attendees can fill out a registration form at www.dragon-8.com

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

Cheers, 
Martin.