Tasted #307: Springbank Single Cask 20yo bottled exclusively for Tokyo International Bar Show 2016

Back in June we mentioned that the Tokyo International Bar Show (which I reviewed here) included a number of interesting bottles this year, from both Scotland and Japan. One of those was this Springbank - a 20 year old single cask, bottled exclusively for the show, from a "Fresh Sherry" cask. One of 492 bottles, it was distilled in May 1995, bottled in April 2016, and weighs in at 52.1% ABV.

You might think (as I did at first) that a single cask 20yo ex-sherried Springer might be somewhat dark...so I was pretty surprised when I saw it at the show. The colour was much lighter than expected - perhaps a 3rd/4th fill, or from an ex-Fino cask, or both?

Anyway, colour is but one way to assess a whisky...the important thing of course is how is noses and tastes. To that end, this bottle made its way from Japan back to HK, then onto Australia where it was cracked open with a few good mates. It then made its way back to HK, where I've finally had the time to sit down and give it a proper assessment...

Springbank Single Cask 20 year old (52.1% ABV, 20yo, Campbeltown, Scotland, ¥29,000 (no longer available))

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Colour: Light yellow gold.

Nose: Rubbery at first, with some stone fruits (peaches, nectarines). There's a bit of brine / saltiness, and some hints of sweet jam.

Palate: Rich and bold up-front. The brine follows through onto the palate, quickly followed by big jammy donut notes. Like a sweet, sugary glazed donut filled with raspberry jam filling. Not really any discernible peat, but there's a bit of earthiness / vegetation towards the end.

Finish: Long and earthy, whilst retaining some of the jammy sweetness from the palate.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A delicious, though unusual whisky. Certainly not the sherry bomb I'd expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. A fine example of a brilliantly made, though slightly left-field Campbeltown whisky.


Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #306: Bowmore Bicentenary 1979

Steph and I recently returned from a few weeks in Sydney, where we had a great time relaxing, catching up with friends and family, and enjoying some reprieve from the worst of Hong Kong's humidity. The trip also gave me the opportunity to revisit a number of whiskies we still have stored in Sydney, and rather than do so alone, I decided to hold a little BBQ with a few close whisky mates (who just happen to represent the majority of the Aussie whisky blogging community too, including Hendy).

In addition to the whiskies I'd put out, everyone brought a bottle or two, including good mate @whiskysec from Singlema.lt, who brought a half-size bottle of Johnnie Walker Black (sans label)

...only inside, there was no Johnnie Walker.

Now here's a rarity - @bowmoredistillery Bicentenary, bottled in 1979 from casks dating back to 1950! - Said by many (well respected whisky fans) to be one of the finest whiskies they've ever tried, it was an incredible privilege to be able to taste this - a privilege made possible by the very generous @whiskysec! - There's a 15yo version, but this is the NAS, which contains whiskies up to 29 years old, all from first fill sherry barrels. It was amazing to try a Bowmore that was distilled (in part) as early as 66 years ago, and was bottled 37 years ago. It certainly wasn't like today's Bowmores! - Tropical and medicinal at first, it evolved over time to introduce perfumed, floral notes with a strong earthy, mossy, and even diesel-like character. I think what blew us all away was how much it changed over an hour or so too. There were even hints of tennis balls after a while! - A whisky we won't soon forget. Notes up on the blog already! - #whisky #singlemalt #scotch #Bowmore #RareWhisky #OldWhisky #instawhisky #VintageWhisky #instadram #whiskygram #WhiskyHK #timeforwhisky #HKlifestyle #威士忌 #ウイスキー #위스키 #whiskylife #Islay #slainte #whiskyblogger #whiskylover #whiskygeek #whiskyporn #bowmorewhisky #IslayWhisky #Glencairn #SydneyWhiskyBloggers #bucketlistdram

A photo posted by Martin - www.TimeforWhisky.com (@timeforwhisky) on Aug 3, 2016 at 10:04am PDT

Yep, he'd kindly brought along a Bowmore Bicentenary! Bottled in 1979, this was the NAS release (as opposed to the 15yo), and has been proclaimed by many whisky fans to be one of the best whiskies they've ever tasted. Comprised of casks dating back to as early as 1950, and bottled in 1979, it fetches a pretty penny these days, with Master of Malt selling it for ~£1,400 (when they had stock), TWE selling it for £2,250, and a bottle at the recent Hong Kong Dragon8 auction selling for $24,000HKD!

So not a daily dram then....but did it live up to the hype?

Bowmore "Bicentenary" 1979 (43% ABV, NAS, Islay, Scotland, £2,250)

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Colour: Copper brown. 

Nose: Medicinal at first, with hints of rubber gloves (and later tennis balls). Slight tropical notes - especially passionfruit. Some perfume. With time, the perfume increased in intensity, before an earthiness took over, with hints of diesel(!)

Palate: Perfumed, floral, yet very mineraly, earthy, mossy. Slight notes of leather and a fair hint of cigar smoke. More diesel.

Finish: Medium length, with a hint of sherbert, then more damp earth to see things out.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. Just so different...and yet so good! A really fantastic dram, and one that you can sit on for over an hour, just to see how markedly different it becomes. A bucket list dram without a doubt.


Cheers,
Martin.

Dramnation: World Whisky Tour

As you may know, we're a big supporter of local whisk(e)y figures that continue to inspire and educate people on the industry and its whiskies. Earlier this month, our friend Matt Wooler, founder of Dramnation hosted their first inner city tasting at Pocket Bar in downtown Sydney. Continuing from the first World Whisky Tour tasting series in May which was held at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill , the second series of the tour expanded the tasting collection to also include whiskies from Brittany, France and Arkansas, USA.

As we'd written last year, Dramnation was founded with the aim of imparting knowledge and introducing whisky appreciation for individuals, and it's great to see them continuing that mission.



We were invited by Matt to join the tour and to celebrate their inaugural inner city tasting. As with all Dramnation tasting events, guests were welcomed with a cocktail. This event saw the classic Whiskey Smash cocktail back in action (based on the Old Forrester Bourbon), which proved to be quite a refreshing opener to the night. The second series of the tour revisited a number of highlights from the first tasting, and there were whiskies from different regions of the world too, including:

• The Hakushu Distiller's Reserve (Japan)
• Armorik Classic Single Malt (France)
• Kavalan Port Cask Finish (Taiwan)
• Starward Solera (Australia)
• SMWS B3.2 Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Bun (US)
• Paul John Edited Single Malt (India)

The line-up included one very special bottle from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) - B3.2 or so cheekily titled 'Ooey-gooey cinnamon bun' - a bourbon whiskey from the Rocktown Distillery in Arkansas, USA. The 2 in the B3.2 denoting that this was a second Society release from the Rocktown Distillery. The inclusion of a Society bottle added to the eccentricity of the line-up and helped ensure guests were treated to an extensive range of profiles of the different world regions.



What has always stood out for me at each Dramnation event is the immaculate setup and the superb attention to detail on the setup. As much as you can touch and feel (and taste) the whiskies -- you can equally explore different sensory experiences that are scattered across the tasting tables. Bottles filled with barley, rye and corn -- showcasing the mix for bourbon whiskies, cinnamon sticks, licorice and chocolate are just few of the items that are presented for guests to appreciate. Mozzarella and cheddar cheeses were also made available on each table with the notion being that the different cheeses can invoke or cleanse one's palate. The mozzarella cheese was what Matt described as a palate cleanser, a type of cheese that help to neutralise your palate. The cheddar cheese complements the tasting, by being a palate exciter, a good cheese to have before each dram.



The night itself was co-presented between Matt, Matt Bailey of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Jeremy Daunay, founder of Le Baron des Spirits who was there to represent Armorik (a distillery we'll soon be featuring in detail in an upcoming post).

Jeremy opened the night with the Armorik Classic Single Malt; a clean and light malt from Brittany, France. Armorik, being a recent addition to the local market certainly pleased the crowd and will be one whisky to watch over the next year. It wasn't that long ago that Jeremy presented the Armorik series at The Wild Rover and I recalled truly enjoying the different expressions.



Each host spoke to the different whiskies, outlining the differing factors that make up the individuality of each, and how the extent of maturation in the different regions varies. Perhaps the adage that age is just a number rings true in certain circumstances. This was certainly true for Kavalan, Starward and the Society B3.2 (Rocktown Bourbon) where they have all been matured for 3 years or less and yet their punchy profile certainly did not disappoint.

Full tasting notes on all the whiskies presented on the night were provided to all the guests and have also been published on the Dramnation site here.

The inaugural Dramnation tasting at Pocket Bar was a success and it was fun, insightful and introduced people to the whiskies from the different regions. The night even saw a beer into the mix with the Gage Road ESB being introduced to complement a couple of the whiskies.

Keen to check out the next Dramnation event? Dramnation have published the dates for their next events through to October. Taking a similar themed approach to whisky appreciation, the upcoming events will focus on different aspects of whisky distilling and whisky appreciation. For more details or to book on the following events, visit the Dramnation site. Specific upcoming dates are:

• 30/07 - Wine Cask Whiskies Session 1, 2016 at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill
• 20/08 - Smoke Stacks Session 1, 2016 at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill
• 22/10 - Southern BBQ Boilermarkers at Crooked Tailor, Castle Hill

TimeforWhisky.com attended the Dramnation World Whisky Tour Tasting Class as a guest of Dramnation, with thanks to Matt Wooler.

Cheers

Hendy

This week in whisk(e)y #33 - Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship 2016, Jack Daniel's 150th Anniversary & A Time Travelling Drinking Experience

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...

Winner of the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship Announced
The Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship was held last week at the fun-filled Madame Tussauds in Sydney. We joined in on the fun where eight whiskies were laid bare for a blind tasting followed by a riotous, celebratory night. 

We'll post our coverage on the event shortly, though in the meantime, the following press release highlighted the three winners of this year's Championship. All we can say is that it was tough.

"WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN MALT WHISKY TASTING CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCED:

1st Place: Adrian Callus
2nd Place: Bill Bannear
3rd Place: Graham London

On Saturday 23rd July 2016, whisky enthusiasts from all over Australia gathered in Sydney to compete in (or spectate at) the nation’s biggest whisky competition at the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship, hosted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. This year saw twice as many competitors than ever before, all vying for a place on the podium where only one can take home

1st Prize: Being crowned the Malt Whisky Champion of Australia!

With everyone seated, competitors had 30 minutes to assess eight whiskies in a blind-tasting format. Each competitor was provided with a list of nine possible whiskies – the eight on the table, plus one red herring. The task was to correctly identify which whisky was which.

This year’s line up of whiskies featured an incredibly difficult lineup of Speyside malts that were similar in style, and it took some pretty experienced and knowledgeable palates to discern them apart. Three competitors tied for first place and it took no less than two rounds of taste-offs to determine the placegetters, with Adrian Callus clinching the win.

As a reward for his efforts and claiming first place, Adrian was crowned the Malt Whisky Champion of Australia and won a trip for two to Tokyo, which includes two night’s accommodation at the Park

Hotel, and an incredible whisky tasting experience at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’ bar, located in the Park Hotel.

With the competition part of the evening over, the party began! Four varied and unique single cask bottlings from the SMWS were featured at the Society Bar on the night, including the yet-to-be-released Feis Ile Cask 127.44. Glenfiddich, a long-time generous supporter of the SMWS, again set up their Glenfiddich cocktail bar where competitors and spectators could indulge in their incredible cocktails, as well as Glenfiddich’s premium offerings of their 15yo, 18yo, and 21yo Gran

Reserva expressions. In the rotunda was Sydney Cocktail Club’s Sensory Bar, an adventure through the tastes and sensory aspects of great spirits, and then of course the incredible beers straight from the tap of Gage Roads Brewing Co. Thanks are also due to The Oak Barrel in Sydney for their generous support of 3rd prize, and Vintec for their support of the event."

Congrats to all winners, and everyone who took part!

Jack Daniel's Presents: Australia's First Time Travelling Whiskey Experience & A Worldwide Barrel Scavenger Hunt
We've shared a number of special Jack Daniel moments in the past, including the various Jacktember celebrations and being part of The Bar That Jack Built. This time, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Jack Daniel Distillery, Assistant Master Distiller, Chris Fletcher is visiting Australia and will host a number of events an masterclass.

150 years of cocktails

Quoting the press release:

"Jack Daniel’s is set to make an impact in Australia as part of the global celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Assistant Master Distiller Chris Fletcher will be visiting Australia for the first time to share his incredible knowledge of whiskey making as he hosts time travelling whiskey experiences across the country.

Throughout July and August, connoisseurs in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth will be taken on ‘A Journey through 150 Years of Craft & Cocktail Culture’, enabling them to sample the sights, sounds and signature cocktails from iconic eras in Jack’s history at secret locations in each city.

For this one-of-a-kind tour like no other, prepare to step back in time to 1920s prohibition, encounter the suave style of Frank Sinatra before embracing the thrilling times of 70s, 80s and 90s rock ‘n’ roll. Culturally so much has changed all the while Jack has been making his famous whiskey in one way, in one place for 150 years.

The milestone certainly calls for a celebration and at each event guests will also be able to raise a toast to the 150th anniversary with a celebratory cocktail designed by Chris Fletcher. The evening’s complimentary entertainment will further include a whiskey tasting masterclass led by Chris, where attendees will be able to put their sensory skills to the test to discover what it takes to be a Jack Daniel’s Master Taster, one of the most important and respected jobs at the distillery.

As Assistant Master Distiller, Chris Fletcher uses his extensive knowledge of the whiskey making process to lovingly craft the world’s best-loved whiskey according to Jack’s time honoured recipe.  Since 1866, Jack Daniel’s has been made in Lynchburg, Tennessee and it’s Fletcher’s job to ensure that the dedication to making great whiskey remains true to Mr. Jack’s motto of “Every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can.”

Chris Fletcher, Assistant Master Distiller, Jack Daniel’s comments:
“I’m excited to be heading to Australia to bring an authentic taste of Southern hospitality Down Under as I tell a few stories about the place I call home. My knowledge of whiskey was passed down first-hand by my grandfather, retired fifth Master Distiller Frank Bobo, I’m honoured to now be following in his footsteps under the guidance of Jeff Arnett, the seventh Master Distiller since 1866, and thrilled to be a part of the global 150th anniversary celebrations.”

Chris is not the only Lynchburg original coming to our fair shores, as the festivities continue throughout Australia with a global scavenger hunt featuring real barrels from the distillery. Uniting friends of Jack across the world, the Barrel Hunt will visit more than 50 countries in 90 days giving whiskey fans the chance to win money-can’t-buy prizes to commemorate the 150th anniversary. Select barrels will also include VIP tickets, travel and accommodation to the worldwide celebration taking place at the Lynchburg distillery this October. Clues as to the whereabouts of the 10 whiskey barrels hidden across the country will be revealed on the Jack Daniel’s Australia Facebook page.

“The barrel is key to crafting Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey as it accounts for 100 percent of its colour and 70 to 80 percent of its flavour,” said Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Jeff Arnett. “It’s an important part of our process that’s remained unchanged for 150 years, and that tradition will continue to live on in every barrel we make and each drop of our whiskey. As the only major distilling company that makes our own barrels, the Barrel Hunt celebrates the distillery’s history and gives fans a chance to own a barrel and be forever tied to Jack Daniel’s.”

To find out more about Jack Daniel’s and the Jack Daniel Distillery’s 150th anniversary visit Facebook.com/JackDanielsAustralia."

We will post our coverage of the celebration shortly.


Until next time...

Cheers,

Martin & Hendy. 

This week in whisk(e)y #32 - The Balvenie's David Stewart tours Australia, Teeling release 2nd whiskey in "The Revival" series and Jameson & Young Henrys commence "Boilermates" partnership

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...

David Stewart of The Balvenie tours Australia this July
Last month we enjoyed The Balvenie's "DCS Compendium" launch in Hong Kong, in the company of the brand's global ambassador Sam Simmons. This month Sam will be in Australia, joined by The Balvenie's iconic Malt Master David Stewart, who has been with the distillery since 1962!

Long-time readers might remember our masterclass with David Stewart last year in Hong Kong, or our interview with Sam in 2013.

The DCS Compendium will be a set of 25 bottles, released in 5 "Chapters" of 5 bottles each, and accompanied by a book written by Sam Simmons. Each chapter explains the themes of that year’s collection in detail and explores the fundamental aspects in the development of David’s career – including Influence of Oak, Secrets of the Stock Model and Expecting the Unexpected.

Chapter One was released in October 2015, and comprises the following 5 whiskies: 

• 1968 Aged 46 years
• 1978 Aged 37 years
• 1985 Aged 30 Years
• 1997 Aged 17 years; and
• 2005 Aged 9 years. 

Unlike Hong Kong (which has only received one official bottle for sale, the 1978, rather than the full Chapter), the complete Chapter One is currently available in Australia through Dan Murphy’s for $57,000.

David is on a week-long tour, commencing today (Friday 15th July), which will see him conduct a series of education sessions for both trade and consumers.

Teeling Whiskey releases second "The Revival" bottling - 13yo single malt Irish whiskey finished in ex-Calvados casks
Following on from Teeling Whisky Company's' recent 15yo "The Revival" (tasted here) comes the second "Revival" bottling - this time a 13 year old single malt aged for 12 years in ex-Bourbon casks, and a further year in 250 litre ex-Calvados casks.

We've loved all the weird and wonderful maturation techniques / finishes that Teeling have been doing for a while now, so can't wait to see what sort of impact ex-Calvados casks have on their single malt.

Bottled at 46%, "The Revival Volume II" will initially be available in the UK and Europe, followed by select international markets (including Australia, but HK hasn't yet been confirmed).

Press release below:

"...The second limited edition bottling in The Revival Commemorative Series, Volume II, consists of a 13 Year Old Single Malt Irish whiskey distilled in 2002 and matured initially for 12 years in ex-Bourbon casks. It is then given a further 12 months’ maturation in 250 litre ex-Calvados French apple brandy casks imparting an extra apple and pear character unique to Irish whiskey. Further by bottling at 46% ABV with no chill filtration completes an Irish whiskey of true character.

 The expansion of the Teeling Whiskey range continues with the release of The Revival Vol II which joins their stable of award winning Irish whiskeys which have won over 75 International accolades over the last three years. The maturation provided by the Calvados cask creates a unique taste profile, reminiscent of floral baked apples and cinnamon rounded off with a toffee sweetness that’s perfectly balanced with a white pepper spiciness. The signature tart green apple and cut grass hues of this limited edition Single Malt can be enjoyed neat, with water or in a cocktail.  

Jack Teeling, Founder and Managing Director of the Teeling Whiskey Company, commented, “The one-year anniversary of our award winning distillery and visitor centre is a major milestone in the history of the Teeling Whiskey Company. We released Revival Vol I when the distillery first opened and one year on we are proud to unveil a second celebratory bottling – The Revival Vol II.

Once again we selected a very special whiskey to celebrate the revival of distilling in Dublin with the first ever Calvados cask matured Irish whiskey. Our second bottling will be limited to only 10,000 bottles and sold both through our distillery as well as our domestic and international distributors.""

Young Henrys and Jameson Irish Whiskey announce ‘Boilermates’ partnership
We love a good boilermaker here at TimeforWhisky, and also love a good Aussie craft beer. As we (obviously) love whisk(e)y, it's fair to say we're excited about this new partnership between Jameson Irish Whiskey and Young Henrys (a great microbrewery based in Newtown, Sydney), involving Jameson's "Caskmates" whiskey - an Irish whiskey finished in ex-beer casks. We tasted Caskmates last year, and far from being a gimmick, the stout finishing actually gives the beer lovely dark, coffee-like notes. In short, it works well.

From now until the 31st August 2016 participating venues across Australia will be serving Jameson Caskmates x Young Henrys boilermakers. The boilermaker, being re-branded as a ‘Boilermate’, consists of a Jameson Caskmates serve paired with a Young Henrys beer of choice. 

To find out more and for a list of participating venues go to www.younghenrys.com/boilermates

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

Cheers

Martin. 

Tasted #304 - 305: Compass Box "Enlightenment" and "The Circus"

It was only a few months ago we wrote about Compass Box's transparency campaign, and tasted a few samples they'd kindly sent our way. Fast forward to last week, when another package appeared on the doorstep, this time containing a generous sample of each of Compass Box's latest offerings - "The Circus" and "Enlightenment".

Enlightenment continues the Transparency campaign by setting out to:

"...encourage the industry to consider the absurdity of a system that prevents producers from telling consumers exactly what has gone into the whisky they are drinking."

Pretty hard to argue with that logic. A limited run of 5,922 bottles worldwide, Enlightenment is bottled at 46% ABV, non chill-filtered and at its natural colour. It contains malt whiskies from Clynelish, Glentauchers, Balblair and Mortlach, making it a blended malt rather than a blend.

The Circus, on the other hand, celebrates old parcels of pre-blended Scotch Malt and Grain whisky (married in Sherry butts) that Compass Box recently uncovered, and is said to be a combination that displays magic, "like the very best of circuses". A limited run of 2,490 bottles worldwide, The Circus is bottled at a slightly higher 49% ABV and, like Enlightenment is non chill-filtered and bottled at its natural colour. It contains Malt whisky from Benrinnes and blended Scotch and Grain whiskies from refill sherry butts.

Compass Box "Enlightenment" (46% ABV, NAS, Blended Malt Scotch whisky, one of 5,922 bottles, bottled by Compass Box, Scotland, £49.54)

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Colour: Light, pale straw.

Nose: Candy apples and fresh green apples. So fresh and vibrant. There's a little freshly cut grass, but apple overhwelmingly dominates here (in a good way). I can't recall a recent whisky exhibiting so much apple.

Palate: More apples, but dusted with cinnamon. Lots of fresh fruit (pears, apples, lemons) and quite a lot of spice. Very smooth and the ABV feels "just right". Apple pie with a dollop of cream on the side.

Finish: Short to medium in length, with cinnamon spice and some orange zest.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. Really very good. Judging by the fact that 95.7% of the liquid comes from 1st fill barrels, but the colour is so light, I'm guessing most of the whisky is relatively young...but who cares? This is a fantastic whisky and a testament to what a talented blender can produce. This could easily become a go-to summer whisky.

Compass Box "The Circus" (49% ABV, NAS, Blended Scotch whisky, bottled by Compass Box, Scotland, £154.17)

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Colour: Orange-brown.

Nose: Trademark sherry notes initially, but without any hints of sulphur. Sultanas, nutmeg, dried apricots and some whole oranges. Vibrant, clean, fresh. 

Palate: Big smooth caramel notes - rich and instantly mouth-filling. Lots of dried fruit, pot-pourri, brazil nuts. There's oak, but it's perfectly in check. There's a big maltiness too. At a guess, there's some pretty old malt whisky in here.

Finish: Long, rich, hazelnuts and burnt toast.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. Another "luxurious", delicious, drink-me-right-now dram from Compass Box. Can these guys do no wrong? 

TimeforWhisky.com would again like to thank Compass Box for the generous samples.

Cheers,
Martin.

The Balvenie whisky pairing dinner with Sam Simmons & DCS 1978 launch (Hong Kong)

Back in 2013 we were lucky enough to attend a dinner with The Balvenie's Global Brand Ambassador Sam Simmons - aka "Dr Whisky". The food was great, the whisky was fantastic (especially this one) but more than the food or whisky, Sam made the night a blast by being a genuine, funny, down to earth bloke (who just happens to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of whisky).

It was therefore not even something I had to think about when, two and a half years later, I was asked if I'd like to attend another dinner with Sam, this time in Hong Kong at new bar/restaurant Maison Eight. The answer was instantly a "yes!".

Sam was in town to launch the DCS Compendium, a selection of 25 bottles from The Balvenie to be released (in sets of 5) over the next 5 years, celebrating The Balvenie's five rare crafts and the incredible 54 year tenure of David Stewart, The Balvenie's Malt Master (who himself was in Hong Kong a year ago).

Whilst the entire Compendium Chapter 1 (at a retail price of £28,000) is not available in HK, one of the bottles has been made available - the 37 year old 1978 bottle, limited to a total of 140 bottles (90 to be sold individually).

We (unfortunately but understandably) were not able to taste the 1978, but we did enjoy a fantastic 5 course dinner, with courses paired with The Balvenie 12yo DoubleWood, 14yo Caribbean Cask, 17yo DoubleWood, 21yo PortWood and 30 year old, all of which we examined in-depth here.

Attendees included a mixture of people who had completed the Whisky Ambassador accreditation, and readers of the newly-launched Whisky Magazine HK & Macau (which happens to feature yours truly!)

Sam opened proceedings by explaining the night would be open and informal, and after telling us that "Handcrafted is a lovely BS word", which Sam mentioned he'd also seen used at Pizza Express at HK Airport, we knew we were in for a night without the marketing guff that sometimes accompanies these events.

Sam introduced each course/whisky pairing, always keeping it light and informal, taking input from the audience, and generally just ensuring everyone had a good time. When it comes to entertaining an audience (often with a wide range of whisky knowledge), you'd be hard-pressed to find a brand ambassador who does a better job than Sam.

The first course, grilled Haloumi, asparagus, semi-dried tomatoes and endives was simple yet the perfect entrée. The smokiness from the grilled Haloumi matched very well with the honied notes of The Balvenie DoubleWood 12yo, with the balsamic dressing also pairing nicely.

Next was sautéed forest mushrooms, madeira jus and chives, paired with The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14yo. The sweetness of the rum-finished Balvenie was toned way down with this pairing, with the mushrooms taking the fore and giving the whisky a more earthier, robust characteristic. Interestingly I even got a hint of bananas from the pairing!

Onto the mains and it was Roasted duckling, Armagnac sauce with ratatouille, paired with The Balvenie DoubleWood 17yo. An interesting dish this one, with many commenting they hadn't seen duck done this way before - very different to the usual slices of duck breast you see at restaurants like this.

The duck itself was delicious, though quite gamey. The 17yo DoubleWood toned down the gaminess, while the duck added a mouth-filling viscosity that wasn't there with the whisky on its own. An interesting and unexpected pairing.

Next it was time for dessert (Orange almond cake with "exotic" honey) and what better whisky to pair with a dessert than The Balvenie PortWood 21yo? Many said this was their pairing of the night, with the sweetness of the orange cake complimenting the equally (though differently) sweet notes of the PortWood.

During this course, Sam made the interesting comment that Balvenie don't have a "core" product between 21 and 30yo, so it's a pretty safe bet that most of the PortWood 21yo out there is carrying some much older whisky inside - in some cases even up to 29 years old. Of course we know distilleries do this, but a lot of distilleries have an intermediary core offering between 21 and 30 years old - The Balvenie doesn't (the 25yo single cask and triple cask releases not withstanding).

Last, but certainly not least came the petit fours - chocolate cake and nougat matched with the always-delightful The Balvenie 30 year old. This proved another excellent match, though for me the winners were the first and fourth course pairings.

With the meal finished, Sam stuck around to share a few more drams with attendees (including a bottle of Wolfburn someone had snuck in) - again proving his genuine love of whisky.

All up a hugely enjoyable night - as I knew it would be!

Cheers,
Martin.

TimeforWhisky.com would like to thank Sam and Telford International Co Ltd for the invite to this fantastic dinner.

Tasted #303: The Macallan Double Cask 12yo (Hong Kong Preview)

There's been an undeniable NAS trend in the whisky industry over the past few years, with many distilleries increasing the range and volume of their NAS (or Non-Age Statement) whiskies. In some cases, we're seeing NAS releases replace their age-statement counterparts in certain markets (like Glenlivet's Founders Reserve, which has replaced the old-faithful 12yo in many markets), and in other cases, NAS releases are merely complimenting the standard age-statement lineup (like Laphroaig and their recent Select).

NAS isn't a new thing, and nor is the debate that surrounds it. We first threw in our $0.02 back in February 2014, but NAS as a concept existed well before that. In 2013, Macallan unveiled a series of NAS whiskies which, in many markets (including Australia), is all that's readily available. We've seen other, more recent major NAS releases from The Macallan too, most notably the Edition No.1 and Rare Cask last year.

....all of which makes it interesting (and slightly refreshing) to see The Macallan's latest whisky being released with an age statement! No, we're not talking about the incredible 65yo in Lalique released last month - we're talking about something much more attainable...

The Macallan Double Cask 12 year old is the distillery's latest release, and whilst it isn't yet available in Hong Kong, we were lucky enough to have a sneak preview recently.

You might wonder where this release slots into the line up - especially in markets which still offer the 12yo Sherry Oak and 12yo Fine Oak. Put simply, it sits right in the middle:

• 12yo Sherry Oak - matured in a mixture of American Oak Sherry casks and European Oak sherry, with more influence from the latter
• 12yo Fine Oak - matured in a mixture of American Oak Sherry casks, European Oak sherry casks, and American Oak bourbon casks.
• 12 year old Double Cask - matured in a mixture of American Oak Sherry casks and European Oak sherry, albeit with a higher proportion of American Oak sherry casks used than the traditional 12yo Sherry Oak (we're told it's very close to 50:50).

So, on paper it sits between the existing 12 year olds...but does it in taste?

The Macallan 12yo Double Cask (40% ABV, 12yo, Highlands, Scotland, yet to be released in HK or Australia. Pricing to match that of the 12yo Sherry Oak in HK - ~$580HKD).

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Colour: Light gold.

Nose: Distinctively (Sherried) Macallan, which for us means Christmas cake and dried fruits, but also flinty matchheads... however there's also honey here. It's lighter - noticably lighter on the nose than its Sherry Oak sibling.

Palate: The same notes you can find on the 12yo Sherry Oak are here - raisins, brazil nuts, orange zest and dried apricots, but it's all just a bit lighter, sweeter, with a good dollop of honey thrown into the mix

Finish: The sherry influence is there, but it doesn't dominate the finish. There's a floral, citrusy note at the end that we haven't seen on the more traditional sherried Macallans, but is evident on the Fine Oak 12.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 91/100. An enjoyable and very sippable dram - one that perfectly fills the gap between the 12yo Sherry and Fine oak bottlings.

The Macallan 12yo Double Cask will be released in Hong Kong in the coming months. Thanks to Edrington HK for the recent preview.

Cheers,

Martin.

Dragon 8 Auctions Fine & Rare "Gamma" Wine / Whisky Auction wrap-up (June 2016)

Dragon 8 Auctions held their second ("Gamma") auction for 2016 last weekend, following their February whisky auction which we covered here. Held again at Grand Hyatt's Pool House, the auction this time included both fine and rare wine and whisky, with each making up around half of the lots.

There are several whisky auctions in Hong Kong and we can't get around to all of them, but Dragon 8's are ones we're always happy to cover. Sure the catering is fantastic (this time around there were Magnums of Champagne, a beautiful old Rioja and a selection of whiskies including The Macallan Rare Cask Black and Highland Park Sigurd, last time there was this 1938 Macallan), but it's more than the catering - Dragon 8's auctions are actually very enjoyable to watch, whether you're buying, selling, or considering either.

Again led by jovial founder Gil Lempert-Schwarz, the auction kicked off with the wine lots (which included some incredible wines, most of which we missed sadly) before moving onto the whisky - with Gil encouraging us to go and grab ourselves a dram and pair it with whatever we wanted from the buffet - "sushi, tomato, dessert, whatever!"

There are no "ordinary" lots at Dragon 8 Auctions, and this one was no exception, with several whiskies over 50 years old, two over 60 years old, several pages of vintage Macallan 18s and a whole section dedicated to The Macallan "Fine & Rare" series. Not to mention Silver Seal indies, a Bowmore Bicentenary 1964, a smattering of Hanyus and Karuizawas and the incredible new Macallan 65yo in Lalique, which we tasted recently.

To save you the suspense on that Macallan 65yo, despite only being released last month and retailing at $280,000HKD / $35,000USD, it sold for a whopping $480,000HKD (almost $62k USD)! One to watch, clearly.

Bidding in general was strong, with all but a few lots selling. Interestingly the Silver Seal indies didn't seem too popular, with a few being passed in, but other indies seemed to fair well, with a 62yo Glenlivet (1952 G&M "Private Collection") selling for $65,000HKD, and a 55yo Macallan (1950 G&M "Speymalt") selling for $26,000HKD (both prices pre-buyer's premium).

Other results included (all prices pre-buyer's premium):

• 1964 Bowmore Bicentenary - $24,000HKD
• 1954 Macallan 18yo (OB "Gold Label) - $40,000HKD
• 1971 Macallan 18yo (OB "Gold Label) - $18,000HKD (sold to Gil himself!)
• 1937 Macallan Fine & Rare 32yo - $190,000HKD
• 1948 Macallan Fine & Rare 53yo - $170,000HKD
• Hanyu Ichiro's Malt "The Joker" (colour) - $14,000HKD
• Karuizawa 1975 Vintage Single Cask - $32,000HKD
• Karuizawa 1971 Vintage Single Cask - $42,000HKD

There was clearly a trend for the older (by vintage) whiskies to be more popular, with strong bidding on the older Macallan 18s and Karuizawas (often between two bidders), but not as strong bidding on the younger vintages, with a few of the late-1980s and early 1990s Macallan 18s being passed-in. Still, every Hanyu and Karuizawa sold, either at or (in some cases) well above their estimate, indicating that whilst we might not be seeing the crazy prices of mid 2015, these are still highly sought-after whiskies. 

The auction also served as a prelude to an upcoming collaboration between Dragon 8 Auctions and famous Hong Kong actor Michael Wong - in the forum of a 35yo single cask The Glenlivet. We'll keep you posted about this one (hopefully along with some tasting notes) shortly.

Dragon 8 are firmly establishing themselves in the Hong Kong whisky auction market as the auction house to watch in our opinion, for both the variety and rarity of lots they present, and entertaining way in which they do so. We can't wait to see what future auctions bring.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #302: Ardbeg 1973 15yo bottled by Sestante Imports (#101drams)

It's been far too long since I posted tasting notes for a #101drams charitable challenge, and while the tally currently sits at 69 whiskies, the actual number sits about 15 or so higher. The backlog of posts continues to grow unfortunately...

Helping me tick off #99 on the list, "A Scotch bottled in the 80s", is this stunning independently bottled Ardbeg, distilled in 1973, and bottled 15 years later (at a cask-strength 53.4%) by Sestante.

"Big deal", you might think - "an Indie Ardbeg from a Bourbon cask with a boring label..."

Ahh...but you see, this is no ordinary Indie. Whiskies from the Italian independent bottler Sestante are legendary, and even more so since they stopped releasing whiskies in the 1990s. This cask-strength bottling in particular seems to have caught the eye of whisky lovers over the years, as can be evidenced by its price tag whenever it does pop up (it was £995 on Master of Malt, when it was available, still sells for £1,500 at TWE, and in March Platinum Wines in Hong Kong were selling 3 bottles at $13,000HKD each). That's more than Sestante's 21yo Ardbeg from 1974, on the rare occasion it pops up for sale.

So not your average ex-Bourbon Ardbeg then...

The opportunity to taste this (from a recently-opened bottle) came up at Malt Masters Hong Kong 2016 recently, and it was an opportunity I wasn't about to miss...

Ardbeg 1973 15 Year Old, bottled by Sestante (54.3% ABV, 15yo, Islay, Scotland, £1,500 / $13,000HKD)

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Colour: Yellow gold.

Nose: Wow...such tropical fruitness. Loads of pineapple, some rockmelon. Some oat cakes, and minimal, minimal peat. A little creamy honey. Some sweet stewed apples. Such incredible balance..all notes working well together and in perfect harmony. Time to dive in....

Palate: There's peat, but it's subtle. It's more about the fruitiness (still tropical - peaches, nectarines, and the pineapple and rockmelon from the nose), but drizzled with honey and a light dusting of icing sugar. It's sweet, but not cloying in any way. In its relatively short 15 years, this whisky has taken on some incredible characteristics from its (no doubt) bourbon cask maturation, and presented them all in perfect harmony. Stunning.

Finish: Medium to long. BBQ pork with grilled pineapple on top. Brilliant.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. The phrase "they don't make 'em like they used to" gets thrown around a lot, so I won't use it here, but suffice to say I've never tasted an Ardbeg like this before...

Cheers,
Martin.