The Macallan New Distillery launch with El Celler de Can Roca

See here for our detailed post on the new Macallan Distillery and Visitor Centre.

As a whisky lover, it's fair to say I've had my fair share of great experiences since starting TimeforWhisky.com. From touring distilleries not open to the public (twice, and getting hands-on experience at a third), to tasting a $35,000USD whisky, to trying some of the world's most legendary whiskies and meeting more industry legends than I thought possible, it's been a good ride (and even more importantly, I've made some incredible friends along the way).

None of those experiences however could have prepared me for a phone call I received earlier this year, which went something along the lines of:

"Hi Martin, Edrington here. Would you like to join us in Scotland for the launch of the new Macallan Distillery and Visitor Centre in May? Flights and accommodation are on us. Oh, and we're also flying up to Orkney to visit Highland Park....if you're interested?"

😳

It's not really something you say no to, is it?

...and so a few months later, myself and a small handful of Hong Kong media found ourselves on-board a flight to Aberdeen (via London), leaving an increasingly humid Hong Kong for a surprisingly temperate Scotland, where for the next 5 days we'd:

• See the sights of Speyside
• Drink more than our fair share of The Macallan at our (almost) 24-hour-a-day pop-up hotel bar (which, alongside expertly-made cocktails and a large range of The Macallan, served gratis drams of No.6 and 25yo Sherry Oak!)
• Visit the incredible Orkney Isles, including Highland Park and a number of historical sites
• Enjoy dinner cooked by the 2nd best restaurant in the world (El Celler de Can Roca); and
• Of course, visit the new Macallan distillery.

 

The menu and drams from the pop-up The Macallan bar, inside our hotel, running almost 24/7

The big event was held on the second night, where (after a few drams in the hotel bar, and some socialising between brand ambassadors, media, owners of the architectural and building firms who built the distillery, Forsyths owners and Edrington & Suntory executives) we all piled into Macallan-emblazoned Mercedes vans en-route to The Macallan estate.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a welcome sign, and a large, long black fence which went on, and on, and on, the entire length of the drive through the estate. We knew the distillery was somewhere beyond the fence, but just couldn't see it. It was pretty clear we weren't going to be allowed to break the media embargo (set at 12:01am), even if we wanted to.

 

Arriving early, we mingled on the lawn adjacent to Easter Elchies House for about an hour (frantically trying to warm up - it was the only properly cold day of the trip), enjoying Cava, cocktails and canapés by El Celler de Can Roca, before making our way through the entrance to our dinner venue, which can only be descibed as something straight out of Hobbiton...

Entering the venue was equally as impressive - especially when you consider this was all a temporary pop-up space, to be used for only two more dinners after ours (for a total of three).

Now, whilst the most exciting part of this whole trip was obviously going to be touring the new distillery, I have to admit that as a lover of innovative restaurants, I was almost as excited about the food served by El Celler de Can Roca. In addition to the canapés, our three-course dinner was also prepared by the restaurant, with matched sherry, whisky and cocktails.

The Macallan have had an association with the Roca brothers for some time now, so this was never going to be a "Roca" dinner in name only, but I was still surprised when all three brothers appeared on stage, to introduce the dinner and espouse their passion of Scotland. I later learned they'd also brought ~45 staff from Spain, to work in a 20m long temporary kitchen set up just for the event. I guess you don't get to be the top of your game by doing things by halves..

The two brands are obviously a very good fit, so it's good to see the relationship has lasted so long. I was just glad to be able to try a Macallan / Roca dinner without spending $10,000USD, if I'm honest!

Edrington's Creative Director, Ken Grier (whom we first met during the HK launch of the Sixth Lalique release) introduced the event, commenting on the immense undertaking and the desire back at the project's inception for a venue truly befitting a brand like The Macallan. Ian Curle (Edringon CEO) also gave an address, recalling his early years with Edrington, and commenting on the strong relationships which led to the success of the project - particularly with architects RSH-P who designed the new distillery, Robertson who built it, and Forsyths, who created The Macallan's former stills, along with with the 36 new ones within the new distillery.

Ian commented that the project could not have been as successful if it weren't for the strong relationships with these firms, two of which are local not only to Scotland, but Speyside, and all of whom demonstrated a strong passion for the project (which was clearly evident when we spoke to executives from each firm). From Ian the CEO, to the Edrington process engineers and marketing staff sitting at our table, it was clear that everyone involved shares a strong passion for the project (and understandably so).

As expected, dinner did not at all disappoint, with a well planned and executed menu that took just the right amount of time (considering we had a distillery to tour!) and didn't overshadow the paired drinks. The menu consisted of:

• Spring Consommé, Buds, Flowers, Leaves and Roots with Scallops and Razor Clams (paired with Pazo Señorans Selección de Añada 09 D.O. Rias Baixas)
• Lobster Parmentier with Spring Mushrooms (paired with Gonzalez Byass Amontillado AB 12 Years D.O. Jerez)
• Veal Oyster Blade with Beetroot (paired with The Macallan M Black); and
• Cranachan, Whisky Cake and 'Barely, Wood and The Macallan Bonbons' (paired with The Macallan Enigma cocktail).

Not the Black bottle, but we were assured it was M Black. Notes to follow.

Following dinner, the 150-strong crowd was ushered out to the deck, overlooking Easter Elchies House, which sat in an eerie blue glow. As the drizzle persisted, we stood, looking, not quite sure what was to follow...

What followed was doubtless the most impressive projection show I've ever seen, narrating the story of The Macallan, from inception right through to recent record auction results and bottle re-designs. Our Australian readers would likely be familiar with Vivid Sydney, and the incredible projections and animations displayed on the Sydney Opera House each year. This was, without any word of a lie, even better, with some of the projections genuinely looking like they were popping out in 3D.

Photos hardly do it justice, but here are a few anyway:

Even this video on our Facebook page (which garnered over 90,000 views in the following days) doesn't quite do it justice, but should give an idea of what we experienced.

That wasn't to be our only impressive visual feast for the night, however. A brief walk across the Easter Elchies House lawn took us to the walkway for the new distillery and visitor centre - and our first glimpses. Or rather, our first glimpses of...black. We stood, knowing the distillery was up ahead, but not quite able to see it...

...and then this began.

A lot was said about this lightshow subsequently - not all of it positive. For myself (and most of us in attendance), it was an incredible spectacle, befitting a project of this magnitude, and let's be honest - if you'd spent £140m on a new facility, wouldn't you want to celebrate in a spectacular fashion?

..and for those arguing that Edrington should have focused on the whisky rather than fancy lighting effects, well, they had that covered too. Upon entering the new visitor centre and heading upstairs, we were handed a dram of this, and asked to save it for a toast. A quick nose confirmed this was definitely not your standard 18 or 25yo Sherry Oak...

When the toast was made, we learned it was a Macallan produced solely for the launch celebrations, with 55 year old Macallan as the youngest whisky within. Bottled at 50.3%, there were only 20 bottles produced. Whilst obviously only a small handful of people will have tried this, I say well-bloody-done to Edrington for this move. Here's a whisky they could have put into a Lalique decanter (or even a standard bottle), marketed as a limited release of 20 bottles, and probably made over $1m USD in revenue. Instead, they toasted their new endeavour with it, and let us join in.

Full tasting notes to follow in a separate post (it deserves one), but suffice to say it was an absolutely fantastic dram, exhibiting none of the negative characters that can come with a whisky that's spent 50+ years in oak.

That wasn't the only whisky on show either, with two new bottles unveiled - The Macallan Genesis - a release of 2,500 bottles bottled to celebrate the launch, and The Macallan Genesis Decanter in Lalique - a 72 year old Macallan, to be sold for $60,000USD/bottle.

Befitting an event like this, the remaining drams (available throughout the night) were pretty special too, including Reflextion, No.6, and M.

 

Whilst the drink menu itself was quite a spectacle, there was plenty around us to explore within the visitor centre, including The Macallan archive, just to the left of the entrance (a towering sight to behold, containing more or less every significant bottle of The Macallan imaginable), bars (said to serve over 900 different expressions of The Macallan), the gift shop, interactive exhibits, and for the launch night, a live band which played well into the wee hours.

On the stroke of midnight (and after having to quickly finish a friend's dram of the 55yo...) our tour of the distillery commenced - to be featured in a separate post shortly.

An immense thanks must go to Edrington, and their wonderful marketing team for the invitation to this incredible event (not to mention the flights and accommodation to get there). Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one I'm incredibly glad to say I experienced.

Cheers,

Martin.

The Macallan New Distillery and Visitor Centre

For a while now, the world of wine has had its fair share of landmark wineries - notable not only for the quality of their products, but for their spectacular architecture and "destination" status (Marqués de Riscal and The d'Arenburg Cube to name two popular examples).

Now the world of Scotch Whisky can lay claim to its own such "destination", in the form of The Macallan's New Distillery, officially opening to the public this Saturday, 2nd June 2018.

TimeforWhisky.com was incredibly fortunate to be invited to visit the new distillery last week, as a guest of Edrington at the first of three official launch parties, making us one of the first in the world to tour the new distillery. Whilst it was an incredible trip (and an even more incredible night) we'll cover the launch celebrations and distillery tour in a separate post. Suffice to say, with dinner by the current 3rd best restaurant in the world (El Celler de Can Roca, with the three Roca Brothers in attendance), tastings of a never-to-be-released 55yo The Macallan, a midnight tour of the distillery, and regular servings of both M and No.6, it was a night we won't soon forget).

At a cost of £140m and taking three and a half years to construct, the facility clearly showcases Edrington's dedication to both the Scotch Whisky category, and The Macallan, for decades to come.

Sitting just to the left of Easter Elchies House (the original homestead of The Macallan, built in 1700), 400m from the old distillery, the site is comprised of a series of grass-covered mounds, blending seamlessly into the landscape (a pretty incredible feat when you consider the size and scale of what is, at the end of the day, a large production facility).

The distillery is built around 3 main "pods", each consisting of 12 stills (8 spirit, 4 wash) produced by long-term partner Forsyths (fun fact: there's room to expand and add another pod in the future, if required). 

Personally I found the stills particularly interesting. As most whisky lovers would know, the size, shape and "character" of a distillery's stills has a lot to do with the nature of its new make spirit, and often when a still is repaired or replaced, there's a conscious effort to keep it identical to the previous one (I'm sure many of us have heard of the stories of new stills having the dents and dings of the old one painstakingly added by hand, just to retain the character of the spirit). With a brand new facility, and 36 new stills, could they really retain the same Macallan spirit character?

Yes, as it turns out. The stills were a "death mask" (exact duplicate) of the previous stills, made by the same producers (Forsyths) who have been making stills for The Macallan since the 1950s, and the new make spirit is said to be exactly the same as that from the previous distillery (The Macallan have been running distillation runs in the new facility since December 2017, and production at the old facility has now officially ceased). Of course, the brand's meticulous wood / cask programme hasn't changed, so we should expect the exact same whisky to result from this new distillery.

Forsyths, based in nearby Rothes, were just one of the examples of how this project (despite it immensity) seemed to keep a strong link to the local community. We drove past their factory on our way to the launch!

The new Visitor Centre sits just to the left of the production side of things (with large glass windows in between of course, allowing fantastic views of the whole production floor). We'll cover it in more detail in the subsequent posts (including plenty of photos), but as you might expect it includes everything befitting a £140m facility, including impressive educational facilities, an archive that needs to be seen to be believed (photos didn't do it justice - videos were necessary), and a tasting bar comprising over 952 different expressions of The Macallan, including the limited run of 2,500 "Genesis" bottlings, and the Genesis Decanter in Lalique, a 72yo making it the oldest Macallan ever released.

  

The new distillery and visitor centre officially open to the public on 2nd May 2018 (this Saturday), and will no doubt be a beacon for whisky lovers, architecture aficionados and anyone seeking to educate themselves about (or simply drink) one of the most prolific single malt Scotch whiskies.

 Stay tuned over the next week or two for further posts on:

• The launch night celebrations
• The new distillery tour
• Tasting of the 55yo launch week celebration The Macallan (limited to just 20 bottles); and
• An in-depth tour and tasting of Highland Park distillery

Cheers,

Martin. 

Photo credit: Magnum Photos

TimeforWhisky.com flew to Scotland and attended The Macallan new distillery and visitor centre launch celebrations (and Highland Park) courtest of Edrington Hong Kong.

Bonhams Tasting & Preview of 1926 The Macallan "Adami" and "Sir Peter Blake" Labels (Tasted #389)

As many of you would have heard, Bonhams Hong Kong this week are auctioning two incredibly rare bottles of 60yo Macallan - the "Adami" and "Sir Peter Blake" Labels, released in 1986 (distilled in 1926) as a series of just 12 bottles each.

Suffice to say, with the same whiskies recently having sold in Dubai for $1.2m USD, we should be seeing some frenzied bidding come auction time this Friday.

 

To celebrate, Bonhams HK held a brief media tasting last week, showcasing some of the rare bottles in the upcoming auction (including the incredibly rare Karuizawas below), and tasting a well-selected variety of Scottish and Japanese whiskies, modern and vintage.

No stranger to the world of fine whisky and wine, Daniel Lam (Bonhams' whisky and wine specialist) selected 5 bottles for the tasting, covering 2 countries, 4 decades and both IB and OB varieties, namely:

• Yamazaki Limited Edition 2015
• Macallan 7 Year Oold (bottled 1990s)
• Macallan 18 year old (1996-2014)
• Bowmore 12 Year Old "dumpy" (bottled 1980s)
• Silent Stills Single Cask Port Ellen (1979-2002)

Bowmore 12 year old - 1980s "Dumpy" bottling (43% ABV, 12yo, Islay, Scotland, No longer available)

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Colour: Vibrant gold

Nose: Those beautiful tropical fruits that old Bowmores are so well-known for. Paw-Paw, rockmelon, some pineapple. Beautiful.

Palate: Slightly thin, and with more smoke than I remember having tried this once before, but still very tropical. Mostly bananas and some grapefruit.

Finish: Long, with a fruity smoke to the end. You know those disposable fruit-flavoured inhalers/shisha sticks? Imagine a tropical fruit one of those, and you get the idea.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. I really enjoyed my first "Dumpy" and still do today. It's not a super complex whisky, but it is super delicious, and a style of Bowmore I do feel may be coming back (which is a very good thing). This was the crowd favourite too.

As a special treat, Daniel pulled out two Macallan 30yo "Blue Label" bottles, to show the difference between a fake and a real bottle. Can you spot the fake?

(It's the one on the left).

Bonhams "FINE & RARE WINE AND WHISKY" auction is being held this Friday, 3pm HKT in Hong Kong. Follow us on Instagram Stories and Facebook from 7pm for updates.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #388: Caol Ila Single Cask 10yo 2006-2017 #302868 bottled for Club Qing & Wu Kin San

When visiting whisky bars and friends around the world, I like to bring a bottle to share, ideally something a bit different - something that won't have been tried before.

When your friends own bars that have over 1,000 bottles however, that can be a bit tricky, but I think I did OK on a recent trip to Sydney and Melbourne, by bringing two Caol Ilas, including this 10yo single cask, bottled for famed Hong Kong whisky bar Club Qing, and one of their awesome team Wu Kin San (a former olympic cyclist, in case you were wondering what the label was about).

Someone described this as an "elegant" Caol Ila, and I thought that was spot on. Not a drastic departure from the core 12yo on the nose, but plenty different on the palate (in a good way). Full notes as follows...

Caol Ila Single Cask #302868 2006-2017 bottled for Club QIng and Jack Wu (52.4% ABV, 10yo, Islay, Scotland, Cask #302868, No longer available)

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Colour: Pale straw.

Nose: Not a huge departure from a regular 12yo Caol Ila. Ashy BBQ, salty peat smoke and hints of salted lemon.

Palate: Super elegant. Rich, viscous and creamy. Lemon meringue pie with a toasted crust, topped with some stewed apricots. Complex beyond its years.

Finish: Long, with stewed pears, apricots and a slight meatiness.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. A beautifully elegant Caol Ila, showing complexity and finesse beyond its years.


Many thanks Jack for keeping a bottle aside for me!

Cheers,
Martin.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare (Tasted #387)

The house of Johnnie Walker has recently released a limited edition variant of its popular Blue Label; Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare. We had a snippet of this special release earlier with Simon McGoram, Diageo National Whisky Ambassador earlier this month.

The Ghost and Rare is a series of special releases created by Dr Jim Beveridge, Johnnie Walker Master Blender using whiskies from "ghost" distilleries that have closed with other malt and grain whiskies. In fact, the Blue Label Ghost & Rare feature the highly treasured Brora malt as well as malt from Pittyvaich and Cambus grain. The Brora malt has remained treasured for its quality and its ability to hold its peat notes with age. Martin and I have tasted various Broras in the past and have always fallen in love with each one. So to have Brora feature in this release, it was rather special.

A total of eight malts and grains make up this release and contrast to the original Blue Label for which input components are never revealed, this release includes confirmation on the components that make up the final blend. Clynelish, Royal Lochnagar, Glenkinchie, Glenlossie and Cameronbridge malt and grains were blended with the three "ghost" components above to make up the final blend.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost and Rare (46% ABV, NAS, Speyside, Scotland, $478.99)
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An interesting variation to the traditional Blue, the richness and earthiness add to the traditional profile which is more commonly known to be light, gentle and fruity. This particular release would certainly appeal to those with curiosity to unpack the 'rare' components that make up this blend or perhaps Brora fans out there that are wanting a different take of the single malt.

Colour: Caramel malt

Nose: Nice and rich, with caramel, nougat and hazelnut mixed. It's actually quite luscious. There are also hints of spiced oak and a level of earthiness. It's very interesting and rich for a blended nose.

Palate: Spiced sweet cinnamon coated apple, earthy with a level of nuttiness, caramel and slightly waxy.

Finish: The finish is long, slightly woody and nutty

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

The Blue Label Ghost & Rare will be available from Dan Murphy's and other selected independent liquor store from 5 March at an RRP $480.

Cheers
Hendy

Thanks to Liz Hunt of Leo Burnett Sydney for having us at the preview event.

Tasted #386: The Last Drop 1971 45 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky (45yo)

Back in 2016 I spent an evening at Angel's Share, meeting the lovely Rebecca and Beanie from The Last Drop Distillers, learning of their family's incredible links to the drinks business and tasting their latest release at the time, the 50 Year Old 'Double Matured' Blended Scotch (full article here). It was an absolutely fantastic whisky (easily one of the best blends I've ever had), as was the 48year old I'd tried a bit earlier.

Fast forward just over two years, and I found myself back at the same spot, catching up with the team (Rebecca and Cecily) and trying their latest release...which I'd expected to consist solely of whisky, but was pleasantly surprised to see comprised not only the whisky (1971 Blended Scotch Whisky, a 45yo blend), but also...

• A 70 year old Cognac from 1947 (bottled in January 2018); and
• A 148 year old port, from 1870!

Fair to say I didn't expect to be trying my oldest ever distilled spirit (70yo), and oldest ever wine (148yo) on that random Tuesday evening, but I wasn't about to complain!

The 70 year old, 1947 Cognac was incredibly fresh and vibrant, without any overbearing oak (and with many complex notes, including fresh vegetation, lemon pie, cloves, spicy grapefruit peel, apricot preserve and mince pies), whilst the 1870 port was quite different to the 100 Year old Australian Tawny tasted a few years back, particularly in colour, being a bright red copper, and showing notes of toffee, spice and red berries. Not overly sweet or cloying at all, and just really, really drinkable (as was the 48 year old 1970 port that accompanied it).

Of course, this is a whisky blog, so my main focus was on the whisky, which was first blended in 1983 as an ex-Bourbon 12yo for the US. After bottling, the remaining blend was refilled into 11 ex-Oloroso butts, and after 9 years some more was siphoned off to be bottled as a 21yo.

What remained was refilled again, into nine ex-American Oak barrels, where they lay in a dunnage warehouse for another 24 years, until they'd reached 45yo.

So in summary: ex-Bourbon (for 12 years), ex-Oloroso (for 9 years), then ex-Bourbon (for 24 years), bottled in 2017, with 1,352 bottles available.

The Last Drop "1971 Blended Scotch Whisky" (47.2% ABV, 45yo, Blend, Scotland, One of 1,352 bottles, £2,500ex-VAT)

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Colour: Burnished copper-orange.

Nose: Sweet and fruity initially - almost Cognac-like. Quite nutty too, then some baked pear and pecan pie emerges, but the nuttiness remains at the forefront.

Palate: Just as fruity as the nose - green apples at first, then a slightly citrus (orange) note, then lots of spice. Treacle / toffee sweetness follows, with some banana bread and stewed apricots too.

Finish: Long length, with lots of spice and some oak. Almost rye-like on the finish! 

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 90/100. A very enjoyable whisky and one that's obviously taken on a lot of different and interesting notes from it's "triple maturation" over the years!

Cheers,

Martin.

Many thanks to Rebecca and Cecily for visiting HK and sharing their wonderful products with us again.

Experiencing The Singleton of Glen Ord Sensorium

Tonight The Singleton launched a first in Hong Kong - The Singleton of Glen Ord "Sensorium", opening to the public this coming Thursday at the Taste of Hong Kong festival.

"What's a Sensorium" you might be wondering?

Think of it as a giant mash tun, in which guests sit around a circular table, tasting The Singleton (Glen Ord 12, 15 and 18yo), surrounded by 360˚ video projections showcasing the distillery and other projections designed to both heighten and challenge the senses.

"Sight" and "taste" aren't the only senses covered, of course. "Hearing" is covered by speakers around the room projecting the sounds of the distillery and its Highlands environment, whilst "touch" is covered by a container of barley and "smell" is taken care of thanks to special jets pumping out aromas of malted barley and other notes you might find in the whiskies.

The launch included a sneak preview of the sessions to be held over the 4 day festival, led by Ervin Trykowski, The Singleton Global Scotch Whisky Ambassador.

The 15 minute session opened with Ervin's golden rule - that he should never speak for more than 5 minutes without allowing guests a dram (sounds good to us), and before we knew it we were nosing and tasting The Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo, finding it's fruity, apple/pear nose and it's sweet, juicy green apple palate. 

As an example of how our perception of smell and taste can be influenced by external factors, Ervin changed the projection to the image below - designed to invoke thoughts of sweetness...and I'd be lying if I said it didn't subtly change my thoughts on the whisky for a brief moment (bringing out a sweeter, more red apple like note).

Whilst the session was rapid, Ervin did manage to touch on the production process, pointing out a few interesting facts about Glen Ord, like its use of 100% on-site malted barley, and its 11 million litres per annum production capacity (operating 24/7).

The most interesting part for me however was how external factors like smell and sight can influence the way we taste, and in that regard, the 15 minute session delivered in spades. 

Whilst hardcore whisky geeks may not learn anything new about the whiskies or their production, you may just learn something about how you perceive taste / smell, and how your senses interact in a unique environment.

The Singleton of Glen Ord Sensorium is open from Thurs 22nd March to Sun 25th March at the Taste of Hong Kong festival. Tickets are $188HKD (which includes entry to Taste, usually $150 on its own), available from Ticketflap.

Cheers,

Martin.

Glenfiddich 1977 40yo "Rare Collection" Launch (Tasted #385)

Glenfiddich, in partnership with Heinemann Tax & Duty Free, has released the prestigious Glenfiddich 1977 Rare Collection Cask (cask 15176). Aged for 40 years in an American Oak Refill Hogshead single cask, this special single cask release forms part of the Glenfiddich Rare Collection Programme and is exclusive to the Heinemann stores at both, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur airports.

Brian Kinsman; Glenfiddich Malt Master noted that "This is an exceptional whisky of rare character and complexity. Only a small number of casks are chosen for the Rare Collection and I am delighted to have selected this particular whisky for consumers to enjoy.” The rarity is certainly true given the single cask nature of this particular release and the quality of casks available at this particular age profile.

The launch of the Rare Cask in Sydney was held at Kittyhawk, and saw the Rare Cask presented with other prized Glenfiddich releases including the 21yo, 25yo and 30yo. Each of the malts was paired alongside delectables including a Glenfiddich based Fizz cocktail (based on the 15yo Glenfiddich), rye cured salmon and steak tartare.

Being a big fan of Glenfiddich, the night was truly special and dram-tastic for me. I still remember my early whisky days with the likes of Glenfiddich 12yo, 18yo, Select Cask and even a Cathay Pacific exclusive Glenfiddich I had at Martin's. The continuation of this relationship on the night with the Rare Cask and the other priced releases was an exciting one.

Led by William Grant & Son’s brand ambassadors; Ross Blainey and Glenfiddich's new Ambassador Luke Sanderson, the unveiling of the exclusive 40yo Rare Cask focused on the rarity and balanced, delicate nature of the malt. The 30yo and the Rare Cask were presented neat and left to bask in its own glory. 

Glenfiddich "Reserve Cask" (Cask:  (40% ABV, 40yo, Speyside, Scotland, $4,352 AUD)
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An elegant, soft, subtle and balanced yet not tired or over oaked (given the age) Glenfiddich that takes its profile from the refill hogshead. The flavour profile is true to Glenfiddich with the hint of apples though very, very delicate. For a 40yo, the malt packs quite complex and layered nose and palate. It will certainly not disappoint those who choose to daydream away with a dram of this malt at hand.

Colour: Gold

Nose: Riddled with summer fruits including fresh peach and apples. There is a layer of sweetness resembling some raisins and Turkish delight.

Palate: The palate is balanced with some spiced apple, a bit of Portuguese tart with cinnamon dusting that fades into soft, perfumed flower notes.

Finish: The finish is slightly sweet and dry with gentle lingering cinnamon spice.

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

This 1977 40yo "Rare Cask Collection" has been bottled exclusively for Heinemann Tax & Duty Free and is available from Sydney and Kuala Lumpur airports for $4,352AUD and is limited to 150 bottles.

Thanks to William Grant & Sons and Agent 99 for having us at the launch.

Cheers,
Hendy.

Tasted #384: GlenDronach Single Cask 1995 19yo Cask #4941

Over the last few years I've been building up a bit of a collection of GlenDronachs, in particular their single casks. Personally I find it a fantastic distillery, making brilliantly-sherried whiskies at a very reasonable price (although prices have been rising lately).

This one is from their 11th batch of single casks (they're just about to release Batch 16), and was one of the first "GDSCs" I bought. It started my love of ex-Oloroso GlenDronachs, and I've been buying them up ever since...

GlenDronach Single Cask Batch 11 Cask #4941 1995 19 Year Old (57% ABV, 19yo, Single Malt from an ex-Oloroso Sherry puncheon, Speyside, Scotland, was £75.79ex-VAT but no longer available)

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Colour: Dark amber-copper (or as some would say - "correct").

Nose: Earthy at first. Then varnish/furniture polish, leather, tobacco and Brazil nuts. Beautiful nose. With water it becomes a little more earthy, a little more dusty.

Palate: Initially citrus-sweet, then moving onto rich mocha caramel. Sweeter and spicier than the nose, with hardly any of the furniture polish / leather from the nose. Water does add a little bit of those characteristics though.

Finish: Long, citrus-y and warming. Slight tannic astringency, which vanishes after a few drops of water.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  92/100. A very nice whisky but if the palate matched the nose, it would be absolutely incredible.

Cheers,
Martin.

Bar Review #22: Please Don't Tell (PDT) Hong Kong opens...for good

If an article about PDT opening in Hong Kong on this site sounds familiar, that's because we wrote that very article two years ago. That was a temporary pop-up though, and as impressive as it was (and it really was), after a few months it was gone....until now.

Clearly buoyed by the popularity of 2016's pop-up bar, New York's world famous "PDT" (aka Please Don't Tell) has returned to Hong Kong, filling the same space (the mezzanine above MO Bar in Landmark Mandarin Oriental), in a much more permanent fashion. We attended the media launch last week, which gave us a good chance to explore the new space, sample the new cocktails and try the new menus (fear not, it's still hotdog-heavy).

The entrance is (of course) via a phone booth (hint: Press 1) and the space, whilst small, has large booths for 5 groups, and counter seating for 8. The drinks menu features 15 drinks (our preview night menu had 8), and again includes a number which have been given a Hong Kong / Asian twist, including:

• Big Fan, a refreshing shandy served with Cabeza tequila, lime juice, pink peppercorn, guava and Moonzen Fuijan radler
• Safari, combining ELephant Gin, Italicus Rosolio, Kabosu, Shiso and East Imperial Burma Tonic
• Umbrella, a refreshing aperitif combining Blandy's Rainwater Madeira, Tio Peppe Fino Sherry (YES!) and Kamm & Sons British Aperitif.
• Bad Hunter, a John Collins prepared with Chivas blended Scotch whisky, Fernet Hunter, lemon juice, dragon eye and Moët Brut Imperial Champagne
• Milky Tea Punch, a rich flip composed of Ron Zacapa Centenario rum, Hennessy V.S.O.P. cognac, Rickshaw tea, condensed milk, Tayouran egg and Angostura bitters; and
• Pear of Peres, a short, sharp cocktail with Rye, Cocchi, Genepi, Pear Brandy and Ango bitters.

The food menu echoes that of the pop-up (and the original in New York), with hot dogs including the Honkie Dog (fried pork dog with sakura shrimp and XO mayo) and Kimchi Dog from the New York menu (bacon-wrapped, deep-fried pork dog with Kimchi). Tater tots are back, and the Takoyaki Tots are a must - deliciously snakcable!

Drinks-wise, the Safari was a great way to kick things off (think of it as a slightly more complex G&T), followed by an Umbrella, which was a perfect aperitif. Bad Hunter was refreshing and complex (and a great use of "Fernet Hunter", which seems to be popping up everywhere in HK), and Pear of Peres was the perfect nightcap - short, brown and bitter, just the way we like 'em!

Industry legend / PDT owner Jim Meehan was mixing the drinks all night, and providing great chat too - giving some helpful suggestions / insights regarding a few recent vintage spirits bottled I'd acquired.

The whisky selection is good, with a selection of Japanese, Scottish, Irish and American whiskies, but really, you're here for the cocktails, and they're fantastic.

PDT Hong Kong is open now, for both reservations and walk-ins (although we suspect the latter will be difficult at first), Reservations can be placed one week in advance for parties of up to 6 people by telephone at +852 2132 0110 or email to lmhkg-pdt@mohg.com.

 

Cheers,
Martin.