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Whisky Lady vs Everyday Asia
The hard thing about having a “real” job rather than running my own business is that the variables beyond my control alone are simply much higher.
Before I made this big change in October 2017, I committed to myself that no matter how busy things got, I would do my best to keep up with all three Mumbai whisky tasting groups and share notes on my other blog – Whisky Lady – at my own pace and timing. A nice no pressure way to keep doing something I enjoy, fitting this little bit of pleasure around work that I’m completely absorbed (one might say obsessed) with in the attempt to make a real impact.
From Canada, USA, UAE, Singapore, Germany (twice!), all over Mumbai I bounced and slogged through weekends, holidays… and somehow managed to miss only a few whisky tasting sessions. And when I did, found a fabulous “guest” writer in a fellow whisky explorer… who has now launched his own amazing Whisky blog – Whisky Flu.
Linked to this commitment was my monthly round up here on Everyday Asia. Which for months has become the only activity I’ve managed to achieve on this blog…
So clearly it was time to stop trying to keep up appearances….
Quietly without fanfare my February monthly whisky “round-up” skipped across from here to there. If you are interested in whisky posts, do pop over to Whisky Lady… however you will no longer find once a month a list of tasting adventures here.
As for Everyday Asia? As the 1st phase of the project winds to a close, it just might be possible to “get a life” again soon… til then….
Whisky Lady – January 2018
January was nearly travel free!!! Til the 31st Jan when I hopped on a plane to Bangalore…
However I still couldn’t join all whisky related sessions…. sigh… thus is the life of a working gal, even if the Whisky Lady element remains!
All our Mumbai based whisky groups had an opportunity to meet.
It kicked off the Bombay Malt & Cigar gentlemen hosting with the Whisky Ladies for an evening of three Douglas Laing blends and one Sansibar blend:
- Highland blend – Timorous Beastie 46.8%
- Lowland blend – Epicurean 46.2%
- Islands blend – Rock Oyster 57.4%
- Sansibar’s Spicily Sweet 48%
As the Whisky Ladies had already joined the gents for a round of independent blends, we decided to have a completely random evening of “Contributor’s Choice” which resulted in:
- Mars Iwai Traditional Blend 40% – An affordable blend from Japan sometimes found lurking in Mumbai’s Duty Free
- The Glenrothes Manse Reserve 43% – For some, a welcome opportunity to revisit. For others a wonderful introduction…
- Glenmorangie 19 year 43% – Newly released, snatched from London’s World of Whisky shop at Heathrow days before our evening
- Bunnahabhain Ceobanach 46.2% – A peaty departure from Bunnahabhain’s lighter non-peated Islay style
Our original club met however I alas could not make it… however samples reached my home so was able to compare my independent impressions with those jotted down by our guest writer Nikkhil… keep you in suspense for a bit longer…
Beyond the tasting group meetings, there was also an:
- Impromptu gin evening with a few friends
- Kreuzritter Elixirium Digestivum 30%
- An attempt to give Smokehead another chance
- And brush with McClelland’s in Canada
Plus a Rum Quintet:
Plus notes from previous sessions….
From Whisky Ladies Après-ski Austrian posts:
- Waldviertler J.H. 5 year Single Malt 41% + Waldviertler J.H. 6 year Rye Malt 41%
- Wieser’s Uuahouua Pinot Noir 40%
And our BMC’s “Peat Unusual” theme with narry an Islay whisky…
- Speyside – BenRiach 25 year 46%
Also my “O Canada” celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary:
- Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye 45%
- Gooderham & Worts Four Grains Canadian Whisky 44.4%
- Wayne Gretzky No 99 Red Cask Whisky 40%
- Shelter Point Single Malt Whisky 46% (Batch 2, 2017)
- Barrel of Sunshine Liqueur 30%
Finally caught up with “BMC goes Bourbon” night featuring:
- Jefferson’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon 41.14%
- St George 43% (American single malt, an aberration from our bourbon theme)
- Blanton’s
- Buffalo Trace’s Stagg 64.75%
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – December 2017
December brought yet another a trip to Germany with much merriment and mischief for this Whisky Lady on my return!
All three groups had an opportunity to meet…
Normally our original group does not meet in December. However I used my powers of persuasion to pull together an ‘off the books’ evening to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. Our “O Canada” evening included:
- Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye 45%
- Gooderham & Worts Four Grains Canadian Whisky 44.4%*
- Wayne Gretzky No 99 Red Cask Whisky 40%*
- Shelter Point Single Malt Whisky 46% (Batch 2, 2017)
- Barrel of Sunshine Liqueur 30%*
Our Whisky Ladies embraced the season with an Après-ski theme featuring:
- France – Michel Couvreur Special Vatting Malt Whisky
- Sweden – Box Whisky Dálvve 46%
- Switzerland – Langatun Old Bear Cask Proof (2010/2016) 62.8%
- Austrian samples of Wieser’s Uuahouua Pinot Noir 40%, Waldviertler J.H. 5 year Single Malt 41% + Waldviertler J.H. 6 year Rye Malt 41%
Keeping with the decidedly non-Scottish theme for December, our Bombay Malt & Cigar did a “BMC goes Bourbon” night with:
- Jefferson’s Kentucky Straight Very Small Batch Bourbon 41.14%
- St George Single Malt Whiskey 43% (Ok so this isn’t bourbon but it is American!)
- Blanton’s
- Buffalo Trace’s Stagg 64.75%*
There was also an impromptu evening of Sinful Samples :
- Bunnahabhain 24 year (1990) 51% – Perfume to minerals… add water to open up
- Tullibardine Burgundy 43% – Honey dew melon with light spice… and soap??
- Millstone (1998/2016) 55.5% – Juicy fruits and biscuits!
- Glendronach 21 year (1993/2014) 58.1% – Full, rich and intense dark chocolate and sherry… a little goes a long way
- Wolfburn “Morven” 46%, Wolfburn “Aurora” 46% – Bubble gum to over-ripe pineapple… both quite sweet
- Closing with a whisky glass experiment with Aberlour’s A’bunadh #52 (2015) 60.5%
Plus I played some catch-up with notes from previous sessions, with more to come in the new year!
Here are notes from our November BMC’s “Peat Unusual” theme with narry an Islay whisky…
- Lowland – Alisa Bay 48.9% – Sweet peat
- Islands – Ledaig “Very Cloudy” Vintage 2008 40%*
- Highland – Loch Lomond Peated 46%*
- Speyside – BenRiach 25 year 46%*
Plus our original group’s November exploration of Sherry Elements:
- Oban Limited Edition (2000/2015) 43% – Straight in, neem leaves
- Amrut Intermediate Sherry 57.1% – A complete chameleon
- Kilkerran 10 year “Work in Progress Batch #6 46% – Peat, sweet with a nose that kept evolving
Still to come is a wee glimpse into a Glenmorangie evening revisiting The Original, The Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, Nectar d’Or and the piece de resistance… the Private Edition 8 Bacalta…
*Whisky tasting notes coming soon…ish
Hope you had a terrific 2017 and may 2018 bring you much malty merriment!
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – November 2017
November brought a trip to Germany and Singapore (with a side dish of WhiskyLive) that kept tastings on track for the Whisky Lady!
The best was all three groups aligned to my mad travel schedule so there was a concentrated burst of all three sessions in less than a week!
Our Whisky Ladies enjoyed a carefully selected affordable trio Gordon & MacPhail:
- Glendullan (2001/2014) 46% – Floral summer breeze!
- Aultmore (2000/2014) 46% – Versatile and volatile, a lovely light yet complex dram
- Longmorn (2002/2015) 43% – A Longmorn to love!!
For our Bombay Malt & Cigar gents, we explored a “Peat Unusual ” theme with narry an Islay whisky among the selection…
- Lowland –Alisa Bay 48.9%
- Islands – Ledaig “Very Cloudy” Vintage 2008 40%*
- Highland – Loch Lomond Peated 46%*
- Speyside – BenRiach 25 year 46%*
(*Tasting notes coming soon!)
Just as the BMC gents explored peat, our original group explored different Sherry Elements :
- Oban Limited Edition (2000/2015) 43%
- Amrut Intermediate Sherry 57.1%
- Kilkerran 10 year “Work in Progress Batch #6 46%
(*Tasting notes coming in December… too much to squeeze into one month!)
Thrown into the mix was a Glenmorangie evening revisiting The Original, The Lasanta, Quinta Ruban, Nectar d’Or and the piece de resistance… the Private Edition 8 Bacalta…
Rye (Photo: Nikkhil Shirodkar)
Back in October, our original club had a remarkable Rye Night with tasting notes by our guest writer Nikkhil published in November:
- Cody Road Rye (Iowa)
- Cascadia Rye (Português Port Barrels) 43.5% (Washington)
- High West Whiskey Double Rye 46% (Utah)
- With a bonus of Pikesville Straight Rye
I also got around to sharing notes from a peaty persuasion minis session:
- Peat Chimney 12 year 40% (Wemyss) – Sea swept salty maritime peat
- Big Peat 46% (Douglas Laing) – Kept shifting and changing, overall delightfully
- Longrow 46% – Earthy, organic peat
- BenRiach Peated Quarter Cask 46% – Peppery peat, Christmas treat!
- Ledaig 10 year 46.3% – Farm peat, spice and straight forward
Plus a revisit of Glenfarclas Minis:
- 15 year 46% – Straightforward, no pretence
- 105 60% – A full strength sherry berry cake, best had with a few drops of water
- 21 year 43% – Approachable and multi-dimensional
- 25 year 43% – A 2nd date dram that needs time to reveal its full character…
And guess what? I’m back on another plane to Germany next week… let’s see what more can be discovered!
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – October 2017
October was the 1st month that I juggled a new full-time ‘regular’ job that immediately plunged me into a demanding yet incredibly interesting project. And yet, what is a Whisky Lady to do but keep up with tastings too!
Thankfully it was a ‘slow’ month with only the Whisky Ladies and Original club’s having full tasting sessions. To keep things interesting, there were also were a few minis sessions too!
Our Whisky Ladies celebrated Diwali in all our finery and accompanied the festivities with Asia focused whiskies:
- From Japan – Hakushu 43%,
- From Bhutan – K5 40% vs Misty Peak 40%,
- And back to Japan Nikka From the Barrel 51.4% vs Super Nikka Whisky 43% (revival version)
Rye (Photo: Nikkhil Shirodkar)
Whereas our original club had a remarkable rye focused evening:
- Cody Road Rye (Iowa)
- Cascadia Rye (Português Port Barrels) 43.5% (Washington)
- High West Whiskey Double Rye 46% (Utah)
- Pikesville Straight Rye
My mini sessions had three distinctly different bents… The 1st was peaty with:
- Peat Chimney 12 year 40% (Wemyss) – Sea swept salty maritime peat
- Big Peat 46% (Douglas Laing) – Kept shifting and changing, overall delightfully
- Longrow 46% – Earthy, organic peat
- BenRiach Peated Quarter Cask 46% – Peppery peat, Christmas treat!
- Ledaig 10 year 46.3% – Farm peat, spice and straight forward
The 2nd was a revisit of Glenfarclas with:
- 15 year 46% – Straightforward, no pretence
- 105 60% – A full strength sherry berry cake, best had with a few drops of water
- 21 year 43% – Approachable and multi-dimensional
- 25 year 43% – A 2nd date dram that needs time to reveal its full character…
And the 3rd was not whisky at all but rum!
- Diplomatico 40%
- Zacapa 23 Solera 40% vs XO 40%
- El Dorado 12 year 40%
- Criterion 10 year 56%
October also introduced a new guest writer from our original club – Nikkhil Shirodkar – who provided the terrific notes on the September session I missed:
- Writers Tears (2013 Release) Cask Strength 53% – Alas didn’t meet expectations
- Springbank 12 year (June 2016) Burgundy 53.5% – A Burgundy wine twist
- Springbank 12 year (Jan 2017) Cask Strength 54.2% – The clear favourite! Gorgeous sherry and peat interplay
While I missed Mumbai, I did explore a whisky watering hole in Toronto… where I sampled a trio of bourbons at 1602 Dundas:
- Black Maple Hill Kentucky Straight Bourbon 47.5% – Mysterious origins, tasty results
- Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon 40% – Double the Rye, interesting nose
- Elmer T Lee Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon 45% – Cinnamon spice, oaky and bitter
The month closes with my hopping on a plane to Germany… let’s see what can be discovered next!
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – September 2017
September’s Whisky Lady tastings was a mixed month as one club didn’t meet and another did but it was a rare session I missed due to travel! Naturally I augmented with other experiences and shared the final set of tasting notes from our remarkable July which had seven different sessions!
The gents from the Bombay Malt & Cigar club met late August with an unusual selection of three Single Grains and two Indian whiskies:
- Girvan 8 years (2006/2014) Cask 532398 46% (Berrys’)
- Strathclyde 25 year (1990/2016) DL11335 51.5% (Douglas Laing’s Old Particular)
- Invergordon 28 year (1987/2015) DL11004 56.5% (Douglas Laing’s Old Particular)
- Sula’s Eclipse Blended Whisky 42.8% & Rampur 43%
Our whisky ladies had a lovely Sunday sundowner with this quartet:
- Mortlach NAS 49% – Sweet on the nose, apricot wood on palate… bit of a disappointment
- Arran Amarone Cask Finish 50% – Think pink summer blush, perfect afternoon sipper!
- Lochside (1981/2005) 43% G&MP – Stunning, simply stunning
- Aultmore 5 year (2007/2012) 66.8% Master of Malt – Provoked a very divided reaction
Whereas our original club enjoyed the following (alas without me as I was off gallivanting in the North America!):
- Writers Tears Cask Strength (2016 Release) 53%
- Springbank 12 year Burgundy (June 2016 Release) Cask Strength 53.5%
- Springbank 12 year (January 2017 Release) Cask Strength 54.2%
I also held a bottle polishing-off session with experiments in barley, wheats and more:
- Buckwheat from Bretagne, France – Eddu Silver 40%
- Ancient barley from Islay, Scotland – Bruichladdich Bere Barley (2008) 50%
- Hordeum Wild Barley Grass from Colorado, USA – AD Laws Hordeum Straight Malt 2 year (Batch #1B) 42.5%
- Triticum wheat from Colorado, USA – AD Laws Triticum Straight Wheat 2 year (Batch #1B) 50%
- American Corn, wheat, barley & rye – A.D. Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon (Batch 8) 47.5%
Plus a sample session with Duty-Free No Age Statement (NAS) drams:
- Auchentoshan Heartwood 43% – Fermented fruit and pear tart
- Highland Park Einar 40% – Soft peat, accessible… quite “NASpy”
I shared July’s tasting notes from our “Dream Drams” evening with an exceptional set enjoyed with India’s Malt Maniac Krishna Nakula featuring:
- Mortlach 37 year (1976/2013) 43% G&MP – Classic restrained old style Mortlach
- Lochside (1981/2005) 43% G&MP – Simply a beautiful dram with an incredible finish
- Mosstowie 35 year (1979/2015) 48.1% Signatory – Lomond stills, nuanced complexity
- Aultmore 5 year (2007/2012) 66.8% Master of Malt – Punches boundaries of cask strength!
Plus revived the Whisky Tips with:
- A few ideas to keep in mind if you find yourself in need of Operation ‘House Clean’ – Whisky Style
- Vacu vin for whiskies – A way to keep your open bottles of whiskies from oxidation by using something like a ‘vacu vin’!
- And if you find yourself wanting to share a sample or two from your collection… some tips on whisky samples storage
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – August 2017
August was a bit of a catch-up month for Whisky Lady tastings… chock full of notes from July’s excesses with even more from those sessions to come next month.
August sessions were held with each Mumbai based whisky clubs – yet two were of a decidedly social bent!
The Original’s session featured an Islay Trio:
- Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine 46.3% – Interesting to compare notes of our Batch #5 tasting with Batch #1
- Bowmore Gold Reef 43% – What a contrast to our Whisky Ladies experience!
- Ardbeg Uigeadail 52.4% – A proper peat bog, wildfire chilli on the palate and fab long finish (sampled earlier too!)
The Whisky Ladies turned two! With a celebration of whisky women fellowship…
And finally on 31st August 2017, we had our Bombay Malt & Cigar partners night where we explored a trio of single grains:
- Girvan 8 years (2006) Cask 532398 46% (Berrys’)
- Strathclyde 25 year (1990/2016) DL11335 51.5% (Douglas Laing’s Old Particular)
- Invergordon 28 year (1987/2015) DL 11004 56.5% (Douglas Laing’s Old Particular)
Followed by two Indian whiskies:
- Sula’s Eclipse Blended Whisky 42.8%
- Rampur 43%
I shared tasting notes from our July 2017 American Westland trio of:
- Westland Peated 46% – Curiously shy peat, ginger honey, bacon and smoke
- Westland American Oak 46% – Sweet creamy banana split, dangerously drinkable. My current favourite!
- Westland Sherry 46% – Tropical fruits, mocha toffee with a lovely finish!
Our July Monsoon Malts & More evening covered an eclectic range with:
- Eddu Silver 40% – Buckwheat whisky from Bretagne, France
- R & B Distillers – New entrant bottling interesting whiskies
- The Exceptional – Craft Distillers Sutcliffe and Ex Macallan’s Willie Phillips new baby
- Highland Park 12 year 40% – An echo of the old 18 year favourite
- Finlaggan Cask Strength 58% – A most enjoyable mystery Islay
Check out what can be squeezed into just a couple of minutes “Speed Tasting” impressions with:
- Hyde Single Grain 46% – Roasted wood, fruity, clean with spice
- Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye 45% – Piquant, bright, young and sweet like chewing Juicy Fruit gum!
- Pikesville 110 Proof Straight Rye 55% – Vanilla, flowers, fruit, nuts with a clear Rye quality, savoury finish
- House Blend – Amazing balance between sherry sweet and smoky peat
- Midleton Dair Ghaelach 58.7% – Milk chocolate, banana, dash of coffee, spicy swagger, touch of vanilla, though young was a ‘3 in 1’ whisky for its different dimensions
I also published tasting notes from July’s Krishna’s Collection with:
- Glen Grant 60 year (1950/2010) 40% – Old polished wood, delicate perfume, fruits & cream, elegant, nuanced, exceedingly easy to drink
- Bowmore 12 year (1970s/19802) 40% – Absolutely stunning! Restrained, brilliant body, kiss of peat with a joyful host enjoyable quality
- “The Prestonfield” Vintage 1972 43% – Phenolyic, camphor, peculiar… to the point of not being enjoyable
- Glen Garioch 17 year (1996) 55.7% – Orange cream cookies, almost brandy-like, exceedingly smooth
- Caol Ila 36 year (1980) 52.3% (Cadenheads) – Bitter hing, quite vegetal, echo of peat growing into proper peat, sweet with a long cinnamon spice finish
- Laphroaig 19 year (1996) 53.9% (Old Particular) – Chewy leather, toffee, tobacco, beautifully complex, nuanced dram of substance
Naturally with a few odds and ends… including:
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – July 2017
July was supposed to be a slow month… During monsoon, things can grind nearly to a halt in Mumbai under a deluge of rain. And with only two whisky clubs scheduled to meet, it seemed not much would be happening.
So a few friends and I decided to invite Krishna Nakula, India’s Malt Maniac to Mumbai. Which triggered going from a light month to become chock full of Whisky Lady tastings in Mumbai! Easily my busiest month this year – possibly ever…
It also just so happened to be the month, I celebrated Whisky Lady in India’s 500th post!! Woo hoo!!!
So join me in a synopsis of July 2017’s whisky adventures…
The Whisky Ladies Compass Box Quintet featured:
- Compass Box Spice Tree Extravaganza Special Edition (Aug 2016) 46% – An indulgent Thanksgiving feast of a whisky!
- Compass Box Great King Street Experimental Batch TR-06 (Sept 2013) 43% – A mouth-watering delicate balance between sweet, light spice and smoke
- Compass Box Hedonism 43% – Exquisite! Coconut cream meets fresh oranges
- Compass Box Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Limited Edition (July 2015) 48.9% – A Game of Thrones whisky of Iron Isle, sex and dragons – complex, multi-layered, addictive and unforgettable
- Compass Box Peat Monster 46% – Dramatic dram that get’s straight to its peaty point
The gents from the Bombay Malt & Cigar club met twice to make up for missing the previous month’s session…
The 1st was the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Quartet:
- 37.85 “Eastern Promise” 14 year (1 Oct 2002) 56.8% – Rice congee, decomposing leaves, wet mop… (Cragganmore)
- 76.131 “Totally Tastylicious” 15 year (30 Sep 2001) 57.8% – Ripe, juicy fruits, vanilla and cream… indeed rather tasty! (Mortlach)
- 30.94 “Riding a duck bareback up Mount Etna” 9 year (6 June 2007) 64.5% – Bold, complex, incredibly balanced for such strength (Glenrothes)
- 29.216 “Moonlight night at the beach” 20 year (26 Nov 1996) 51.9% – Sweet smoke of maple glazed bacon (Laphroaig)
The 2nd set was the American Westland with a trio of:
- Westland Peated 46% – Curiously shy peat, ginger honey, bacon and smoke
- Westland American Oak 46% – Sweet creamy banana split, dangerously drinkable. My current favourite!
- Westland Sherry 46% – Tropical fruits, mocha toffee with a lovely finish!
An impromptu excuse to share a few interesting open bottles and samples lead to an evening of Monsoon Malts & More – including a cocktail too!
- Eddu Silver 40% – Buckwheat whisky from Bretagne, France
- R & B Distillers – New entrant bottling interesting whiskies
- Borders Single Grain 51.7%
- Raasay “While We Wait” 46%
- The Exceptional – Craft Distillers Sutcliffe and Ex Macallan’s Willie Phillips new baby
- Blended Grain Scotch Whisky 43%
- Blend Small Batch Scotch Whisky 43%
- Highland Park 12 year 40% – An echo of the old 18 year favourite
- Finlaggan Cask Strength 58% – A most enjoyable mystery Islay
Just for fun, we held a “Speed Tasting” session by Keshav Prakash of The Vault Fine Spirits featuring:
- Hyde Single Grain 46%
- Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye 45%
- Pikesville 110 Proof Straight Rye 55%
- House Blend
- Midleton Dair Ghaelach 58.7%
We then had a “Dream Drams” evening with an exceptional set enjoyed with India’s Malt Maniac Krishna Nakula featuring:
- Mortlach 37 year (1976/2013) 43% G&MP
- Lochside (1981/2005) 43% G&MP
- Mosstowie 35 year (1979/2015) 48.1% Signatory
- Aultmore 5 year (2007/2012) 66.8% Master of Malt
From Krishna’s Collection we packed into under an hour a few drops of:
- Glen Grant 60 year (1950/2010) 40%
- Bowmore 12 year (1970s/19802) 40%
- “The Prestonfield” Vintage 1972 43%
- Glen Garioch 17 year (1996) 55.7%
- Caol Ila 36 year (1980) 52.3% (Cadenheads)
- Laphroaig 19 year (1996) 53.9% (Old Particular)
I finally shared posts about the February Glenmorangie Bacalta Launch where we sampled:
- The Original 40% – Foundation of all Glenmorangie “with 140 flavours” — Bill Lumsden
- Lasanta 12 year 46% – Classic yet enhanced …Creamy, caramel custard, sweet spices
- Bacalta 46% – Shows how marvellous a malt an ex-Malmsey Madeira finish can be!
A busy month indeed! There was no way all the tasting notes could be published in July, so you will simply have to be patient over the coming months as all will be revealed…
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – June 2017
June was full of so many things – work, travel to London, Winnipeg, Singapore and more!
As for the Whisky Lady side of things?
We had a wee bit of media attention… with a full page feature in the Mumbai Mirror. Be amused… be very amused….
“What next shall why try?”
I was completely humbled by meeting Sukhinder Singh, the guru of The Whisky Exchange, with an opportunity to visit his temple to whisky aka Board Room private collection, rare malts room and private bar in his head office. What a remarkable experience!!
Naturally, our tasting sessions continued…
The Whisky Ladies decided to have ‘A Night with Glen‘ featuring:
- Glencadam 15 year 46% – Serve chilled…
- Glenlivet Master Distiller’s Reserve 40% – It isn’t offensive…
- Glenmorangie The Original 40% – Nice to revisit the base for all Glenmorangies!
- Glenmorangie The Tayne 43% – Clearly the best of the bunch!!
Our original group had an unusual range:
- From India… Rampur 43% – A quite decent start…
- From near Buckingham Palace… Royal Lochnagar 12 year 40% – Varnish, sharp then settles in…
- From an aged grain… Girvan Patent Still 28 year 43% – Rare opportunity to sample an aged grain
- with Suntory’s Toki 43% bonus which pairs great with deserts!
The gents from the Bombay Malt & Cigar club didn’t have a June session, but I did post our May tasting of undisclosed distilleries with:
And while I was off gallivanting around Canada, decided to share some light summery whiskey cocktail recipes, courtesy of DISCUS with American whiskies:
- Old Fashioned – Bourbon, bitters, sugar with a twist of orange
- Manhattan – Bourbon, vermouth + bitters
- Mint Julep – Bourbon, simple syrup, bitters + mint
- The Ginger Baker – Tennessee whisky, ginger, lime + pineapple juice, orgeat syrup with a slice of pineapple
- Spiced Boulevardier – Infused bourbon, vermouth, campari with a twist of orange or almonds
With a few more posts including:
Curious to know more? Check out recent Whisky Lady’s monthly missives:
You can also find even more Whisky bits ‘n bobs on:
- FaceBook Whisky Lady in India – https://www.facebook.com/WhiskyLadyIN
- Twitter @WhiskyLadyIN
Whisky Lady – May 2017
May brought adventures around India with trips to Kolkata, Kochi with a nice juicy project in Mumbai. It also brought the heat before the monsoon… shifting from mere heat to drenching humidity.
All three tasting groups also got into the action!
The Whisky Ladies and our original group enjoyed Bruichladdich Peat Progressions with:
- The Classic Laddie 50% – A delightful dram to start an evening… (Whisky Ladies only)
- The Laddie Eight 50% – Nose keeps evolving, following through on the palate (Original only)
- Bere Barley (2008) 50% – Rustic and original (Whisky Ladies only)
- PC 2007 CC:01 8 years 57.8% – Give it time to open, it is completely worth the wait!
- PC 12 Oileanach Furachail 58.7% – Industrial, bursting with character yet oddly also restrained and almost elegant too
- Octomore 07.2_208 5 years PPM 208 58.5% – Absolutely stunning and a cut above!
- Octomore 07.1_208 5 years PPM 208 59.5% – Again, impossible to believe it is so heated yet not overwhelming (Whisky Ladies only)
The BMC gent’s finally had their version of the Undisclosed Distillery session with a bonus:
- Wilson & Morgan “Highland Heart” Sherry Cask 43% – Rich marmalade, incredibly smooth and rounded… a rather regal whisky you simply want to curl up and enjoy
- Sansibar Islay 8 year 52.2% – Fresh muted peat with an evolving character, well rounded
- Port Askaig 19 year 50.4% – Sufficiently complex to to keep it interesting, for a peaty whisky quite elegant
- Finlaggan Cask Strength 58% – Asphalt meets meadow flowers… surprisingly it works!
A return of the Miniatures sessions with:
- Glengassaugh Evolution 50% – Just say no unless you like mouth disinfectant
- Glenglassaugh Torfa 50% – Better than my 1st foray but still a long way to go..
- Inchmurrin Madeira 46% – A nice ‘day drink’ from Loch Lomond
Shared tasting notes from a 2nd Flight at The Single Cask with a lighter touch with:
- Deanston 15 years (1997/2013) Cask No 1958 45.8%
- Glen Moray 21 year (1991/2013) Cask No 9980 46%
- Glentauchers 18 years (1996/2014) 2 casks 46%
- Miltonduff 21 year (1995/2016) 45.8%
- Followed by a single dram – Ben Nevis 19 year (1996/2016) Cask No 871 45.1%
With a few more tastings including:
- The elusive Longmorn 16 year 48% – Slow down and enjoy…
- Royal Brackla 16 year 40% – Pronounced a bar night whisky with food!
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