The Three Silver Seal Whiskies + 1 More!

L-R: Macallan 22, Highland Park 18, Ardbeg 18

A few days back SGwhisky wrote on the interesting new Independent bottler making waves in the Singapore scene (resonating from The Auld Alliance no less), Silver Seal. The independent bottler has been garnering acclaim from the whisky world, and from the regular patrons of The Auld Alliance. But as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is always in the eating. That phrase is chronically overused in this blog, but the fact of the matter is I truly believe in it, that's why I repeat it till it gets really old.

But I digress, today is about the whiskies that were tasted at the Silver Seal tasting last week. There were 4 altogether, but as the last one was a Rum, it will be better to focus on the 3 whiskies that were tried. So without further ado, here are the 3 whiskies in the order that was tasted.

Name: Silver Seal 'Sestante Collection' Ardbeg 1991
Distillery: Ardbeg (Islay)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 18YO
Vintage: 1991
Bottler: Silver Seal
Alc/Vol: 50%


Ardbeg is considered by Max (Silver Seal's owner) as an elite malt. Sadly, due to the immense popularity of Ardbeg in recent years, they are now jealously but totally understandably guarding their best casks. This works against the independent bottlers who have lesser quality casks to choose from. This Ardbeg seems lightly peated, and is quite an interesting malt.

Nose: Loads of lemon, grass and antiseptic. Salted anchovies, and the slightest hint of peat that comes out a bit more with some water. An interesting Ardbeg (21)

Taste/Palate: Very salty but yet clean, like high quality potato chips with sea salt, along with an ashy smokiness. These then give way to some fruity notes of Blood orange, cherries and sweet lemon drops. The flavors then give way to a very mineral-ly finish, like drinking mineral water (almost metallic) (21)

Finish: Very mineral-ly again, with a slight saltiness and notes of lemon drops. (20)

Overall: This might be one of the casks Ardbeg selected for lower peating levels as it tastes lightly peated. The mineral taste is interesting, but I found it a bit intrusive. Overall a drinkable dram though (21) 83/100




Name: Silver Seal Highland Park 18YO (bottled to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Silver Seal)
Distillery: Highland Park (Islands)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 18YO
Vintage: 1992
Alc/Vol: 53.1%


Arguably my dram of the day, the Highland Park 18 is a truly unique whisky, extremely aromatic, beautifully complex on the nose and palate, it is a great Highland Park.


Nose: A real beautiful Highland Park nose. Fruity (red fruits), heather honey, unique aromatic peat of Highland park. Lavender, stewed fruits, even some banana. Beautiful (23) 

Taste/Palate: Amazingly complex. First notes of burnt sugar, kiwi, banana, lemon drops, orange sweets. Then the malt, heather honey, rich peat and lavender come in. Notes of honeycomb cake as well, and a touch of nuttiness and peanut butter. The only weakness is that it all comes too close together so its hard to make out all the flavours, but that is just nit-picking (24)


Finish: Lavender, honey, green banana and even some aldehydes in the form of leather. Trails off a bit quickly though. (21)


Overall: Despite the slightly disappointing ending, this is a truly unique and beautiful whisky. Definitely one for the big occasion. It costs quite a bit more than the standard HP 18 bottling, but it is definitely one worth trying! (23) 91/100




Name: Silver Seal Macallan 22YO 
Distillery: Macallan (Speyside)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 22YO
Vintage: 1988
Alc/Vol: 56.7%


This Macallan was given a very good 90/100 from Serge Valentin, and according to Max, a recent re-taste has led to a conclusion that some time in the bottle has made it even better. This could be the closest approximation to the 'old styled' Macallans the whisky lovers of the world rave about.

Nose: Absolutely brilliant and complex. Icing sugar, cocoa, candied orange, fresh bananas, banana cream, banana skittles, ripe papaya, honeydew, toffee, red apples, Chinese fragrant pears. This is one amazing nose. One of the few that deserve the accolade of 'Nearly flawless' in my book (25)


Taste/Palate: Vanillia cream, sweet milk chocolate (the rich Valronha sort), chocolate lava cake, green banana, sweet cream ice cream, banana chips? Interesting (22)


Finish: Icing sugar is the main note in an otherwise slightly short ending, quite disappointing actually (21)


Overall: A brilliant nose but the flavours don't seem to keep up sadly. This affects its overall balance too... (21) 89/100

And to round it off, let's have a look at one last Silver Seal Bottling, a very interesting Longmorn 22!

Name: Silver Seal Longmorn 22YO
Distillery: Longmorn (Speyside)
Type: Single Cask Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: 22YO
Vintage: 1988
Bottle No: 116/315
Alc/Vol: 53%


A Bourbon matured Longmorn (quite different from the classically Sherried Longmorns), this is a real interesting dram.

Nose: Creamy and fruity. Banana cream (again!), icing sugar and pears. Sweet, and pleasant! (22)


Taste/Palate: Rich, sweet, but has a strong bitterness to it. Notes of sweet cream ice cream, ripe rock melons and even some ginseng (21)


Finish: More rock melon, and some sweetened milk (21)


Overall: Interesting, a great drinking dram in general, and not too complex (22) 86/100


All Whiskies Found At: The Auld Alliance

Whiskies of the World: Scotland and the Islay-gator!

It's always nice to return back to Scotland during a tour of whiskies around the world, and where better to highlight than one of the most celebrated whisky brands in the modern whisky world. It goes without saying that Ardbeg distillery has gained what can only be seen as Superstar status in recent years off the back of some stellar releases. This has spawned the start of what is known as the Ardbeg Committee and its Committee releases. Highly sought after and holding significant investment value, the Ardbeg Committee releases are one of the highlights of Ardbeg's yearly releases. This year, the Committee's release has been named the Alligator.

Its name is spawned from the level of charring in the cask before it is used to hold maturing whisky. The Charring or toasting of the inside of the cask releases flavours locked within the wood (vanillin for example is a common flavour found in wood) and the highest level of char, the Level 4 char, is called the 'Alligator' as the wood post-charring has a consistency and look that resembles the scaly hide of the Alligator. The whisky in the Ardbeg Alligator, hence, have gone through a period of maturation in these heavily charred barrels.

Now that is all to it, but the folks at Ardbeg have managed to spin a very attractive PR tale about Alligators on the Isle of Islay, as well as run a very attractive looking advertising campaign to sell the product. The Alligator also comes with a nice little mini booklet that is replete with a poem on the whisky (Biding time and scarcely seen, quiet it waits, encased in green...) and a very entertaining set of tasting notes with very oriental allusions... Personally as a Singaporean I never really had my bak choi smoked, but I can imagine what it will taste like...

I personally am a bit afraid of over-hyping, it potentially leads to disappointment, or in other cases, it becomes a case of using marketing to cover up a product's flaws. However, Ardbeg has been hitting it out of the ball park more often than not in recent years so I still had high hopes for this dram. Let's see how it goes.

Name: Ardbeg Alligator Committee Release
Distillery: Ardbeg (Islay)
Type: Single Malt Scotch
Age Statement: No Age Statement
Alc/Vol: 51.2%


Nose: Loads of BBQ and tomato sauce, leather, citrus and vanilla. Smells alot like the pizza base of a certain cafe in Singapore that I frequent that makes a base out of tomato paste, Hoisin and BBQ sauce. Sweet, smoky, citric all at once. Hints of some strong tea as well. Interestingly the smoke is very faint (23)


Taste/Palate: Sweet entry before a real pungent smoke hits with notes of more leather, strong black or red tea and some espresso. The smoke is sweet with slight notes of seaweed and a bit of vegetables (is this the smoked bak choi?) and some BBQ sauce and spice as well. (22)


Finish: The smokiness lingers for a long time with a nice sweetness and notes of vanilla. Interesting that the leathery notes continue on as well, but the sweet smoke dominates through the finish (22)


Overall: For a while I had this whisky at around 88/100, but its overall balance, richness and flavour shows that Ardbeg has not lost its magic. A resounding whisky that lives up to all the advertising hype! (23) 90/100


Found at: The Auld Alliance (and my place!)

A Classic Laphroaig and A Gentle Ardbeg

The Islay malts have always been revered and loved by fanatics the world over. Indeed for the longest time, the names Laphroaig and Ardbeg can arguably be synonymous with quality drams that people swear by. SGwhisky has had the opportunity to try a few of these beauties from Islay, but interestingly it is true that they are not mentioned very often in this blog! So it's high time we gave them some air time. Introducing a Classic Laphroaig and a Gentle Ardbeg!

Name: Laphroaig 15YO

Distillery: Laphroaig (Islay)

Type: Single Malt Scotch

Age Statement: 15YO

Alc/Vol: 43%

This expression of Laphroaig is a real classic, and has, to the disappointment of many a Laphroaig fan, been discontinued in favour of the new 18YO official expression. An expression with much more sherry influence than the 10YO, Quarter Cask and 10YO Cask Strength expressions, the 15YO showcases the more classic and more refined side of Laphroaig!

Nose: Rich fruits (berries, cherries), with a hint of acidity akin to slightly unripe fruit. The peat smoke is well hidden, only giving out the gentlest hints of smokiness (21)

Taste/Palate: Fruity entry that is typified by grapes. The medicine and smoke then come in with notes of dry smokiness and Chinese cough medicine. Well balanced and not overpowering (23)

Finish: Pleasant finish with notes of medicine and a hint of fruit (21)

Overall: Pleasant and nice, but in my own opinion, it is a younger and growing version of the spectacular 30YO. It is an unfair comparison of course, and ultimately, this is good stuff for its age! (21) 86/100

Found at: La Maison Du Whisky, The Auld Alliance

Aside from Laphroaig, another Islay brand that can boast a cult like following is the distillery of Ardbeg. Powerful yet balanced, connoisseurs and enthusiasts alike have plenty of good things to say about the whiskies that roll out Ardbeg's doors (it is also worth noting that Ardbeg is my drinking buddy's single malt of choice!). However, the Ardbegs I have tried are what can arguably be termed 'classic' Ardbeg, full-bodied, extremely smoky with notes of citrus and fruit. This Ardbeg was totally different, yet it excelled in its own special way!

Nose: An extremely refreshing nose with notes of Ice Cream Soda, toffee, ripe plums and bananas, and powdered sugar (icing sugar?). No peat? You bet there isn't! Not even a hint! With water though, the peat comes rushing out with a clean citrus note of lemon and lime (23)

Taste/Palate: Sweet and smooth with vanilla and toffee notes coating the mouth. The smoke then comes out and takes over with an ashy sweetness. The flavours then mingle to form a more mellow smoky sweetness with honey ham. A really complex and well developed set of flavours on the palate! (22)

Finish: Fruity and malty sweetness, syrupy mouthfeel, with the sweet smoke trailing on. (22)

Overall: Ardbeg on a leash! I was intrigued at this but further conversations with some of the more knowledgeable members of the Singapore whisky scene led me to understand that Ardbeg has experimented with lightly peated expressions (the Blasda of course comes to mind), perhaps this was a cask from a similarly lowly-peated run (22) 89/100

Found at: B28

Ardbeg Uigeadil: Textbook Ardbeg-esque Brilliance

Name: Ardbeg Uigeadil
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region: Islay
Age Statement: Nil
Type: Single Malt
Alc/Vol: 54.2%

For those in the world of whisky, the brand Ardbeg needs no introduction. For those who are starting out on whisky, I daresay it is only a matter of time before you find out about Ardbeg! It divides opinion, with those who do not like it staying as far away from it as they can, but for those who love the whisky that flows from this distillery, they will go to war for it. As I had mentioned in my previous post on the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg Tasting, there has to be something about this brand that makes its makers proudly proclaim on their standard 10 year old bottling that many people consider it the 'Best Whisky in the World'. A bold claim indeed, but not one without its own justifications.

Ardbeg distillery is one of the famed whisky distilleries on the Isle of Islay. It's famous for its flavourful and impeccably balanced whiskies. Their whiskies are known for a great balance of smoked meat, seaweed and brine, floral, honey, citrus, fruity and barley notes, though once again, one would find that different expressions of the Ardbeg have totally different notes. What does stay constant for most of the expressions, as highlighted, is the Ardbeg's ability to retain both flavour and balance in their whiskies. I guess it is this consistency and depth of complexity in flavours that makes the Ardbeg such a winner in the eyes of those who love it.

This bottling, the Ardbeg Uigeadil, is named after the Loch which Ardbeg gets its water from, it is peat-ladened, hence the flavours of the peat are inherent in the water source itself. As a whisky, it has garnered significant praise from all quarters of the whisky world. Serge Valentin of Whiskyfun scored it a 92/100, whilst Jim Murray lavished a 97.5/100 score on it, awarding it World Whisky of the Year 2009 in the process. Whilst opinion is divided on whether this whisky can count as a true great, there is no dispute that this is certainly a very good dram, and in my opinion, rightly so. This is an astounding dram. It is very complex, yet very balanced, unlike any I have had the honour of trying.

Nose: A very complex yet amazingly balanced nose. Citrus, honey, smoked bacon, the salty-tang of the air of the seaside, light fruits and flowers, vanilla. All on the nose, without a single note dominant over another. (25)


Taste/Palate: Once again it is the balance of the flavours and its complexity that shows through. The initial honied sweetness is evident before the ash-smokiness and brine notes hit. Smoked ham, sea salt, sweet barley, citrus (lemon?) and grape. Nicely layered and harmonised (23)


Finish: The smoky finish carries on to the finish, yet the notes of sweet barley and honey are still evident on the tongue. (23)


Overall: Balance wise, this is a masterpiece of a whisky. Perhaps the lack of a surprise in the finish after the brilliant nose and  palate dampens it just a little, but overall this is truly one great dram. I strongly recommend that one try this to see what the fuss is all about for Ardbeg. (24) 95/100

Found at: La Maison Du Whisky, The Auld Alliance, Highlander Bar

Glenmorangie and Ardbeg Tasting @ The Auld Alliance

The Glenmorangie Range and the Ardbeg 10

Glenmorangie and Ardbeg hold very important places in my heart. As a total newcomer to the Whisky world, I stepped into Leeds in the United Kingdom thinking whisky was a drink that burnt your throat and I didn't even know that there was a difference between Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. That all changed when I stepped into Morrisons in the Merrion Centre of the Leeds' city centre and got myself a Glenmorangie 10 year old Single Malt Scotch. It was smooth, light and most importantly, did not burn my throat at all. Suffice to say, that was the start of my odyssey. Similarly with the Ardbeg 10, it was the first Islay whisky I bought whilst on the way back to the UK from Hannover. I was overwhelmed by it initially, but I did see what the raving was all about as it was astonishingly complex and balanced.

So needless to say it was a special feeling to have been invited for the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg tasting at The Auld Alliance, and to re-live the moments where it all started for me. Hosted by the Glenmorangie Brand Ambassador David Blackmore, the tasting was a wonderful introduction into the Glenmorangie brand, the work put into the expressions we tasted, and it culminated in a tasting of the Ardbeg 10, a sister brand of Glenmorangie that is also marketed here.

The range we tasted included the Standard Glenmorangie 10, the Glenmorangie Lasanta, the Glenmorangie 18 Year, the Glenmorangie Signet and the Ardbeg 10.

Sounds great? Indeed it was for me, till my nose decided it will start to block leaving me with no way of smelling half of the whiskies on offer. Bummer. 

Hence, recognising the importance of the sense of smell in trying a whisky, I have decided to give short notes of (a) what to expect and (b) the little I managed to smell, instead of the standard reviews, just to let people have a feel of what each had to offer.

The Glenmorangie 10: The standard bearer of the Glenmorangie range, it is light and fruity, mainly due to the tall stills that are used in the distillery that capture the lighter essences that distill to the top. One can get strong vanilla, red apples, grapes and citrus in the nose, and the flavour continues that with a hint of oak.

The Glenmorangie Lasanta: Un-chill filtered, the Lasanta is the 10 year old Glenmorangie left to finish for 2 years in Oloroso Sherry Casks. The casks, hence, impart a more chocolate and spicy note to the finish, whilst retaining the fruity and floral fragrances of the standard 10.

The Glenmorangie 18: The 18 is a marrying of whisky that have been left in American Oak barrels for 15 years then finished in Oloroso and also whisky that have been left in American Oak for the full 18 years. The result is a nice beautiful mix of vanilla and spice, with the oak influences definitely coming into play.

The Glenmorangie Signet: One of the more exclusive Glenmorangies on offer, the Signet is a mix of the whiskies available to Glenmorangie, ranging from the 10 year old, to those that are 18-20 years old, up to 40 years old. A masterpiece by any standards, it is rich in coffee, liquorice, spice and still retains that fruity edge we associate with Glenmorangie.

The Ardbeg 10: It must be something about the Ardbeg that makes their bottlers proudly exclaim on their boxes and bottles that people consider it the best whisky in the world. It must be something more that makes whisky experts and tasters around the world shower it with acclaim. A lovely mix of sweet citrusy notes and that unmistakable smoked bacon sweetness, the Ardbeg 10 is definitely a dram worth trying!

Unfortunately for me, by the time I hit the Glenmorangie 18, my nose was a complete goner, so pardon the lack of much notes. I promise that if I can I will retaste these drams and write full notes for one and all!

Lastly thank you to my lovely drinking buddy who came with me again for this tasting! And of course many thanks to Emmanuel Dron and The Auld Alliance, and David Blackmore and Glenmorangie for the wonderful evening.