From L-R: Karuizawa Noh 1995,
Yoichi 15, Talisker 18
As a budding whisky writer, if luck serves I do get to try a good dram once every week or a few days, but I do feel on some special day, one should spoil one's self. So yesterday, I went with my Whisky buddy and companion to The Auld Alliance, a new whisky bar in CHIJMES, which I will soon be doing a write up on along with the other places to get a good dram in Singapore. The owner of the bar recommended 3 decently priced drams which we see on top: The Karuizawa Noh 1995, Yoichi 15 and the Talisker 18. Without much further ado, let's stop-a-talking and start-a-tasting!
Name: Talisker 18 Single Malt
Distillery: Talisker
Region: Island (Isle of Skye)
Type: Single Malt
Alc/Vol: 45.8%
This was also my first time trying a Talisker, which seems to have garnered very good reviews for their balanced and peppery whiskies. Talisker is classified as an Island whisky, which is the region that is used to describe whiskies produced on the various islands surrounding Scotland, exlcuding the revered whiskies on the Isle of Islay. Island whiskies are typically very well balanced but due to the differing conditions on these various islands, I would personally say it is pretty hard to pin down a certain set of characteristics!
All in all, this dram was pretty good. I enjoyed it, and it did have a good balance. Many thanks to the owner of The Auld Alliance for introducing it to me.
Nose: A nice balanced and opened nose is detected here. Caramel and light fruit notes are complemented by the smell of cracked white pepper and a touch of smoke.
Palate/Taste: This is where the balance and poise of a good whisky (Island dram) is seen. Honied sweetness and fruity notes are balanced well with lovely white pepper spiciness and the slight smokiness and sea salt that reflect the maritime characteristics of the whisky
Finish: Lingering fruit finish that is reminiscent of apples cooked in a sugary syrup. The fruit and sugar notes really leave a pleasant mouthfeel!
Overall: This is indeed a balanced dram, but in some ways, it does seem to lack a bit of the punch in terms of richness of flavours. Nevertheless, it is still a darn good one in my opinion simply by virtue of the elegant balance it has. 88/100
Found at: The Auld Alliance, La Maison Du Whisky
Name: Karuizawa Noh 1995 (13 Years Old, bottled 2008)
Distillery: Karuizawa
Origin: Japan
Type: Single Malt
Alc/Vol: 63.0%
So here's the deal. Japan has, as seen in the inaugural review, put itself well on truly on the world map of whiskies. The two bigwigs of the Japanese whisky industry, Suntory and Nikka, have constantly produced amazing drams that have captured the attention of the whisky-loving world. And in this writer's humble opinion, knowing the industrious qualities of the Japanese, one can see them continuing to produce more gems. Lesser is known about the other distilleries in Japan, but as one continues to learn more, one would realise that some of these distilleries have attained an almost cult-like status. Karuizawa is one of these distilleries.
According to the menu in the bar, Karuizawa closed in 2001, but over the years, it has continued to gain acclaim with a string of stellar cask-strength releases. Just a short bit on the idea of cask-strength whiskies: When whiskies come out of the cask, they are usually at extremely high alcoholic percentages, hence there is a need to dilute them with water. Whisky out of the cask may also have some cloudiness or lack of clarity so companies choose to filter their whiskies (a process called chill-filtering) and add colouring and caramel so the product looks clear of any such cloudiness.
Hence, in the case of Karuizawa, their whiskies are all bottled at cask-strength, meaning they are bottled straight from the cask without any of the processes listed above, hence the extremely high alcoholic percentage. Due to the high percentage, this whisky is big-boned and extremely strong. Not for the faint of heart! But don't let this deceive you, this is one amazing whisky. Perhaps one of the best I have had the joy of tasting in the relatively short period of time I've had tasting whisky so far.
Nose:
Neat: A closed nose, with not many flavours clearly apparent but one immediately can detect the influence of the sherry casks used. The spiciness and caramel notes play backup to the amazing dark chocolately aromas so often associated with sherry casks.
With Water: With a drop of water, the nose opens up a lot more. The aroma of brandy soaked raisins and cherries now come out and compliment the chocolate. This smells a lot like a black-forest cake! Strong caramel notes also come up. Amazing stuff.
Taste/Palate:
Neat: The nose here doesn't lie as the strong spice hits one before the notes of cocoa, caramel and the woodiness of the oak come along.
With Water: With water, one can detect a coffee-like acidity, with a slight sweetness of cocoa and some slight liquorice
Finish:
Neat: Dark Cocoa with a liquorice like finish, with the influence of the wood spiciness taking over. Amazingly no hint of burn at all.
With Water: The liquorice is much stronger with water, and nice rich sweet notes of fruit bringing up the rear.
Overall: I confess I'm new to this world of whisky. Compared to the experts in the scene who have been in this industry longer than I've been alive, I am still very much an amateur finding his way around. But I do believe that at a personal level, I know a good whisky when I taste one. It may be very early in the game to give the first 90 and above rating, but I have a sneaking suspicion this one is here to stay. This is an immense whisky, a pure gem, and I recommend it to anyone lucky enough to find a bottle! Be warned though, this beast isn't easily tamed!
92/100
Found at: The Auld Alliance
Name: Yoichi 15 Single Malt Whisky
Distillery Nikka Yoichi
Origin: Japan
Type: Single Malt
Alc/Vol: 45%
The Nikka Yoichi 15 has been hailed by whisky experts all over the world as a standard bearer for the Yoichi brand. Unfortunately for the viewers, I have no tasting notes for this as this was my partner's drink of choice. What I can say from the little I tried that the nose is rich in vanilla and toffee notes, and the palate is a lovely mix of smoke and rich sweetness. I can also safely say that this is next on my 'to-buy' whisky list. Stay tuned for more!
So this wraps up my piece on the whisky three-peat. Hope this has helped everyone! Cheers.
