glen bangkok

as this is written, another group of guys are flying to bangkok for another stag holiday. unfortunately, i am not one of them.
damn! work and life gets in the way of the stag. not that it is much of a stag these days with more of drinking and eating and bit of this and that, here and there.
the last stag in november 2007 was quite a revelation as far as the single malts that we imbibed to while away the day as we await the night's outing and entertainment.
almost everyone - we called ourselves the dirty dozen - brought along a single malt. some brought white spirits but those were not even consumed. a pity. but that's how it is these days. everyone is a single malt snob.
and lo! and behold, most of the single malts had the word glen on the label.
the first glen was the glenlivet 15 years old which everyone agreed was the definitive single malt of the stag.
as written earlier, it is a rather summery creamy whisky that leaves one refreshed and most of us swigged on it as we made our way through the warren of streets in bangkok for our night out.
suffice to say the glenlivet 15 year old whetted our appetite for the night.
we had another 15 year old, not that we were paedophiles but this was the glenfiddich 15 year old single malt. it used to be called the solera but the new bottlings do not have that on the label.
despite that, the whisky is still vatted in the solera vat which is never emptied but is always kept at least half full tp create a single malt with character and intense complexity.
and that is why the sweet speyside 15 year old made good company for us in bangkok.
it had a spicy side that went well with all things thai - the land of the birds eye chilli and other hot happening things that make life truly wonderful.
the last glen that made it to our lips and onwards was the glenmorangie port wood finish which is one of the better glenmorangie bottlings ever. it combines my two favourites - single malts and port.
with a certain fruity nose, the 43 percent alcohol by volume single malt is smooth and sweet with a tinge of brine to eventually lull you into a wonderful state of relaxation.
the straw-coloured single malt has a lingering finish with hints of spice to make it a wonderful dram and a great ending to a fantastic night. which some of us had in bangkok.
unfortunately, this 12-year-old single malt has been discontinued in autumn 2007 and is now known as the quinta ruban, after the quintas or wines estates which provide the port pipes to mature the single malt.
fact of the matter, glenmorangie now has new bottlings with new names that could also mean new expressions that might not satisfy the palates. well, if you can get your hands on the port wood, keep and compare it to the new expressions.