alcoholic angpows

well, its official! the lunar new year is over with a number of maidens having littered rivers with oranges.
wonder if they had added some vodka to give it a kick and get their man.
apart from oranges, i received a few angpows for the lunar new year, especially a double ang pow from a friend who just tied the knot a few weeks before the earth rat festivities.
more than the angpows was the selection of single malt available with the mound of micro oranges at his home in kuala lumpur, instead of the usual pilgrimage we used to make to his ipoh hometown.
started out with the standard laphroaig that is a firm favourite of the mistress of the home.
had a few drams and then proceeded to the tamnavulin 12 year old, which i was reminded was the bottle from a trip to india several years ago. talk about keeping a wee dram for some time.
the tamnavulin distillery was mothballed in 1995 which would explain why any bottle one would come across would be part of a three 333 ml bottle package at an airport duty-free outlet, the other two being a dalmore 12 year old and an isle of jura single malt.
casked in oak, the 40 percent alcohol by volume speyside single malt is pale straw in colour and has an aromatic nose with a distinctive oily scent that leads to a fresh palate with a hint of mint, spice and sweetness.
it finishes off to an appetising and attractive chocolatey ending that leaves you wanting for more. which was something we all did during that trip across the subcontinent where single malts was the balm that salved our souls in the hot days and nights of the indian summer.
think i was the only one imbibing from the wee bottle. but each dram is precious until the owners do decide to reopen the distillery.
anyway, it was time to switch whiskies and settled on the singleton 12 year old, the younger single malt to the 18 year old. duh!
well, this younger singleton also comes in a flask-type blue bottle and is only available in asia with the european version called the singleton 12 year old of dufftown.
the 40 percent alcohol by volume gold single malt has been casked in sherry casks which adds a caramel note to the nose and definitely a toffee taste that brings to a pleasant finish.
this single malt by global beverage giant diageo's glen ord distillery is rather fresh and sweet thanks to the sherry cask character.
it is comparable to the glenfiddich 15 year old solera or the glenlivet 15 year old.
nice.
the night was proceeding fine and the host decided to fish out the glengoyne 17 year old single malt from his cellar. it was his latest acquisition from the airport duty-free and one that he had wanted to open for a long time.
the highlands single malt is 43 percent alcohol by volume and appears honey gold, hinting at its brilliant fruity and chocolatey bouquet that just demands you to have an immediate taste.
its rich and viscous with a complex mix of sherry, chocolate, nuts and fruits to bring a sweet and spicy finish that leaves you wanting for more.
a delightful dram that truly shows its age and quality.
fact is, i realised that all three drams drunk that night had some chocolate influences apart from the laphroaig of course. well, i guess the host does love his chocolates.
the other thing i realised is that i keep taking the same angle of photos for the bottles. something to think about.

single but not quite available

the singleton 18 years old of glen ord is one of the more singular single malts i have ever tasted. and the sad thing is, it is quite hard to get.
apparently only 3,600 numbered bottles were ever produced.
had my fill of it late 2007 when conferring with friends about a stag holiday. one had just returned from cuba and picked up the singleton 18 years old from the airport duty free outlet. it turned out to be a revelation for us.
we didn't finish it then. we finished it at a christmas party two weeks ago.
produced by glen ord which now owned by global brewery giant diageo, the 40 percent alcohol by volume 18 year old is a classic malt with a deep amber appearance in a handsome oval flask bottle.
by the way, the glen ord distillery at the muir of ord - the moor by the hill - was founded in 1838, making it one of the oldest in scotland. and is also the only remaining single malt scotch whisky distillery on the black isle in the highlands of scotland west of inverness.
the distillery continues to malt its own barley and use the long fermentation and slow distillation methods followed there for generations, resulting in the unique but pleasant light sweet palate and long finish with hints of smoke to make it a great whisky.
quite simply, an amazing single malt that goes well and before you know it, it is almost gone.