Showing posts with label Islay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islay. Show all posts
March 23, 2019
Riesling and Burgs
Dinner at Nhau.
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label
2006 Tattinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs - much nicer and more elegant.
2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett - classic kabinett, with a little petrol, flint, white flowers, and just a little sweetness to make it off-dry.
2005 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes - eucalyptus and a little leather notes.
2008 Joseph Voillot Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens
Caol Ila 12 years - Still peaty and plenty of hospital disinfectant.
March 2, 2019
Bongwater pairing
Dinner at HAKU.
Junmaiginjo Shikomi Hakuroubai (純米吟醸仕込 白老梅) - an umeshu (梅酒) made with junmai ginjo koshu (純米吟醸 古酒). This was pretty nice and fragrant. Savory with minerality on the palate in part due to the oxidation from aging, there was good depth on the palate.
Garage Project Demus Favorem Amori - nose was very fruity, but fucking bitter on the palate. Blegh!
2015 Recrue des Sens Love and Pif - a little pungent, with some minerals. More acidity and lean on the palate. OK not to bad lah...
Lost Distillery Lossit - unmistakably Islay, with a peaty nose full of hospital disinfectant.
2017 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett Feinherb - nose was a little pungent, with classic petrol notes.
2016 Eric Bordelet Poiré Granit - soooo steely and mineral. Floral, and totally smelled like a bucketful of European pears. Beautiful.
Hanatomoe Mizumoto ✕ Mizumoto Unfiltered Unpasteurized (花巴 水酛 ✕水酛 無濾過生原酒), 30BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 70%. Nose was a little fermented, along with the lovely fragrance of banana and honey. Nice acidity along with some sweetness, and definitely a little savory. Such a complex little gem.
2017 Gut Oggau Winifred - a little pungent as expected, but OK. Big and toasty nose.
2012 Heitlinger Odenheimer Königsbecher Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs - initially nose was very muted, although one could taste that it's clearly a pinot noir. Some black fruits, and later on showed some forest notes.
2004 Silvio Carta Vernaccia di Oristano Riserva - nice and oxidative nose, a little savory.
Vincent Charlot Ratafia Cuvée N° 14 - a little herbal and almost minty. Sweet on the palate, of course.
Campbells Rutherglen Muscat - very sweet with some herbs.
Full post on dinner is here.
2015 Recrue des Sens Love and Pif - a little pungent, with some minerals. More acidity and lean on the palate. OK not to bad lah...
Hanatomoe Mizumoto ✕ Mizumoto Unfiltered Unpasteurized (花巴 水酛 ✕水酛 無濾過生原酒), 30BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 70%. Nose was a little fermented, along with the lovely fragrance of banana and honey. Nice acidity along with some sweetness, and definitely a little savory. Such a complex little gem.
2017 Gut Oggau Winifred - a little pungent as expected, but OK. Big and toasty nose.
2012 Heitlinger Odenheimer Königsbecher Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs - initially nose was very muted, although one could taste that it's clearly a pinot noir. Some black fruits, and later on showed some forest notes.
Full post on dinner is here.
April 10, 2010
After dinner Scotch
Drinks at b.a.r. executive.
Ardbeg Blasda - straight up in a white wine glass. The word "blasda" in Gaelic means "sweet and delicious", and this was definitely a sweeter expression of the Ardbeg style. They toned down the peatiness of the whisky to about a third of what it normally is, and the result is obvious. You can definitely still smell the peat but it's much lighter now, with a hint of sweetness on the nose...a little caramel...and a finish that is also a little sweet. Pretty interesting.
Caol Ila 27 Year Old - again taken straight up. I wanted to try some of the other Islay malts which aren't available elsewhere. Very mature. Pretty sweet with caramel, a little plum and a little peaty. Spicy and long finish.
Ardbeg Blasda - straight up in a white wine glass. The word "blasda" in Gaelic means "sweet and delicious", and this was definitely a sweeter expression of the Ardbeg style. They toned down the peatiness of the whisky to about a third of what it normally is, and the result is obvious. You can definitely still smell the peat but it's much lighter now, with a hint of sweetness on the nose...a little caramel...and a finish that is also a little sweet. Pretty interesting.
Caol Ila 27 Year Old - again taken straight up. I wanted to try some of the other Islay malts which aren't available elsewhere. Very mature. Pretty sweet with caramel, a little plum and a little peaty. Spicy and long finish.
Full post on the evening is here.
February 22, 2010
Isle of Islay vs Isla Formosa
Drinks at Bar Seed.
Murray McDavid Macallan 1997 - I enjoyed this as much as last time, possibly more. Nose of honey, caramel, raisins, butterscotch, a little salty plum (話梅) and a bit spicy. The palate was sweet, with a long and spicy finish. Not surprisingly, this was good on the rocks but much better straight from the single malt glass.
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask - there's no indication on how old this single malt is, but given that the distillery was only set up in the last couple of years, this is probably no more than 3 years old. This was also at cask strength, so just under 60% alcohol. I took this on the rocks, letting the water dilute the strong drink. Nose was a little unexpected - salty plum (話梅), sour plum soup (酸梅湯), and ripe fruits in general. Pretty sweet on the palate. The nose was almost brandy-like, and pretty different from your run-of-the-mill whisky. The darn thing was just too one-dimensional, with no complexity whatsoever.
Murray McDavid Macallan 1997 - I enjoyed this as much as last time, possibly more. Nose of honey, caramel, raisins, butterscotch, a little salty plum (話梅) and a bit spicy. The palate was sweet, with a long and spicy finish. Not surprisingly, this was good on the rocks but much better straight from the single malt glass.
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask - there's no indication on how old this single malt is, but given that the distillery was only set up in the last couple of years, this is probably no more than 3 years old. This was also at cask strength, so just under 60% alcohol. I took this on the rocks, letting the water dilute the strong drink. Nose was a little unexpected - salty plum (話梅), sour plum soup (酸梅湯), and ripe fruits in general. Pretty sweet on the palate. The nose was almost brandy-like, and pretty different from your run-of-the-mill whisky. The darn thing was just too one-dimensional, with no complexity whatsoever.
Full post is here.
January 27, 2010
Drinking some whisky
Drinks at Bar Seed.
Strathisla Highland Malt by Chivas Brothers - classically sweet like a Highland malt, and I took it straight in a Riedel Single Malt glass.
Ardbeg 10 Years - took this on the rocks, and watched as the owner poured it over a large cube of ice that he had spent time cutting down to size so that it would fit the glass perfectly. This is normally done in Japanese bars, as the size of the ice cube meant a slower melting process. My friend didn't quite like the peaty, hospital disinfectant nose that is typical of Islay whiskies.
Murray McDavid Macallan 1997 - this was an interesting beast... Distilled at Macallan in Speyside (originally part of the Highlands), it was bottled at Bruichladdich on Islay - my favorite whisky distillery. Aged for 9 years in Bourbon and oak barrels used in the production of Ridge Zinfandels, the owner called this "spicy Macallan." And it was. Taken in the Riedel glass, it was sweet and fragrant like caramel. But at the same time it was big and spicy on the finish. Pretty much everything I could ask for in a whisky.
Strathisla Highland Malt by Chivas Brothers - classically sweet like a Highland malt, and I took it straight in a Riedel Single Malt glass.
Ardbeg 10 Years - took this on the rocks, and watched as the owner poured it over a large cube of ice that he had spent time cutting down to size so that it would fit the glass perfectly. This is normally done in Japanese bars, as the size of the ice cube meant a slower melting process. My friend didn't quite like the peaty, hospital disinfectant nose that is typical of Islay whiskies.
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