This is your last chance to taste these Islay vintages.
This is your last chance to taste these Islay vintages.
There’s good whisky, and there’s good whisky you may never be able to taste again. Such is the allure of limited editions, and it’s hard not to buy into the spiel when it has the flavours to back it up. The latest distillery to join the rare cask club is Bruichladdich, and it’s a series that begs to be enjoyed, not collected.
The Rare Cask Series comprises three whiskies – the 1984, 1985 and 1986 – and they are drawn from the last casks of their corresponding year. The 1984 was drawn from just 12 casks, and is characterised by a sweet fruitiness with a tang of salt. The 1985, made from 22 casks, spent its final three months in Mouton Rothschild oak casks before bottling, and is noticeably sweeter with a bit of spice on the nose. Only seven casks were left to make the 1986 and it was matured in oloroso casks until 2012, after which it was re-casked into PX casks from Fernando de Castillo; the sherry influence is wonderfully pronounced here.
Head distiller Adam Hannett isn’t being dramatic when he describes these as “the last of their kind”. Taste this soon-to-be-extinct libation at La Maison du Whisky.
80 Mohamed Sultan Road.
FIZZY BUSINESS
Because it goes through the same process as champagne making, champagne beers (or brut beers) have higher alcohol content, finer bubbles and a lighter taste compared to regular brews. Few breweries can be bothered with the sheer hassle of it all, but Level33 is giving it a shot. The microbrewery is saving a portion of its new limited edition Champagne Beer (so named only for the champagne yeast used, not the process) to undergo a second fermentation inside champagne bottles using the methode champenoise. The final product will be available later this year. #33-01, Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower 1.
EXTREME MAKEOVER
Despite the beautiful bottles and sublime spirits they hold, the distilleries they come from are rarely handsome structures. But The Macallan has just pumped £140 million (S$250 million) into changing that utilitarian image. Designed by British studio Rogers Stirk & Partners, its new distillery in Speyside boasts the most complicated timber structure in the world, with an undulating roof that has over 1,800 beams, 2,400 roof elements and 380,000 individual components. The inside is no less beautiful, and guests will be able to tour the shiny new facility and pick from 952 bottles to sample. A VIP tour is in the works, which will offer a tasting of ultra-premium expressions.
GOING SOUTH
If you missed Junior’s opening concept, Norma, which featured nothing but agave spirits, well, too bad. The 10-seater bar aims to present two new concepts a year, and it’s moved on to its second: Magnolia. The focus now lies on New Orleans’ cocktail culture, birthplace of the Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz, Brandy Crusta and numerous other classics. Inspired house originals are also available here, as well as Creole bar bites that include daily po’ boys and beignets. Available until year’s end. 43 Tanjong Pagar Road.
TEXT CHARMIAN LEONG PHOTO (MACALLAN) MARK POWER / MAGNUM PHOTOS
