Field Briefs June 2023: La Maison du Whisky Singapore
One of my formative whisky experiences occurred at the La Maison du Whisky hub in Singapore. I was just getting into scotch and had developed a keen interest in Amrut while traveling to India for my sister-in-law’s wedding. My wife and I made a stopover at LMDW and ordered a flight each with help from the staff. As we chatted whisky with the bartender, and we knew very little at the time so I recall the conversation being him asking if we had tried lots of stuff and us replying no, bottles started to appear in front of us. I had never been to a whisky bar before, but the experience was revelatory; from an epic early Amrut Spectrum to a Hanyu, I had no idea how special some of those whiskies were until much later.
Whenever we return to Singapore, we make a pit stop at LMWD. The last time we made it by was 2019; at the time, it felt as though the whisky selection had been trimmed down quite a bit. Four years later, the amount of rum is now staggering, but the whisky selection felt much improved. Sure, old and rare stuff is not just going to magically reappear. Still, the variety of bottlers and casks available appeared more diverse. As we explored our flight, we gazed at the walls of whisky and found plenty more to try on another night.
The flight below was put together by the excellent crew at LMDW Singapore. They asked what we liked and what we had had before, suggested a few bottles, listened to our comments, and settled on some outstanding whiskies. The Glenburgie I asked to be included as I had seen it online and knew I had to give it a taste. The Linkwood was a gamble— I am not a big Linkwood fan, and from the color alone, I felt this might be a bit much of a sherry bomb. The Ballechin and Ledaig were perfectly dirty and complex, precisely what we wanted to end the flight.
Whisky Details: Glenburgie 27 Year (1995) Hogshead 52.1%, Signatory Vintage for LMWD Singapore 16th Anniversary Cask 6581
Nose: Fresh and clean, tropical vegetation, mildly floral, mellow peppercorn and cassia bark, eucalyptus bark, hibiscus and plumeria tisanes, almost petrichor, tropical botanical garden after the rain.
Palate: Medium-bodied, musty tropical fruits and florals, vegetal, restrained sweetness, underripe mango, subtle earth, more caramel over time with pear, hints of bitter oak.
Finish: Medium to long finish with fruits, florals, earth, and a kiss of salt.
Score: 7+
Mental Image: Botanical Garden Stroll in the Rain
Narrative & Notes: This lovely single cask from the dunnage warehouse of Signatory Vintage was bottled for the 16th Anniversary of LMDW Singapore. The staff involved in picking the cask relayed that it was one of several siblings they had tried in Scotland. It had matured closest to the door and was the most exposed to air currents and temperature variations.
I adore these tropical 1995 vintage Glenburgie, and this cask might have been my favorite yet. While the aroma was quiet and reserved, it remained delicate even as it opened up; the palate was loaded with big lovely musty fruits that just tumbled out right away. If the aroma was a distant mirage, the palate was that mirage blossoming to life. The flavor profile had a lovely tropical vegetal and earth quality somewhere between the freshness of morning rain and the mist from sprinklers. Possibly I spent too much time traipsing through botanical gardens lately, but that note was something akin to a greener, more lively petrichor.
The whisky was well-balanced between fruitier and floral notions with a reserved sweetness. Indeed, I wish it had been a touch sweeter. The missus found it not quite sweet enough to be a proper bathtime whisky, though she still rated it highly. With more time to rest, or a few drops of water, more pears and orchard fruits came to the table.
Whisky Details: Linkwood 25 Year (1996) Refill Sherry Butt 54.6%, Gordon & MacPhail Cask 8273
Nose: Intensely sherried, polished wood, dried fruits and berries, hints of candied nuts, candied citrus, treacle, rum raisin, maple syrup with hints of vanilla, fruit syrup.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, pecan, roasted hazelnuts, dried fruits, polished wood, leather, herbal old tobacco, cigar box, subtle menthol.
Finish: Medium to long and drying with menthol, old paper, and dried fruit.
Score: 6-7
Mental Image: Pancakes in the Bath
Narrative & Notes: With an intensely sherry-driven flavor profile, this Linkwood was rich and well-balanced. Linkwood is not at the top of the list of distilleries I seek out, and while I might typically veto something like this in a lineup, I was ready to roll the dice on something outside my usual preferences. Despite the refill sherry butt maturation, I found the sherry influence dominant over the more subtle herbal notions of the malt. Sherry-bombs may not be my style any more than Linkwood usually is, but this was an above-average example of the style with loads of nuttiness and tobacco complexity. Despite the heady cask, the mouthfeel was never overly tannic, bitter, or drying and maintained a lovely balance across the palate.
The missus rated this higher than I expected her to, though she found an element of nostalgia amongst the flavors as she described the fruit syrups her dad would make with whatever extra fruits they had around. She described it as an intensely breakfast whisky— right at home next to maple syrup and pancakes. She thought the oily texture was ideal for a bath-time scotch; perhaps breakfast in the bath?
Whisky Details: Ballechin 11 year (2010) 2nd Fill Marsala Hogshead 60%, Signatory Vintage for LMDW Cask 284
Nose: Sweet dirty smoke, mellow earth, dried grass, mellow farmy funk of dry cow paddies and grassy decay, hints of mint and savory salty cookies— mushroom shortbread anyone? More time brought forward roasted pork skin and dry autumn vegetation.
Palate: Medium-bodied, post-wild fire landscape of char and dry earth, dehydrated mushroom, burnt old rubber tire, sweet plasticine, acrid and industrial, tar, subtle sweet fruits and burnt marshmallows.
Finish: Long and lingering with mint, grass, and loads of ash.
Score: 7
Mental Image: Wildfire Wildlife Survey
Narrative & Notes: As soon as my wife raised this glass for a sniff, she muttered nice and smiled; the first sip brought out a long mmmmm, and I knew the helpful staff at LMDW had pulled down an absolute winner in her books. This was perhaps the biggest surprise of our tasting flight that eventing, the second-fill marsala cask was barely present— perhaps accentuating some of the tar and industrial notes with a hint of sulfur— but the whisky felt balanced and refined in a way that Ballechin rarely does. Considering the sometimes aggressive casking that Signatory frequently employs at Edradour, I expected this to be much sweeter and more wine-driven.
I know the notes above might seem a bit odd, at least to anyone not already habituated to dirty industry and sweet plastic notes— they do not sound all that appetizing in a vacuum. But gosh, once you get a taste for some of these seemingly bizarre notes, there is nothing quite like them.
Whisky Details: Ledaig 23 Year (1998) Refill Sherry Butt 64%, Douglas Laing XOP Black Series Cask DL 15211
Nose: Subtle and restrained, maritime with dried fruit, herbal-medicinal tinctures, shisha and fruit, hookah lounge at night, jammy shortbread cookies, salty miso paste and bonito flakes.
Palate: Medium-bodied, rich, preserved fruits, salt, tobacco, subtle earth and acrid industrial notes, meaty rich roasted duck and duck sauce, molasses, ginger biscuits, dried apple slices, roasted caramelization and salt near the end, cheese rind or cave funk with more time.
Finish: Very long with dried fruit, tobacco, and salt.
Score: 8
Mental Image: Harbor Ferry Hookah Bar
Narrative & Notes: This dram was the most expensive member of the flight and certainly the most complex, with the most significant evolution over time. It was outstanding and one of the best Ledaig I have tried— I knew it would be good as soon as I looked over and noticed that the missus was holding it like Gollum did the precious and that half the pour had disappeared. However, I could not help but ponder whether the malt's greater complexity and challenging nature were worth the premium. Was this four times better than the Ledaig we tried on a previous night which came in at a quarter the price? While I gave them both eights, I would give this the edge. Still, only marginally so, and I do not think the premium was worth the incremental improvement. I do not regret ordering this, it was not something I would usually splurge for, but the price was definitely on my mind as we walked back afterward.
The aroma on this was lovely and light with an upfront fruitiness that only gradually revealed some maritime coastal funk, medicinal herbs, and eventually the burning fruit and herbs of shisha in a late-night hookah lounge. The flavor profile was rich with a lovely meatiness and roasty caramelization that only slowly revealed hints of salty cheese rind. I loved the structure of this malt as new layers appeared and merged as the flavors shifted like smoke between the lights. I know I quibbled about value, but there was no question as to the quality of this malt.
