Field Briefs June 2023: The Single Cask Singapore II
We returned to The Single Cask many times in Singapore; the first time was to check out the place. However, the half dozen other trips, usually just for a dram, resulted from that great first experience. No doubt, the fact that we stayed half a block away for part of the visit and walked by Chijmes, the complex in which the bar sits, just about any time we left the hotel, also played a role.
The staff and owners were terrific; happy to talk whisky, explain the story behind different bottles, share some of their favorites, and offer suggestions for food, fun, or more whisky. I love how whisky brings people together and breaks the ice, especially for someone like me who, if you can believe it, happens to be somewhat introverted and a touch shy when not performing or speaking.
Our last night there was emblematic of the heart and community shared through whisky. We stopped by the bar shortly after opening for one last hurrah before heading to Changi airport and our very late red-eye flight. We tasted the happy hour special flight below, and over a couple hours, we found ourselves with pours from regulars who happened to stop in with their own bottles and offered to share, adding social media friends and swapping more stories about travel and whisky. We never made it to all the bars or places were hoped to, but it is never bad to have a few good reasons to return again.
Whisky Details: Glenrothes 25 Year (1997), The Whisky Age “Secret Speyside” Cask SP002
Nose: Bursting with well-rounded notes of apples— sauce, juice, fresh slices, and sticky hard candies, mellow oak with hints of honey, brown sugar, and dried herbs.
Palate: Medium-bodied and mellow, balanced on the palate, vanilla cream, pears, apples, subtle oak, hints of pineapple with water, flakey biscuits and browned butter cookies.
Finish: Medium-length with apple, oak, and hints of herbal tea.
Score: 5-6
Mental Image: Apple Press Demonstration
Narrative & Notes: As the warm-up dram for the flight, this mystery Speyside from a distillery that starts with Glen and ends in Rothes (sometimes labeled Glenshiel on trade/blending casks that cannot name the distillery) served its purpose. It was mellow and balanced, though still characterful on the mouthfeel, as the apple notes had a lovely crispness. It was also a bit one-dimensional and uncomplicated, not necessarily a bad thing in a warm-up whisky or something you plan to kick back with and not really dwell too much on. This was not my favorite, and it had much in common with some of the 2002 vintage Glentauchers from SMWS. However, some of those verged on oaked to my palate, and this was far from feeling overly influenced by wood or tainted by any tannic bitterness.
Overall, a quality malt, even if not a very memorable one.
Whisky Details: Mannochmore 9 Year (2012) FF Tawny Port 54.5%, The Single Cask Ltd.
Nose: Sweet pickled plums, ume, with licorice, shiso leaf, anise, and hints of crème brûlée, raspberry coulis, jammier with time, a kiss of salt and citrus.
Palate: Full-bodied and thick with ume, leather, stewed stone fruits, baked peaches, cinnamon, floral sweet sakura cream, red cherries, touch of melon at the end, more cream over time or with water.
Finish: Medium to long and drying with concentrated fruits and more mellow hints of melon and leather.
Score: 7
Mental Image: Rhino Dressed as a Ballerina
Narrative & Notes: Lovely and thick, the texture of this whisky enveloped the palate in a lovely warm blanket of fruits and subtle spices. Ume, or pickled plums, popped on the nose and the palate to give the whisky a beautiful tart and occasionally slightly salty quality. Time to rest, or a few drops of water, brought out more mellow cream and hints of sakura. The effect was an unctuous malt whose bold and subtle sides came through at different times. The casking played a central role; though oak remained a constant, it was never bitter or overly tannic. Much like the first malt in the tasting, it was a relatively simple affair, though with a touch more depth to it. I am not wild about heavy casking or port maturations, so if you are, this might have even more appeal, but I still enjoyed it.
Whisky Details: Linkwood 13 Year (2008) Fino Octave Finish 55.6%, The Single Cask Ltd. Cask 304391A
Nose: Sugary grab bag of Halloween candies, candy corn, chocolate, Reese’s Pieces, grape nerds, lacquered wood, subtle burning candle wick.
Palate: Medium-bodied, stewed fruits, a touch spirited and spicy, grilled stone fruits, licorice, tannic, dried plum powder, sour green plum, peppercorns.
Finish: Medium-length with hints of cream and stewed fruits.
Score: 5-6
Mental Image: Halloween Pillaging
Narrative & Notes: A relatively straightforward sherry-driven whisky, this Linkwood was all cask all the time. I am not really into these massive cask bombs without some other compelling element to balance against the wood and wine. The Linkwood malt faded very much into the background, and, while I know people love to toss it into these robust cask finishes and maturations, I do not find the malt strong enough to carry them. Maybe that is the point, though. A profile loaded with Halloween candies is far too saccharine for my taste. Still, I know plenty of people who like that style and would almost certainly rate this higher.
Whisky Details: Ardmore 11 Year (2009), Red Wine Octave Finish 55.7%, The Single Cask Ltd. Cask 709249
Nose: Fried donuts and sweet smoked meat, egg custard filling in a fried donut, dirty grill soot and grease, carbonized grill debris, charred herbs, sweet char siu, hints of smoked cheese rind.
Palate: Medium-bodied, earthy, dirty grill top, hints of smoke and pineapple, sweet honey, toasted herbs along the lines of Herbes de Provence, a touch of ash.
Finish: Long with dirty grill, charred fruit, and toasted herbs.
Score: 6
Mental Image: Unmaintained Community Grill
Narrative & Notes: A final peaty dram to end the Happy Hour Tasting Flight— our final flight in Singapore. I have had a couple of other red wine Ardmore before, and I am just not sure the style really works for me. This was the highest I have rated one to this point, as they have all had this rather odd collision of flavors as the red wine casks elevate earthier elements of the whisky so that it feels dirty. On this whisky, that primarily came through as dirty grill tops with all manner of carbonized meat and detritus— the kind of grill in need of more than just a good scrub to remove some of the excess seasoning. There were elements I enjoyed, especially the teases of fruit and fried dough that came through at different times. If those had been more dominant and less fleeting, a reveal of positions with the dirty grill, this would have been really special. As is, it was good but just missing another strong element.
