As my trip rapidly came to a close, and work began to eat into my evenings, I made one final trip to the Swan Song. The bar was a home away from home during this trip— a place to relax and sit with good music, people, and whisky while tuning out the rest of the world.

On this last visit I resolved to keep my whisky selection a bit more pedestrian, with one exception. No flights of ghost distilleries, rare Pokédex entries, or exceptionally old vintages— though this is the Swan Song I am talking about, so even the more pedestrian drams tend to have been bottled a decade or two back.

So here was the final flight, with a few final bonus review to follow as I close out my 2024 drams in Singapore.

Whisky Details: Linkwood 15 Year (1987), D&M Wines and Liquors, 58.2%

Nose: Very creamy and citrusy with lemon drops; grape must with a touch of floral herbs, more herbal tea in the background with orange peel and a hint of anise.

Palate: Medium to sharp citrus, 7-Up soda, citrusy and creamy with subtle herbal tea and malty scones alongside lemon curd and salted butter.

Finish: Medium-length with citrus, herbs, and a touch of minerals.

Score: 7 (82)

Mental Image: Sierra Mist (RIP)

Narrative & Notes: I am not a card carrying member of the Linkwood Gang— but I consider some Linkwood-heads to be good friends.  In their honor I picked this dram to start the final flight— something mellow, but full-strength to awaken and refresh the taste buds.

I got exactly what I wanted— if there was a 7-Up whisky, this would be it, though it also reminded me of the now discontinued Sierra Mist.  There was plenty of bright lemon, lime and citrusy notes to tickle the taste buds while more typical herbal and malty notes lingered further in the background.  The whisky was almost effervescent at times, though the creamier qualities always pulled it back from truly feeling bubbly.

Overall, simple and delicious.

Whisky Details: Ledaig 11 Year (1992), Scottish Liqueur Centre Cask 116, 58.9%

Nose: Guava candies with a touch of soursop and lime, grassy like crushed cane juice with a kiss of salt; hard candies and soft beachy brine, melon rind, mineral oil.

Palate: Medium-bodied, herbal with fruitier notes of apple and guava, a twist of lime, crushed sugar cane; salt and nutty olive oil, a kiss of smoked fish and dried grass toward the end— a touch discordant at times.

Finish: Medium-bodied with guava, grassy sugar cane, and a touch of lime.

Score: 6 (78)

Mental Image: Farmer's Market Fruit Juice

Narrative & Notes: Out of all the tempting Ledaig to include in a final flight at Swan Song, I chose this one mostly because I have a bottle of a sibling cask that the Scottish Liqueur Centre bottled about six months later.  It took a good six months for that bottle to arrive from the auction where I won it, so I only had a couple chances to try it before coming to Singapore.

This bottle was quite different from mine; much mellower and much fruitier.  It was also cloudier and more turbid, which I was told might have been due to some cork disintegration (the cork had since been replaced.) It was still a fine whisky with loads more grassy sugars and citrus— none of the shrimpy, meaty, or metallic qualities of the other— more like a slightly diluted freshly crushed cane juice.

Overall, a tasty and slightly unusual whisky.  While I enjoyed it, I am more partial to the bottle I have (though I may be biased).

Whisky Details: Glenrothes 18 Year (1996), Scots Whisky Forum No. 10, 47.8%

Nose: Creamy with strawberry and a touch of pistachio; oak with sweet vanilla and white cake lent itself to Tokyo Banana pastries; peppery spice further in turned to malty cinnamon scones.

Palate: Medium-bodied and a touch syrupy; strawberries and austere malty sugars, herbal and woody with time, a touch of creamy fruits and peach tea.

Finish: Long and lingering with subtle fruit, buttery scones, and malty pastries.

Score: 6-7 (81)

Mental Image: Tokio Banana Kit Kat

Narrative & Notes: Glentauchers is one of the few distilleries that I prefer with a sherry maturation, yet, this ex-bourbon teenager was still lovely.  It had plenty of the creamy and malty aspects of the distillery character, elements that make it an attractive component for blends, but sometimes leave it feeling rather one dimensional and plain.  The malt is robust enough, that I find it handles big casks and heavy maturations better than most.

This was enjoyable, while it was on the simple side, there were some delightfully fruity aspects and it was not particularly austere.  The finish was the real highlight though, as it lingered for a good long time with malty sugars and cream lending the impression of a well-buttered fruit scone.