August-September 2024 Digest

Welcome to the August-September 2024 Month in Review!

I fully intended to go back to writing these up monthly, but August quickly turned into September as I wrapped up whisky reviews from Singapore and began the new fall semester.

On the whisky front, the biggest development was dropping by a handful of my favorite Singaporean whisky bars between stuffing my face with delicious food and attending an academic conference. Sadly, it was all solo travel this time as the wife stayed back to tend to the herd of cats that inhabit our home.

Before I went to Singapore I dedicated a couple of weeks to Caol Ila, the Islay mainstay. I prefer my Caol Ila in a gentle ex-bourbon cask and on the older end of the spectrum, a preference that certainly came through in my reviews.  While plenty of peated whiskies can be delightful at a young age, and Caol Ila is no slouch, I love how the flavor profile mellows out in the late teens or early twenties.

You can find the full breath of Singapore whisky reviews here— there were quite a few.  I arrived in Singapore five days before the conference, hoping to overcome any jet lag and have plenty of time for friends, whisky, and a bit of writing.  The writing did not happen, it turned out my conference paper and presentation needed more attention than I had accounted for, but there was still plenty of whisky and friends.

I spent most of my whisky-oriented time at the Swan Song, a bar I had heard loads about the previous year, but had been unable to visit. I rectified that right away!

If you scroll through the reviews, you will notice that I started with quite a few ghost distilleries and very old whiskies, before gradually shifting toward more standard fare near the end— though still largely things I would be hard pressed to try anywhere else. I expect that the 49-Year Lochside I tried as the Swan Song will be the oldest malt I review this year, unless 2024 delivers something at the half-century mark. That seems unlikely, but then, 2023 included its fair share of unexpectedly old whiskies.

I stopped by the Auld Alliance, another well-known whisky and rum institution, a couple of times. The selection found on the their menu and shelves is as dizzying as ever and it was impossible to set aside enough time to try every dram that tempted me on the menu. A reality in every whisky bar I dropped by in Singapore. Needing to maintain some focus, I availed myself of the opportunity to check off several entries from my old whisky Pokédex including Glen Flagler and Ben Wyvis.

Finally, I made a couple of visits to The Single Cask at Chijmes.  That bar was my home away from home last year, in much the same way the Swan Song was this year.  The week I stopped by was their last at Chijmes as the bar prepared to shutter for a few months and move down the road a little ways.  I made sure to pick up a few bottles to lighten their load and enjoyed a fun flight with an absurdly off-profile, but incredibly delicious, peated Glenturret (Ruadh Maor).

After I returned home, I launched into the whirlwind of a new semester and finished writing up my notes from Singapore. As the dust settled, I turned to Japanese whiskies for the second time this year.  This round of Japanese whisky reviews focused on a handful of new distilleries, Yuza and Asaka, a healthy dose of Chichibu, and then a few offerings from Suntory.  As always, there was a lot to love, but the prices demanded for most of these whiskies heavily skews the quality-price ratio. The Yuza deserved particular praise and I have my eye out for a chance to try more from the new wave distillery.

Speaking of New Wave— I closed the month out reviewing some of Scotland’s New Wave distilleries: Lagg, Lochlea, Dornoch, Strathearn, Wolfburn, and Roseisle.  I consider most of these to be previews of things to come rather than finished products— though the Roseisle was already a fairly complete whisky with a beautiful summer flavor profile.  The others were all intriguing in different ways and I hope they can navigate some of the choppy waters that have begun to set in across the industry.

Onward to October! More Bruichladdich and Springbank sit on the horizon…. Including a trip to the Springbank distillery.

Cheers.