Tag Archive for: Quaich Bar 10th Anniversary

Whisky Review #48 – Bunnahabhain 12 Years (Quaich Bar)

Bunnahabhain is a unique distillery located on the northeast tip of Islay. It is the only distillery on Islay that produces largely unpeated whisky. Due to the isolated location of Bunnahabhain, it earns a saying that goes like this: “You can take a trip to Islay, but it’s a journey to reach Bunnahabhain”. True to this saying, it is not easy to travel to Bunnahabhain as access is often limited to water passageway. The main road leading to the distillery was open only in 1993.

The object of this review is a Bunnahabhain 12 years old. Unlike the official bottling of the 12 years old, this one is from a single cask. It is also bottled at cask strength of 55.5% abv. This liquid matured for 12 full years in an ex-oloroso sherry cask before it was bottled for Quaich Bar. The single cask yields 332 bottles.

Let’s check out how it measures up!

Tasting Notes:

Colour: Amber
ABV: 55.5%

Nose: The deep sherried notes wafts up to the nose immediately that translate into caramel quickly. Soft oak and some smoke appear after nosing it for a while. The sweetness of the liquid blends well with the slight smoke to create a pleasant nose. (18/20)

Palate: Sweet and slightly smoky with rich, dried cranberry with the first mouth. Caramel, chocolate and oaky richness appear shortly. Vanilla notes become pronounced at the end. (18/20)

Finish: Long finish with notes of vanilla and dried cranberry and a light pinch of salt. The salt is a little pleasant surprise as it seems to complete the whole experience of an Islay whisky. (18/20)

Body: Full-bodied sherry whisky with a balanced nose and palate. The slightly salted finish is also a great addition to make it a signature Islay whisky. (34/40)

Total Score: 88/100

Comments:

Geek Choc: “This is a beautiful expression of the Bunnahabhain 12 years. Coming from a single ex-oloroso sherry cask, the flavours are pronounced. I am definitely buying more than 1 bottle of this whisky!”

 

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    Whisky Review #47 – Deanston 14 Years Old (Quaich Bar)

    Deanston has an interesting history. Established in 1785 as the Deanston Cotton Mill, it was responsible for employing 1500 people. A self-contained village formed as the mill flourished, with buildings that survived up to today. During the Napoleonic wars, the village even had its own currency called “Deanstons”.

    Deanston Cotton Mill closed in 1965 but it was not the end. A joint effort by James Finlay & Co, Brodie Hepburn & Co, and A.B (Sandy) Grant converted the mill into a distillery. Known as the Deanston Distillers Ltd, these guys instilled new life into the defunct cotton mill.

    Deanston distillery officially opened in January 1967 and started bottling in 1971. Deanston was largely used for blends at first. Invergordon Distillers purchased Deanston in 1972 and bottled its first single malt in 1974 bearing the name Deanston. In the years of low demand, Deanston was closed for 8 years from 1982 to 1990. It was bought by current owners Burn Stewart Distillers Limited (part of Distell Group Limited) in 1990 and production starts again.

    The object of this review is a special release by Deanston as an in-house bottle. This means that the bottle is available only at the distillery. The friendship between Quaich Bar Singapore and Distell translates into the availability of 200 bottles of this expression in Singapore.

    Let’s dive into the tasting notes now.

    Tasting Notes:

    Colour: Soft Gold
    ABV: 57.9%

    Nose: The nose is a pleasant surprise. At 57.9% abv, the expected nose is spice, but what wafts into the nose is light and fruity with a slight grassy note. Honeyed notes appear after a while, giving the nose a slight sweetness. Spice lingers pleasantly in the background. (17/20)

    Palate: Honeyed notes settled in the palate immediately with light, fruity notes of green apples. Gentle spice combines perfectly with the sweet honeyed notes to create an immensely pleasant palate. (18/20)

    Finish: Medium to long finish with green fruits and pleasant spice lingering in the mouth. (18/20)

    Body: Light and well-balanced whisky! It is a pleasant and easy to drink whisky even at its high abv. The appeal of the whisky is heightened by the contrast of high abv and gentle spice. Definitely a worthy dram! (34/40)

    Total Score: 87 / 100

    Comments:

    Geek Flora: “I love this expression. The brandy finish has given the whisky the unique character of being light and fruity despite the high abv. The fact that the spice is gentle and soft is also a big selling point for me. I am keeping at least 2 bottles of this, if not more.”

     

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      Whisky Events in Singapore: Quaich Bar 10th Anniversary Celebration

      Quaich Bar 10th Anniversary Celebrations

      Quaich Bar Singapore is celebrating their 10th Year Anniversary this September! To celebrate this awesome milestone, Quaich Bar partnered various whisky distilleries to bottle special expressions for the Singapore market.

      From this week until the end of the year, a total of 6 new bottles from 5 different distilleries and 1 independent bottler will be showcased. All of them are selected single cask bottlings that are only made available here. Each expression is a limited edition.

      The 6 bottles are as follows:

      1. Tomatin 1983
      2. Springbank 17 Years Old
      3. Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old
      4. Deanston 14 Years Old Spanish Oak
      5. Tomintoul 1977 (Details to be announced)
      6. Cadenhead (Details to be announced)

      All 6 bottles will have their own individual tasting sessions as a way to introduce them to Singapore whisky drinkers. An exciting lineup including master classes and chit-chat sessions with the distillery representatives are arranged to make the most out of the 3 months long celebration.

      Details for the various Tasting Sessions and the Anniversary party:

      1. 13 Sept 2017 – Tasting Session for Tomatin 1983

        Graham Eunson, Tomatin’s distillery General Manager will grace the event to officially introduce this special expression. He will be hosting a master class at Quaich Bar South Beach from 7-8pm before going to Quaich Bar Waterfront Plaza (at Hotel Grand Copthorne) for an intimate chit-chat session with the guests.

      2. 18 – 19 Sept 2017 – Tasting Session for Springbank 17 Years Old

        The tasting sessions are held over 2 days for Springbank 17 Years Old. Quaich Bar South Beach is hosting the session on 18 Sept 2017 while Quaich Bar Waterfront Plaza takes its turn on 19 Sept 2017. An interesting detail for the Springbank is the fact that the cask belongs to an investor of Springbank and Quaich Bar’s owner, Mr Khoon Hui, persuaded the investor to sell him half of the cask. Therefore, this expression is especially precious!

      3. 25 – 26 Sept 2017 – Anniversary Party

        We look forward to the Anniversary party on 25 – 26 Sept 2017 as Quaich Bar opens its doors to welcome all its members and supporters from the public. They are keeping a little secret here over what is going to happen at their party. We heard it is going to be pretty awesome, so keep the dates free and head down to Quaich Bar for a great time! The party is hosted at Quaich Bar South Beach on 25th Sept 2017 and Quaich Bar Waterfront Plaza on 26th Sept 2017.

      4. 2 – 3 Oct 2017 – Tasting Session for Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old

        After the party, there are more tasting sessions to attend! Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old will be introduced to the public over 2 days as well. Steve Campbell, the managing director of Burns Stewart (who owns Bunnahabhain) is gracing both sessions. Again, the tasting sessions are split with 3 Oct 2017 at Quaich Bar South Beach and 4 Oct 2017 at Quaich Bar Waterfront Plaza.

      5. 5 Oct 2017 – Dinner with Steve Campbell and Tasting Session for Deanston 14 Years Old Spanish Oak

        This event is especially interesting because you get to eat and drink with Steve Campbell. The event is held at Pimpan by FOC in Orchard. Deanston 14 Years Old Spanish Oak will be introduced to the guests during the dinner. More details will be announced by Quaich Bar and WhiskyGeeks once the details are firmed up. Keep checking back for more!

      6. Tasting Sessions for Tomintoul 1977 and Cadenhead

        As the details for both tasting sessions are still in progress, we are unable to post the exact dates. What we know is that both expressions will be released sometime at the end of the year. Once we get the details, we will announce the dates on WhiskyGeeks!

      All the events listed above are priced at $30/pax for non-members. For Quaich Bar members, entry is free.

      Quaich Bar Membership

      If you are wondering how you can become a member of Quaich Bar and enjoy all the wonderful events for free, here’s how.

      Spend a total of $800 and above with a maximum purchase of 2 bottles and you can become a member! It is that easy! Not only do you get to taste 2 exceptional bottles, you get access to members benefits too! You can keep the bottles at the bar so that you don’t have to carry them home. Interested parties can head down to Quaich Bar for more inquiries!