PARCHED | HOLIDAY HOTTIES

We’ve done the hard work (tasting), research (tasting) and writing (tasting, for affirmation), just so you can go buy these spirits and wines.

glendronach 15 revival whisky

One of single malt’s best kept secrets may not be so incognito anymore since, erm… we’re telling you about it. (Kinda like stories about the best secret bars). The Glendronach Revival Aged 15 years is back, and it just scored the highest possible accolade of Double Gold at San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2018.

So the mad rush for this will begin, as it did in 2015 when it ceased production, as punters of this handsome whisky sought to stockpile it. Forged in Forgue, in the Highland hills, this relaunched expression highlights Glendronach’s signature style of maturing whiskies in fine sherry casks from Andalucia, Spain.

Here you get that rapturous mix of bramble, maraschino cherry and dark chocolate, and hints of honey, apricot, black cherry and walnut. It is a distinctly rich whisky with layers like an art house film, but with the lingering finish like the credits of a blockbuster.

This luxuriously sherried Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural in colour. Available at all good whisky bars.

[Fun Fact: The GlenDronach was personally selected by film director, Matthew Vaughn, to celebrate the release of his film ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’; The GlenDronach being his single malt whisky of choice.]

mount gay rum

Here’s a unique take on the Mount Gay XO, The Peat Smoke Expression is the first release from the Master Blender Collection, and is finished in peated whisky casks (limited to 6,120 bottles only.) What you have here is the embodiment of two exceptional lands: Barbados, the birthplace of rum, and Islay, the homeland of peated whisky, and trust us when we ay, it’s good, mon. It is crisp with all the nuances of peat you’d expect, but it also finishes clean, leaving you with thirst pangs.

You can’t actually buy this bottle, but rum connoisseurs in Singapore can savour this unique, unconventional blend at Manhattan at Regent Singapore and selected cocktail bars from January 2019.

[ Check Out This Cadenhead’s Specially Made For Singapore ]

perrier jouet

Get a load of the distinctive new elegant bottle, it highlights the illustrious heritage and savoir-faire of Maison Perrier-Jouët; it’s both modern and retro, while also emphasising the floral and intricate character of Perrier-Jouët’s wines. This Blason Rosé then, has an equally distinctive fruity flavour (pomegranate, pear, apricot); the mature red fruits unfold and then reveal notes of biscuit and pastries – it is a top champagne to pair with Asian food.

[Ed’s Note: The Maison’s cuvées are rare artefacts: aging the wines for twice as long as regulations require limits the quantities available, while the iconic Chardonnay grape variety used in the wines is becoming increasingly scarce. The Blason Rosé is also the cuvée with the greatest proportion of pinots, including 50% pinot noir, 25% pinot meunier, with the elegance and liveliness of chardonnay making up the remaining 25%.]

Check out the Blason Rosé Trail here.

[ Singapore Has Its First Standalone Gin Distillery – Brass Lion ]

penderyn whisky wales

The reign from Spain: Penderyn is the only single malt whisky from Wales. Its core selections are the Dragon Range and Gold Range, and the brand is known for its distinctive Madeira Finish expressions. That’s your Penderyn 101.

Penderyn’s Gold Range is bottled at 46% abv and comprises five expressions: Madeira Finish, Peated, Sherrywood, Rich Oak and Portwood.The Rich Oak is a new addition to the Gold Range and has just launched in Singapore.

The Dragon Range (who doesn’t love dragons‽) has three expressions – Legend, Myth, Celt – and we’re partial to Celt, it’s aged in ex-peated quarter casks.

The range is available at Cooperage, La Maison du Whisky, The Joint, Vom Fass or you can contact the distributor Spirits Castle Pte Ltd directly: email zerlina_zhuang@spiritscastle.sg + Tel: 9758-8053.

Port Charlotte 10YO whisky islay

Love the new look of the Port Charlotte 10. This distinct spirit was conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on Islay alone (Bruichladdich, of course, is one of the biggest employers on the island.) The heavily peated single malt whisky demonstrates the influence of barley provenance, cask evolution and in situ cask aging – the flavours More than highly recommended, this was one of our highlights during Whisky Live 2018.

Port Charlotte 10 is now available at S$139, retailing for 3 months at 1855 exclusively, and also available at La Maison du Whisky.

glenrothes whisky soleo

The new Soleo Collection comprises whiskies from Glenrothes’ Vintage and Reserve portfolio: The 12 Years Old is light and subtle; Whisky Maker’s Cut is more complex, while 18 Years Old and 25 Years Old are more intense and heady. The Speyside distiller is known for its use of sherry seasoned oak casks from the Jerez region in Southern Spain, and the Soleo process has given its name to this collection as it’s defined as much by the grapes that produce the sherries, and the casks which brand The Glenrothes.

Artisan Selections is Singapore’s first dedicated online retailer of curated Australian produce and spirits, and of particular note is their range of South Australian gins. We like the two Prohibition Gins (left): The Shiraz Barrel Gin (500ml, 60% ABV, S$118) was aged in ex-Barossa Valley Shiraz barrels that previously held American bourbon, while the award-winning Gin (700ml, 42% ABV, S$100) is all gangsta with a floral nose of fresh lime, guava and lavender, and herbal notes from pink peppercorn and lemon myrtle.

Order from Artisanal Selections

Blackadder Bottles with Lemuel Choc

Blackadder Whisky is all about the cask. That’s all you gotta remember about this family-owned independent bottling company. (Also that it’s named after one of the greatest comedy series of all time.)

Blackadder, through their machinations, are able to acquire a diverse range of casks, even limited casks such as Loch Indaal or Springbank, or from closed distilleries such as Ladyburn or Glen Esk. (They also have a range of rums from Guyana, Fiji, Barbados.)

This range is new in Singapore, if you’re looking for offbeat single malts; we like the Smoking Islay and Black Snake, and there’s a range of interesting Japanese bottlings as well.

Interco-MLE is the main distributor for Blackadder International in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

In celebration of Chinese New Year, Hennessy has partnered with artist Guangyu Zhang to launch this limited editions – Zhang specially created artwork, named “A Joyous Reunion”, for the packaging of the Hennessy X.O, Hennessy V.S.O.P and James Hennessy.

They debuted at the launch of the world’s first and only Hennessy pop-up, in collaboration with DFS and Changi Airport, where travellers can not only sample ‘Firecracker’, an exclusive Hennessy cocktail, but also enjoy digital games and have their bottles personalised with the engraving service.

Like this? One Last Chance to Book The Krug X Fish Gourmet Trail