We tasted these whiskies recently and there’s a lot about them to recommend. One is a limited release single cask, one is a global retail exclusive, and another is a small batch release from an unexpected locale. Let’s dram.

Benriach 10 Year Old The Original Ten

Benriach is one of the few Speyside distilleries to have a peated range besides its classic and triple distilled lines. But for this award-winning Single Malt scotch whisky company, what stands out are its two core products, The Original Ten and The Twelve, which won Silver and Double Gold medals, respectively, at the annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021.

This Original Ten, in particular, is a rich, flavourful experience, possibly a result of the brand’s unconventional whisky making heritage — dating to 1898 — which includes the use of eclectic casks from around the world as well as a rare, traditional floor malting distilling process. This single malt is matured in bourbon barrels, sherry casks and virgin oak. Whatever magic is weaved in that wonderland, it works. The Ten is a medium-bodied spirit with notes of orchard fruit, honey, toasted nuts and a hint of smoke — most useful for cocktails Rusty Nail and Penicillin.

Bruichladdich Micro Provenance Single Cask 0315

There are 282 of these lovely bottles (65.2% ABV) available exclusively in Singapore, as we have been allocated one of the 20 single casks released across 10 countries for 2022. Unlike its previous iteration, this Bruichladdich Micro Provenance Single Cask 0315 features an exclusive label artwork of Singapore’s national symbol, the red Merlion head, on all its bottles. Which makes it, you’ve guessed right, highly collectable. (Disclosure: We went and bought two right off the bat.)

This unpeated spirit was aged for 10 years in second fill-Syrah barrels. Bottled at cask strength as with previous releases, each cask is unique and the resulting ABV may vary based on the age, cask type and storage location.

The result? The wine influence gives it a full body, and it is not an entry-level whisky. That said, it has unctuous notes of dried fruits, banana, caramel, orange, dates, toffee and a touch of earthiness. At 65.2% ABV, the 0315 is not to be trifled with. The verdict is…well, we bought two bottles. So correct that, there are 280 left…

The limited Singapore edition of the Micro Provenance Single Cask 0315 bottle is now available on One Cellar’s website at a retail price of S$268. For purchases before 18^th May 2022, buyers will enjoy a special early bird price of S$255 using the promo code “BRUMPSG”. 

For collectors interested in a wider range of products, One Cellar will also offer a special bundle limited to six sets. The set includes a 700ml bottle each of Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie, Port Charlotte 10 Year Old, Octomore 10 Year Old, Bruichladdich Micro Provenance Single Cask 0315 along with two limited-edition branded ice moulds and two branded nosing glasses (RSP S$750).

Our friends at Spirited Singapore have more info regarding its tasting flights.

The Macallan Harmony Collection Fine Cacao

We were the first In. The World. to taste this travel retail single malt whisky. The dram was paired with exquisite dishes from Janice Wong’s new Mallow bar, and the theme was chocolate, lots of it. Chocolate tells the sustainable story here for The Macallan.

The bottle packaging is encased in a beautiful fully recyclable and biodegradable presentation box, made using discarded husks from cacao pods, bringing together the brand’s craftsmanship with contemporary packaging techniques aimed at minimising waste.

As for the liquid, you get a nose of almonds, fruits and caramels. On the palate, it has flavours of toffee, vanilla, apples and oranges. Overall, it is quite mellow (40% ABV) and rounded — certainly a step away from the sherry influences you’re expecting.

As it’s crafted from a combination of European and American oak casks, the single malt whisky is characterised by a unique and elegant medium chocolate profile, which pairs perfectly with the finest chocolate for a luxurious sensorial experience. And there is this umami bomb from Janice Wong:

Tartlet Tears: Kombu Seaweed Tart, Oyster Leaf Cream, Kohlrabi and blackberry.

The Macallan Harmony Collection Fine Cacao Pop-Up

The Macallan has partnered with Changi Airport Group and Lotte Duty Free to launch The Harmony Collection Fine Cacao as a Global First Launch, at a travel retail exclusive pop-up in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 Departure Hall from now till 30 June 2022.

The world-first installation will emphasis The Macallan’s sustainability journey, showcasing an immersive retail space created and built from re-purposed materials. The pop-up will also feature an interactive web AR experience to excite consumers and enable them to discover more about spirit.

The Harmony Collection Fine Cacao (S$215) is available at Singapore Changi Airport Lotte Duty Free shops from 1 May, before being introduced more widely to global travel retail hubs from mid-May 2022.

Poli Segretario Di Stato Whisky

Our friends at Poli Grappa in Veneto, Italy are known for their supple grappa and minty gin, and hopefully, they’ll get you to come around to their innovative new wine-aged whisky — the Segretario Di Stato.

This is a pure malt whisky aged five years in toasted French barrique casks and finished in Amarone casks for a year. Just like Armagnac, the spirit goes into barrels at 55% ABV instead of 65% ABV to ensure more contact with the casks. The result is a chill-filtered amber rose gold liquid with an alluring nose of cherries, plums and dried fruits. It yields flavours of orange peels, chocolate, raisins, smoked spices and cookies.

This is only the second batch from the distillery, and much planning was taken to ensure the Italian whisky would be judged on its merits, and not obscure laws. The malts were put through an artisanal distillation with a discontinuous bain-marie still, while the Italian climate (with more variance than their Scottish brethren) accounted for the maturation of the unique spirit.

[ Fun Fact: The whisky is dedicated to the Secretary of State to The Vatican, who is a Venetian native. You can see the Vatican’s layout in the logo. This delayed the launch of the whisky by a year as they needed The Vatican to approve the artwork. ]

You can drink this at one of our fav joints, The Excise Man at Esplanade, or buy one from La Vigne Wines & Spirits (S$198). 

Shout out to some classics:

Auchentoshan Three Wood Single Malt Scotch

Speyside’s Auchentoshan has paired with local gelato brand Denzy Gelato to create a sweet Whisky Pecan Dream treat. Auchentoshan’s full-bodied Three Wood Single Malt Scotch is suffused into a creamy, milky gelato, complemented with a scattering of fragrant pecan nuts that are marinated generously in Gula Melaka before being roasted to crunchy perfection.

Enjoy this collaboration in a number of ways; keep it simple and have the whisky and ice cream on its own (in any order you’d like), or opt to add a uniquely created topping of yummy, woody, whisky-suffused konjac jelly to add some variety and texture, or up the ante even more – each bundle comes with a pipette you can use to infuse as much whisky as you like directly into your gelato.

For a limited period, Whisky Pecan Dream is available online at Denzy Gelato online store for you to enjoy as a bundle ($88) with a 70cl bottle of Auchentoshan’s Three Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

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