I had been in touch with a number of Asian bottlers for a long time, but now there was the opportunity to meet the key people in this vibrant whisky scene. What is the Macau – Hong Kong – Chinese scene? Bottlers like The Antelope, Lucky Choice, Casky, The Whiskyfind, LMK Copycat, Oxhead Whisky Company, Kanpaikai, Chinlam Whisky, Rudder, etc. Then there are bars like Abyss, Two Moons, House Welley, Club Qing and Tiffany’s NY Bar which are also an important driving force.
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Four things struck me while I was there.
The Asian shift
For some time now I have the impression that the weight of the whisky world is shifting towards Asia. If you look at the bottles they uncork and the casks they release, I dare to say the best whisky is now going to Asia (not just Macau, China and Hong Kong, also Taiwan and Japan of course). Perhaps I’m putting it in a simplistic way, but it becomes clear that they are so eager about whisky.
They built the 55-kilometre bridge (the longest sea crossing in the world) between Macau and Hong Kong in less than ten years. That’s the kind of attitude with which they’re approaching the whisky world.
The bottling community
Asia has a vibrant series of independent bottlers and in my opinion there’s much more of a collaborative spirit than in Europe. So many casks that go to Asia have multiple bottlers and bars on the label, each having a part of the outturn. It’s probably one of the reasons they can grab more expensive (better) casks than European bottlers who are more inclined to keep entire casks to themselves.
This can be quite funny. At the first stand, bottler X tells you this is my latest cask and then on another table someone else presents the same bottle as their own bottling as well. Everyone seems to have bottled half of the room.
The bar community
The bar community is also extremely strong. It is so much easier to find good whisky bars in Asia than in Europe. This is also the reason why every whisky enthousiast is able to actually drink all these good drams. They don’t have to buy as many bottles as Europeans, they can suffice with visiting a few bars every now and then to stay up-to-date. This has two major consequences: 1. even expensive casks get sold more easily since an important part of the outturn finds its way to consumers through bars and 2. the level of education and experience among whisky enthusiasts is sky-rocketing.
The focus on high ABV
Another thing I noticed is that a lot of conversations start like this: I invite you to try my latest bottling, I’m sorry for the low ABV, but… Funny how they say this for everything under 50-52% ABV. I personally see 48-50% as the sweet spot (for the styles of whisky I love) but most Asians seem to prefer a much higher strength.
Some of the whisky I tried in Macau
Now let’s go over the whisky. Here is a quick impressions of great drams I could try. It reads like a ‘Who’s who?’ of the local whisky scene.
Clynelish 31 Years 1993 (Lucky Choice & Abyss) +++
Very waxy, with lots of ripe fruits like creamy banana and mango. Chalky hints and citrus.
Mortlach 33 Years 1991 (Abyss + Shinanoya + Aqua Vitae + Bar Alba) +++
Tobacco, polished furniture, Christmas cake and strawberry jam. Honey and some chocolate. Robust but nevery too meaty or dirty. My kinda Mortlach.
Ben Nevis 26 Years 1996 cask #520 (Liquid Treasures for The Antelope Macau) ++
Very fruity, full of peaches and citrus but less tropical. Good body, mild spice on the palate.
Imperial 35 Years 1989 cask #96 (Lucky Cask) ++
Ripe yellow fruits, apricot, hints of jasmine tea and mild spice, along with vanilla and sweet custard.
TDL 21 Years 2002 cask #10 (The Whisky Jury for Macau) +++
Brilliant as expected.
TDL 22 Years 2003 cask #0307 (35Whisky.com for Chinlam) +++
Possibly the best TDL I’ve tried so far. These juicy fruits are out of this world.
Strathmill 36 Years 1988 cask #795 (Lucky Choice for Kanpaikai + Eclipse First) ++
Quite some bourbonny oak with rich spice, but in a nicely aromatic way. Yellow fruits underneath.
Glenburgie 30 Years 1995 cask #6694 (Lucky Choice for Kanpaikai + Shinanoya) +++
Highly aromatic on floral honey, yellow fruits and some candied finger. Sweet vanilla with peppery notes on the palate.
Laphroaig 11 Years 2013 cask #10026976 (LMK Copycat & Three Furry Cats) +++
Very coastal, with intense iodine, some fruity notes and a hint of mocha. Good selection, young but showing above average complexity.
Nagahama Red Wine Cask 2016 #3041 for Kanpaikai & The Antelope +
Nagahama Fifth Batch 2020 – Oloroso sherry hogshead ++
Two bottlings I tried from the young Japanese distillery Nagahama. Both good despite their young age. Rather cask-driven but balanced and showing nice fruits. Even the red wine cask (unpeated) was better than I expected (in a VDN-cask style if you ask me). The Oloroso had nice caramel notes, red fruit and toasted / minty oak.
Hinomaru 7 yo 2018 vol.20 – Cream sherry cask (for Rudder Ltd.) ++
Another name that was new to me, from Yasato distillery in Japan. More uniquely oriental than Nagahama in my opinion. Interesting hints of soy sauce, oriental spice, sweet and sour hints and a cognac-like fruitiness. Great mix of darkness and brightness.
Shindo 2022 virgin Mizunara puncheon #10254 (for Casky & AF Trade) +
Shindo 2022 first-fill bourbon barrel #10185 (for Casky & Gommone) ++
And more Japanese youngsters. I preferred the (more peated) bourbon barrel, which had a lot of fresh citrusy notes, cedar wood and nice smoke.
(I already wrote about Saburomaru, the other new Japanese distillery I tried)
Clynelish 24 yo 2001 ‘Sealgair Nam Barrlaich’ (The Ultimate Spirits / Rudder) ++
Classic Clynelish profile. The rich fruitiness slightly overtakes the waxy side. Well-aged and really good.
Bowmore 25 yo 1997 cask #374027 (The Ultimate Spirits) +++
Rich smoke, sea breeze and gentle medicinal notes – all this with a glorious tropical fruitiness. Rather excellent.
Bushmills 2002 cask #11366 (Acorn) +
Fruity and very crisp, with green fruits, mint, gooseberries, some beer-like hint and leafy notes. A sister cask of a recent Whisky Blues bottling.
Chichibu 2015 cask #4230 (Acorn) ++
Virgin oak, so rather active wood. A lot of mint and eucalyptus, with bourbonny notes, some clove and sweet pepper. Rich fruits underneath.
Springbank 1996 sherry cask #108 ‘Superman’ +++
Sherry bomb: dried fruits, pipe tobacco, leather, smoke and chocolate. Also blackcurrant, orange zest and sooty smoke. A big one.
Cognac Marie Foucher Lot 84 (Malternative Belgium for Maltopedia) +++
Cognac Daniel Bouju Lot 58 (Malternative Belgium for Maltopedia / Casky / Gommone) ++
Two excellent cognacs. I’m more a fan of the jammy fruits and freshness of Foucher, rather than the richer, dark and brooding style of Bouju.
Highland 14 Years 2011 “Macalabash” cask #210023 (Lucky Choice + Oxhead Whisky + Harmony Whisky) ++
Supposedly Macallan from a bourbon cask. We need more of these, quite a juicy spirit despite the obvious weight, and this works very well without the usual sherry.
Loch Lomond 31 yo 1994 Owner’s Cask (The Whisky Firm – Owner’s Cask) +++
Fruity spirit coupled to a great sherry cask. Very balanced with a high juiciness. This company from Qingdao is responsible for a lot of the Asian ‘Casks of Distinction’ but they also have their own bottlings.
Ben Nevis 28 Years 1996 (The Antelope + Kanpaikai) +++
Cragganmore 35 Years 1989 (The Antelope + Kanpaikai) +++
Mortlach 30 Years 1995 cask #803457 (The Antelope + Kanpaikai) ++
Irish Single Malt 35 Years 1989 (Bar Main Malt + Kanpaikai + The Antelope) ++
Superb Ben Nevis (in line with other great casks). The Cragganmore was also a great surprise, very full and rich with a nice sweetness and hints of mocha. The Mortlach was probably European oak: full of plums, libraries, rich spices, chocolate and cranberries, with some drying leathery oak in the end. The Irish Malt had jammy fruits (mango, peach) but didn’t have a fruit bomb character, perhaps due to the light sherry influence. All four were rather great.
Highland Park 2003 cask #4089 (Hong Kong skyline) +
First-fill European oak. These casks tend to be borderline oaky. Very autumnal, leathery, with cloves and cinnamon and a subtle sulphury hint of smoke.
Clynelish 40 Years 1984 cask #4103 (G&M Book of Kells for The Drunken Master + Water of Life + Casky + Malt Barks) +++
One of the highlights of the festival for me. All on waxes and rich fruits.
Islay Malt 32 yo 1991 cask #4 (Elixir Distillers for Guianova) +++
One of these excellent Laphroaig casks, full of tropical fruits and mild smoke.
Longmorn 1965 cask #69 (G&M for Japan Import System) +++
Another absolute highlight of the festival. Tropical fruit juice, totally delicious.
… and many more.
With several dozens of samples in my suitcase, rest assured some of the casks mentioned above will get a second assesment and a more in-depth review.
