Ever wonder how your whisky is made? Or what it is made of? Well, apparently, whisky is not just your typical liquor drink. It goes through a meticulously thorough process before you can enjoy it. There is art in drinking whisky, and so the kick-off party of Whisky Live Manila 2017 was definitely an art-filled night. Held at The Brewery BGC, people gathered to welcome the premier whisky tasting event led by Mr. Johnssen Li, the Managing Director of Grand Cru.
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As a first-time whisky drinker, I learned that there is no right or wrong way to taste whisky. Everyone can drink it anywhere, anytime. The event was held informally, emphasizing that drinking whisky doesn’t necessarily mean formality. You can drink it casually while bonding with your best buddies. Being part of the kick-off party, we were tasked to use all our senses in tasting this liquid sunshine. We drank three kinds of whisky while Mr. Archie Oclos—a rising painter/muralist—painted his interpretation of this artful drink.
The first drink I was able to try was the Tamdhu Whisky. Tamdhu is a single malt Scotch whisky exclusively matured in Sherry Casks. It smells soft and sweet with an aroma of caramel, toffee, barley, and definitely cocoa. When it comes to taste, it has a rich sweet and chocolaty flavor with a hint of orange, ginger, chocolate, and cream. It has a just right dry finish. I am no expert in whisky , but I have to say this is my favorite among the three kinds I tasted. This is definitely not the strongest whisky with its alcohol content of 43%.
Tamdhu Whisky
The second drink I tried was the Glencadam whisky. It is also a single malt whisky matured in rare single casks. It has a fresh citrus scent with a hint of floral and vanilla. This is like the white wine of whiskies. It has an aromatic flavor and was quite strong for my taste buds. I definitely felt the spirit of the alcohol in this one as this is stronger than Tamdhu with around 46% alcohol content.
Glencadam whisky
The last whisky I tasted was probably the best and most unique in taste. Kavalan Whisky is another single whisky, but what set it apart from the rest? The Kavalan whisky from Taiwan was named the best whisky in the world. It was the strongest whisky I tasted that night with an alcohol content of 52.4%.
When they say that they were the best, they were not fooling us. I never tasted anything like this Kavalan whisky before. It has a unique peppery and peachy smell. But the taste was impeccable. It is a mixture of earthy flavors with a spicy yet sweet aftertaste. It has a finish that lingers for a while with an aftertaste of spice and fruity vanilla.
Kavalan whisky
I am no expert in drinking liquors, but I must say, trying out whisky for the first time is definitely life-changing. It has this masked sophistication that you can experience once you have tasted one. So if you want to taste different whiskies around the world and listen on talks about whisky appreciation from renowned experts, be sure to join the bigger and better Whisky Live’s 2nd year in Manila on October 20 to 21, 2017 at Shangri-La Hotel, the Fort at Bonifacio Global City. Visit www.whiskylive.ph for more details.
