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Kitchen Chat and more…
Kitchen Chat and more…
When it comes to Bruichladdich distillery, most people tend to overlook Port Charlotte as a brand and instead focus on the non-peated version – Bruichladdich and the ridiculously peated version – Octomore. Port Charlotte is the middle sibling, and as all middle siblings know, they are often overlooked. However, the distillery produces fantastic Port Charlotte and those who have not taken the time to discover Port Charlotte; you should seriously do so.
We drank many expressions from Port Charlotte, especially the official bottling. The peak of our Port Charlotte adventure, however, came in the form of the abovementioned bottle – the Port Charlotte 2004. A 12 years old expression bottled under the Highland Laird label by Bartels Whisky, it is a beast of a Port Charlotte! Bottled from a single bourbon barrel (#900) at cask strength, only 225 bottles are available worldwide.
We tasted it blind, and these are the reasons why it impress us so.
Colour: Light Gold
ABV: 57.3%
Nose: Cereal notes are prominent at the first nose, sweet and fulfilling. It reminds me of a beautiful Bruichladdich I once had. I thought it was a Bruichladdich, but then the peat smoke appears after a couple of minutes. Gentle at first, and then slowly gaining prominence. Floral notes, vanilla cream and lemon peels surface after the peat smoke, and the cereal notes continue to linger. All of these beautiful aromas mingle delightfully to give a fantastic nose! (18/20)
Palate: Sweet cereal notes, gentle peat smoke and floral notes come together at first with a tinge of sharpness from the high abv. Then vanilla cream and lemon peels come in to add complexity to the already beautiful notes. As I swallow, the peat smoke expands to engulf the palate for a while before mellowing down back to sweetness. At this point, I am no longer in doubt that this is none other than a peated Bruichladdich – Port Charlotte! (18/20)
Finish: The finish is long and yet subtle. The sweetness lingers from the palate, and there is this oakiness to the finish. However, it is not astringent or dry, making the dram extremely satisfying. It took me more than a couple of minutes to identify its identity as a Port Charlotte due to its complexity, but it is fantastic! (18/20)
Body: It is a superb balanced dram that is easily one of the best Port Charlotte I ever had so far. Well-rounded and balanced on all its notes, it also is a fitting expression to represent the distillery. (37/40)
Total Score: 91/100
Geek Flora: “This is one of the best Port Charlotte I ever had. The other one which impressed me much was a MoS Port Charlotte, but this easily tops that with the amazing complexity. I suppose Port Charlotte still works best in a good ex-bourbon barrel, and perhaps, the guys at Bastel Whisky get this right on every note! Well done! Now, please excuse me while I go hunt for a bottle or two of this to bring back home.”
Geek Choc: “I never like Port Charlotte – I think it has this baby puke note in it. Flora put me through many torturous drams of Port Charlotte, and I never like any of them – until this one! We tasted it blind, so that may have helped to reduce my bias, but this is the best dram of PC I ever had! It changes my opinion of Port Charlotte, and I think I will be happier to try new PC that Flora puts in front of me in future.”
鋐釀酒坊, or what is better known as HNWS in this part of the world, is a popular whisky shop in Taoyuan, Taiwan. In a small, unnoticeable shop along the street, a wealth of whisky treasures sits. Ranging from official bottling from countless Scottish distilleries to independent bottling from various independent bottlers across the world, the shop is a haven for whisky lovers.
Behind these treasures sits the man who makes the vault available and affordable for the common man. He is a veteran in the whisky industry in Taiwan, with more than 15 years of experience under his belt. His name is Tony Chiu, and today, we tell his story.
Tony breathes life into HNWS in September 2005 as a young man who was ready to take on the world head to head. He started his whisky journey when he joined Maxxium Taiwan (current day Edrington Taiwan) in 2001. In his four years in the company, Tony evolved from a man who doesn’t drink into a whisky lover. As his passion for whisky deepens, Tony took the plunge and opened his own whisky shop – HNWS – in Taoyuan, Taiwan.
As an entrepreneur and a whisky lover, Tony feels that drinking whisky that one likes is more important than drinking every whisky in the market. Due to this belief, he promotes whiskies to his customers based on what they like, not what he wants to sell. His reputation as a fellow whisky lover soon reached the ears of the matured whisky market in Taiwan, and HNWS slowly but steadily becomes popular. Tony also entered the independent bottlers (IB) market, where he believes that quality whiskies existed.
The IB journey was exciting as Tony researched intensely to find high qualities products with interesting flavours profiles. The hard work paid off, and his shop becomes synonymous with good quality products. His IB journey eventually brought him into a circle of friends who love IB brands and encourage him to launch his own brand.
Tony took the next step forward in 2014 and launched his own independent bottler brand – HNWS. With his determination and passion, his humble shop becomes more than just a shop. It becomes a brand; an independent bottler. In the four years since he started this journey, Tony kept his initial vision for his shop in mind – to only sell good quality products. Every HNWS bottling was a quality-assured product and his fans around Taiwan and the region agree!
To make his success even more prominent, we only have to look toward the international stage to see the various awards that Tony’s bottling have won.
We know that awards are further assurance that a whisky is of a good quality. Tony’s bottles have won various awards in the MMA since 2016. Considering that he only started his brand in 2014, the achievements are impressive!
Gold Award
Kavalan Solist Port Cask #O090615011A abv 58.6% (Chosen for his corporate client 3RD)
Silver Award
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask for HNWS Taiwan #090608021A abv 57.8%
Glenfarclas 1990 Sherry Butt for HNWS Taiwan 10 Year Anniversary #4710 abv 54%
Douglas Laing Old Particular Laphroaig 19 Years Old for HNWS Taiwan #DL10720 abv 53.3%
Strange Ways Port Charlotte 10 Years Old Madeira Cask for HNWS Taiwan #2005001572 (Chosen for his private client)
Kavalan Solist Bourbon Cask for YKE Taiwan #B080825038 abv 54% (Chosen for his corporate client)
Best Sherry Award
Kavalan Solist Sherry Cask for HNWS Taiwan #090608021A abv 57.8%
Gold Medal and Best Peated Whisky in Premium Category
Cadenhead Ledaig 12 Years Old 2005/2017 for HNWS Taiwan’s 12thanniversary, abv 61.1%
When an IB is successful in a short period of time, we often wonder what its owner’s secret is. We are just as curious, so we ask Tony. It turns out that he has a strict cask selection process and he sticks to this method for every cask that he chooses. Due to the stringent process, each of HNWS bottling is a success.
Tony is particular in his cask selection process. He believes in BALANCE, which determines his choices and leads to the “quality assured” reputation that HNWS bottlings gain over the years.
These four points lead back to one big consideration – BALANCE.
A balanced whisky is one which changes over time. This is Tony’s standards for his cask selection. When he is making a choice, he often asks himself many questions in order to answer all of the above. However, one vital question is not included above. That important question is “How much do I like this whisky?” While everyone’s preferences are different, he makes use of his 17 years of experience to determine the best flavour profile that his patrons love best.
Tony visits Scotland yearly to source for casks to bottle under the HNWS brands. Some of his recent bottlings include the Flight and Feathers Series – a collaboration between HNWS and a Taiwan photographer. Here are some pictures of the HNWS bottles.
High Coast Distillery (formerly known as Box) is a Swedish boutique distillery in the Northern part of Sweden. Tony bottled this expression from a 40 litres cask, which yields only 63 bottles. It is precious considering its status as a single cask and the limited number of bottles available. What makes it more valuable is the HNWS logo on it.
We did a review for the Speyside 1995, which is from Speyside Distillery, and definitely not a secret Speyside bottle. This bottle is special because it was finished in a Caol Ila cask! How unusual is that?! If you want to know how it tastes, follow this link.
This mysterious bottle is an undisclosed Laphroaig matured in a bourbon cask for 28 years old. In order not to spend unnecessary money to buy the rights to use the distillery’s name (it will push final cost higher for customers), Tony uses his creativity to find an alternative name for his bottling. The Kilbride Dam is the water source for Laphroaig, and hence, “A Kilbride Distillery” is a fitting name for this bottle.
With HNWS’ anniversary coming up, we are looking forward to more bottling from HNWS in the coming month. Watch this space if you want to have the first dips on what HNWS is coming up with!
Did you know that there is a whisky shop in Taiwan called HNWS? The owner is a veteran in the whisky industry with more than 15 years of experience. Besides running a whisky shop, he is also an independent bottler using his brand of HNWS. Over the years, HNWS gains the reputation of an excellent independent bottler and consumers in Taiwan, and Hong Kong are always excited whenever the brand launches something new.
We are also equally excited when we get to try one of their latest bottlings – a Speyside (distillery) 1995 finished in a Caol Ila Cask. Its unique positioning as a whisky from Speyside and getting a finish in an Islay cask got us all curious. In case some of you are confused, this bottle comes from the Speyside distillery, and not just from the Speyside region. The distillery is one of the most beautiful in the area and makes one feel like walking into a fairytale.
How does this taste like? Let’s dive in.
Colour: Dark Gold
ABV: 54.2%
Nose: Vanilla custard, sweet berries and gentle peat surround the nose immediately. Then a light spice, almost wasabi-like, wafts up to the nose! After that, there are light green apple and citrusy notes behind, swirling around. With water, the gentle peat becomes more prominent, and notes of unripe bananas join the rest, mingling harmoniously.
Palate: The mouthfeel is very oily, and spice engulfs the palate for a while before it mellows into soft sweetness. Light vanilla ice cream, green apples, citrus notes and a little coastal brine appear at the back of the palate. With water, the spice mellows out beautifully, and slight peat becomes obvious. Vanilla notes engulf the whole palate, and then the coastal brine comes back to the forefront.
Finish: Long finish with drying, sweet oakiness and slight spice. The dryness lengthens the finish and makes it very tasty when the gentle peat turns up at the end of it all. With water, the finish is softer and less drying. More sweetness appears in the finish, and a lingering light spice concludes the dram exceptionally.
Body: It is a balanced dram with interesting notes from both Speyside and Islay influence. While the Caol Ila cask did not extend a massive impact, the light citrusy notes and peat do wonder to add layers of complexity to the dram.
Geek Flora: “I did not score the review because we are selling this bottle. It is, however, sold out and can only be savoured by attending our tasting events that are coming up!”
Geek Choc: “I think this is quite an exciting dram for me. Do try it if you can.”
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