Whisky Bible 2012 selects Old Pulteney..

..as the world’s best. Jim Murray’s annual publication named Old Pulteney 21 Years as the champ. The single malt Scotch  created in Wick, in the Highlands, scored 97.5 out of 100, which is a record.

Old Pulteney is not a common Scotch over here. However, a company called Interbev brings them in, and according to them, there’re plans to promote the brand locally.

Lookin good

According to the distillery, the £74.99, 46% ABV drink is a marriage of bourbon cask and sherry (American not European wood) cask-matured whisky.

According to Jim, ““Owned by a relatively-small company, without the financial muscle of the major whisky barons to market their malts on the global stage, I hope that this award helps Pulteney to become better known around the world; that is the whole point of my Whisky Bible, after all.”

The bible includes an astounding 2,100 new whisky releases!

Second and third places went to US bourbons George T Stagg, by Buffalo Trace Distillery, and Parker’s Heritage collection Wheated Mash Bill Bourbon, aged 10 years.

Look forward to seeing more OP around.

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New Johnnie Walker Limited Edition

Black Label has released what i feel is their coolest bottle yet!

It’s large, dark and stylish. And it comes in a awesome box. This is the  Jasper Goodall Limited Edition (only 1,000 bottles worldwide), launched at an art gallery in Bukit Bandaraya recently.

An old picture of an ad

The new bottle has a smoky, dark hue, which fades out at the bottom to reveal the whisky, on a thick base.

At 1750ml, it’s even larger than a magnum. And i especially love how Jasper, a renowned illustrator, has redesigned the legendary Striding Man into a fiery version.

Bottle-autographing in process

Jasper’s inspiration for the limited edition design came from a visit to a whisky distillery years ago when the tour guide explained that over time, a small amount of whisky evaporates and escapes every barrel, and how this process is known as the “angel’s share”.

I wouldn’t light up a cigarette in there.

On fire

The Striding Man, a Johnnie Walker icon, was first drawn by cartoonist Tom Browne on the back of a menu card in 1908.

According to Jasper,  “I wanted to try to visually capture the taste of Black Label, its smoothness, its softness and its golden warmth. Twisting, nebulous forms build together to create images from abstraction; illustrating the entire flavour spectrum.”

Good job

Johnnie Walker’s brand manager Charles Wright feels that this limited edition bottle is a rare piece of JW heritage, and would just as easily find its way into the home of the whisky connoisseur, as it would the home of an art lover.

Same contents - good ol JW Black

Or maybe eBay. Only 1,000 has been produced for the world. Considering  170 million bottles of JW are sold each year, one thousand is only …%, ..well u can do the math.

I wouldnt mess with that guy in a dark alley

I’ve got bottle number 480. You can score yourself a piece directly from Moet Hennessy Diageo (email Daphene.Dunn@mhdm.com.my), with a reasonable RRP of RM788. It definitely has gifting potential.

When ur in trouble, fire-up the Batman spotlight. But thirsty? Striding Man!

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Oktoberfest launched

Guinness Anchor Bhd kicked-off the Oktoberfest celebs for 2011 last Thursday, at Souled Out, Jln Ampang.

Party starts

To add some spice, beer fans will be pleased – GAB has introed three new German beers for the season – Hopf Ice Wheat Beer, Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier, and 111 Zwickl. Mixologist Ben Ng brought us thru a tasting.

Balloonhead got thirsty

The Hopf (ABV 5.5%) uses ice-conditioned wheat where excess water from the wheat is extracted through freezing, giving more depth to the flavor and body. Gives the beer its distinctive crisp and clean taste that is mild and refreshing.

Welcome to Malaysia

The Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier (ABV 6%) is synonymous with the Oktoberfest in Munich, and is its official beer. Its gotta rich malty aroma, pleasant taste, and a reasonably full body.

The 111 (5%) is light-flavoured, with a hint of flower, and a mild yeasty flavor.

GAB’s recommended retail prices for outlets  for these beers are:

  • Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier (Draught, 500ml)        : 26
  • Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier (Draught, 330ml)        : 18
  • Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier (Bottle,500ml)             : 26
  • Hopf Ice Wheat Beer (Bottle, 330ml)                      : 18
  • 111 Zwickl Beer (Bottle, 330ml)                                 : 18

They can be scored at these outlets.

The new Souled Out, HSC tower

Some of the other games for Oktoberfest, besides drinking, is rolling the barrel, the chicken dance, and masskrugstemmen – basically holding up a stein (litre glass) up straight as long as u can.

More info on the Oktoberfest FB page here.

Steins. I like

One way to cheers in German is Eins, zwei, drei, g’suffa! (Pronounced aa-eens, zvai, dry, zuffa.) It means One, two, three, drink! Doesn’t get simpler than that.

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New Smirnoff Gold

Smirnoff Vodka now has a cinnamon-spiced mix with gold flakes. You can drink the gold too. It looks great, and is exclusive to travel retail.

The gold-etched bottle looks cool, and the flakes lie suspended. The drink was a hit during the trial run at Mumbai Airport, out-performing targets.

Texts show that the practice of putting gold in alcohol dates back to ancient Egypt. Them weird Pharaohs.

A recommended serve: The Golden Delicious – Smirnoff Gold mixed with apple liqueur, cinnamon and a dash of maple syrup.

I think i’ll infuse some cinnamon into my Baad Apples™ cider.

Like all Smirnoffs, it’s triple-distilled, 10 times charcoal-filtered. The product comes in a one litre bottle at 40%abv, with a recommended selling price of US$36 (RM108).

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