Part 3 of Reviews from The Single Cask Singapore
Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Singapore is one of my favorite places to visit, and I leapt at the chance to finally return again during my summer conference schedule. I resolved to do a bit more whisky tasting while I was in the country and use my extended stay to drop by new places and meet new people.
One of the bars I was recommended a few times was the Single Cask, an antipodean outpost of the UK-based bottler. The cozy bar and shop sit right inside the historic Chjmes complex, the main chapel of which was the filming location for the wedding scene in Crazy Rich Asians. The owners and staff were amiable, generous, and ready to talk whisky or soccer with anyone.
We visited right when they opened to avoid the evening crowds that show up when the air cools, and people venture out for dinner and fun. We mostly let the knowledgeable crew pick out the flight for us after they asked about what we liked and what we had had before. Hard to argue with their selections— all the whiskies below were quality, and a few were absolute standouts. We will no doubt be back, perhaps taking advantage of their set Happy Hour flights next time!
Distillery: Taters & Co Distillery.
Distillery: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte
Bottler: Malt, Grain & Cane
Region: Scotland/Islay
ABV: 55.7%. Cask strength.
Age: 21 years. Distilled on 18 July 2001. Bottled on 20 July 2022.
Cask type: Rum Barrel.
Price: $45/20ml at The Single Cask Singapore.
Nose: Meaty and smokey with a mellow farmy grassy-earth funk, roasted beef bones, fish sauce, plum sauce, tomato relish, a Vietnamese barbecue, hints of Worcester sauce and rich umami.
Palate: Medium-bodied, maritime meats and herbal grassy smoke, old grassfire, white-hot binchotan charcoal, metallic iron, earthy fresh and grilled mushrooms, mild vegetal decay and forest humus, tropical fruits and mango near the end with a touch of white pepper.
Finish: Long and lingering with white pepper, fruit, mint, and charcoal smoke.
Mental Image: Mushroom Hunter’s BBQ
Conclusion: Bruichladdich’s peated label, Port Charlotte, feels all grown up. It is almost hard to believe that in 2001 the spirit was rolling off the stills and that any casks from those early years are more than two decades old. I reviewed one of the first to be bottled at twenty years earlier this year, and here is yet another pushing the age boundary a bit further. I am unsure where the cask, an excellent ex-rum barrel that I wish was less rare with Port Charlotte, originated, but it was bottled for the Singaporean-based IB Malt, Grain & Cane.
So how has the spirit changed with age, and what might this foretell for future premium releases? Honestly, it’s hard to tell as the production of the malt has changed over the last decade, and more recent releases have lacked some of the farmy intensity of the earlier ones. This has that old farm and funk. However, the notes have shifted slightly toward a lovely earthiness that bore more in common with the earthy umami or funk of mushrooms— maybe somewhere between porcini and braised shiitake. The influence of the rum cask mainly appeared in some of the tropical vibes and mango around the edges; otherwise, the beautiful malt shined the brightest.
Final Score: 89.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 