Part 4 of Reviews from The Auld Alliance Singapore
Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Few whisky institutions came up as often as the Auld Alliance when I told people I was returning to Singapore for a spell. The bar had long been on my list of places to pop in, but the stars had never entirely aligned. I made sure it was on the schedule for this visit and met up with a whisky friend, though he might identify more as a rum head, for a visit.
The staff was amiable, and our whisky friend was immensely helpful in navigating all the possibilities while pointing out and ensuring we did not miss any of the absolute highlights. I ticked off a few distilleries I had never tried before and could have chased even more had I wanted. We did not do an organized flight during this visit. Still, we tried to slowly crescendo through cask, abv, and flavor intensity during the evening. The reviews are split between the three below that I spent the least time with and four more single reviews of bottles that received more focused attention.
Between the people and the whisky, the Auld Alliance was magical.
Distillery: Glenury Royal
Bottler: The Whisky Agency
Region: Scotland/Speyside Single Malt
ABV: 43.0%. Cask strength.
Age: 37 years. Distilled in 1973. Bottled in 2011.
Cask type: Bourbon Hogshead.
Price: $26/15ml at The Auld Alliance Singapore
Nose: Gentle and fragrant, candied fruits, pineapple ham, lacquered wood, rosewater, motor oil, creamy butter, almond cookies.
Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, chocolate oranges, floral candies, hints of mint and caramel, motor shop, greasy rags, dirty lawn mower, freshly cut grass, dark chocolate.
Finish: Long and lingering with dark chocolate, butterscotch, and grassy sugars.
Mental Image: Midday Garage Tea Break
Conclusion: The aroma was gentle but fragrant as it presented candied fruits and pineapple jam shortbread cookies on lacquered wood. Rosewater tingled around the edges with motor oil and creamy butter, an odd combination that worked well with dry almond cookies and toasted almond slivers. Medium-bodied and oily, the flavor profile moved between the sweet shop, body shop, and a freshly cut lawn. Chocolate oranges and floral rose or violet candies arrived first with a touch of mint and caramel. An underlying dirtiness, akin to a motor pool or car shop, slowly came to the fore with greasy rags, petrol, and a dirty lawnmower covered in freshly cut green grass. More wood arrived toward the end, with citrus and bitter chocolate hanging on. The finish was long with dark chocolate, butterscotch, and grassy sugars.
I was stunned into submission by the whisky list at Singapore’s Auld Alliance— choice paralysis! However, I knew I wanted to try at least one distillery I had never had before. I settled on a relatively low abv Glenury Royal. I figured that with the low abv, which seems to have been cask strength, it would be an excellent place to warm up for the evening, not the kind of bottle that would stand out later if I waited.
For those who have never heard of the distillery, and that is not a huge surprise if you have not, considering it closed four decades ago, Glenury Royal was among the DCL (forerunner to Diageo) distilleries that fell silent as the effects of the Whisky Loch spread in the early 1980s. Production ceased in 1982, and the distillery officially shuttered in 1985; this ghost distillery will not return to life as the property was redeveloped into housing in the 1990s.
Overall, fantastic. The flavors were rich and complex, with a lovely “old malt” dirtiness and greenness to the finish that is often highlighted as characteristic of the period. I thought there was a satisfying balance between fruit, floral, industrial, and dark chocolate elements. Though poking around on Whisky Base, some found those dark chocolate notes to be a less pleasant bitter oak. I enjoyed the contrast that element provided, and I cannot imagine I will ever find another whisky that reminds me of a dirty lawn mower.
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 