Cheese Toasties & Tomato Soup with Chopsticks?

I had a work social that evening that I couldn't not attend. After the afternoon presentations, small group discussions and drinks, I decided to skip out on dinner (a buffet thing in which no on would miss me) and left. Hopped over to Origin Bar at Shangri-La Hotel for a drink and a bite. This is the one cocktail bar that doesn't kertok me on whisky.

When the husband heard that, he ditched the dog and joined me too. Hahahah. He likes the cocktails at Origin Bar and he would want one. In the end, he had two. The cocktail menu is so pleasurable to flip through. Someone put a lot of effort in doing it up, with 2D holograms of the drinks and all. I wisely stuck to my Talisker 10 y.o highball. I wanted a peated highball tonight, hence my choice of whisky. Absolutely refreshing. 

I didn't bother to sit at the restaurant side. The bar would be better. Lower chances of the restaurants screwing up things for me. The restaurants are always hilarious. They always manage to royally screw up my orders, even for my orders of rice dumplings last month. Tsk tsk. The bar also has a small menu of nibbles; they suffice for a night like this when I don't have cravings and not looking for pasta or a carb bomb.

The husband was hungry, and ordered a burger and ramen. Okaaaay. The bar does these basics very well lah. I had no interest to share his food. Don't like wagyu patties and no like ramen. Hahahah I'm not in a mood to 'try' or compromise on food tonight. I ordered cheese toasties with tomato 'soup'. 

The server set small plates and cutlery (fork, spoon, knife) in front of us. We ordered the burger and ramen first. We had to ask for chopsticks for the ramen. Only after the husband's done with the food and the used cutlery and plates were cleared, I ordered the cheese toasties with tomato soup. The server returned with a plate and a pair of chopsticks. For my cheese toasties and soup. I blinked. It didn't make sense. 

When my food arrived, I LOL. Sure, one could kiap the slim toasties to dip in the soup, then eat without dirtying the fingers. But I'll pass. Even as deft I am with chopsticks and it's always my utensil of choice, it's weird lah. We're not in China or a Chinese restaurant! Anyway, I used my fingers and left the chopsticks alone. I didn't even bother asking for a fork. It wouldn't be too greasy. Luckily those cheese toasties were still as delicious as I remember from a few weeks back. 

Kept My Whisky Chilled All Through

I don't bother with regular water bottles anymore. I need them insulated because I really prefer to have my water chilled. So my bottles always hold a ton of ice cubes. I don't drink warm water and I especially dislike tepid water. I've ended up with a spectrum of insulated water bottles and cups with different mouth openings and heights, for different purposes. HAHAHAHA.

Even the dog prefers her water chilled. I don't bother buying those 'dog water bottles' for her. I just allocate her one of my insulated bottles that will fit nicely into my bags. For any outing, she wouldn't be sharing a bottle with me because if my food bits and whisky or whatever go into her bowl, that's not sanitary. Choya somehow doesn't want the restaurant's water bowl (unless there're ice cubes in there or it's a really nice bowl), and wants it from ME when she wants it, and in her own little bowl. She'll tell you that not all water tastes the same. LOL I'm a bit iffy about the hygiene of those communal bowls anyway. 

I also really dislike my whisky warm. Ice cubes melt so fast in this heat, and I don't drink the dram fast enough after the ice melted in. I mostly sit outdoors, even at bars. So I've been bringing a tumbler out to the bars to pour my drink in there to keep cool in these crazy hot nights. LOL 

I did the same that night at The Blackbird. Well, we were there catch There Be Wolves. They were doing their originals and I wanted to hear them all. They have great lyrics and pretty good riffs. This meant that I'd be staying for the hour and slightly over. Ain't going to have warm drinks. My Lagavulin 16.y.o stayed very chilled in the tumbler. I was happy. 

Adding Bourbon to Your Food

Had to read Chef Edward Lee's newest book titled 'Bourbon Land: A Spirited Love Letter to My Old Kentucky Whiskey, with 50 Recipes' (April 2024). The Korean-American author-chef grew up in Brooklyn, but he now lives in the Bluegrass State. He prefers bourbon over other spirits, and views it as his "culinary companion".

I'm not a big fan of bourbon. I don't mind a nip of it but it's not my favorite drink. Four Roses is quite a tasty bourbon. I also prefer them aged. If you make me drink Jim Beam or Jack Daniels with Coca Cola or something, I will smack you. Bourbon is well, okay, whiskey, if you want. To me, this is spelt as 'whiskey'. Not 'whisky'. But yes, this book about all-things Kentucky bourbon is interesting to me. 

In the book's introduction, Edward Kyung Lee said that he "found his culinary voice in Louiswille", Kentucky. It is also here where he met his wife and where his daughter was born, and where the family still lives. He runs his flagship restaurant 610 Magnolia right here, ever since, he has been cooking with bourbon in the restaurant's dishes.

And bourbon is also about the measures of my own life. I think about how bourbon has played its role at every stage. The misspent youth drinking cheap bourbon and listening to the rebellious music that defined my teenage rage. When I was old enough to go to bars, how many long nights were spent in conversation as the hours evaporated into thin air, the music, the laughter. As I get older, I consume less and drink slower, sips instead of shots, slowing time to appreciate the craft and the nuances in every drink. And as a chef, I think about the transition I have made from consuming bourbon as a libation to using bourbon as an ingredient, a tool, a luxurious gift that enhances my craft. 

In this book, the chef-author brings you on a full distillery tour of Kentucky, and even mentioned the distillery cats like Woodford Reserve's beloved Elijah, a 20-year-old orange tabby who wandered onto the distillery grounds in 1996, never left and passed away in 2014. He examines his favorite tipple and introduces recipes of food and drinks that use bourbon. There are really 50 recipes. Take your pick as to which would be your favorite. He does bother to have a short bit explaining about the differences between bourbon and whiskey, and whisky. Heh. Then he goes into its history, Prohibition, its proof and how should one use bourbon in cooking (not like you do wine).

Some foods got my attention — mostly meats and cheeses — Fried Halloumi Cheese with Spiced Bourbon Honey, Whiskey Onion Soup, Beef Tartare on Burnt Oak Planks and Bone-In Pork Chops in Bourbon Marinade with Bourbon Whole-Grain Mustard Sauce. And one more Slow-Grilled Cheese Eggplant in Bourbon Miso.

Unsurprisingly, I'm not interested in the desserts. Even the best desserts using bourbon tends to lean sweet. There are Bourbon balls, bourbon and butterscotch pudding and fig-walnuts-saffron kulfi with bourbon honey don't work for me. 

The recipes for food are also interspersed with cocktails! There's a Lapsang Souchong Manhattan, a Classic Old-Fashioned and of course there's a Boulevardier. I'm less into cocktails. I drink my bourbon straight up or on the rocks, so I appreciated the chapter on 'Women and Whiskey', and the notable women influencing bourbon and the industry. I like the feature about Elizabeth McCall, the Master Distiller of Woodford Reserve, and the second generation of her family to work in the business.

In terms of flavor, there has always been a misperception that somehow smoky, burnt and bold flavors are masculine and flora notes are feminine—whiskey is for men and wine is for women. I find this narrative to be as inaccurate as it is sexist. And I also find the conventional notion of bourbon being all smoke to be inaccurate. While the char and smoke and tobacco are the primary flavors in most bourbons, there are also fruity and floral notes that are secondly but assuredly present. 

YES. As I do. 

He also doesn't shy away from mentioning about Nathan 'Nearest' Green who was enslaved and worked for Jack Daniel as its first African American Master Distiller, but he wasn't made partner, and was given little credit. He had no share of the profits that created generational wealth for many. He noted that bourbon marketing and advertising have become more diverse and acknowledge that BIPOC consumers are tastemakers and will guide the future of the drink.

This book of recipes and how it has been written and presented is truly the chef-author's labor of love. He said it is "a love letter to my Kentucky home". I think so too.

I'll do Bourbon Salt any day. Meanwhile, Bourbon-Glazed Chicken Wings, anyone?

The Last Night in Tokyo

For our final night in Tokyo, I ditched a planned dinner at a 'famous' restaurant, and opted for a casual night out in Aoyama. I wasn't quite feeling it to dine out like this. I had already ditched an earlier table at a three-starred Michelin restaurant the other night. I enjoy fine-dining, but mostly, I don't need my food to be done this fancy. 

I can do fancy on another trip to Tokyo. This trip, I want to taste flavors that can come out of a home kitchen, and be reacquainted with everything that I've missed. 

The man was indulgent and didn't mind me ditching our reservations. (Thank goodness I didn't need to pay the cancellation fees because the restaurant waived it.) He did wonder about fresh fruit cocktail bars or one of those rooftop lounges. I'm like, let's go to a basement bar please. Cocktail bars are just wasted on me. I don't care about cocktails (walao the sugar). Just give me whisky. 

I wanted to go to Aoyama, an old haunt, just to see how much it has changed. Had a lovely stroll by the huge Aoyama Cemetery that's open to the public. I like this quiet cemetery loads; I only avoid it in spring since it has cherry blossoms lining the paths, and people crowd it for viewing parties and picnics. The cemetery has been around since 1874. Think of how many ghosts haunt the area. Hehheh. Did you know that Hachiko the Akita's actual grave is here? The loyal dog is buried right next to his loving owner Professor Hidesaburo Ueno.

Once the sun set, we headed to the bar for drinks first. We were still stuffed from dinner, so food would come later. Took a slow stroll and meandered through the streets. Grinned when I saw the almost-iconic Sunnyhills shop at the corner; it's designed by Kengo Kuma and the building was completed in December 2013. 

There're random clothing shops and such, many carrying labels in the designs I love. But they were closed when I walked by. I didn't bother factoring time to shop; I didn't give retail shops a chance. I preferred to spend all that time at the cemetery, watching the shadows lengthen as the sun set.

We hung out at Bar Lasile / バー ラズィール that just celebrated its 18th anniversary last week. I've been coming here for years, and it felt sooo comfortable to just be having two glasses of whisky this trip. The bar makes its little snacks for patrons, and while it has some sort of weird finger food, I wouldn't suggest you order those. Just get the drinks here. It's not a fancy bar. It's just a regular cocktail bar, and it offers a decent selection of whisky. Importantly, it doesn't over-price its drinks. 

Then we hopped across to a little izakaya for dinner. Went to 料理倶楽部. We didn't make a reservation and it was packed out. But they accommodated us. Wheeeee. That was awesome. It was exactly what I hoped to do for dinner on this final night in the city.

I wanted comfort food and familiar flavors. Had to have our last few highballs here too. The man wanted the beef tendon stew / 牛筋煮込み, a few grilled skewers of chicken momo and tsukune. I decided to have two sticks of grilled chicken hearts and a nikujaga /肉じゃが. Took me all of my strength to resist ordering rice to go with this meal.

Made the last connecting trains back to the hotel just past midnight. Heheheh. We didn't stay out too late on this trip and kept the alcohol intake moderate. Tonight was probably the most that we drank. Ooof. Well, we're not driving, so that makes it much easier to have drinks with our meals or randomly spread out through the day. Heh.

Whisky & Cocktails in Seoul

Feather, Seoul.

From what I've seen so far, alcohol isn't cheaper in Seoul. Soju and makgeolli are super cheap per bottle. Beer is cheap. But I refuse to do soju or makgeolli because they're quite sweet and for some odd reason, they give me a gigantic headache. However, whisky and cocktails aren't easy on the pocket at all. Their cocktails at cocktail bars average ₩27,000-32,000. Hotel bars are insane when they price everything in USD. Liquor tax is at 72% per liter. 

At one bar, I simply refused to have whisky when all the single malts I want are priced minimally at ₩50,000 a generous dram. The three cheaper and kinda eeky whisky are priced at ₩36,000 a dram. Grrrrr. I don't care about the free nibbles that usually come along. If you get out to the other less fancy bars, an Oban 14 y.o could be about ₩22,000-26,000. That's super acceptable. I like these bars. Heh!

I really like OUL Four Seasons Hotel for keeping some brand identity in their menu. They offer traditional Korean spirits and liqueurs as cocktails. That's delightful. I ended up with a 'Goosoo Highball' at ₩29,000. It was surprisingly good! It uses Won soju classic with toasted barley, crust of overcooked brown rice and demerara syrup seltzer. Delicious! Skip the food here. It's overpriced and not that great.

Otherwise, I didn't go mad drinking here. Light drinking — a glass or two at most. I also wanted to keep awake to make it to the gym the next day without being dehydrated. Hello, alcohol = sugar = fats. I must control alcohol portions lah!

OUL and Charles H at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul.

Lennon's at Rosewood Hotel

While Rosewood Hong Kong's Darkside serves up whisky, it's pretty much a hotel bar — it can't escape the feel of being the standard hotel bar across many cities. As usual, on any given night, it's the random mix of partygoers that will lend it the unique vibes of that particular night. I only went because I knew that the girlfriends would enjoy the vibes and the band playing easy jazz and uhhh soft rock. 

Now, Rosewood Bangkok's Lennon's is a bar I wanted to check out. Sited at Level 30, it's a whisky bar tucked behind shelves of vinyls! The bar had a lovely collection of vinyls from many singers, and a few shelves of very cute and nostalgic 8-Bit mixtapes! I spent quite a bit of time here before meeting the friends and after saying goodnight to them.

Lennon's is another hotel bar, but with slightly more character because of the space and effort allocated to the vinyl shelves. That area serves as a private table/corner as well. Unfortunately the DJ that night wasn't very good. His selection of music was extremely pedestrian. Like Top 40s. Terrible. We were seated right next to him, and I could see his line-up. There were so many other choices of genre, but he stuck to boomer music. OMG. WHYYYYyy. I wished he had played something by Phoebe Snow.  

We had ourselves a small party in the corner. Then I realized how local the crowd was that night. Every table around us spoke in both English and Thai. Ours too. Heh! None of us overdid on the alcohol. A few of the friends had an early morning flight to catch, so we took it easy. I stuck to an easy Balvenie Doublewood 12 y.o. Chilling out with these friends whom I've missed so very much, and ignoring the pedestrian music, it felt like, home. มันให้ความรู้สึกเหมือนอยู่บ้านอย่างแน่นอน 

Lobster, Oysters & A Talisker!

Found a little gem in Mad Charcoal located at an industrial estate. It does BBQ and grilled stuff. Its techniques are pretty good, although the butter and the oil aren't as ideal. But at these lower-than-town prices, there's really nothing to complain about. 

Lunch is way too hot and too far for us to get to Ang Mo Kio St 62 to eat these foods. Visiting for dinner on week days makes for a pleasant experience. There's Archipelago beer sold at the drinks stall, along with the usual array of soft drinks, but no soda water or sparkling water.

I love it that they offer small portions of food. Loads of meat to choose from. Sure, it's pricier than what a 'western food stall' at a kopitiam offers on the menu. But Mad Charcoal offers a higher quality of ingredients, cuts and cooking style. There's the option of half a rack of Kurobuta ribs, and also just a small regular portion of three ribs. That was manageable. The $30 Angus ribeye was nicely done medium as requested, and arrived sliced. They also offer lamb ribs, and sometimes on Fridays, there's lamb shank.

Carbs came in the form of pasta. They have two or three options of spaghetti with tomato gravy or cream and aglio e olio. The spaghetti aglio e olio could have been spicer and loaded with more garlic, but I think they're catering to a specific demographic of diners who prefer it done this way. It came with a poached egg. I like that! A poached egg can make up for many things! Heh.

For fish and seafood, they have oysters and mussels, and clams. Their oysters are kept in the cooler box and shucked fresh upon order. Of course there're prawns and crayfish. You might have to pre-order something. For fish, sometimes have stingray, shark, and depending on what they can get at the market that morning versus cost considerations, there would either be snapper or threadfin. 

We have tried a variety of fish, and they're pretty decent grilled. The pesto sauce was okay and kinda fun. Not the pungent type I expect. It was lighter but it works. The mash was a bit weird. It's creamy, but it felt more cream than potato. I think the butter used isn't that tasty, methinks.

That night, we ordered a small lobster for dinner. It came with a bit of roe! Heh. Lobsters need to be pre-ordered, but even so, they might not have stock, so it all depends on luck. The price depends on how big the lobster is, and of course the effort to cook. Ours was $70 that night. The only drawback, they layered gratin over the lobster. Like a lobster thermidor, I suppose. With lobsters this fresh, I like them better grilled with just garlic and onions. 

We brought a bottle of Talisker Dark Storm to dinner. I got it at the airport duty-free shops. It was an updated darker expression from the Talisker Storm that debuted in 2013. We hadn't tasted this newer expression, might as well do so tonight. Brought our own glasses and a small thermos flask as an 'ice bucket'; we also brought two bottles of Chang soda water because the drinks stall here doesn't sell it. This expression is big on the smoke, coffee and sweet pepper — a gorgeous representation of the Isle of Skye. It went well drizzled onto the raw oysters. The man loved the combination of the peat and brine. 

Bar Buonasera HK

My favorite bar of the trip is Bar Buonasera at Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. I like quiet whisky bars. I can't quite deal with jazz bars and bars with 'live music'. The choice of music is often extremely grating to me, and I tend to wear ear plugs at those bars. If I want 'live music', I'll check out an indie gig. As much as Darkside is beautiful, it's not my kind of bar because I'm an alcoholic a drinker, and I highly dislike its prices of whisky by the glass. 

Helmed by Ayako Miyake and Nick Tse, Bar Buonasera is a drinker's sanctuary. The duo were in Singapore in early May for a one-night stint at Smoke & Mirrors. I actually didn't know about that till later. Haha. Obviously Smoke & Mirrors (it's really cocktails) isn't a bar I hang out at unless I have guests in town to have a drink with. They're off to Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar in Bangkok in two weeks on 15 June. (Hey BKK people, GO SAY HI! One night only!)

These girls didn't like eat much dinner, except sliders at another bar earlier. They weren't feeling 100%. So I simply got some easy calamari and grilled wings for them. I really wanted that gorgonzola with honey and nuts. It was beautifully decorated with rice paper flowers. It was tasty, and perfectly complemented my peated malts. 

If I hang at out at a bar on my own, Bar Buonasera is exactly what I'm looking for. We went late, just before closing. I got in all the drams of whisky I wanted. Thrilled to see a bottle of Caol Ila 18 y.o. But sad that there was only a dram left and I couldn't have more. It's not that rare, but because 85% of Caol Ila whiskies are used for blends like Johnnie Walker, so it's rare to find an 18y.o lying around at the bars. I ended the night with a shot of Laphroaig Quarter Cask. Mmmm.

Stuck to Whisky at COL

Plonked myself at COL and ordered a glass of Edradour 10y.o on the rocks. At $28++ a glass for a 3oz pour. This is a restaurant that overprices its whisky. A Bunnabhain 7y.o artist collective single malt that retails at $173 is still not worth $35/glass here. Dohhh. COL's selling points are cocktails, and bottles of wine, of course. 

Told myself never to order that $55-glass of Hibiki as a highball again. If I want to pay $55 for whisky, it has to be on the rocks, dammit, and not from a Japanese distillery. I mustn't order pricey alcohol that comes with a small plate of very delicious bread and umami butter that are 'with the chef's compliments'. V was utterly tickled by that story. She began with Pimm's and wisely continued with wine. 

Of course we started with the aged beef tartare with candied pecan, gherkins and shallots, scooped onto red endives. I can't seem to move away from this starter! We weren't that hungry. We shared mains of hand-rolled tagliatelle with Scottish mussels (deshelled), chilli butter and confit tomatoes, and a lamb loin with French white asparagus, garlic pureé, slow roasted onions, and spring greens. We didn't bother with dessert since we very much preferred the sugar in our alcohol. 

Whisky at The Wine Club

Went out for the evening and met some friends for drinks at 67 Pall Mall. I haven't gone out in a while. Neither has the man. So I thought it might be fun to do so, and it was! The table conversation was fairly stimulating. Rather adult. LOL But in a good way, not about crypto, stocks or property. 

Food was kept light and easy in the form starters and sharing plates. The man was happy because he didn't have to deal with carbs and there were plenty of people to share the portions with. The Scotch eggs were good; they were served with piccalilli. But I thought they seemed more like non-spicy and non-tangy achar in tonight's context. The hummus wasn't good enough though. 

There were a few starters ordered — oysters (I think they're Irish, small and briny), mushroom ravioli with Gruyere, charred Brussels sprouts with bacon, grilled Octopus leg with chimichurri and cannellini beans, New Zealand Little Neck clams with pork sausage, white wine broth, garlic bread and wilted baby spinach. Dessert was a dark chocolate fondant and ice-cream something that look like a snickers bar. Food was decent and I honestly had nothing to complain about.

Although they stock a wide collection of whisky and the 28th floor's whisky bar is equally cosy. Opted for whisky at this chi chi wine club. What do I know about wines? A single malt is always my choice of alcohol over wine. I had a lovely glass of Oban 14 y.o, then a Laphroaig Triplewood. That was all the alcohol I wanted to drink tonight. Two glasses were nice; they wouldn't make me tipsy or my stomach churn. I was pleased to take my leave and make it home by 10pm. The Smol Girl was waiting for us. She's gotta pee and have her supper!  

Cocktails At Home

The BFF read our minds. She sent us a package from The Other Room, an easy bar that we hang out at once in a bit. In these times, the bars pair down their staff, innovate to package their cocktails for delivery instead in order to minimize the hit to the bottomline. I stared at the paper bag and grinned. Somebody took a marker to WRITE out the instructions and information on it. Strawberries and hearts were colored in. FWAAAAH. THE EFFORT.

The paper bag held prep packs for two glasses of Old Fashioned, and a bottle of red sangria with separately packed fruits. Wow! The BFF and I had a drinks call that night. Got out suitable glasses to throw in ice cubes and all the fruits. Opened up the bottle of red sangria. Made sure to read the instructions that someone took so much heart to pen. I had strawberries in the fridge, and threw in more too. That sangria was delicious. The bar made it almost thick and viscous; the wine used sat sweet with the fruits. Mmmmm.

We saved the Old Fashioned for the next night. We knew it would go well with a spicy dinner of sambal petai and long beans, and grilled Spanish mackerel. Cocktails sealed up this way keep fine in the fridge for two days. We had more orange peels anyway. The Old Fashioned leaned a little sweet too, but it was okay We didn't know what bourbon or rye whisky was used, but it tasted fine. we continued with another dram of Bowmore 18y.o after that to round up the night.

I don't miss hanging out at noisy bars. I only miss the ease of having a few drinks with good friends at a quiet bar or at either of our homes. We can’t even get a coffee together anymore. We now have great conversations over video calls, which is comforting, but it isn't as awesome as chilling out with them right next to me. Some people, I do sorely miss their comforting presence.

Chicken Curry at Copper

We haven't stopped by Quaich Bar for many months now. Well, we have stopped hanging out for hard drinking at bars, and we've taken a step back where whisky is concerned. On some evenings, we've stopped by Quaich's sister bar, Copper at Lanson Place. Copper carries a large range of independent expressions from Cadenhead's.

Met friends that night at Copper, and decided to have dinner there too. We could simply tapau food to Quaich Bar for dinner too, but Copper’s location, larger kitchen and menu, its vibes and ambience all work better for us now. The bar’s well-equipped kitchen produces a superb collagen bone broth. They boil it for hours, and the results are lovely. One could order a mini bowl of that broth to sip. That’s also the soup base for their beef/chicken udon and somen. Alternatively, you could have the meat with rice, and the bone broth comes in a complimentary mini bowl.

Tonight, we requested for Copper’s Chandrew to make his famous chicken curry, and fried chicken masala. These items aren’t on the daily menu, but if you could give the kitchen a heads-up three days in advance, it’s do-able. Chandrew obliged. He made a pot and served them up with basmati rice. Spices galore. I’m not so keen on chicken, but I loved layering the thick curry over the rice and also stole everyone’s potatoes. Teeeeheeeheee. My stomach was stuffed and happy. That was an excellent dinner. Literally homecooked with care.

I Don't Care To Have Suntory Time Again, But I Get It.

Of course I had to read Aaron Gilbreath's 23-minute 5939 words article published on Longreads for October 2019, 'Can We Ever Make It Suntory Time Again?' He laments about how much he loves Japanese whisky, and how he regrets not stocking up on those bottles that are now out of production and never to be seen again.

While I enjoy reading about Japanese whisky, and living through the boom times when the popularity of Japanese whisky exploded, I'm not a fan of Japanese whisky. Even the most peated ones are a little too sweet for me. Many Japanese companies own Scotland's whisky distilleries now. I'm just glad that they haven't interfered too much with the distinctive tastes produced by the different Scotch distilleries. Oddly, I still have few of those now-considered-rare bottles of Yamazaki and Nikka sitting on my shelves, remnants from long-ago gifts and purchases from some rather crazy nights drinking in Tokyo.

The limited availability of certain whiskies adds another layer of scarcity value; when distilleries close, their whisky becomes irreplaceable. No more of those Hanyus or Karuizawas will ever get made. No more versions of the early 1990s Hibiki, since Suntory changed the formula. For distilleries that still operate, their whisky is irreplaceable, too. The exact combination of wood, temperature, and age will never produce the same flavor twice. Even when made according to a formula, whisky is a distinct expression of time and place. The weather, the blender, the barley, the proximity to the sea, and of course, the barrels — sherry, port, or bourbon? — all impart a particular flavor along with the way blenders mix them.

I belong to the lucky generation — I had the chance to taste the good Scotch and Japanese whisky from the father's liquor cabinet, honing my tastebuds for my own tasting for a good decade before the whisky stocks run low and my desire for imbibition of fermented grain mash diminished. Those were very good years for whisky. I'm glad that in the process of discovering whisky and honing my palate for it, the liver and kidneys didn't suffer, and there aren't any lingering consequences.

Did I mention that the man and I acquired the Bowmore 1964 Trilogy (Black, White and Gold) a decade ago, and recently let it go slightly below market price? We've tasted a few bottles from the Trilogy. It didn't matter to us anymore whether we own it or if we'd taste them again. We were more insistent that the bottles went to a connoisseur who would appreciate it, and he mustn't be an asshole. Thankfully it's sold to someone who came across as one who is without much airs, efficient and prompt in our communications with him. In addition to having less inclination for whisky, I've also called time on my relationship with Bowmore because I realized that they'd hard-pressed to produce the expressions that I love. The distillery would need two or three more decades to even get those flavors again.

And maybe we should think less about what we missed and more about what is yet to come. In 2013 and 2014, Suntory expanded its distilling operations to increase production. It, Nikka, Kirin, and many smaller companies have laid down a lot of whisky, and when all that whisky has sufficiently aged there will be a lot of 10-to-15-year-old whiskies on the market — maybe as early as 2020 or 2021. “I always tell people not to worry about not being able to drink certain older whiskies that are no longer available,” Osaka bar owner Teruhiko Yamamoto told writer Brian Ashcraft. “Scotch whisky has a long tradition, but right now it feels like Japanese whisky is entering a brand new chapter. We’re seeing whisky history right before our eyes.”

Cutting Back On Alcohol

I enjoy my single malts, porters and stouts. I savored a lovely dram of this gorgeous 40-year-old in sherry cask from Tomintoul specially bottled for Quaich Bar. Distilled in 1977 and bottled in 2017, this bottle is at cask strength. One dram was enough.

I've consciously cut down on alcohol for a whole year and three months. My favorite bar definitely misses me. Haha. Well, I ain't giving it up, but alcohol is certainly not ingested in the way it used to be done. Has my social life suffered? Honestly? No. Friends who love me, will accept that. Acquaintances or friends whom I don't care about, won't be drinking loads with me either. There used to be this joke because I only see some people in the night when alcohol is present, and I've never met them in the day! Now, I see them at the gym or wherever else for coffee. Oof.

Sure, the spending on alcohol has drastically reduced and my bank account's pretty happy with that. I gotta admit that those numbers (spent at bars) that used to appear on my credit card statements were rather shocking. The greatest difference felt, is to my body. Pilates and gym classes effectively keep the desire for alcohol in check. Alcohol intake is limited to one pint of beer or one dram of whisky the night before a class. On many occasions, I opt for non-alcoholic options.

Putting aside food in this discussion only because I eat fairly clean, and the diet hasn't changed very much. Carbs are not avoided, just not eaten in huge quantities. With the huge decrease in alcohol consumption, and hence, unnecessary sugar, the body feels so much better. I feel stronger, cleaner and generally less sluggish.

Deanston X PIM PAM

Went for a Deanston whisky tasting + dinner hosted by PIM PAM by FOC and Quaich Bar. They had invited (Deanston Distillery is owned by Distell Group Limited, who also owns Bunnahabhain and Tobermory.) The bar launched its specially bottled Deanston 14 y.o in Spanish oak cask, and I was curious about it. I can be rather fixed in my whisky preferences, so tastings done this way are a great opportunity for the tastebuds to try new flavors. Tonight, the Deanston Virgin Oak, and the 18y.o spoke to me.

Blinked at the dinner menu. That was a loong list of food! The selected tapas served weren't decent. But I couldn't stomach that much food and had the friends take my portions. The Spanish anchovies were wonderfully salty, delicious and full of umami. Dessert was churros with chocolate sauce that everyone loved; as usual I gave away mine. Haha. I was really only waiting for the squid ink paella with prawns. Hurhurhur. In fact, I could have had two servings of that and skipped all the previous fun tapas selections. FOC’s paella never disappoints at any of its three locations.

The wonderful thing about this dinner- it was more casual instead of the usual fine dining style adopted for food and whisky pairings. The friends and I weren’t placed at the communal table! Yayyyy! Didn’t need to schmooze or show fake interest in people (who could be nice, but nobody really needs a bump up in the number of facebook friends)! Got a table to ourselves and managed to have more meaningful chats since the surroundings weren't that noisy.

Quaich Bar Turns 10

I pretty much only drink whisky, and some beer, staying away from cocktails and trendy bars. I like my watering holes casual. Quaich Bar isn't what most people call 'hip' or 'polished', and that's exactly what I love about it. Sláinte! 🥃

A decade ago, it introduced me to the gorgeous expressions from my now all-time favorite distillery Bowmore. The bar turns 10 this September. My goodness, has our happy relationship lasted this long? The bar has always made me feel welcomed and taken care of. Nothing patronizing or over-the-top, but nothing lacking either. I used to frequent the bar a lot more, but have not done so recently, only because I've decreased overall alcohol intake.

Instead of just a night's celebration, Quaich Bar held a month-long series of tasting events. There was one of Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch and Glenglassaugh, and another of Irish whisky Tipperary and Shetland Reel from the Shetland's Island of Unst, and Springbank which included the launch of a 17 y.o single cask specially bottled for Quaich Bar. Pretty fun! I didn't attend these though. Predictably I popped in to the nights when they brought out Bowmore (owned by Suntory), and Tomatin (owned by Takara Shuzo Co., Ltd).

Bowmore (Islay)

Priced at S$30 per Bowmore tasting set (complimentary for members) of four expressions, it included a beautiful 25 y.o. The Cadenhead-Bowmore small-batch 12 y.o (as an independent bottler, Cadenhead has been churning out really decent whisky), and the official 18 y.o bottling are its staples, and have been fairly consistent through the years.  I love the 15 y.o darkest matured in oloroso casks bottled in 2007. The bottles after that year simply don't taste the same.

I'm most familiar with Bowmore's range of flavors and bottles, and how it has evolved over the years. But it's always nice to taste the ones I'm fond of side by side. Many friends turned up in droves for this event to, probably because they're rather fond of this distillery as well. It was a chance to catch up with those I hadn't seen for a bit. But as with all social events, it was hard to grab everyone for more than a 10-minute chat. It was hilarious how we all called it a night by 10pm. Hahaha.

Tomatin (Highlands, Speyside border)

Topping off the celebrations, the good folks at the bar, Khoon Hui and Joyce, visited Highland distillery Tomatin, and procured a single cask of 1983 and bottled it in July 2017, making it a 34 y.o. The bar launched its special anniversary bottle at this Tomatin tasting event. They also invited Tomatin representative Graham Nicolson to hop in for a chat with everyone.

That night, besides the 1983 single cask, we tasted three other expressions from Tomatin- Legacy, 12 y.o, and Fire. I enjoyed the spice in the Fire which touted heavily charred oak at 46% abv. It holds no age statement, but manages a rounded aftertaste without the sharp notes of typical of younger whisky. Wasn't expecting to like the Fire, but I do!

The 1983 34 y.o single cask is gorgeous. So pleased that they offered a dram of it in the tasting tonight. I was looking forward to tasting it, and it wasn't at all disappointing. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be. It was full of fruits and caramel, lingering long after the last drop went down the throat.

Khoon Hui and Joyce told us that the 250-litre cask was expected to produce between 180 to 190 bottles (750-ml each), thereabouts. However, in the end, they could only fill 158 bottles. Wow. Although it's not unheard of for 30-year-old spirits to lose say 45% of its volume, the angels' share for this cask was still significant.

拜年 :: 鸡鸣丘谷丰登景，燕舞千家幸福年

The weekend saw a flurry of welcomed house visits to greet the Lunar New Year of the Rooster. Of course the man left it to me to plan the logistics of which house to visit at what time, and driving routes around the island. So smart. But yeah, that's a breeze for me to arrange. I did tell the man to eat a properly heavy breakfast before we left at 8.30am. He gets 'hangry' if meal-times are unexpectedly erratic. Every house proudly held up homemade goodies and food. It was fairly difficult to reject the lovely offers when words like 'artisan', 'handmade', 'limited', 'craft batches' and such were thrown in our faces. 😂 While I'm not exactly interested in all of them, I'd eat one representative snack or cookie for luck.

The day began innocently enough with a tiny scoop of green bean soup at the first house, and next, surprisingly not-that-sweet-but-buttery pineapple tarts. Hopped into the next house to have a good cup of coffee. There, our friends gave us this spiel of little 80-something-years-old ladies in Johor Bahru making love letters by hand and storing them in a Milo tin (it has to be a Milo tin, cannot be Horlicks or any other brands), and insisted that we took some. Then this gem of a discontinued bottle of a classic Speyside was brought out- a Gordon & MacPhail independently bottled in 2006—Linkwood 1972. Had sips and there was literally a full bottle still intact and then these crazy friends insisted we take the bottle home.

Even though E's parents indicated 'tea', and we went quite late, we were still fed the portions of lunch in terms of food, literally. Tea in Asia isn't just full of sugar and cakes. It also holds savory items which are filling enough to be a late mid-day meal. There was so much food laid out- Nyonya kueh pie tee, Asian-Cantonese-style savory yam cake, Hakka-style savory glutinous rice, and fruits. We resolutely ignored the ton of 'artisanal' snacks in bottles.

I've given up trying to understand why over-aged 'children' like us still get ang pows, after being fed good food and handmade snacks, and more handmade tubs bought from every secret corner of the island and Johor Bahru. But I am prepared, with small gifts of Chinese herbs and the sorts for naughty parents. ✌🏻🍊🍊🐓

L'Shana Tova & The FIL's Birthday

[UsQuBa has closed as of March 2017.]

Went to the still-new UsQuBa to celebrate the FIL's birthday and Rosh Hashanah. Many food blogs described it as a 'Scottish restaurant' in June, but there isn't haggis anywhere on its menu, and oddly, four months later, its copy now indicates 'modern European dining' and somewhere there's something written about French cooking techniques and Asian influences.

Chef Guven Uyanik did pay attention to bringing in Aberdeen Angus beef and fresh produce, cheeses and seafood from Scotland. Good enough. Okay, looking at the menu, this is 'new Scottish cuisine'. Or maybe we could just term it more aptly 'modern European'. The food was fine. It didn't blow my mind, but nothing was overdone or undercooked. There were grilled racks of lamb and beef tenderloin. I enjoyed my whole ocean trout and the tender juicy grilled lobsters. Those were gorgeous.

Of course we were there to eat. But when we're not wine people, it's a bonus when a restaurant stocks decent bottles of whisky. All I need is that one or two lovely drams to take me through a mellow evening. Otherwise, I'd rather stick with iced water or whatever that's non-alcoholic without being ridiculously sweet. The restaurant offers VERY NICE tasting flights, along with a VERY GOOD LIST OF WHISKY. Woohooo.

The man even made it a point of going to UsQuBa earlier than the scheduled dinner hour to get some drinks in first. He had a superb sounding 'Elements of Islay Flight'- Elements of Islay Bw5, CI7 and Lp6. All familiar favorites. Next time, I'd like to taste the 'Samaroli Speyside Flight'- Tomintoul 1967 44 Y.O and a Tormore 1995 19 Y.O. I'd definitely rate this as a fabulous whisky bar with super decent food. If I'm there for drinks without dinner plans, I needn't head out to a separate venue to get satisfying grub. Hope the grill+bar lasts in this finicky market. One Fullerton rentals are crazy.

My delightful drams which I know well prior to tasting it at dinner.
It's the 'Glenglassaugh Flight'- Evolution, Revival and the 30 Y.O.

The Norlan Glass

My Norlan glasses finally arrived!!! We've always made do with those cut-crystal whisky glasses and tasting tumblers. Saw the Norlan glass float around Kickstarter last year, backed it and bought extras and couldn't wait for it to be in production and get here. Their Kickstarter video is so well-made. Kickstarter is such a wonderful marketplace. Heh.

The glasses were compactly packed in pairs into into tubes like this, pictured left, and paper-bolstered within its mailing parcel. No chips, no cracks. It's a double-walled hand-blown borosilicate glass. At 125g, it's light, and doesn't feel too delicate. Yay. It's a little tough to wash thin-walled glasses that might crack and chip at a slightly heavier than usual pressure, even when hand-washed. Many nosing glasses suffer from that.

That faceted base and curved inner bowl delivery definitely helped with aeration and diffuse the aroma of the whisky without compromising. It doesn't feel as 'flat' as the usual nosing glasses. I could be imagining it, but as a glass, this is certainly a beautiful vessel for whisky. Is it worth the hype? Well, it's not magical. But it certainly fits my needs. I like it fine.

Used it for the first time with a familiar favorite- the Bowmore port-matured 16y.o. Poured out hefty drams into the Norlan glasses. Threw an ice-cube in mine after the first few sips. This is such a glorious form of dessert. Had a lovely dinner with the friends earlier at Odette and we adjourned home with them for a nightcap. No 3am shenanigans at the bars. One drink and great conversation.

Whiskeys Are For Ladies

Whisky and whiskey are very much part of Singapore Cocktail Week 2016. But I can never tell if it's purely rye and bourbon or it also includes blended and single malts. Unless it's clearly stated, like the tasting workshop offered by La Maison du Whisky.

Signed up for 'Whiskeys Are For Ladies' because the workshop's description said we would taste "the best of American whiskeys". LOL. I was REALLY SKEPTICAL of the tagline. At S$48++, I kinda knew it wouldn't be what I hoped for. It was held at The Flagship which adopts the vibes of a dive-bar, carries loads of whisky and offers cocktails. There're so many small batch bourbon and rye out there that I wouldn't mind checking them out too. Although bars do try to make a distinction on the menu, and American single malts are establishing an identity and credibility of their own, these 'American single malts' are still lumped under 'whiskey'. Zzzz.

This workshop was for women only. It was led by vivacious Hannah Waters (consultant and bartender at Proof & Company). The information for the workshop also mentioned Beckaly Franks (owner and bartender at Hong Kong’s really cool The Pontiac) as co-lead, but she wasn't there. Nobody mentioned why, and I didn't care enough to ask. The lovely staff at The Flagship kept our iced water filled and snacks replenished.

The hardcopy notes provided gave a summary of flavor profiles we might find in the tasting list that night. Hannah is a good facilitator who lent the session easy vibes and was comfortable with her audience, knew her cocktails and the flavor profiles of whiskeys that would go great in the mixes. She cheerfully answered our many questions and poured out drinks. If I'm into cocktails and sugar, I would have stayed and checked out what the she and other guest bartenders were offering with Monkey Shoulder blended malt that night.

I was hoping to taste drams from any of these good American single malts, and hear what the workshop lead(s) had to say about them- Balcones, Westland, Westward (from House Spirits Distillery), Colkegan (from Santa Fe Spirits) and Hillrock. FAT HOPE. But it wasn't too bad. It certainly wasn't what I had envisioned, but it wasn't disappointing. On the tasting list were two American whiskeys and two Scotch whiskies. There were New York Hudson's Baby Bourbon and Manhattan Rye, and a William Grant & Sons' blended malt of Monkey Shoulder, and surprisingly, a Glenfiddich 21y.o.

I'm not fond of rye. Even a Willett single barrel and a Cadenhead small batch aged single grain didn't convince me of rye's virtues. While Hudson's Manhattan Rye is friendly and I satisfied my curiosity in trying it, it's just...rye. :p Hudson has a single malt I haven't tried. A pity it wasn't on the list tonight. Hudson's Baby Bourbon is still predictably good. But I've already given my bourbon vote to Basil Hayden and Four Roses; those are not bourbon you want to mix into cocktails. Hadn't tried Monkey Shoulder before tonight- it doesn't suck. Hahaha. It's honestly one of the better blended malts around, including those by independent bottlers. Think Burn Stewart's Black Bottle, Duncan Taylor's Black Bull and The Big Smoke, Compass Box's The Peat Monster, Ian Macleod's Isle of Skye, et cetera. Not even going to start on those that include grain in its blends.

Well, it's peachy to pop out once in a bit to see what the whiskey/whisky scene is like. Towards the end of the workshop, I was pretty happy to get refills of the Glenfiddich 21y.o. Of all Glenfiddich's expressions, this is the only affordable (for daily drinking) one I really like. Ah, good old dependable single malt. That never fails to put a smile on my face.