A night with Johnnie Walker Green Label

I've been to many a whisky tasting over the years and whilst I do enjoy them, most of them are sort of the same. An introduction to the whisky, story behind the distilling process and manufacturing, history behind the brand and so on which is fine but sometimes some whisky's deserve more than that and that's what the folks down at Johnnie Walker thought so as well. So in re-introducing their famed Green Label to South Africa, instead of the norm, they've opted to take their guests on a tasteful journey, that not only gave guest to opportunity to taste their single malt blend but a food paring to go along with it. 

Last week Thursday I was fortunate enough to partake in this journey, the venue, the magnificent Zimbali Fairmont Hotel. Tucked away in the lush five star estate lies the Fairmont hotel which over looks the Indian Ocean, it provides a tranquil getaway for those who want to relax and spoil themselves with the best that is on offer on the East Coast, it made the perfect setting to enjoy one of the finer whiskies available on the market. 

Johnnie Walker Green Label is a single malt blended whisky and needs no introduction for some of the older drinkers as it was available in South Africa before the brand opted to discontinue sales of it for various reasons in most part of the world. The only markets who kept it were in the America's and China but with the ever growing demand for single malt whisky, Johnnie Walker decided to re-introduce it to the market.

The night kicked off with welcome drinks at 31 degrees with a delightful cocktail which consisted of Johnnie Walker Gold Label with herbs and bitters. Quite a twist on a whisky which proved to be quite refreshing on the palette and set the mood for the rest of the evening. We were then greeted by KZN Reserve Brand Ambassador Haroon Haffajee, who gave us a short introduction to JW Green Label and it's re-introduction to the market, followed by a brief on what was to be expected on the evening.  We were broken into 3 groups and each assigned a colour, for we were going to experience the 3 different restaurants at the hotel for the 3 different courses. All the food which was served on the night was made to compliment the JW Green Label, and with it brought out the flavours in both the food and the whisky. 

For starters we headed over to Bite, which is the hotel's poolside deli. Set at the edge of the picturesque pool overlooking the hotel, with the dining table laid out open to the star filled sky, it truly an awesome setting to get the night going. Starters was a creamy corn chowder, served with a biltong breadstick, ostrich carpaccio and feta dip served with a shot of Green Label on the side, unlike other single malt whiskies, JW Green label contains a blend of single malts, so it offers a variety of flavours depending on the food you're having. With the chowder one got a touch of the walnut and that long spicy finish to warm you up on the cold winter night. 

Moving onto the next course, we made our way to OSA, a vibrant new offering at the hotel which specialises in Indian Cuisine. I know being an indian, I must be pretty used to curry but it is my favourite culinary option, as I find there is so many ways to make a curry and the variety of spices on offer to change a meal is endless witch each offering something special to enhance the flavours. For the mains we were served a tandoori chicken skewer which sat on top of a garlic naan bread, with sour milk sauce, fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds. I thought the spices and flavours of the meal would have been a bit over powering for the whisky but it blended quite well. It brought out a sweetness and oak from the whisky which worked perfectly with it. 

Ayoba which is located at the Beach Club at Zimbali Fairmont was the venue for our 3rd and final course of the night, desert. The restaurant is a fusion of Central America and Africa with more of a Mexican twist so with that being said, desert was none other than Churros served with a chili chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream. The light cripsy churro's and sauce brought our the coffee notes of the JW Green and bitter chocolate and espresso was evident with every sip. 

After our tasteful journey, it was time to reconvene at 31 Degrees for the conclusion of the night. we toasted the night with one more drink of the JW Green accompanied with cheese platters and a selection of sweets from the hotel's tea box. Speaking to Haroon thereafter about Johnnie Walkers reasoning to re-introduce this 15 year old single malt blend into the market again, it was interesting to note that their pricing for such a bottle is quite reasonable when compared to some of it's competitors. The average pricing would be around the R500 mark which is cheap in my opinion for a whisky of this caliber. On the whole it was a perfect night which fused great whisky with great dining and offered a range of tastes that played lovely on ones palette. It was certainly a night to remember. 

A night with Singleton

When it comes to drinks, I always prefer to opt for a whisky, why? Well unlike beer, it's doesn't make me full or bloated and theres always a story to tell in any whisky you have. Growing  up we've come accustom to calling whiskies "Scotch" as many preferred the Scottish variants but slowly the Irish, Japanese and even Taiwanese distillers got into the act and in SA right now, we have access to a variety of whiskies from around  the world. A newish brand to our shores is Singleton, a brand that's here to re-establish the Scottish Scotch.

Last week I was invited to an evening of whisky tasting with Singleton, the venue, Durban's  hidden gem, the  Chariman Jazz Lounge in Point Road. If you haven't been before, the decor is very rustic and indicative of a time past by, a typical jazz lounge with low lighting, lots of antiques and a theme straight  out of Dick Tracy, all that's missing is the Piano and Jessica Rabbit sitting on top of it singing in her sultry voice. 

Back to the reason I was there, Singleton were hosting  a night to introduce themselves to the market, whilst their 12 year old Single Malt of Dufftown was available in SA for about a year now, and has been doing rather well, the brand felt there was a need to protrude the market as they felt their whisky deserves more attention that it's getting. And I tend to agree with them, it's priced well and the 12 year old is a brilliant single malt, with it's golden colour, naturally balanced and exceptionally smooth texture. A great addition to any ones whisky collection. 

On the night though Singleton introduced a new addition to their collection, joining the 12 year old single malt from Dufftown was the Tailfire. An interesting addition, I ordered a double with  couple blocks of ice before I could head into the tasting, it was very smooth on the palate, nice texture, not as heavy as the 12 year old, a very easy drinking whisky but there was just something about it that  made it seem different. As we found out later in the tasting, the Tailfire has no age distinction, its less that 12 years old but more than 3 years old in maturity.

With its unique distilling process, it makes the whisky perfect for mixing, now I'm not a fond of whisky in cocktails but the two that were on offer that night may have changed my mind on this. I can't  recall what they were but both refreshing and provdided different accents to the whisky, enhancing flavours you wouldn't normally taste if drinking it neat or with some water. 

At the tasting we were asked to pick up the various tastes and flavours of the whisky, it's  not that easy for the untraind tongue but our host Greg Willmore laid out some items to enhance our senses for us to pick up the flavours blended in, for the sweet caramel we melted sugar onto an apple, the smell of treacle helped in this aspect, the next was a light strawberry chocolate which accentuated the cocoa flavours in the whisky. 

The night had some activities in store for guest with  mock casino in place where you were handed funny money for every drink you ordered and were able to gamble  it on the tables. The  person with the  most amount of funny money won themselves a nice hamper from Singleton, unfortunately it just wasn't my night. 

Overall it was  a great experience, sampling what Singleton have to offer, it's a unique whisky in its own right and a must have for the bar at home, I've already added the 12 year old Single Malt Dufftown to mine.

Lunch with Glenmorangie

Last week Friday, I along with Marc Forrest and Kyle Fraser were invited to lunch at the Oyster Box with Glenmorangie Whisky. Some might not have heard of the brand before and I must admit it wasn't until this years Durban July did I discover this single malt Scotch whisky. The tent I was at had stocked up by Jack Daniels and once the stocks of the US bourbon were depleted, I had no option but to try the original Glenmorangie. I was pleasantly surprised by it, being a whisky drinker myself I found the tastes quite different. Yes I mostly drink mix blends but what was evident in this was its fruity nature, something that I haven't picked up in a whisky before.

Karen Fullerton who is the Global brand ambassador for Glenmorangie was in Durban for FNB's Whisky Live exhibition at the Durban ICC, so it was a unique opportunity for us to meet her along with Patrick John Leslie from the Moet - Hennessy group of South Africa, seeing that I didn't get the opportunity to visit the event this year. Learning first hand from Karen about the Glenmorangie was quite an experience, she is so passionate about the brand and their product, it just leaves one fascinated about it.

Here are some facts about what makes Glenmorangie unique to other whisky's:

• They have the tallest stills in Scotland, ensuring that their spirit is the lightest, purest and most elegant in the business.
• They only use the finest ingredients for their whiskys, one of which they pride on is Scottish grown barley. They're one of the few that don't use imported barley.
• The casks are made from hand selected oak trees and are only ever filled twice.
• The whisky making traditions have been passed down from generation to generation, ensuring things are done the same way as when the founder William Matheson did so.

Oysters and Glenmorangie original

We started off the lunch with a shot of the original, Karen took us through the various aroma's and tastes before suggesting a starter to pair it with. Oysters were the winner, the saltiness of the oysters brought out other tastes to the whisky that we didn't pick up on when sipping it before.

1st fill and 2nd fill samples

Before we ordered our mains, Karen brought out some samples of the whiskys taken from the still. One was from the first fill which is right at the top and the 2nd was from the 2nd fill. The contrasts in both the samples was quite evident and surprising seeing that they were taken from the same still, where by not only did the colour vary but also textures and tastes.

The case Signet comes in.

For lunch we were treated to something very special, Karen brought along a bottle of Glenmorangie's signature whiskys, the Signet.  A lot about this whisky is kept a close secret but what they can tell us is that it is a fusion of unique and rare elements and is the richest whisky in their range. The whisky is aged in a made to order cask and made with a chocolate malt barely. The thing that gets your first is the aroma's, there is a rich coffee smell almost that of an espresso and elements of citrus to it. When you take a sip, you notice the rich texture as its almost sherry like then the explosion of tastes take over. From the chocolate, to the orange, hint of peaches and also coconut. It almost sounds like a dessert and too good to have with a meal but as I found out while having prawns as my main, paring it with certain foods accentuates other elements of the whisky.

Karen Fullerton takes us through the tasting of Signet

Seeing that the whisky did have that sweetness to it, Karen suggested that we order something chocolaty for our dessert to enhance the chocolate malt barely. Never have I had whisky  with dessert so this was a new experience for me! Just like the main, the dessert allowed other elements of the whisky to stand out, one could get more of the chocolate taste and it felt almost espresso like. Needless to say I finished glass and my plate with ease.

chocolate fudge brownies with Glenmorangie Signet

Although it was just a few hours, the amount I learned during lunch from Karen about the Glenmorangie Whisky family it feels like I've known about it forever. Their whiskys are really a side step from the norm and I recommend any whisky lover to taste them, the Signet might be out of the price range for some, seeing that it retails for about R2000 a bottle but the original does provide ones palate with a journey of taste. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity as the helped educate me on single malt whisky so I hope this isn't the first and last time I heard from the brand!