It was a privilege to experience some of the single malts from Speyside’s hidden distillers, courtesy of Secret Speyside last week. Regina and I were blown away by the setting at Siri House. We were literally transported to Speyside in Scotland – the whisky collection was accompanied by beautiful flowers, fruits and candles against the backdrop of dazzling chandeliers. An actual whisky barrel was also specially modified to house the 6 exclusive single malt whisky bottles.

One of the hosts I met appeared surprised when Regina and I both told her that we are currently stay-at-home mums (SAHMs). SAHM and whisky, I am sure that is an image many would find hard to put together. Let’s just say that my life before being a SAHM was a relatively interesting one. I have always appreciated wine, but not many are aware that single malt whisky is right up my alley too. Having lived in Hong Kong for almost 8 years, I met a few friends who are whisky lovers and that was when I learned to appreciate whisky too. I am no expert in whisky so the feedback on the whisky tasting are strictly my personal views.

We were very lucky to have Gregory Plummer, who is a brand ambassador for prestige whiskies, to take us through the tasting. We had the chance to taste single malt whisky ranging from 18-28 years old from 3 distilleries – Caperdonich, Glen Keith, Longmorn.

The first one we tasted was the Caperdonich 21 years. Caperdonich is a vanished distillery. It no longer exists so their single malt collection is all that is left. Gregory gave an introduction on the distillery and what caught my attention was the story of the distillery owner who killed his daughter’s lover, hence the dagger in the middle of the brand logo. I guess this would be the Scottish version of Romeo and Juliet. When I lifted the glass of Caperdonich 21 years to my nose, the first scent I caught was rich vanilla. It was very smooth and had a unique herb aftertaste.

We then moved on to Caperdonich 25 years. The scent reminded me of chocolate milkshake! It definitely had a richer taste and it went well with the spicy chicken skewer served at the restaurant.

The next distillery is known as the landmark distillery in Speyside – Glen Keith. We had the opportunity to taste the 21 years and 28 years. Both had a very fruity fragrance, were very smooth and had a tinge of spiciness when you drank them. This 28 years single malt was probably the oldest whisky I have ever tasted. Imagine I was only 10 years old when they started aging it!

Last but not least, the pioneering distillery – Longmorn. They were the first to build a railway track to their distillery so that they could import fine ingredients to manufacture their whisky and then export their precious single malt to their admirers. We had the honour to taste the 18 years and 23 years. The first thought that came to my mind when I tasted the 18 years was that it reminded me of Japanese whisky. It had this distinctive toffee fragrance which I love. The 23 years boasts creamy milk chocolate, orange and scented sandalwood notes. It was excellent in my opinion and Regina’s favourite too.

If you were to ask me which was my favourite out of the 6, I would say it is the 18 years Longmorn. As a relatively new whisky drinker, my taste buds still have a preference for younger whiskies. Perhaps after more tasting sessions, I would learn to appreciate the older ones as well.

In case you are wondering where you can purchase this rare collection of single malt. They are currently only available at Changi Airport DFS. Be sure to check them out the next time you are traveling! Thank you to Secret Speyside and R.S.V.P for having Regina and myself at the event. Not only did we enjoy the tasting session, we now have more Christmas gift ideas for our whisky lover friends this festive season.

~ This post was written by Kelly Kong, a guest writer on Regina’s blog~