No frills, no legends, no fluff, just Tomatin

Behind every great whisky brand, there is bound to have an awesome legacy of that product. As the title suggests, the Tomatin is a whisky made from the heart of the community of this distillery.

The Tomatin distillery sits high on the Scottish Highlands at 315m above sea level. Being one of the oldest distilleries since 1897, this proud distillery is acclaimed with several awards. Tomatin means "Hill of the Juniper bush" in Gaelic, yes, the same product that produces the berries for gin distillation.


As this distillery is located far from the coast and in a remote area, the Tomatin distillery is very much community driven where 80% of its workers live on site and with families working there spanning a few generations.

I had the opportunity to taste four of its core expressions. The Legacy (ex bourbon and virgin oak, 43%), the 12 year old (bourbon & sherry, 43%), the 14 year old (tawny port, 46%) and the 18 year old (oloroso sherry, 46%).

I found all four expressions interesting but the 18 was exceptional,  mostly because I'm quite a fan of whisky aged in rich oloroso sherry casks.

In our shores, the Tomatin range and brand is distributed by Drinks Connexion, importers of many other fine spirits and liqueurs.

- Jon

Stuart Harvey Explains AnCnoc

Gaelic pronunciations are hard - it's nothing like how they are spelled. I mean, have you ever heard of Ah Knock whisky? AnCnoc is pronounced A-nock and even the packaging is labeled ‘pronounced a-nock’.

Image: AnCnoc

We had the pleasure of having Stuart Harvey, the anCnoc distillery master blender to explain his creations and the whisky itself.

AnCnoc whisky is the product of the Knockdhu Distillery, in Knock Hill nestled in the northeast of Scotland in the Highlands with a spring which the whisky is made from.

Stuart said that what makes anCnoc special comes from the original style copper pot stills and worm tubs which cools the spirit vapour differently from the copper pot stills. This contributes to their new make spirit being more savoury, heavier, more fruity.

Image: The Star

We had the privilege to sample 3 expressions the 12 (40% abv), 18 (46% abv) and the Peatheart (46% abv) - they are all very agreeable. The 12 and 18 - floral and fruity, and the Peatheart is, you can guess it, their peated expression. AnCnoc uses both American and Spanish oak barrels for the aging process.

Check out what Michael's interview with Stuart and his take on Ancnoc's flavour profiles here.

There are of course other expressions from AnCnoc. Watch out for it on travel retail or you can find these at the sole distributor's shop - Single & Available Whisky.

Official site: https://ancnoc.com/

- Jon

Carlsberg CNY 2019 campaign ‘Pops’ lots of luck and prosperity

Managing Director Lars Lehmann, Chairman Datuk William Toh flanked by the management team of Carlsberg Malaysia officiated Carlsberg’s CNY campaign “Prosperity Begins With A POP!” which runs till 17 February 2019 nationwide.

Carlsberg Malaysia’s 2019 Chinese New Year campaign kicked off with a grand opening dinner on the 8th January 2019 at the Hao Xiang Chi (HXC) Grand Ballroom in ICC Pudu.

We feasted on beer infused CNY-themed dishes! Hic. 

Themed “Prosperity Begins with a POP!” wishing us an abundance of Prosperity, Happiness, Wealth and Good Luck in vibrant red, green, pink and blue colours across its limited-edition packaging, promotions and campaign activities.

Dato Joey Yap who is also part of Carlsberg Malaysia’s “prosperity’ campaign. You can check your chinese zodiac forecast for 2019 on CarlsbergMY’s Fb page as Dato’ Joey Yap unveils his predictions for the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs in relation to the elements of Prosperity, Happiness, Wealth and Good Luck. Get them on www.facebook.com/CarlsbergMY or www.probablythebest.com.my

Joey Yap wishes youy luck you luck everyone luck!

By now, the CNY Carlsberg festive promo would also be carried out across pubs, restaurants, food courts, coffee shops as well as super-and-hypermarkets. On top of that and back by popular demand for its third consecutive year is the “Probably The Best CNY Shopping Experience” where you have the opportunity of winning the Grand Prize of a trolley full of groceries paid for by Carlsberg.

There are lots more of prizes to be won, like the e-mahjong table set, angpows, all their range of beers - check out their facebook or website (link above) for more.

My prediction? It is going to to be a hot Chinese New Year, so everyone's going to be drinking a lot! Ong Ahhhhhh!

Gong xi fa chai everyone!

- Jon

(Images: Carlsberg)

GinRikSha: A spicy indulgence of indian fusion

The last time we visited Gin Rik Sha was March last year. We’re not food bloggers as you know but what GinRikSha had was also a bar and cocktail menu, which is where we come in.

GinRikSha has gone through a metamorphosis of improvement since its inception last year. Closed for a month recently, the interior, menu and bar has now been revamped.

Their cocktail menu has also been tweaked - while it still features cocktails with Indian spices, there are a few additions (by the way, Fireangel was a little sad that their really awesome resam bloody mary is no longer available...) and there's a new tap for Tiger beer.  I believe a wider range of bottles and wine are now available.

We tried handful of cocktails from the new menu that was curated by their new bar manager - Chan.

Lavender Sour (RM39) - gin, lemon juice, pineapple juice, blue curacao, smoked.
Easy drinking floral sour number to get your mouth watering for food.

Stress Buster Tea (RM33) - Gin, masala herb mix, tamanrind, lime.
A hot soothing cocktail, it has a familiar scent of resam.

Sharabi Lassi (RM45) - gin, mango lassi, baileys.
Your classic lassi with an alcoholic twist.

Bengal Tiger (RM48) - White rum, brandy, pineapple & lemon juice.
Strong and fruity, right up our alley

Start night  - a Christmas special cocktail with warm notes of a myriad of spices.

Of course, we couldn't drink on an empty stomach and got to sample some of their snacks.

There's another secret - the GinRikSha revamp is only half complete. We understand that a cocktail lounge is soon to be opening upstairs, giving the other cocktail joints around the area a run for their money. Can GinRikSha make it on the list for ‘Best new bar’ for Bar Awards 2019? We're keeping our eyes peeled.

For more: https://www.facebook.com/Ginriksha/

- Jon