These days I regularly get e-mails from bars, retailers or even private persons asking me to review their bottlings. Great of course, even though I sometimes have no idea who they are.
Today I’m looking at three bottlings from Hong Kong based whisky bar Abyss in the basement of the Charterhouse Hotel. Check their Instagram feed for some mouthwatering pictures.
Ben Nevis 24 yo 1997 (52%, Abyss Whisky Bar ‘Noah’s Garden’ 2022, hogshead #590, 274 btl.)
Nose: slightly narrow, with some austerity. There’s chalk and wool, as well as some flour and grassy notes. Then nice fruits start to appear, sour fruits like lemons and grapefruit, with hints of yellow plums.
Mouth: similar thoughts. There are nice fruits indeed (mirabelles and lemons) but these tend to get overtaken by grapefruit peels and grassy notes. Hints of white pepper and nutmeg. A hint of raw alcohol too. Then some green banana, aniseed and some resinous notes.
Finish: long, grassy, with green touches and zesty lemons.
The 1997 vintage is often less seductive than 1996 (or 1995) in my opinion. Slightly prickly. Still a good whisky with a nice minerality, but not the highflyer I was hoping for. The name and age sets high expectations, of course.
Next up: a Glen Elgin release bottled by Alistair Walker in his Infrequent Flyers range.
Glen Elgin 12 yo 2010 (53,5%, Infrequent Flyers for Whiskylovers HK & Abyss 2023, bourbon hogshead #801000, 146 btl.)
Nose: rather fresh and neutral. Lemons, apples and mild orchard fruits, with vanilla roundness. Then some sweet cereals, as well as drops of light honey. A subtle waxy touch and hints of ale. Fruitier than the Ben Nevis but again not a spontaneous chatter, if you know what I mean.
Mouth: barley sweetness, lemon candy, maybe even a vague hint of tropical fruits (pineapple, unripe banana). The alcohol makes it a little eau-de-vie-ish. Grassy notes and lemon zest, with tart orange and hints of vegetal oil. Oak spice is well balanced.
Finish: medium, on oily notes and wood spice. Consistent but also a little generic.
A decent middle-of-the-road whisky, although the bright fruitiness makes it a nice sipper. A perfect daily dram, in my opinion. Score: 85/100
Not sure we’ve had a secret Island distillery before, but we’ve had plenty of undisclosed 2007 Highland Parks. Maybe Secret Orkney is already becoming too specific these days? Or is this coming from Tobermory instead?
A Secret Island Distillery 15 yo 2007 (53,5%, Abyss Whisky Bar 2023, 115 btl.)
Nose: a lot more weighty and rustic than the others. Rapeseed oil and very subtle smoke, with heather honey, red apple peelings and hints of lemon peels. Then some dried wildflowers or gorse and maybe a hint of paraffin. Whiffs of salted caramel in the distance.
Mouth: rustic indeed. Hints of seaweed and dying embers, as well as some metallic notes. Salty notes but also a bloated creamy side and a somewhat dirty note. Muddy whisky, so to speak. Big malty notes, as well as some dried herbs, before oak spice sets in.
Finish: long and muddy. White pepper and seaweed.
I’m not too sure about the Highland Park guess. It’s certainly an Island whisky though, with a worn character. Not a classic beauty, but an interesting choice. Overall a pretty nice bar selection, by the way. Score: 84/100