BRUICHLADDICH MASTER CLASS @ ZAZEN BAR & DINING, TTDI, KUALA LUMPUR

Wine tasting might sounds cliché nowadays to some ardent wine buffs out there. What about zooming into a different gustation genre, in this case the connoisseurship of whisky as well as some vertu on the gin side?

We were indeed delighted to be invited over to Bruichladdich Master Class held at Zazen Bar & Dining recently, for a quick crash course to learn more on the beauty of these distilled alcoholic beverages. The tasting evening took place at the cozy enclave of Zazen’s centre dining, featuring premium Bruichladdich whiskeys range namely Classic Laddie Scottish Barley, Port Charlotte Scottish Barley and Octomore 6.1.

It definitely enhances the appreciation further with regards to this refined taste of distilled spirits from malted grains such as barley as well as those of peaty range. But before that, let’s fill up the tummy with some warm eatses first which are thoughtfully prepared by Zazen before tippling the whiskeys and gins. After all, you don’t wanna upset the tummy right that early? Hehe……

An eventful evening getting yourself familiarize with Classic Laddie Scottish Barley, Port Charlotte Scottish Barley and Octomore 6.1

What is Bruichladdich, you might ask.

Bruichladdich simply denotes a precise geographical location or landmark. The term is usually translated rather poetically as 'brae by the shore',

Bruichladdich was avant-garde, conceptually brilliant and meticulously implemented. By glorious chance, the peerless Victorian equipment has survived almost intact. This offers them a unique opportunity to create their artisanal hand-crated single malts.

  

BRUICHLADDICH- THE CLASSIC LADDIE

ª       100% Scottish Barley

ª       Unpeated Islay Single Malt, Scotch Whisky

ª       Distilled, matured and bottled at Bruichladdich distillery in Islay, Scotland.

ª       No years labeled as it is vintage whisky that offers lots of sensational aftertaste.

ª       Only The Classic Laddie has no ppm(phenols parts per million).

 

Why the bottle is in turquoise colour, or I fondly term it as Tiff & Co hue?

The reason is simply because of its geographic perspective of the distiller which is near the vast, blue sea since Islay is world renowned for its whisky distillers.

Currently there are 8 distillers in Islay with total workforce amounts to 3000 staff.

Bruicladdich distiller hires the most workers as the manufacturing process requires massive handy work which can’t simply be replaced and produced by machineries

PORT CHARLOTTE SCOTTISH BARLEY

ª       Islay Single Malt

ª       Distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery

ª       Heavily peated at 40ppm

ª       Multi vintage cask selection

ª       Bottled at 50% abv

ª       Distilled, matured and bottled on Islay using Islay spring water

Malty sweetness with vanilla scent that eventually gives a longer finishing.

From the tasting notes, Port Charlotte has the strongest peat smell, the very first notes that hit your nose. And as such, peatness would deem as an acquired taste.

OCTOMORE SCOTTISH BARLEY

ª       Aged 5 years

ª       World’s most super heavily peated at 208 ppm

ª       An esoteric series of numbered releases

 

Clear grain gold visually, dry with alcohol tingling feel. It’s rather intense with the immense character comes more in the form of medicinal aroma that get peatier with even more water added.

Seems to be the most favourite among the gentlemen for the masculine image it projects, versatility and touted as the smokiest single malt whisky in the world. It’s only 5 years old but greets your gustatory sense with swift nuance but not so heavy on the vanilla scent.

Now that I’ve learnt to never judge a whisky by its colour as it tends to get clearer with better clarity as time passed for certain varietal.

After all the Bruichladdich Single Malt Whiskies experience, here comes the crème de la crème, which is my personal favourite, The Botanist Islay Dry Gin, created by Bruichladdich Master Distiller, Jim McEwan that greets us with its graceful lettering embossment of Islay botanicals upon the cylindrical glass under the bottle label. Essentially, it also serves a utilitarian purpose making it easier to hold as you pour out a small shot of the spirit

 

The Botanist is a super premium, artisanal gin distilled on the Hebriedan island of Islay at Bruichladdich Distillery. It is based on the classic 9 gins botanicals, and then uniquely augmented by 22 hand-foraged Islay botanicals. In this sense, The Botanist is a rare expression of the heart and soul of this wild, Scottish island and of the culture, philosophy and passion of those who made it.

THE BOTANIST ISLAY DRY GIN

§      A rare explosion of flavour complexity

§      Created using 31 botanicals

§      22 of them foraged by hand locally on Islay island

§      46% abv

§      Low pressure trickle distillation

§      Distilled in the last remaining Lomond spirits still in the world

§      Bottled at Bruichladdich with Islay spring water

§      Impeccable and unique provenance of Islay appellation

In my opinion, it was the limelight of that evening for never a gin tasted so florally enchanting, yet light and suave to the palate. Naturally, I find myself more drawn to it, enjoying it straight up the neat way or even with tonic too, which spices it up further with the botanical nuances playfully dancing in the glass of the mixed drink.

 

When tilted and swirled, this clear gin releases light floral impressions on your nose that lead to delicate nuance of other spring flowers. It might appear robust and assertive initially, but gets mellowed down pretty fast with subtle herbaceous tones of sweet blossoms. Having said that, it’s still relevantly regarded as the traditional gin (though added with some hint of springtime) that is very easy to enjoy as a sipping spirit especially during a warm afternoon.

It was a truly exciting event for all those who love good whisky.

The fantastic event had kicked off successfully under the ever enthusiastic and lovely souls of Zazen’s team, Woiehann, Belle and Cindy with Chee Kin from Remy Cointreau.

 

Apart from those enlightening workshops that are organized from time to time, Zazen also offers tempting spread of yakitori selection that are perfect companion to tippler and other Japanese cuisines as well. For more visual on the feast, please click here to find out more about my previous dining experience over at Zazen.

 Cheers for now and follow us at Carpe Diem for more ‘food-ful’ discoveries!  ❤ℒℴѵℯ❤

Location: 88A, Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur

Contact: +603 2856 9556

Operation Hours: Mon – Sat 430am – 12am (Sun CLOSED)

Website: https://www.facebook.com/zazenkl/

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