for the rest of my Whisky Journey 2020 posts, do check out the collection label here.
truth be told, Whisky Journey 2020 was actually quite a packed schedule for those travellers who wanted to visit all the bars featured - fifteen bars in ten days. sure, it was technically possible to complete one of the stops beforehand when collecting the Whisky Journey passport, but all things considered it still worked out to at least one stop per day for ten days in a row (or at least three stops a day, if one wanted to have full rest days in between).
much as i've taken to whisky like a duck to water (kat to alcohol?), one thing that's always remained at the forefront of my mind is the importance of drinking and enjoying responsibly - not just about one's personal health from the alcohol consumption perspective, but also safety by having the presence of mind to make one's own way home, and not becoming a liability in an inebriated state. to this end i really appreciated how some of the bar owners and bartenders paid extra attention to those who were drinking alone, and the immense value of being able to take this Whisky Journey 2020 with close friends who i could trust to look out for me and who could trust me to look out for them in turn the next day.
i know i haven't reached the levels of experience demonstrated by some of my whisky kakis (close buddies), so i do confess that there were one or two times when i felt it was better to be safe than sorry, and to ease off on the alcohol amount even if it meant that i wouldn't be able to try everything that i wanted.
entirely through no fault of their own, Joo was one such stopover where i would have loved to have tried more (especially at Whisky Journey prices) but decided that even though i was with trusted company, discretion was the better part of valour. plus, what benefit would it be reading the ramblings of someone who wasn't in any state to actually appreciate the notes and taste of what was served?
for Whisky Journey 2020, Joo has a nice selection of whiskies from Deanston distillery - their Deanston Virgin Oak is the free 10ml pour for this location, together with their 12-year-old and 18-year-old.
i redeemed my free pour of the Deanston Virgin Oak (46.3% abv) which was a relatively straightforward dram that was a bit too close to mother nature for my personal preferences.
the nosing was vividly evocative of freshly-mown grass strewn about a lumberyard in full swing, a very green and woody smell that was a surprise considering how light the aromas were in the glass. with some time in the glass (i did pace myself on this one) the wood smell develops in intensity and moves from the warm timber of a lumberyard to the more musty interior of an antique cupboard.
i didn't expect the taste to be so mild on the palate and had to double-check to make sure i wasn't drinking from my water glass by mistake with the first sip. it's extremely difficult to discern individual notes (if any) on the palate at first, but within seconds a bitter feinty note emerges with an overwhelming intensity. this is joined by some mild pepper on the medium-length finish, a not-unpleasant spiciness that comes across with a jarring contrast against the bitter wood. i can see how whisky lovers with an entirely different taste profile from mine may enjoy this, but it's unfortunately not in my wheelhouse and not one that i would want to try again even at Whisky Journey prices.
i do regret not having been able to try the 12-year-old and 18-year-old on this particular visit though; if my experience on this Whisky Journey has taught me anything, it's never to judge a distillery by a single dram, and especially so if that single dram is meant to just be an affordable entry-level bottle as an introduction to work up towards the more niche ones. i'll have to keep an eye out for these when i schedule another trip to Joo in the near future.
slàinte!
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this review is of a product that i had purchased at regular price with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review this as a condition of purchase and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with The Whisky Store, Joo or any of the other participating bars / distilleries, and as always, all opinions remain my own.
Joo is at 5 Tan Quee Lan Street, Singapore 188094.
all information correct at time of publishing.
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