for the rest of my Whisky Journey 2020 posts, do check out the collection label here.
there were some stops along Whisky Journey 2020 which necessitated some degree of prudence in drinking responsibly, and there were others which made it easier to get in the... spirit of things, with the variety of whiskies on offer, attractive bundle discounts for flights, and most importantly, the good company of likeminded friends in a comfortable environment.
much to my delight, Wala Wala Cafe Bar, one of the more famous watering holes in Holland Village, turned out to be one of the latter - which made for a rather enjoyable evening of catching up with friends and bonding over this water of life.
for Whisky Journey 2020, Wala Wala offered a stunning range of ten whiskies from Tomatin distillery, including the Tomatin Legacy which was the free 10ml pour for this location. they were also extremely smart to offer different 'bundle' flights with further discounts on the Whisky Journey prices, making it extremely attractive to go for a full flight rather than picking and choosing along the way.
with so many whiskies available, it would have been less practical for a bartender to provide a guided walkthrough; one unique point that really impressed me was that Wala Wala was the only participating bar on Whisky Journey which took the effort to prepare a laminated sheet setting out all the nosing and tasting notes of each of the whiskies.
a quick sidenote here: i personally have mixed feelings about guidance with notes on whiskies. i think that these are helpful references sometimes, when there's just that elusive note on the tip of your tongue that you can't place; an accurate guidance also enhances the experience as you move along step by step from nosing to tasting to the finish.
but in the same way that i prefer to appreciate my perfumes blind for the first time before referring to official notes, i do think that some of the enjoyment and appreciation does come from the self-discovery portion of the nosing and tasting. everyone brings their own different perspective to the table, and no guidance can be 100% accurate.
i guess that's partly why i enjoyed my Whisky Journey stops so much when with friends, because it was so interesting to share our thoughts and see how similarly - or differently - we found our drams. and as all of us unanimously agreed to have a full flight each, it turned out to be a really wonderful evening of whisky appreciation indeed.
first up was the free pour of the Tomatin Legacy (43% abv) which was a strong start to the flight. the nosing yielded a good sweetness with vanilla and syrup, and an interesting blend of custard cream with sandalwood. i struggled to find the white chocolate and dried coconut notes mentioned in the guide, and eventually decided to just enjoy the whisky for how i perceived it. on the palate, this was a lovely blend of fresh apples and candied oranges together with the sweet sandalwood, that gracefully moved into a medium-length clean finish showcasing the best of the fruits and wood together. i enjoyed this quite a bit; a dram i would repurchase at Whisky Journey prices though it's a little straightforward for non-discounted prices.
next was the Tomatin 12-year-old Bourbon & Sherry Cask (43% abv) which took things in another direction - the first sniffs were predominantly leather with wood and mildly-sharp herbs, a distillation of the great outdoors. subsequent sniffs still contained the same leather, but the essence of nature took a more supporting role as lovely caramel and raisin notes brought out the sweet sherry influence. taste-wise, this was a great blend of fresh fruits (apples, mangoes, pears and raisins) with the slightest touch of cinnamon and nutmeg; the medium-length finish was clean and just as full-bodied. another dram that i would repurchase at Whisky Journey prices though more on the fence about non-discounted prices.
the next pour of the Tomatin Cask Strength (57.5% abv) was stated to be the most vibrant expression, and it turned out to be one of my two favourites of the flight. on the nose, this is an amazingly rich and sweet whisky - orange-flavoured ice cream with golden syrup and caramel, with a little zing of black pepper at the end. the guide was spot-on for this one, and if i could wear this as a perfume, it would be one of my favourite gourmands. on the palate, the ice cream disappears and is replaced by a surprisingly complex combination of sweet marzipan, an apple-orange-pear fruit salad, and candied ginger. the finish is medium-length, dry and lingering with a good kick of spice. hands-down, one of my favourites that i would definitely be on the lookout for to purchase even at non-discounted prices.
admittedly, the Cask Strength was a hard act to follow; the Tomatin 14-year-old Port Cask (46% abv) delivered a great nosing experience with a great blend of freshly-picked berries, peaches, oranges and apples, with subtle threads of chocolate, honey and beeswax interwoven between them... but after the level of awesomeness this had on the nose, i had been expecting more on the palate complexity-wise. the taste was a little too straightforward, a slightly-spicy raspberry jam with a sprinkling of nuts and a nice smooth texture overall, but i couldn't shake off the feeling that the nosing had promised way more than the tasting could deliver. a nice pour that i was happy to have appreciated at Whisky Journey prices though would probably not repurchase even at discounted rates.
next up was the Tomatin 18-year-old Oloroso Sherry Cask (46% abv), described by the guide as the crown jewel of the Tomatin core range. this one had the most diverse range of views among my friends and me - they really loved this one a great deal, and i was more than happy to let them finish what was left of my pour after i was done with the tasting. to be fair to the whisky, it does have a lovely complexity on the nose and palate: the nosing was a good blend of red fruits, dried apricots, orange zest, fudge and cinnamon with an underlying leather and old-book paper smell; the tasting revealed an intense combination of preserved oranges, cooked apple, salted caramel and dark chocolate. i'm sure this one is really an issue of personal preferences - while my friends were raving about how much they enjoyed this as one of the highlights of their flight, the dried apricots and orange zest were quite overpowering for me and the intricate subtleties of the other notes were lost in the process.
moving into the more high-end and limited territory, the Tomatin 30-year-old Bourbon & Traditional Oak Cask (46% abv) had a lovely nosing with fresh fruits and honey, accompanied by the barest touch of chocolate to smoothen it out. the fruits come across taste-wise with a good amount of butter, biscuits and spices, but unfortunately the palate feels 'rushed' overall, cramming its complexity into too short an experience with the tasting and finish. it's not a bad whisky, but it doesn't feel worth it for its vintage and price. i was glad to experience this at Whisky Journey prices but don't think i would go for a repurchase even at discounted rates.
the last of the non-limited pours, the Tomatin 36-year-old Bourbon & Oloroso Sherry Butt (46% abv) was another of the whiskies that didn't work as well for me, though i instinctively recognise it to be an issue of personal preferences. on the nose and palate, this is a lovely sweet fruit salad with mango, pineapple and various other fruits all combined, and drizzled with golden honey. a good amount of herbs make their appearance though, subtly from the beginning and more directly on the palate, cutting across the sweet citrus of the fruits in a manner that's just a little too jarring for me. with some time in the glass, the fruit salad fades and the green intensity of the herbs just keeps rising; it was an interesting experience that i would have enjoyed more if the herbs had remained in just a supporting role. i was glad to experience this at Whisky Journey prices but don't think i would go for a repurchase even at discounted rates.
on the three limited releases, the Tomatin 2009 10-year-old Rum Cask (46% abv) was a similarly-sweet tropical fruit salad on the nose, though thankfully without any of the herbs that had plagued the 36-year-old. i liked the complexity of the nosing, with the combination of mango, pineapple, coconut and other fruits combined, but unfortunately this was another of those whiskies that promised more on the nose than the taste could deliver. i was glad to experience this at Whisky Journey prices but don't think i would go for a repurchase even at discounted rates.
the Tomatin Decades II (46% abv) had the longest description in the guide but felt like it fell short; the level of detail that marketing had put into the notes didn't really translate into my glass. the first sniffs were a relatively straightforward fruit and wood combination, with the tasting a smooth and sweet red fruits and berries. that was pretty much as far as it went, and i didn't get the "long waxy tropical finish" that was described. i was glad to experience this at Whisky Journey prices but don't think i would go for a repurchase even at discounted rates.
lest it be said that something had gone wrong and that all the pours which waited up to this point had suffered in the course of tasting, i found the Tomatin 2009 Whisky Journey Cask 3389 (61.2% abv) my other favourite of the entire flight, a very strong ending to a mixed bag of whiskies. the nosing on this one is incredibly phenomenal, an intense sweetness of plums, cherries and other red fruits layered with golden syrup and honey. the description is pretty accurate on this one, with baked almonds and peach pastries on the palate, and a good lingering sweet finish that transitions well into the next sip. i was glad to experience this at Whisky Journey prices and would repurchase at non-discounted rates; in fact, i liked this so much that i had to look up the retail price of the bottle, but unfortunately, it was too far outside my budget range to reasonably consider.
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, Wala Wala Cafe Bar or any of the other participating bars / distilleries, and as always, all opinions remain my own.
Wala Wala Cafe Bar is at 31 Lorong Mambong, Singapore 277689.
all information correct at time of publishing.
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