Spirit-lifting the holidays
This holiday season, Fettertcairn makes rare appearance
Fettercairn may be the greatest whisky you’ve never heard of.
This was revealed by resident whisky expert for Asia and Whyte & Mackay George Schulze at a recent Whisky Library tasting event.
The venue at Newport World Resorts was perfect to sample the second oldest legal whisky distiller in Scotland, dating back to 1824; a whisky so prized that, back in the day, Queen Victoria would sneak out of Balmoral Castle when visiting to sample a dram at the nearby Fettercairn distillery.
Shulze explained that only great whisky hunters of the world previously knew about Fettercairn because its century-old casks in Aberdeenshire, Scotland were highly sought for blending other whiskies: the aged American oak ex-bourbon barrels brought unique flavors to their blends. But in 2018, Fettercairn started releasing its own prized whiskies into the limelight.
We sampled the rarest of these, taken from their very special Warehouse No. 2, “where the distillery has kept all of their rarest casks and stock,” and from that The Whisky Library vaulted a limited number of bottles — 12 of the Batch No. 3 and 18 of the Batch No. 4 taken from that special warehouse.
Of course we nosed and swirled those — with tastes ranging from passion fruit, papaya, red berries, grape, sugared almonds and patisserie spices; to a wonderful blend of toffee, honey and nuttiness, fruits like honeydew, passion fruit, burnished citrus and sweet oak wood.
Are there any bottles of Warehouse No. 2 special batches to take home for the holidays?
Visit The Whisky Library, 2nd Floor, Grand Wing, Newport World Resorts or call +7908888 to find out.
Warehouse Fettercairn Warehouse No. 2 bottles in the house at Whisky Library
Elevate your holidays with Don Papa Rum
To level up the merrymaking this holiday season, Don Papa Rum debuted two specialty holiday cocktails — the Sugarlandia Sour and Merienda Colada — a collaboration between Audrey Gustilo, resident mixologist and brand ambassador of Don Papa Rum and The Black Box Mobile Cocktail Bar, a mobile beverage bar offering special cocktails curated by world-class bartenders.
The Sugarlandia Sour, a riff on the classic Old Cuban, is made with Don Papa Rum 7 years old, fresh kamias juice and tamarind cordial. Shaken with ice and poured into a coupe glass, garnished with Yogurt Popping Caviar and served in a garden bowl with smoke dry ice, it melds the festive spirit of the season and the rich greeneries of Sugarlandia.
The Merienda Colada is Sugarlandia’s holiday twist on the classic piña colada and the traditional Filipino snack turon and ube ice cream. Made with Don Papa Rum 7 years old, Ube Cordial, pineapple juice, coconut and rice milk, clarified with toasted soy milk and topped with white chocolate and kesong puti foam, it’s a delectable cocktail that perfectly encapsulates the Filipino Christmas spirit.
Both the Sugarlandia Sour and the Merienda Colada will be on the menu of The Spirits Library in Poblacion, Makati City menu this season.
The Dalmore Luminary Series blends artistry with luxury
The Dalmore proudly unveiled its ultra-rare series, The Dalmore Luminary, at Rustan's Makati, a paragon of retail elegance and loyal partner of luxury single malt brand since 2015.
This highly anticipated collection features rare and collectible whiskies crafted in opulent collaboration with Scotland's prestigious V&A Dundee design museum.
Luminary No. 1, 2022 Edition, unites architect Kengo Kuma and Maurizio Mucciola, lead architects of V&A Dundee, with Dalmore's Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE and Whisky Maker Gregg Glass. It's a true masterpiece of shared artistry and luxury;
The Dalmore Rare 2022 Edition, a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece, arose from the collaborative genius of Kengo Kuma and Richard Paterson OBE. Only three bottles exist. Housed in Kuma's architectural marvel, it contains 48 handcrafted Japanese Oak and Scottish Tay Oak particles, adorned with steel. Within, a precious whisky, nurtured by Master Distiller Richard Paterson OBE for 48 years, matures in casks of Scottish Tay Oak and Japanese Oak, an homage to the architect's vision.
With a limited quantity of 15,000 bottles, a scarce 60 bottles will be made available at The Dalmore Booth in the Men's Department of Rustan's Makati. Perfect for those in pursuit of the ultimate single malt whisky, it's the ideal companion for indulgent celebrations this holiday season.
Seasonal gin masterclass celebrates 1834
This season, Ginebra San Miguel Inc. showcased its 1834 Premium Distilled Gin with an intimate masterclass and food pairing entitled "Discover Excellence: An 1834 Experience."
The masterclass was held in The Bevvy, a hidden gem in Makati, where food and gin experts were treated to a meal curated around the taste of 1834 Premium Distilled Gin prepared by award-winning mixologist Niño Cruz.
1834 is the year everything started for Filipino gin. Inspired by Ginebra's history, Niño crafted three exclusive cocktail concoctions, each using 1834 Premium Distilled Gin.
First was Jardin Mejor, a gin cocktail with tomato water, capsicum and tonic; the second drink was called Heneral — a harmonious fusion of white negroni, white wine and dry vermouth; finally, Sol de las Islas united lychee and dark chocolate, grapefruit bitter calamansi Juice and sampaguita, garnished with the "Face of the Sun," an ode to the Katipunan Flag.
The impressive curation and construction of the cocktail recipe left a lasting impression on the guests' palate and was made even more special by the 1834 Premium Distilled Gin. It’s the start of something special for Filipino gin — and history — buffs this holiday season.
Monkey Shoulder mixer van turns gridlock into good times
rom the UK, award-winning Monkey Shoulder came to Manila aboard the Monkey Mixer Van recently, offering an on-the-go experience and inviting revelers to embrace the #MakeItMonkey spirit — traffic jams be damned.
With a Gold award at the 2012 International Wine & Spirit Competition under its belt, Monkey Shoulder is the 100% malt whisky tailored for mixing — and that’s what they did in Makati, marking the start of the holiday season with delicious Monkey Shoulder cocktails at each bar stop. DJs spun into the night, as party snacks were served with while special cocktails — a tasty mix of Monkey Shoulder and Dry Ginger Ale with a garnish of an orange wedge. The Monkey Mixer Van had people forgetting about traffic altogether.
The fun continues until end of year with the Monkey Shoulder Mixing Tree and Pop-Up Bar at Bonifacio Global City, offering Monkey Shoulder concoctions prepared by our skilled cocktail elves. Cheers to #MakeItMonkey!
