Aberlour, Speyside at Sekeping Sin Chew Kee

The thing I love about this PR Company is their very unique and eclectic choice of venues that never fail to intrigue.  Of course, the whisky in question is undoubtedly the main star of the show, but the entire experience is enhanced of course by interesting surrounds, and in this particular case, Sekeping Sin Chew Kee.

The event, the unveiling of Aberlour, a fabulous Speyside whisky, (ABBA LOW), held here, made it a memorable event.  The media event was slated at 5pm, a jolly good time to start imbibing that golden nectar, but in rather precarious circumstance, for if you see the staircase, one could easily tumble to one's untimely end if inebriated.

Staircase to perdition....

Not to mention getting confused by the array of signboards, left and right...

The media, some waiting, some mingling...before the start of the event

The whiskies of Aberlour, a fine single malt, has officially made its launch in Malaysia, with Mr Darren Hosie, International Brand Ambassador of Chivas Brothers Ltd introducing the whisky to us. The rather jolly scotsman took pride in extolling the achievements of the Scots, from the discovery of penicillin, to the invention of the telephone, to the author of James Bond... all Scots.

Darren Hosie explains with great vigour and enthusiasm, but not before swearing that the next event in Malaysia has to be in airconditioned surroundings, the history of Aberlour, and how in 1990, Aberlour became the first ever single malt to win the Gold Medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition twice.

Aberlour was founded in 1879 by James Fleming... and in light of the introduction of the Scottish achievements, one did wonder if the author of James Bond, Ian Fleming, descended from this distillery.

Located in the heart of Speyside, Scotland, Aberlour distillery had produced single malts that have become the leading brand in France, which apparently is the the world’s biggest Scotch whisky market.  Now who would have thought that!!! I would that thought China would be the world's biggest Scotch whisky market.

Aberlour currently is the 7th bestselling Single malt in the world!

There were some canapes served with the whiskies, Salmon, Foie Gras and Beef Cheeks, but so enamoured was I with the whisky, I completely forgot to take pictures of the food.

The whiff of the 12 year initially knocks you out, as if very strong and very high in alcohol content, but upon sipping it, it totally belies the actually taste, which is smooth, crisp and clean.   The distinct flavour that is a result of the use of ex-sherry casks gives it that subtle sweetness and a wonderful aroma.

Aberlour’s distillers are also masters of double cask maturation. In addition to ex-sherry casks, Aberlour also uses traditional oak casks, including ex-bourbon first fill casks.

“There is an almost unparalleled level of detail and fine control that goes into the making of Aberlour’s velvety whiskies. The expert crafting of spirit and cask has given us today a range of single malts that are elegant, complex, yet exceptionally balanced. In fact, it is the same highly experienced team that has seen the distillation and maturation of the 12, 16 and 18 year old Aberlour whiskies we enjoy today right from the start,” said Hosie.

Every single malt enthusiast would know that a critical component in the whisky is the water, and another factor that makes Aberlour so special is its magical location alongside the River Spey.

The distillery itself is surrounded by water from the Lour Burn. The name Aberlour means ‘the mouth of the chattering burn’ in Gaelic. Local monks in ancient times thought that the noise the burn made, as it cascaded over waterfalls and wooded glens on its way to the river Spey, sounded as though it were talking.  The waters in the area were believed to be able to heal bodies and the soul as well.  Certainly, the addition to the single malt makes it very spirited.

By the way, "burn" is scottish a landform, where water flows from a larger body to a smaller one.

The good news is, Aberlour is now officially available in Malaysia at selected places, retailing from RM400 onwards, presumably for the 12 years.

As far as tastes go, the 16 and 18 year seemed to have an equal number of fans who thought that was their preferred choice.  I personally loved the 18 year...on the nose it didnt assail the senses as much as the 12, very vanilla and honey, and likewise on the palate, a subtly sweet, vanilla like taste that makes it so very smooth and easy to drink.

Tumpanging glamour with the glamour people. Azhar from Newman and Kenneth Chai from the Peak previously, and now ... err... where??  I can't remember. I blame the Aberlour.

For more information,contact Wong Pei Wen at 017 282 4844 or peiwen@millennium.net.my