Glenlivet Guardians never fails to intrigue, because of their constant new introductions, like the auctioned RM96,000 50 Yr Old Winchester collection, but also because of their interesting venues, in this case, DEWAKAN, a fabulous eclectic dining gem tucked away in KDU University College in Glenmarie. The combination of the fabulous Master Distillers Reserve plus the rave reviews I'd heard about Dewakan seemed to make for a promising evening.
Actually, unbeknownst to me, though I had been buying the Master Distillers Reserve regularly from the airport whenever I travelled, this range is only available to international travellers, read, Duty Free Shops. What they've done now is to extend the range, to another two varieties, namely the New Master Distiller’s Reserve Solera Vatted and the New Master Distiller’s Reserve Small Batch, and this was to be paired with the very special menu prepared by Dewakan's Executive Chef, Darren Teoh.
Upon arrival, Darren was making instant popsicles laced with, which is commonly used in Indian Restaurants as a mouth cleanser. Quite fascinating to watch how the yoghurt is immediately transformed into an ice cream.
The many faces of Chef Darren Teoh....
To start, an interesting "snack"to accompany the Master Distiller's Range, these twigs, with their special Budu Mayonnaise. (Budu is a Kelantanese fish sauce, very salty on its own). The twigs were amazing, and were reminiscent of keropok lekor, although it's just made from flour apparently.
This incredible dish, resembling ice kacang, is actually Razor Clams from Pulau Ketam, Rose Apples, Cashew Nuts and Tenggek Burung & Snow. An incredible myriad of different flavours and textures to titillate the senses, enhanced with the Master Distiller's Reserve.
Traditional oak casks deliver the classic style of The Glenlivet of ripe fruit pear and gentle summer floral notes - while first fill American Oak provides depth, with creamy notes of coconut and soft fudge. Ex-Sherry oak is used to impart dried fruit flavours and spice aromas offering a deeper complexity and richness.
The Kitchen Staff feverishly preparing the next course.....
Magic Mushrooms - Well, it's the Glenlivet that gives the high, but who'd have thought that this combination of King Oyster Mushrooms, green curry paste, yoghurt, dried mackerel flakes would be so amazing. Paired with the Master Distiller’s Reserve Solera Vatted, this symphony of flavours plus the nice buzz afforded by the whisky was sublime, although I personally felt this dish went better with the other two, ie the Master Distiller's Reserve and Small Batch.
Lionel Lau, our host, has always insisted that tastes is very subjective, and that we are to explore ourselves and pair for ourselves...which is so true.
Master Distiller's Reserve Solero Vatted –
To craft this exceptional liquid, the casks – Ex-Sherry, American Oak and Traditional Oak – are brought together in a Solera Vat. The Vat is never emptied, a process which creates a rich and intense whisky, developing greater complexity year on year. A high concentration of first fill American oak casks bring a creaminess and honeyed sweetness to this expression, which has a unique velvety character.
For the main course, Confit of Lamb breast, spring onions and marsala onion puree paired with the Master Distiller's Reserve Small Batch..
Not being a lamb fan, I had to down lots of Small Batch by the batch, to combat the taste of the lamb, which actually wasn't too bad really. Tender, fatty, must be the equivalent of lamb wagyu...such fattiness.
New Master Distiller’s Reserve Small Batch –
Each unique batch of this exclusive expression, is created with individually selected casks, chosen from the collection of whiskies maturing in The Glenlivet warehouses. Every single cask is nosed prior to the final selection and the finest first fill ex-Sherry and American Oak casks are combined with Traditional Oak casks to create an exceptional malt, with subtle notes of fruit and delicate spiciness. It is then bottled and released in Small Batches, each with a unique batch number.
The celebrations continued with the birthday celebration of one of the guardians....
The kitchen staff assemble and are given a big applause...
And finally, dessert, pisang goreng ice cream, nutmeg syrup, smoked chocolate chantilly....actually words cannot do justice to this amazing dessert. Most fascinating thing I've had in awhile.
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Conrad Bateman Chloe Pan
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