An Intriguing Night At the Launch of the New Mystery Glenlivet Cipher

Everyone loves a good mystery, and this particular invitation from the Glenlivet Guardians organisers was simply too intriguing to resist.

With great anticipation, I roll up at the mystery location...

"Shrouded in mystery, the secret bottle beckons
Unknown are its aromas, flavours, and tastes
Not all who desires shall be given entry
For only those with the key may take the next step.

Will you be the one to unlock this enigma?

Date: 20 Sept 2016
Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm

Venue: Solve the mystery to get here:

1. Park at/near Jalan Medan Setia 1 or 2
2. Look for the bank in yellow
3. At the alley behind the bank, there is a mysterious old wooden door
4. Knock 3 times, and answer the riddle:

As the ultimate custodian of The Glenlivet, it is his job to ensure the century-long legacy continues, and the whisky is always of supreme quality.

He is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"

Ashamed that despite being a Guardian for several years now, I still had to google the answer, which was the password for entry into the mystery speakeasy, ...SKULLDUGGERY,,  Incidentally, the answer to the riddle is Alan Winchester.  (remember that Winchester edition that sold for like RM94,000)...which you can read about HERE.

Upon arrival, we were ushered to a darkened room, blindfolded and given three items to identify, with our sense of smell, which I identified as Caramel, Oak, and Tobacco.  (answer to be revealed later, but suffice to say, I got a smacking score of ZERO/THREE)  All of these three items were obviously part of the elements of the mystery bottle.

I took this photo blindfolded, so excuse me if it looks blur.....

The usual trio all lined up and filler until the mystery was revealed...

And lo and behold, as the "Patriarch" of the Malaysian Glenlivet Guardians, Lionel Lau (actually the Malaysian Brand Ambassador for Glenlivet)  introduced the mystery bottle with no cask information, tasting notes, nor age statement.

The Glenlivet Cipher challenges whisky enthusiasts to use all their senses to decode the flavour profile of this mysterious single malt, hence the sensory game.  It was then revealed the three elements were Vanilla, Honey and Raisin.  How the heck does one smell raisins, but yet there were several winners.  Harumph, must have peeked through the blindfold, or must have had noses like canines.  #soreloser

But of course the greatest honor was the fact that “The Guardians of The Glenlivet will be the very first people to taste the Cipher in Malaysia,” said Brand Manager Benedict Yong of Pernod Ricard Malaysia. “It is one of the privileges of being one of The Guardians. We also made it a challenge right from the beginning as a tribute to this unique limited edition single malt."

Note the gorgeous bottle, and the cipher codes on the label.  I have to say I was sold on the bottle and label design alone!!!

(Photo courtesy of press release)

Benedict Yong (left), Brand Manager of Pernod Ricard Malaysia, unveils The Glenlivet Cipher with Lionel Lau (right), Brand Ambassador of The Glenlivet

(Photo courtesy of press release)

The venue as I mentioned, was SKULLDUGGERY.... though honestly, that night, between the dark lighting and the buzz from the booze, I never noticed any of these gorgeous looking skulls.

(Photos courtesy of the press release)

So what did I think of the Cipher?  Well, it certainly is mysterious, and is also stronger than usual with 48 ABV, or 96 Proof.

The Glenlivet Cipher will retail for RM780 per bottle, inclusive 6% GST. As this is a limited edition whisky, the Cipher will first be made available to The Glenlivet Guardians, before being released for retail purchase at selected outlets.

The rise in popularity of single malt whiskies over the past 10 years is an indication that more people are actively nosing, tasting, and discussing single malt whisky. The Cipher will encourage whisky enthusiasts to sharpen the use of their senses and have a deeper appreciation of the whisky’s complex flavour profiles.

Those interested can head to The Glenlivet Cipher microsite to test their nose and palate at https://cipher.theglenlivet.com. There, a video with clues to help decode the whisky will be provided. They will then have to select six aromas for the nose and six flavours for the palate, thus creating the flavour wheel out of over 10,000 possible combinations. On completion, a percentage score will reveal how close they have come to cracking The Glenlivet Cipher taste profile. Their score can be shared on social media, and the challenge can be repeated as many times as they want.

Hobnobbing with the media and Lead Guardians.... after a few swigs of Glenlivet, everyone is a friend.

Also, I believe this sweet lass is taking a break and we might not see her at future Guardian Events, so special thanks to Nicole for all the years of Guardian-ing!!!

The Guardians programme is a whisky community for the fans of The Glenlivet, with regular tasting events for both whisky connoisseurs and newbies alike. There are now close to 800 Guardians in Malaysia and is currently one of the country’s most active whisky communities.

The exclusive Facebook Group for The Guardians in Malaysia is https://www.facebook.com/groups/glenlivetguardians.

To be a Guardian, please email theguardians@millennium.net.my.

For more information, check out The Glenlivet Malaysia Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/TheGlenlivetMY.

Rise of the Guardians... of Glenlivet, Or Specifically, Glenlivet Alpha

I received a rather strange invitation awhile back, which I am rather glad didn't accidentally slip into my spam folder.  Albeit very short notice, what attracted me were the words, Guardians of Glenlivet.  It is no secret that I love Glenlivet, (along with a few other glens), so I was intrigued by the invitation, and could not resist attending this mysterious function, that sounded like an underground cult, or the knights templar guarding the holy grail.

This was not the first of such events, and I was privileged to be "initiated" into this coterie of single malt aficianados, though I myself, whilst enjoying the taste, can hardly claim to be one myself.  The invitation enigmatically stated,  “An Evening In The Dark With The Glenlivet”, at the newly opened Barn Thai (yes, people who used to party in the 90s, Barn Thai is back!).  At first I thought it was one of those dining in the dark experiences.

Guests who attended were blindfolded, engaging all their senses as they were poured surpriseStar of the night,  The Glenlivet Alpha. Housed in a striking black bottle, only 3,350 bottles of The Glenlivet Alpha has been crafted in secret by Master Distiller Alan Winchester at The Glenlivet Distillery in the heart of Speyside and is released with no cask information, tasting notes or age statement. And of which, only 40 bottles are allocated to the Malaysian Market.

 Our host for the night, Lionel Lau, (who I found out was the man behind my invitation) enlightened us on some Glenlivet information, and told us that we would be blindfolded, and handed a glass of this mysterious whisky, and we are to use all our other senses to pick up whatever flavours and subtleties we could.

The good thing about using a point and shoot, you can literally point and shoot, even blindfolded, as you can see from my fairly decent blindfolded selfie.
It was all quite fun.  We were to hold out our right hand, so that the servers could slide the glass into our hands, and we were to sniff, and twirl, and smell, and sip, .... and give our thoughts.  My first thought was, WOW, it's strong! I like.

The food was obviously secondary, and most attention was focused on the star of the night, and the other supporting cast, which were also great.

On a day when the Glenlivet Alpha is not available (read, every day la), these babies would do quite nicely.

By this time, we were privvy to the information that there were only 40 bottles of these, available only for Guardians (you had to sign up and sign in blood to become a guardian), priced at RM868.  Of course, the kiasu in me leapt at the opportunity of owning something that only 39 others in Malaysia might own.

Taste wise, it has all the usual spice, fruits associated with a good single malt, but it also packs a punch with its high alcohol content.  Well, priced at RM868, I guess it makes sense to reach a high as soon as possible.
Aneeways, look what arrived yesterday, finally....

Beautifully veiled, like a bride (okay, maybe not in black dress..  a merry widow perhaps).... waiting to unveil...

Tah da.  Don't be calling ME anytime soon to share this... I am saving it for a VERY special occasion.

I won't bother telling you where to buy it, coz ....smug look, YOU CAN'T!! (well, not from the primary market in Malaysia at any rate).