Insta Weekly: A Really Special Whisky Tasting Session - DIY Old Fashioned - Troika Sky Dining Bars - Souled Out

The best drinking times are not the ones with the best locations or the best drinks (though those are nice to have) but are the ones shared with great company. It's a privilege to share some good times with old friends and a pleasure of making new ones through such sessions. Bonus is when I get to try and learn new stuff along the way. So here's a shout out to all of you for spending your good times with me at these events below, the ones before and the ones that will be coming our way. Yam seng!

1. Tasting Some Stuff I Can't Afford. :(

We had the utmost privilege of meeting up with Eiling and  Luc Timmermans (of Thosop fame), both of whom are internationally-famous independent bottlers, for a whisky tasting party at their recent Malaysia visit. During these sessions, we bring some of our more down-to-earth stuff to taste and compare with Eiling & Luc's stuff of legends. Our palates get spoilt rotten and our lives are never the same again everytime we see them.  <3

Insta Weekly: Green Spot Irish Whiskey - Jura Whisky Fling - Torres Vina Sol - Hip Flask

So, the holy month of Ramadhan is upon us. This means that a lot of the brands are taking a break from their marketing and events leading up to Raya. On top of that, beverage outlets would also traditionally face a drop in sales for the month. Not sure why that happens though, go figure!

The good thing about this though, is less late night outs, and more nights in to catch up on some sleep and home mixing & tasting. :) See what I got up to last week:


1. Green Spot Irish Whiskey

Found this gem at my last Labuan trip. It's a very easy everyday dram. Irish whiskey has this common nose - usually perfumey and /or fruity and very agreeable in the mouth, without the usual burn or oakiness so prevalent in Scotch. Green Spot is aged between 7-10 years,  matured in bourbon and sherry casks. I love it. I wish I got MORE of it.

Insta Weekly: 44 Bar The Row - DIY Cocktails: GnT, Manhattan & Jungle Bird - Janice of O+A - Labuan & Kota Kinabalu.

Oops. Last week's insta weekly report's late because I spent the last weekend travelling across Labuan and Kota Kinabalu, which I'll tell you about once you get past my other equally-exciting boozy adventures of the week, hehe.


1. 44 Bar's Found a New Temporary Home @ The Row, Kuala Lumpur

Left: Juicy fruity Tango Mango. Middle: Kick-ass Bottle Aged Cocktails. Right: Potential crowd favourite: Donkey Kick

The 44 Bar that we know and love (previously ex-APW) has popped up at The Row along Jalan Doraisamy. The Row may sound unfamiliar to you - but how about its former name - Asian Heritage Row? That's right, The Row IS a souped up ex-Asian Heritage Row filled with new third wave cafes, quaint eateries and other instagram-genic shops that hipsters would love.

Kampachi Sake Dinner Series feat. Izumibashi Sake

The 4 beautiful Izumibashi bottles in a row

Kampachi  celebrated Izumibashi brewery's first visit to Malaysia with a dinner series that took place in Troika last 16 June &  in their outlet at Equatorial Penang on 17 June.

The 9-course Japanese kaiseki menu, created by Kampachi's Executive Chef, Koji Tamaru, featured seasonal seafood sourced directly from Japan. The meal was to be paired with 4 Izumibashi sakes.

We were also graced by the presence of 6th generation brewery founder/owner, Yuichi Hashiba & sake sommelier, Shigeyuki Masaki, who imparted some nuggets of knowledge about the brand and sake. Who knew that there was such a thing as a sommelier for sake? And how do I apply? :)

Insta Weekly: World Gin Day, Kampachi dinner feat. Izumibashi Sake, P&C Bar, French Martini, Whiskey Sour

I'd like to share with you something interesting that happened to me last week.

I was at a bar for a quiet drink and bumped into some friends who knew that I enjoyed mixing drinks at home. Everyone was having fun and had quite a bit to drink... eventually I was asked to make a drink at the bar. Much to my reluctance, I did agree, but only after the bartender agreed to it as well.

Thinking back, I wondered how I could have handle that situation better. So many things could have gone wrong (since it wasn't a bar I was familiar with, and I'm actually not a bartender), but thankfully it didn't! Anyway, this experience made me realise a few things:

1. I really do enjoy working behind an actual bar - it's still such a thrill. How do I do something about that which is more feasible for my bank account? :P
2. I need to improve my mixing skills and confidence.
3. I need to learn up a wider repertoire of cocktail recipes.
4. I need to find a secret hide-away bar to drink in. :P
5. Don't get tipsy in a bar, just in case I ever get another opportunity like this again - since my "reputation" is at stake here haha!

That being said. Thank you all for the opportunity. You all know who you are! :)

So what else happened last week?

Glenfiddich's Valley Of The Deer Post-Event Report

(warning: picture heavy post)

Short of uprooting it from Dufftown, Glenfiddich replicated its distillery in Carcosa Seri Negara for 4 days from 27- 30 May 2015 to share the experience of an average working day there.  If you've never been to an actual distillery, this tour was a good representation. Also, it's probably THE biggest event of its kind in South East Asia!

Everyone was there. The who's who, the who who wants to be who, the has-beens, the wannabes, and of course people who were genuinely interested to see what a distillery could look like, because they actually took the trouble to purchase tickets.

Carcosa Seri Negara, Kuala Lumpur, turned into a make-shift distillery and bar for 4 days.

Insta Weekly: Diageo Worldclass Malaysia Finals, Tuak from Sarawak, Taps Beer Bar, Vom Fass Whisk(e)y Tasting, Glenlivet 50 Finale, Kitshcy French Wine.

Last week was filled with celebrations!

- celebrated 4 very talented bartenders who were chosen to represent Malaysia in one of the biggest bartending competitions in the planet.

- celebrated the winning bidders who bade a record-breaking RM96k for a bottle of rare 50 year old...whisky (hehe).

- celebrated a pair of good friends' baby's 1 year old birthday, where family and close friends got together to over-indulge in an awesome home-cooked BBQ meal... with some awesome drams of course.

- and celebrated the relocation of this wonderful, wonderful bread shop with some delicious wines.

What I'm trying to say is, there's always a cause for celebration. And those causes are usually the greatest reasons for a good drink... or two.... ;)

1. Diageo Reserve World Class Finals @ The Bee, Publika. 

Insta Weekly: Martin Miller's Gin, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Whisky Fling @ S&A, Revisiting WIP, Ippudo's new Geikkeikan Sake, Negroni Week @ Hyde, Nikka Taketsuru 12

Man, after last week, I thought I would go easy on the drinking and whiskies but apparently, I'm made of tougher (and more idiotic lol) stuff. This week's summary is a little late because I just came back from spending the weekend in Melaka for a friend's wedding which was also a great excuse to stuff my face with food along the way (sorry about all that food spam on my insta today lol).

I love Chinese banquet weddings. Bonus if the first four (out of 8, usually) dishes tastes really good (usually the appetiser, soup, white meat & fish) because I'm usually too stuffed to have anymore (after that it's commonly the prawns, vegetables, rice and dessert). Even bigger bonus if there's loads of booze about - this one had a whole lot of beer, wine and whiskies. Back in the day (I'd say about 10-15 years) ago - chinese banquet dinners predominantly featured brandy and at the most, blended scotch. These days? Single malt and Japanese whiskies are all the rage. Attending a chinese wedding dinner is really a good gauge of what the current beverage trend is. :)

1. Martin Miller's Gin

Had this at O&A last week. Hmm, seems like I'm really into my gins now. :D This one tastes like it's in between your london dry & botanicals. Stuff like this reminds me why I love the beverage industry so much. You think you've tried a lot and then something new comes along to surprise you. I wish I could easily get one of these but unfortunately, it's not easy to get, and also in the premium category like your Botanist (which is already RM2XX duty free, by the way). I think I will invest in more gins, while the whole region is still mad with their whisky. Rums too. Once, the whisky craze dies down, it's likely we'll take to rum or gin. Let's see. :)

Launch: Inch (and Plates) @ Jalan Muntri, Penang

So, I mentioned in passing on my Insta Weekly update that I was invited for the official launch of Inch (and Plates) over a couple of months ago to check out their new place. Let me give you a quick tour of the place before we dive into my favourite topic - their beverage menu.

Located at one of the popular tourist / backpacker areas, 44 Muntri Street in Penang; Inch and Plates (which are sibling restaurants conjoined by the bar), are the newest ventures by one of the owners from The Bee, Adrian Yap.

As you can see from the entrance, it's a pre-war shop lot and is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can't miss its striking red door against its pretty sky blue painted walls. They took the effort to maintain quite a bit of the original structure - especially the wooden bits. I suspect that the tiles at the entrance is also an original peranakan design too (correct me if I'm wrong).

Insta Weekly: Sommelier Championship 2015 & French Wines Trade Show, Nikka Event, Glenfiddich's #ValleyOfTheDeer, Omakase + Appreciate, Ardbeg Day

I made another resolution this year - to do something different every month. Better if it's something I've never done before. It could be something as simple as watching a musical, or it could be something as big as picking up a new skill. I figured if I didn't force myself to commit to it,  every day would just be like any other day, and I'd be living my life on autopilot. What a wasted life that would be, innit? I figured, since we're only given one life, I must make the best of it, the best that I can.

What have I done so far? In January, I completed my first ever 6km (more like 7.6 actually) cross country (which goes off-road!) run. I kinda copped out in February by merely going on a jungle hike at a nearby park. But March & April was quite a good one as it was my first trip to Siam Reap AND I participated in a 17km cycling tour there. What did I do for the month of May? Well, it's booze -related so you'll need to read on to find out. :)

1. 24H French Wines Trade Show & Malaysia Best Sommelier Championship 2015

Plaza Premium Lounge (PPL) has everything you need to live in an airport.

(Note: Plaza Premium Lounge kindly allowed a group of us to experience all their amenities mentioned below without charge.)

The terminal, starring Tom Hanks. One of my favouritest movies.
Image credit: artsentertainmentbaba.com/

Do you remember the movie The Terminal starring Tom Hanks? Man, I loved it so much I must've watched it a hundred times. It's a story of this guy who was stuck living in the airport for a while because his country was at war and his passport wasn't recognised. It looked like he was having a good time living in the airport, making friends with everyone who worked in the airport. And he even managed to get part time job in there... albeit he was roughing it out a little. I've always wondered what that felt like, seemed fun!

What a treat it was that we kind of did get that experience...  Except we didn't  have to rough it out in the airport like Tom's character did with Plaza Premium Lounge being around. They fed us, quenched our thirst, and after all that, even gave us a comfortable night's stay at KLIA 2 just before our insane 6am early morning flight to Siam Reap the next day. Since this is (mostly) a booze blog, I'm going to spend a little more time sharing with you about the liquid side of things, and then quickly touching base on the other services and facilities.

Insta Weekly - Canadian Club Old Fashioned, Cheap Singha Beer, Singha Soda Water, Nikka in the Fridge, Auchentoshan 16 Years, Glenffidich #ValleyOfTheDeer, Whistling Duck Wine

Oh my goodness. I'm still not used to the idea of 2015 yet and June is coming (tiny GoT reference, anyone?). What on earth? Does time go by faster with each year with age? Or is it because of those dratted technological advances that makes us forget to slow down and enjoy the time we have on earth? 

I find myself spending too much being "connected". It is a terrible habit really, how the internet and technology has taken over our lives. At first I thought it was just a younger generation thing but no - the older folks (ie my parents) have now picked up the habit of constantly having their noses buried into their phones. For me, it's gotten so bad that now, I can't sleep if I don't spend at least an hour surfing on the net for pointless mindless entertainment to unwind. Sometimes I wonder if Wall-E wasn't a bit of a prophecy - human kind being too dependent on technology to the point we even forget how to WALK. Scary thought for me.

Which is why, since last year, I've been making resolutions to get disconnected more. I've taken myself out of chat groups, muted a lot of apps, and really trying very hard to be in the NOW. I have to admit, it takes a lot of effort to do this. More often than not, I find myself being drawn to the damn phone. I must make this habit stop. How bad is your tech habit? Do you even have one?

Slightly ironic that I'm talking about my bad tech habit on my blog, haha. Well, on to my favourite habit - talking about booze:

Glenlivet Winchester Collection Vintage 1964: Bottle 3/100 For Auction in Malaysia & How-To

The Glenlivet Winchester Collection Vintage 1964 Bottle No.3 is in Malaysia

The Glenlivet's first collection of 50 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky, Vintage 1964, has landed in Malaysia.

Released at 42.3% ABV, this is bottle No. 3 of 100. Yes, there are only 100 bottles available on earth.

Having gone through 7 master distillers, it takes its name from the current master distiller, Alan Winchester, making it the first of the many Glenlivet Winchester collection expressions to come. The next vintage will be a 1966, which will be released in a ........ make a wild guess? Uh huh, 2 years time. :)

Insta Weekly: Valley of the Deer, Benromach, Marini's New Menu, Kaku Highball, Nikka Taketsuru 21 & Mizuwari

I went for something called "Glamping" last weekend. It's an interesting concept, where you take a holiday in a remote location (usually a jungle of sorts) with some comforts of luxuries you don't usually find when you're camping (eg: toilet, bed, shower...). Usually no forms of entertainment are provided though, so you have to find ways to entertain yourself. We read , drank a lot of wine and beer, and caught a movie marathon on the laptop.

Why didn't we go outside to enjoy the pretty cool jungle air, sights and sounds? Well, the weird thing is that the location of this place is actually on a building site, and it seems it's a work-in-process. So a lot of the natural beauty of the place has been hacked off and basically, it's just a muddy mess with nothing much to see. But the night sounds of the jungle nearby was a nice change, as sleeping in a tent with the rain hitting against the canvas, and showering with the freezing ice cold water because there was no heater provided.

The 3 things I always try to take on a holiday to make sure I have a good time 1) expect the worst 2) bring my own entertainment 3) and have lots of booze. Share with me your tips for a good holiday while we get on with what happened on my instagram ya!

Insta Weekly - Jura Whisky Highball, Hendrick's Booklet, Glenfarclas Tasting, The Bar @ Empire Damansara, Nobu KL's Cocktails & Chillean wine

It was a lovely 4-day weekend in Malaysia wasn't it? Didn't you wished every week was a 4-day work week with a long 4 day weekend? Well, I do. I think a long weekend is just about enough time to really recuperate from the office, spend time on your own personal projects to improve and learn, chores (yuck!) your friends, your family, and with sufficient time to rest. 

One can dream, I suppose. Or quit the corporate life and get your own thing going - which actually could be a worse option because you never sign out of your "office". Oh well! One can't have everything, but one can grab a quick drink and relax....and wait for the next long weekend holiday that's coming up soon! Yippee! 

Made a Jura whisky highball. Drinkable.... but maybe I'm not doing it right.

A highball is actually any spirit mixed with a mixer served in a tall glass. This is me experimenting with a whisky highball - using Jura & soda. A bit of a mistake going with the Jura as it's a little peaty. In fact, I shouldn't even be using single malts for this :p