Hoegaarden 5 liter beer glass

beer 5l 1

This is the (in)famous Hoegaarden 5 liter glass of beer available at Brussels Beer CafΓ©. It’s so huge, it takes no small amount of effort to even lift it. The size and girth of this “glass” is staggering! It holds 5 liters of the good stuff and it made me wonder…

beer 5l 2

…can a person drink (scull) 5 liters of beer?

beer 5l 3

I’ll just preempt you by saying it’s possible, but not recommended. You’ll live to regret it. :p

TGIF people! w00t! It’s been a super long week for me since I’ve been working my ass off. I’m thinking about paying homage to the 5 liters of goodness after work. πŸ˜‰

Glenfiddich – Taste The Future

six

I’ve always been a big fan of single (and available) malt whiskeys. I guess it appeals to the more refined side of me (yes, you have to squint, but it’s there :p). I’ve had Glenfiddich Solera Reserve before and I loved it. Thus, I jumped at the chance when Kim invited me to a Glenfiddich whiskey tasting session.

kim

It’s tantalizingly called Glenfiddich – Taste The Future and I was told that we’ll be sampling several Glenfiddich products, including some that are not available in the market (!). How could I refuse and still sleep at night? The ethanol connoisseur in me (no, you don’t have to squint to see this part) arrived promptly at 3 pm to meet up with Mr. Ong (Kim’s dad).

tables

The tasting session was held at elle six art gallery and it was conducted by Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq. I love names I can’t pronounce – Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq is the Global Ambassador for Glenfiddich and he travels around the world to conduct tastings. I want his job. πŸ™

food

There was a righteous spread of food before the whiskey tasting started. I’m not one to eat before drinking since I like drinking on an empty stomach. Just to torture my body, ya know. πŸ˜‰ However, I grabbed a plate and nibbled on some food just to be polite. Heh!

glenfiddich

The highlight of the evening started with a presentation by Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq. There were 7 glasses in front of each seat. The glasses were on a paper liner detailing the age of the Glenfiddich single malt. Present in the parade was:

Glenfiddich 12 year old
Glenfiddich 15 year old
Glenfiddich 18 year old
Glenfiddich 21 year old
Glenfiddich 30 year old

…and two mystery glasses labeled “New Make Spirit” and “Future Glenfiddich“. Intriguing. I like!

presso

I’m lovin’ it already. πŸ™‚

tasting

Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq taught us the proper way to taste single malt. You swirl the liquid around and smell it before sipping it. The whisky is rolled around your tongue while you breathe in to capture the notes of the whisky before swallowing.

intro

We started off with the Glenfiddich 12 year old and progressed throughout the years. Each time before we taste the Glenfiddich, we were shown a video of what happened during the year the aged single malt was made.

salute

I can recognize scenes from 1997 (12 year old), 1994 (15 year old), and 1991 (18 year old). My memory started getting hazy during the 1988 (21 year old) video since I was only 7 then and I can’t relate to the 1979 (30 year old) video at all. I was still a good year away from swimming into my mother in 1979, accounting for the incubation period of 9 months so I don’t remember anything at all.

smells

The Glenfiddich – Taste The Future session also had covered items on the table in front of us. The glasses contain items ranging from honey to figs. You’re supposed to compare the single malt with the items so there was a lot of sniffing and touching going on. Okay, that sounded wrong, but you catch my drift.

Glenfiddich 12 year old has pear and subtle oak notes.
Glenfiddich 15 year old has warm spice, honey and rich fruit notes.
Glenfiddich 18 year old has oak, apple and cinnamon notes.
Glenfiddich 21 year old has vanilla, rich toffee and new leather notes (!).
Glenfiddich 30 year old has sherry, fig and dark chocolate notes.

me kim

It’s a bit disturbing to actually be able to taste the notes in the whisky…especially the new leather. :S

ducrocq

Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq told us to close our eyes and think back to what happened when a particular whisky was bottled. It should be noted that a Glenfiddich 15 year old (for example) could be much older than that – it just means that it’s aged for at least 15 years prior to bottling.

us

I particularly liked the New Make Spirit. Weighing in at a staggering 70% alcohol, it’s Glenfiddich before it goes into the casks for aging. It has a really strong bite – reminds me of this 95% alcohol I had back in Melbourne.

sa team

The Future Glenfiddich is intriguing as well. It’s 7 years old and a good 5 years away from bottling. However, you can taste hints of this Glenfiddich-to-be. It’s only going to be sold in 2014 at least so in 2014, when you drink a Glenfiddich 12 year old, I’ll be there to say “Hah! I drank that 5 years ago!” in a smug manner. :p

…if I’m still alive in 2014, of course. πŸ˜‰

glen

I liked the Glenfiddich
30 year old the best. It has
character and I can appreciate the aging process it went through. It’s as old as my sister and retails for RM 1,430.

group

There is also a bottle of Glenfiddich Rare Collection 40 year old on display, which we unfortunately did not get a chance to taste. This bottle retails for an astounding RM 8,455.

I got to hold it though. =D

drink

I hear it’s the next best thing. :p

Absolut Pears

absolut pears

I managed to get a 1 liter bottle of Absolut Pears for RM 43 thanks to Charlz. Her friend was in Langkawi and managed to bring back one bottle for me, which she passed to me just now. BTW, the beverage on her desk is guava juice – note that the seal to the Absolut Pears is intact. πŸ˜‰

Charlz, we put it to Good Use (TM). =D

In sleep he sang to me
In dreams he came
That voice that calls to me and speaks my name
…and do I dream again for now I find
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside my mind

Sing once again with me
Our strange duet
My power over you grows stronger yet
…and though you turn from me to glance behind
The Phantom of the Opera is here
Inside your mind

Warning signs you’re an alcoholic

alcoholic

1. You go to your favorite convenience store to get some 500 ml 12% cheap imported beer and the cashier goes “Just two cans today instead of your usual three?”

2. The friendly local neighborhood 7-Eleven night shift greets you with a cheery “Hello Boss!” and warns you that the leftmost chiller is out of action so your favorite beer is warm.

3. The clerks at 7-Eleven actually starts asking “Eh, tiap tiap hari minum, okay kah boss?” (You drink every night, you handling it okay?)

-_-!!!

Atlas Shrugged

atlas

No, not the Ayn Rand book…though you might find yourself starting to get as verbose as her after a couple of cans. I managed to find the best value beer in town just now. It’s Atlas Beer, weighing in at 12% – it beats SKOL for value. It comes in a 500 ml can – I love the feel of the substantial 500 ml cans. It just feels so solid! I have purchased a slab (24 cans) of SKOL and after calculations by my gf this one is just better. Every self-respecting alcoholic, I mean, ethanol consumer knows that the higher ABV the beverage is, the better. My current favorite.

atlas shrugged

It’s close to wine’s fortitude with the alcohol content – beer at 12%, it’s revolutionary! Bock style beer at just RM 7.90 per can and it’s made in the EU to boot! I suspect it’s one of the Eastern blocs though due to the ambiguity on the packaging – it would have shouted GERMANY had it been one of the more affluent states. It’s replacing my favorite beer (SKOL Super) due to the value – 500 ml @ 12 % is stronger at 320 ml @ 9 % any time. Especially if you binge drink. πŸ˜‰

I’m going to be driving up to Cameron Highlands tomorrow at 6 am. Be good, coz I won’t have net access there. It’s a birthday present for my girlfriend, and I anticipate prohibitive traffic congestion, but we’re going to do the suites anyway.

Have a great long weekend people! πŸ™‚

iichiko mugi shochu

iichiko

iichiko mugi shochu
is a 100% barley shochu from Japan. Japanese shochu is usually made from either sweet potatoes, rice or barley and though it’s difficult to differentiate between the three, I tend to prefer barley fermented drinks.



iichiko mugi shocho
weighs in at a respectable 25% alcohol and in the new format of alcohol reviews, this is done vlog style, complete with fake Japanese accent. πŸ˜‰

Stepping into the Cheeserland.com lair

cheesie condo

I dropped by Cheesie’s condo earlier this morning to pick up the carton of Marlboros that she had gotten for me duty free during her recent trip to Shanghai. It’s the first time I’ve been to her place and it’s a really nice condominium unit with great security. I’m thinking of getting one myself once my paycheck stabilizes – it’s just about what you would pay for rent, except you get to own the property at the end.

cheesie marlboro

A big thank you goes out to Ringo, who has kindly contributed to my chances of getting lung cancer. πŸ˜‰

Kidding. I less than 3 you.

Skol Super Beer 9% alcohol

skol super beer pack

Skol Super Beer is a new product line from Skol that lays claim to “The only 9% alcohol super strong beer”. The statement is not inaccurate – it is the King of Lagers (in a fiefdom of mostly 5% alcohol standard beers). Certain fortified beers like Carlsberg’s Special Brew attempt to challenge the sovereignty of Skol Super Beer, weighing in at a respectable 8.8% – close, but no cigar.

skol super beer

The extra 0.2% alcohol in Skol Super Beer crowns it as the current king of all beers (measured by ethanol content). It is by far the highest alcohol content lager among all the other brands over here. I picked up a 3-pack at Jusco for just RM 12.80 (the special introductory price), which works out to about RM 4.20 per can. Skol is of Brazilian origin and considered a less premium brand than Carlsberg Special Brew, but it’s cheaper by a few dollars and has the potential to capture the middle income, non-discerning ethanol consumer market.

The interesting trend with beer nowadays is the introduction of the 3-pack. The six-pack beer packaging is a very established tradition, and to go against that convention would be considered heretical by beer aficionados. However, I have noticed several advantages to the 3-pack retail mechanism – it’s at the right price point for the consumption habits of the majority of casual drinkers.

Skol Super Beer – A very strong lager of the highest quality.

Absolut Akimbo!

absolut akimbo

Absolut Akimbo! I managed to get two (2) 1 liter bottles of duty-free vodka goodness from my sister and her husband traveling back from NZ. I wanted Absolut New Orleans and Absolut Los Angeles (the two new city themed Absolut vodka flavors) but my sister couldn’t find it…or couldn’t be bothered to look for it, I’ll never be sure. πŸ˜‰

absolut ruby red

She couldn’t find Absolut Pears (to complete my Absolut-ly Fabulous liquor collection) either, so I settled with Absolut Ruby Red, which I already have and thus have earned the right (in my twisted rhetoric) to drink…

absolut mango

…and Absolut Mango, launched earlier this year for my collection.

absolut madness

I’ve been trying to find the elusive Absolut 100 (2007) in the black bottles that weighs in at a respectable 50% alcohol but it’s apparently not available at our fine KLIA duty free retail experience. Oh well…

Happy monthsary, dear. πŸ™‚

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