whisky

The Ultimate Hershey’s Cocoa Oreo Milkshake with Cardhu single malt Scotch whisky

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cocoa oreo milkshake

This is an *adults-only milkshake* that I just made as a trial tomorrow and it’s perfect for a Friday night – excessive amounts of cocoa powder and single malt Scotch whisky are two of the main ingredients. I used Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa which is a 100% cocoa powder.

oreos

The choice of Scotch is up to which area (Highlands, Islay, etc) you’re partial to but I used a Speyside 12 year old single malt Scotch whisky for mine since I like the taste of Cardhu (and it comes in a decanter like bottle with a huge stopper).

You will need:

  • 1 glass cold milk
  • 4 heaped tablespoons of Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa
  • 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
  • 4 Oreo cookies
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of cream
  • Single malt Scotch whisky to taste

cold milk

There is no reason to weigh the cold milk – my better half just brought over a scale and I wanted to try it out. Haha!

hersheys cocoa

I added 4 heaped tablespoons of Hershey’s Natural Unsweetened Cocoa into the blender – this is a very heavy and strong tasting cocoa powder (100% cocoa) so you don’t need to put in a lot unlike chocolate/malt drinks like Milo and Ovaltine and the pricing reflects that.

add oreos

I put in 3 Oreo cookies (plain) into the mix and discovered it wasn’t enough so added another via the drop-in hatch on top

cream milkshake

Next, put in the heavy cream…

scotch milkshake

…and add the single malt Scotch whisky to taste. I poured in quite a lot of Cardhu 12 year old Scotch. I think I put nearly 3-4 shots inside. I still maintain it was a slip of the hand. smirk

You just need to blend this all up and pour to serve! It’ll fit into a single glass with a little to spare.

cocoa scotch milkshake

The cocoa and Oreo milkshake tastes good! The cocoa was a bit too intense so I’ll cut it down tomorrow. There’s also too much Scotch, my dear took a sip and nearly threw up, but it tastes alright to me. However, we noticed that it wasn’t as cold as we imagined and that’s coz…

We forgot the ice cream! -_-

Unagi with Kansas City BBQ sauce and single malt Scotch whisky

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cooking unagi

This is my attempt to cook the classic unagi Japanese eel dish – with a decidedly Western influence. I managed to get my hands on some really fresh belut (freshwater eel) from the wet market. The lady also sells frogs and venison meat, the latter of which I made into a venison steak tartare.

belut eel

The large eels go for RM 10 while the smaller ones go for RM 5 each. I decided to get two of the smaller freshwater eels. It has been nicely dressed by the exotic meat (that’s what I like to call her) vendor to reveal the flesh with the head and bone hanging out.

You will need:

  • 2 freshwater eels
  • Kansas City BBQ sauce (sweeter than Texas style, and thicker)
  • Single malt Scotch whisky
  • Sugar and salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil

freshwater eel

I sliced the freshwater eel into something resembling unagi as usually seen in the various Japanese restaurants around town. smirk They all seem to have a similar size and serving style, most of the commercial ones anyway.

scotch bbq sauce

I also added in a healthy slug of Jura 16 year old single malt Scotch whisky into the mix of KC BBQ sauce, sugar and salt. I am particularly fond of this one as it goes well with coffee i.e. Irish Coffee. I’ve been known to enjoy a cuppa on days starting with an S with a shot of good Scotch and nothing beats the 16 year old Diurach’s Own from the Isle of Jura.

basting unagi

I’ve tried lightly peated Islay malts like Bowmore Enigma, common tipples like Glenfiddich’s 14 year old Rick Oak, and even *Irish* single malt whiskey – the Bushmill 10 Year Old but nothing beats the barely legal Jura. It just goes well with coffee. I digress. I went off on this tangent coz I was hoping it’ll go well with eel too!

caramelized unagi

I grilled/sauteed the eel with EVOO over a very low heat fire and kept on basting it with the BBQ sauce and Scotch mixture. I must have flipped, added more sauce, and flipped the small pieces of freshwater eel again at least 30 times. I kid you not. I think that was the secret to the taste. It got a thumbs up from my better half at least! 🙂

scotch unagi

The basting process caramelized the BBQ sauce and Scotch mixture around the eel and with the constant flips, the reduction stuck to the unagi and it tasted really, really delicious! I wouldn’t call it a traditional Japanese unagi but I made my own sauce and it tastes like how a rather inept American home cook would render it, I imagine.

Not the correct technique, but very tasty!

Kim and Gareth’s wedding @ The Saujana Hotel

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kim gareth wedding

The first thing I noticed was the K&G for Kimberly and Gareth ice sculptures which dominates the entrance to the ballroom where the wedding was held. There’s also an archway above with roses – nice touch, that.

candy station

This is my favorite bit – there’s lots of nostalgic candy with witty place cards at the lounge where wedding guests can help themselves to.

sweet station

I haven’t had some of these since I was in primary school! It certainly brings back fond memories.

wedding registrar

…so much so I had a brain fart while writing the guest book. Lives, not lifes. -_-

kim gareth wedding rules

Kim and Gareth’s wedding was held at The Saujana Hotel last Saturday on the 27th October. I was there at 6:30 pm for the cocktail reception.

vintage coke

Vintage Coke bottles from Thailand.

yee haw

Here’s Yee Hau with Yee Haw! That’s the tag for the haw flakes of our childhood.

childhood candy

Rabbit Candy! Anyone remember these? I still love them.

kim gareth replacements

I think this was a really great idea too – having photo cutouts to take photos with while the bride and groom were busy, very tongue-in-cheek. Heh.

volleyball

The wedding favors on the table were hugely popular too – we had an impromptu game of volleyball while waiting for it to start, made by Nicholas with the goo you can blow up into a balloon (also an artifact of 80’s babies – we had them in school).

kimberly gareth wedding

Kim and Gareth both had speeches going and I thought it was really nice, what they said, weddings always makes me feel good.

chinese wedding food

There’s also an 8 course dinner, with the soup dish called “Save the Sharks Seafood Soup” – obviously no fins in there but it tastes surprisingly good with the mini abalone and other seafood inside and it’s a great departure from traditional wedding soups by being clear, yet flavorful.

A lot of us at the table went for second helpings, myself included…and I’m not even a fan of soup.

yamazaki single malt whisky

I love the single malt whisky that was offered too – had a dram each of Yamazaki 12 y/o and a The Glenrothers Select Reserve. I preferred the latter, despite the novelty of drinking a Japanese single malt whisky – it had more character and complexity.

yam seng

Here’s the obligatory table-to-table yam seng session!

kim gareth hb

…and a photo with the (real) bride and groom at the end. Hope you have a wonderful life ahead together, Kim and Gareth! 🙂

Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 year old

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glenfiddich solera reserve

Glenfiddich is one of the most common single malt Scotch whisky there is out there. I believe I read somewhere that every 1 in 3 bottles of single malt sold is a Glenfiddich. However, just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it automatically isn’t good.

I *struggled* to choke that sentence out. I’m a huge Macallan fan, quite loyal to it since it was my very first single malt Scotch and I had it at a very special time.

glenfiddich 15 solera reserve gift box

Glenfiddich Solera Reserve can be had for around RM 245 – 285. There’s this promotional gift box that comes with a 700 ml bottle, a 30 ml miniature and a tumbler. The 15 year old is generally accepted to be a benchmark of sorts and has one of the best price-performance ratios. I first had it in 2006 and wrote about the Glenfiddich Solera Reserve which I got to celebrate a pay raise.

whisky durian

Oh, I nearly forgot this photo.

trollface

Glenfiddich – Taste The Future

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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. 🙁

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. 😉 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. 🙂

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. 😉

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

The Macallan – Single Malt Highland Scotch Whisky

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the macallan scotch whisky

The Macallan is a single malt Highland Scotch whisky. It’s usually available in the 12 year old single malt version matured in Sherry Oak casks. The Macallan is distilled in their own distillery (which is what differentiates premium single malt from blended whiskeys) in Speyside, Scotland.

the macallan single malt

The Macallan is one of the best single malt Scotch whisky that I’ve ever tasted. I opened a bottle at Luconia and drank half the bottle in the first session (with some other people). The Macallan has a cork instead of a metal cap, which is a plus point for me. It’s considered a Highland single malt Scotch which puzzles me since The Macallan is obviously a Speyside single malt from their distillery location.

macallan sixthseal

The Macallan tastes great, subjectively better than Glenfiddich, the other premium single malt Scotch that Luconia carries. The Macallan 12 year single malt Scotch comes in a rich gold color and goes down really smoothly with hints of sherry and spice, with a sweet smoky finish. The Macallan is usually priced around the RM 300 region (pub prices, not retail) in drinking establishments, though YMMV depending on your location.

There is also a bottle of Johnny Walker Swing in the background – it’s a neat bottle of blended whisky that actually swings back and forth when you put it down on the table. It’s a great presentation bottle but The Macallan tastes better. It comes highly recommended from me!

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Lauder’s finest scotch whisky

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lauders scotch

Lauder’s blended scotch whisky comes in red packaging. This is a
duty free 1 liter bottle of this fine ethanol product from Scotland. I
had kept this in my room and forgot all about it until when I was
packing to come back to Kuching. Imagine that! Ethanol products go forgotten
in the sixthseal.com household! I could hardly believe my own eyes when
I saw this premium scotch from God knows when sitting lonely in my
table, which coincidentally was covered with cloth.

lauders scotch scotland

I suspect my mother had put that supposed “dust filter” on, for
nefarious purposes. What a sight to behold when I flipped up the cloth
and found this gem, which I immediately packed and earmarked for
consumption in Kuching. 😉

lauders scotch bottle

The bottle looks beautiful! It’s molded with concave areas on the
four sides of the bottle with the label at the bottom. Very unique.
Nice to see, nice to hold, once broken, considered sold!

lauders scotch label

Lauder’s scotch is a product of Scotland and contains 43% alcohol.
It’s a 1L bottle coz it was purchased by my dad from one of his trips –
only duty free liquor are sold in 1L bottles. I don’t know why my dad
buys liquor coz he doesn’t display them and he doesn’t drink. I take it
that he’s purchasing it for my drinking pleasure. Heh! Thanks dad! 😉

lauders scotch unique

It tastes really great…premium scotch is always wonderful,
compared to the el cheapo alcohol I’m forced to drink right now due to
dire financial straits. This one has a nice aroma, with complex flavors
and a nice bite. Nice is the word to describe it. The bottle is so
beautifully designed that it’s almost too good to drink…

lauders scotch drink

I said almost. 😉

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