Toast The Macallan @ Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur

Sometime back, I was invited to Toast The Macallan, a prestigious pop-up styled whiskey tasting event, where I got to savour Macallan's latest range of highland single malt scotch whiskies, as well as learned about the harmony behind cask and color; oak and flavor.

There were drinks, some small bites, more drinks - mostly drinks. The event was held at Ritz Carlton Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, from the 26th September to 1st October 2016.

Read more about the event in my previous writeup Here.

I arrived at the venue slightly earlier than planned that evening, feeling intrigued yet excited at the same time. With plenty of time to spare, I roved around the interative exhibition area with Kelly, and dropped by the Scent Bar.

The simple intention of the scent test was to explore the different types of scents derived from the drink (vanilla, citrus, chocolate, oak, spice and toffee), with an attempt to find the perfect Macallan fit, according to personal preference.

The scent test predicted that the Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old, to be my favorite - you will soon see why. All of this while sipping on a chilled glass of Macallan of course.

As the evening progressed, the crowd grew, and before we knew it, we were ushered into the main event hall.

The event was hosted by The Macallan Brand Trainer, Keith Nair and Brand Advocate, Randall Tan.

Aimed for individuals who are brassy and keen to learn more about this esteemed single malt whisky, we were We were not only introduced to the heritage, tradition behind the Macallan brand, but also the story about oak and cask.

Thankfully the hosts didn't bore us with much theory, instead exuded loads of humor along the way. Else, to best honest, I'd get bored halfway through.

There were four glasses placed in front of me.

Dubbed the Macallan Trilogy, three of the four glasses were filled with The Macallan Fine Oak 12 Years Old, The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old and its latest expression The Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old. The fourth glass on the other hand, was an exclusive addition for this tasting session.

The first glass had the lightest shade of gold, and the fourth glass the darkest.

I learned that as the whisky color gets darker, the smoother and richer the drink becomes (and a heftier pricetag too for that matter).

The Macallan 12 Years Old Fine Oak had the lightest color and creaminess of them all.

Apart from that, I also found out that the Macallan Double Cask had a perfect balance of 100% sherry-seasoned European and American Oak - a marriage of 2 wood types. By combining both wood influences, this new variant carries the perfect balance between the Sherry Oak and Fine Oak range.

The Macallan Sherry Oak 12 Years Old on the other hand, carrries a more matured character - it was more rich and intense.

Reaffirming my scent test prediction from the earlier part of this event, I still think my favorite was the Macallan Double Cask 12 Years Old, in terms of taste.

After the brief whiskey tasting session, we dropped by the bar, where we had some small bites to eat - this was my dinner - paired with cocktails that was exclusively crafted for the event.

Conversations were lively, with occasional burst of laughter in between sips.

With work commitments the next morning, I didn't stay long after that however, the room was still buzzing with activity when I left.

Thank you Macallan for hosting this fabulous event and for having me too of course.