The Tomintoul 1968 (Thosop) is MORE than just Whisky

It all starts with an appreciation for whisky that turned into a love story.

Sometime last year, I met Luc for the very first time in Singapore at The Auld Alliance (to be exact) for a whisky tasting on Thosop Handwritten Labels and I fell in love with the man his bottlings. When I reflect on this, I find it funny that how come we have never met even when we have been friends on FB due to a passion for whisky more than a year ago prior to the tasting in Singapore. And in Jan, we met again in London and that's where cupid planted a love arrow in both of our drams.

Emmanuel from Auld Alliance, Me and Luc Timmermans

I remembered the first few whisky that I tasted in Auld Alliance with Luc were these bottles...

Tomintoul 1967 43yo 49.3% Bourbon Cask #5426 Thosop
Port Ellen 1982 - bottled 2010 56% Thosop
Glenfarclas 1968 bottled 2011 cask #697 47.5%
Glenfarclas 1968 bottled 2010 cask #702 & #5240 49.7%

And therefore, it is no surprise that this Tomintoul 1968 is the choice of Luc Timmermans for his new and upcoming Thosop Handwritten Label. Everyone in the industry knows his affinity towards good quality whisky and the year 1968. It was his birth year and also the vintage of six Glenfarclas casks that he has bought and bottled. 

An introduction of Luc himself is a little extraordinary. He is not from a whisky-making family nor is he an owner of any distillery but he carved his name in the whisky world through humble beginnings and great passion for the "water of life". 

Luc's Thosop bottling carry an iconic handwritten label which notes his experience with each of the whisky. Sadly, the Tomintoul 1968 handwritten label is the oldest cask he has ever bottled and it is also his last cask. And for he has also fell in love with Malaysia and its diversity, my very home country, we decided to dedicate this bottling exclusively for the Malaysian whisky lovers. Together, we had chosen this Tomintoul 1968 which yielded only 198 bottles to be the final bottle to complete the range of 18 handwritten labels.

The Tomintoul distillery is located in Ballinloch in the Speyside region of Scotland. Founded in 1964, the distillery is located in an astoundingly picturesque Glenlivet estate surrounded by a diversity of flora and fauna. The distillery also stresses that they uses pure spring water drawn from The Ballantruan Spring. It is said that the clean air at an altitude of 345m where the distillery is located, and also the purity of the water contributes to the smoothness and easy drinking of the single malt whisky. In 1974, the first official bottling for Tomintoul was launched with a 12 year-old vintage and today, we are so lucky to have found this gem which was distilled in 1968 and only bottled 45 years later.

Luc has also personally written his tasting notes on this whisky and this is what he thinks about this Tomintoul 1968.

Tomintoul 1968/2013 (45 years old)

47.9%, Thosop Handwritten Label for Malaysia, 198 Bottles Only

Nose: Very smooth and fruity.  At first I get some melon, banana, and tangerine with a fine touch of pear. After this you get some green tea notes, grass and wet hay with a touch of leather.  All are perfectly integrated.

Palate: First mouth attack is nicely sour and a bit oaky but the fruitiness comes thru showing banana and oranges mixed with some liquorice and green tea.

Finish: Juicy, long and a bit dry with hints of green tea.

A fine 45 year old Tomintoul expression that makes you want to take a sip after sip.

We hope that many single malt whisky lovers will love this bottle. It's our everyday dram because it's so easy drinking and it reminds us of how whisky brought us together even though we are from different parts of the world! There's more to this bottle than just a single malt whisky. While this may be the last cask of Thosop Handwritten Label but it's the beginning of a love journey. 

Slainte mhath, Luc and Eiling.

*Please write to eilingblog@gmail.com if you are interested in getting a bottle.


Related Posts:
A Night with Luc Timmermans
The "My Tribute" Glenfarclas 1968 by Luc Timmermans

Patek Phillipe Baselworld 2013 @ La Nonciature, Brussel

Patek Philippe revealed its new collections at Baselworld 2013 and the watches have been displayed at La Nonciature in Brussels yesterday, which was the first day and it was followed by a welcoming dinner for guests and customers of Patek Philippe, hosted by Arnaud and Jacques Wittmann of De Greef. This year, Patek Philippe focuses on Haute Horlogerie as a manifestaton of sublime artisanship with its broad selection of debuts.

It was a great pleasure to be invited for this dinner with my partner as this is my first Patek Philippe experience and I could only say one thing that it really didn't disappoint. Luc told me that when De Greef hosts a dinner or event, they always do it really well and luxuriously. And true to the word, when we parked our car at Poelaertplein, there were already a few Porsche Cayenne and Panamera waiting to pick us up to send us to the restaurant which is somewhere around the block. Wow... this is what I called an excellent service!

 

Patek Philippe remains as an independent watchmaker passed down from generations to generations (now entering the 4th generation) and that is why their watches are so sought after. There are altogether 10 values that represents the essence of Patek Philippe and it remains until today in achieving the consistency and perfection in their prestige watchmaking. It was their rich history of watchmaking and also the reputation of their brand that makes them so successful today. 

At the display hall, we were greeted warmly by the staff and then we walked around and admire the beautiful collections by Patek Philippe while sipping a glass of Billecart-Salmon. The canapes were also delicious but nothing is more delicious and delighting than the sight of these watches.

The Gondolo collection has a new addition for the men and ladies which is their 5200-G white gold and it's a manual wound movement which I think the shiny navy blue is nice and classy when matched with a blue shirt or tie. For the ladies, the 7099-G with a case set of 480 diamonds (±3.31ct) and a hand-guilloched goal dial set with 367 diamonds (±0.56ct) and gold cabochon hour makers also came in electric blue satin strap which indeed matches the men's collection. Oh well, I didn't ask how much were these pieces but I am sure that they are ultra-expensive.

After admiring all these beautiful timepieces and followed by a short speech by Arnaud, Jacques and the brand ambassador of Patek Philippe, we adjourned to dinner upstairs. There, we were seated at a table where the partners will seat away from each other so that we can make conversations with other guests. We were at a cool table filled with guests from United Nations. Haha... we made friends from Turkey, Colombia, Spain and etc... For me, I feel really comfortable when everyone speaks English at the table.

The pressure you face at any watch dinners is that people look at the watches you wear. That's the purpose of a watch dinner right? People exchange watches and they study them like a book! I know I was wearing the wrong watch for the dinner but I don't really care. At least no one there discriminates you based on the watch you wear.

After dessert, the staff of De Greef walked to each table and presented the new collections in a very nice presentation box which holds a ladies' and a men's watch. There are two timepieces which I really like a lot during that night and it's from the Grand Complications collection. I simply think that the 5139-G with white gold is stunning which has a perpetual calendar and I do like men's watches. The 7130R from the ladies' Complications Collection with rose gold was also beautiful. I like the 24 hour day/night indication with its 24 time zones is really attractive and its bezel set with 62 diamonds (±0.82ct). All the watches looked really good on my wrist but too bad my purse doesn't weigh that much.

The new collections are indeed beautiful but of course my favourite timepiece remains a competitor. It was a nice dinner and a well-organised event. We were delighted to be part of the event and it opened my eyes to the education of fine timepieces. The Patek Philippe new collection for 2013 can be found here on their website.

Sahaja and Sawah Villa Retreat & Spa @ Bali and Beers!

Bali was my next destination just after 2 days I came back from Langkawi. For the past 1 month, it had been really a hectic travelling schedule from Belgium to Singapore, then home and a day trip to Malacca followed by 4 days in Langkawi. Bali was an impromptu trip for my sisters and mom because my sister has 2 weeks of "holiday" before her new job commences and she decided to be generous and paid for our accommodation.  

But of course a last minute air ticket is not cheap. Air Asia gives a better flight schedule and we each paid RM1000 for the air ticket to Bali which normally could have been much less if we book it earlier. It was mom's first trip by Air Asia and she hates it already. I guess at her age, Air Asia is not a friendly airline for her. I missed their Pak Nasser Nasi Lemak onboard (not that it tastes very good but it's always the dish I will order for my flights on Air Asia) and I counted that they gave me 7 miserable peanuts on my rice dish. If you order it onboard, it's going to cost you RM15... gone are the days when it costs RM10.

Anyways, it's just a 3-hour-flight and I don't have much complaint. Yiling booked us a Villa at Sahaja and Sawah located in the Tabanan area for 5 days 4 nights. She managed to get the villa at a good deal through Groupon and we thought it was a good idea to give it a try. But what we didn't know is that the journey from the airport to the villa took us 2 and a half hours and with the addition of poorly maintained roads towards the villa at the paddy field area, we were bumping on the car seats for half an hour. I really hope that their government would do something about those roads.

After such a bumpy ride, we were relieved that we finally arrived at Sahaja and Sawah which is a boutique retreat that offers a beautiful view of the Tabanan paddy fields. There's an air of tranquillity at the retreat and it's no surprise that this area is used as a shooting location for "Eat, Pray, Love".

The consolation to such a long and bumpy journey would be their helpful and smiling staff. They were very nice in introducing the place and also helping us with our bags and luggages. We were given the end Villa and there are only 4 units of the Indah Villa with 2 bedrooms. It has a very nice view of the paddy fields and a faraway beach (which is not for suitable for swimming). All the Villas are decorated in Balinese style furnitures and lots of wood and timber are used to give it a "resort" ambiance.

Our Villa comes with a private pool (with a 1.5m depth), 2 double bedrooms, 2 open air showers with bathtubs, a kitchen and living area. The refrigerator, gas stove, cookery and cutleries are provided so that you can also cook your own meal at the villa. Most of the days we eat out (or you can also dine at their restaurant) and there were two nights where we stayed in for dinner. Their in-room menu is also commendable and there is free wifi in the villa and also at the lobby.

The Sunset View

Breakfast is provided every morning and there are a few items to choose from. My favourite is their Mie Goreng which tasted like Indomie Goreng and for a few days, I prefer their eggs, bacon and toasts menu. You can also have a glass of fruit juice, tea or coffee to go with the breakfast. The breakfast is carried into our villa by the staff every morning after we have placed an order the night before or the morning itself.

I prefer swimming with my sisters in the morning and afternoon because it can be quite chilly in this area. I found that this place is less warm and sunny compared to the Ubud and Kuta areas. Ziling enjoys sun-tanning while I enjoy swimming a few laps at the private pool.

This is definitely a nice All-Ladies-Holiday including my mom. The Lim sisters and Mommy had fun and lots of shopping. We went out on 2 days by using the transport from the hotel. It costs IDR$800,000 for a 8-hour day out and the hotel driver will take us to anywhere we like. The driver has been really nice and he even helped us to bargain at the markets and he also volunteered to carry our shopping bags. This is really a hotel with great service and staff.

I don't mind to come back again provided that something is done about the bad road conditions. This is a nice retreat away from the tourist areas in Bali and if you like tranquillity and unparalleled views of greenery, this is the place for you. If you like going out and roam around the island, then this is not recommended because going to Ubud takes almost 1 and a half hour too. 

Banjar Kelecung Kaja, 

Desa Tegal Mengkeb  Kecamatan Selemadeg Timur, 

Tabanan, Bali 82164, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 8747489

Website

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I came back from Bali, I immediately asked my friends to come out for a beer. I have not seen them for a few months as I was in Belgium spending time with my partner and I missed hanging out with them. One couple recently got engaged and planning to get married next year and I wanted to take this night out to congratulate them too. There's always a reason to indulge in a pint!

I chose 42 East at Taman Tun because it's less crowdy and they are my friends' favourite football viewing place. But the best part is that they serve Kilkenny draught at a good price from 11am to 10pm at only RM55 for 3 pints! The service was very good and they allowed us to "park" our drinks too. I think that night, we easily drank 20 pints of Kilkenny.

Of course we have to have some "beer food"!!! The BBQ ribs is quite good which comes with a choice of sauces. I like the crispy bacon and the chicken wings. These are definitely good complimentary dishes to the ale. Just look at the perfectly poured Kilkenny with bacon strips... makes me want to have one too now as I was writing about this beer party with my friends.

All my Kilkenny Beer Kakis...

I miss working with them and some of them has left my previous workplace but we continue to meet up even when we are not working under the same roof. It's the camaraderie that keeps the group together. It's funny how a bunch of co-workers can turn out to be great friends instead of us killing each other in the process of climbing that corporate ladder. And for this very reason, we cheers to that!

The "My Tribute" Glenfarclas 1968 by Luc Timmermans @ Auld Alliance, Singapore

It was Luc's 40th birthday which he received a big surprise gift from George Grant of Glenfarclas. When he opened the box, to his delight it held 40 casks samples of the Glenfarclas 1968 from 40 different casks! George even promised him that as long as he still has the casks, the bottles are refillable for life. Now that's what I called a birthday gift!

In that pile of samples, Luc discovered cask #699 which he bought the cask and bottled it for the Lindores Whisky Society in 2009. That was not his first cask of 1968 because his first bottling of this vintage was a cask of #688 in 2004 which was called “Glenfarclas for Friends edition No 1”. He continues to bottle some of the very best 1968 casks from Glenfarclas for the past few years and sadly, this "My Tribute" Glenfarclas 1968 from cask #5241 is his very last and it yielded 175 bottles only.

The year 1968 has a special place in Luc's heart, not because it's his year of birth but also in that particular year, Glenfarclas began to market its own single malt and built stocks for the future instead of selling its whisky for blending. Luc's passion for the whisky can be seen and tasted from all the casks he has bought and bottled. From his first cask of Glenfarclas 1968 to his last cask, he spent a total of 8 years nosing, tasting and comparing all the casks samples of the mythical 1968 vintage. Luc Timmermans is considered the most devoted collector of historical and vintage bottles of Glenfarclas which led to his title as Mr. Glenfarclas.  And in 2005 he was also nominated Honorary Member of the Grand Order of Glenfarclas.

 

Such dedication to a passion called whisky led him to Singapore recently on August 7th to host a "My Tribute" evening at Auld Alliance where he presented and conducted a whisky tasting together with Ian McWilliam for the guests whom have purchased his "My Tribute" Glenfarclas 1968 package.

The package includes a handmade wooden presentation box with two crystal Glencairns, a bung, a ‘My Tribute’ book and a copy of the Glenfarclas history written by Ian Buxton. All these for a whopping price of SGD$3500 and there are already 24 sets sold in Singapore. 

 I'm so happy that I could join my partner at his second "My Tribute" dinner in Singapore as the 1st one was already held in Belgium last year. It was a very joyful moment to see the guests approving and appreciating the whisky that was specially chosen by Luc for his last bottling of Glenfarclas 1968.

On that night, we had a tasting of 4 different bottlings of Glenfarclas including the "My Tribute" bottle of course. First we started with some canapes before having our first dram of Glenfarclas 175 which is a limited edition bottle to commemorate 175th anniversary of the distillery in 2011. This is a very special and yet complicated bottle because it contains casks from six different decades, with the oldest cask being from 1952. The one we had was from the first batch and the second batch has also been released.

It was very nice of Ian to bring along a surprise bottle for us to sample. It was a Glenfarclas 25yo Quarter Casks which is a special bottling taken from ten of the last remaining quarter casks at Glenfarclas. The youngest of these whisky is 25 years old, with the entire maturation having taken place in the smaller sized casksand it gives greater wood contact and thus even more complexity and richness than the core 25 year old bottling. After that we continued with a 40yo Glenfarclas before moving to the highlight of the night.

I love the Glenfarclas 1968 "My Tribute" very much but a little less than my love for my partner (ahem... ahem...). Luc, if you're reading this, you have to give me a kiss! Back to the whisky, it was a rather complex whisky with layers of notes. On the nose, it was elegant with hints of fruits, oak spices and sherry. The first sip was truly exceptional although with a high alcohol content of 54.4%. I tasted ripe apricots, raisins and figs, it was also interwoven with a soft smoke, nutmeg and spices. It's a very fine sherried whisky indeed. With a drop of water, the whisky opens up and it makes it so much easier to drink because I was overwhelmed with the high alcohol content. A true craftsmanship of fine whisky from Glenfarclas.

Wayne, Ian McWilliam, Luc Timmermans & Emmanuel Dron. 

That's a nice kilt!!!

Even when there are guests whom are late, Luc still did an explanation about the whisky in detail with a personal touch. He loves sharing his knowledge and passion for whisky which he has influenced many people in his life to start appreciating fine whisky. To this date, he holds a whisky collection of over 4000 bottles and I am very privileged to have access to that cellar. After dinner in the evenings, I would go to the cellar and come up with two drams in my hands. I handed him the glasses and then I made him guess the whisky I poured. It was really fun to share the same passion with someone you love so much.

Together, we travel and share the good drams with whisky enthusiasts from all over the world. The next "My Tribute" will be held in Taipei on 22nd October and another dinner in Paris in December. If you're interested to attend any of these dinners, feel free to get more info at this website.

Aston Martin Michels Rally 2013 in Belgium

Early Saturday morning on the 16th June, we started our journey from home to Stadhuis Oudenaarde which is about 45 mins away as the Aston Martin Michels Rally will kick off from there. It was a nice drive on a weekend morning with a slightly cold breeze and traffic free roads.

Stadhuis Oudenaarde - There were already more than 50 Aston Martin cars parked at the parking lot in front of the City Hall, attracting many passers by.

 Luc and I are also wearing the AM polo T for the event which is a first experience for me.

 We had a light breakfast in the Stadhuis and then a short briefing before we start the rally. This picture is a view of the carpark taken from the building which you can see Aston Martins of so many past and present taking part.

It's such a lovely sight of all these beautiful cars!

This is the 2nd René Michels Rally taking place in the Vlaamse Ardennen which is in the same area as the famous Ronde van Vlaanderen (cycling) and this place is filled with farmhouses, lush green fields and windmills. It's a picturesque journey for sure.

We went through quite an amount of narrow roads which is meant for one car at a time.

We even had to slow down when there are people who are riding on the horses were trying to get by so that we don't scare the horses with the roaring engine. During the journey, we encountered countless horses and also people riding their bicycles.

After 70km of driving, we stopped by at Flobecq/Vloesberg at Lumen 7 which is a house built in 1905 owned by the Hallet-Jouret family and survived the wars. Today the house is refurbished but maintaining its original structure and can be rented as a holiday home for 14 to 16 people. We stopped here to try one of their local beers called Quintine.

I must say that despite my limited precise pronunciation of Dutch/French street names and my first time in a rally, I've been a really good navigator. We started with 3 Aston Martin in front of us and at a few junctions, they made a wrong turn but I didn't follow and we managed to arrive at every stop early and without a glitch! That's a pat on my back for myself.

I really like some of the Vintage AM that took part in the rally. The condition of these vintage cars are unbelievably tip-top and the cars are all sparkly-polished too!

There were 2 new Vanquish there and they are stunning!!! The interior was beautiful and there were at least a million stitches used.

Another beautiful vintage Aston Martin.

The world's most beautiful four-door sports car - Rapide S. This one here is their latest model with bigger front grill and a more sporty interior that has stiches that matched the colour of the car exterior.

After driving for almost 100km, we stopped at Hof Van Nassau in Zottegem for lunch.

Along the way, we saw a local cycling event taking place and also the staff of Aston Martin posing at bakers on the side of the street handling us a pack of Mattentaarten from the famous Lekkerbek bakery which is so delicious.

 It's a delicacy from this area where people will drive all the way here just to get their hands on some Mattentaarten.

 Luc enjoying a beer at one of the stops.

After driving for about 170km, we arrived at the destination which is at a beautiful castle called Kasteel Steenhout in Vollezele. It was unbelievably huge!

 It's a private property belonging to one of the rich business man in Belgium who happens to be an avid collector of Aston Martin vintage cars too. I think he owns 20-30 of them and was so kind to allow the rally participants to have a cocktail evening at his place.

Car enthusiasts checking out the vintage cars.

 One of my favourite Vintage Aston Martin.

 Of course I had to take the opportunity to camwhore with some of them.

A beautiful Vanquish which I liked very much but it's €250k here.

 Aston Martin is celebrating it's 100th birthday this year!

We went home around 8pm. What a wonderful experience and on the way home, another Rapide was driving along side our car too and it felt so nice to be watching such a sexy butt of the Aston Martin during the journey home. The event was very well organised and there were at least a hundred AM that took part in this rally. I had a great day.