OF DRAMS AND CLAY

It was great honor to meet Vinayak Singh, a former banker who built a successful business out of his passion for whisky. Following years of professional career in the investment management sector, Vinayak’s passion for whisky sent him on a transformative trip to Scotland, the home of his beloved drink. He immersed himself in the world of whisky while travelling, visiting distilleries, conversing with local specialists, and tasting some of the best whiskies available.

Vinayak established a whisky club upon his return from his Scottish journey with Swati Sharma and co-founded The Dram Club, which they debuted in 2019. The Dram club brings together a group of like-minded people who are curious to discover and sample the world’s finest whiskies. Regular tastings, matching sessions, and first dibs on rare and limited-edition wines are all provided by his club. Vinayak’s whisky club has become a popular destination for whisky enthusiasts in India due to his dedication and competence, demonstrating that pursuing your passion can result in amazing chances.

Vinayak had a small group tasting session of malts/whisky at the Taftoon restaurant, a pleasant eating restaurant that features a combination of flavours from North Indian cuisine and well-known for its wide menu. The Persian word “tafan,” which means “heating,” is the source of the English word “Taftoon.”  Taftoon is often baked in a tandoor, which is a type of clay oven.

We begin with the welcome drink, Laphroaig Select. Laphroaig Select is a gentle blend of whisky. The base scotch is ordinary Laphroaig, matured in secondhand American bourbon barrels before being “finished” in new American oak barrels for a period of six months. Six distinct single malts were then produced by the distillery by blending this whisky with other whiskies.

For this expression, the whisky is sourced from many barrels, including first fill bourbon casks, white American oak, Pedro Ximenese hogsheads, and Oloroso sherry butts. This sounds like an interesting drama, if nothing else.

The first taste of Laphroaig Select is sweet, but it quickly transitions into the distinctive peat, ash, and seaweed flavours, leaving a trace of lime and marzipan in the aftertaste.

The Methi Moring aka Jheenga was paired with the Laphroaig Select. Overall, the dish was savory with a combination of bitterness, nuttiness, earthiness, and sweetness. The prawns did add to it a contrasting sweetness and plump texture to the dish.

The more subdued flavours of the Methi Moringa dish was overwhelmed by the powerful peat and smoke notes of Laphroaig Select. The prawns’ richness and the Laphroaig’s early sweetness note should make for a nice contrast, but the match as a whole seems vague, some stronger hints of chillies is needed.

After tasting the Laphroaig Select, the Laphroaig 10 hits you hard on the palate with a potent combination of seaweed, iodine, and medicinal peat. Rich and smoky, Laphroaig 10yo boasts a long, warming aftertaste, seaweedy, peaty flavours, lingering sweetness, with aromas of salt, leather, and earthy campfire embers replace this smoky wave.

The pairing of Laphroaig 10 and Galauti Kebab was interesting, walking a tightrope. The Galauti Kebab with the flavorful explosion of richness, warm spices, and a touch of tanginess, all delivered in a melt-in-your-mouth texture was sumptuous

This pairing is a gamble. It depends on your personal preference. If you enjoy bold flavors and don’t mind the smokiness potentially overwhelming the kebab’s nuances, it could be an exciting experience. However, if you want to fully appreciate the subtler notes of the kebab, a different whisky might be a better choice.

Moving on to a different brand of malt, the Bowmore 12, very different, the Bowmore 12 presents a dance of honey and smoke. A subtle trace of Islay peat combines with citrus and honeycomb aromas to provide a tasting profile that is both sophisticated and approachable.

Many people have a particular place in their hearts for Bowmore 12yo, Islay’s “medium-peated” malt. The current 12 year bottling is a pleasant homage to the original Bowmores of the 1960s and 1970s, with a strong iodine character and loads of pepper, with a focus on tropical fruit and smoke.

A lovely trace of smoke is present, but the fruity notes—mango, pineapple, and peach—come to the forefront here. Great balance.

The Bowmore 12 paired with Chicken Kanti was the perfect combination of capturing the soft meat texture with the smoky and sweet taste of the malt.

The Chicken Kanti, a flavorful and comforting dish with tender chicken, a symphony of warm spices, a touch of tanginess from the tomatoes, and a hint of creamy richness, so delicious and well paired, sweet and spices married to smokiness.

The last and best of the evening was the Bowmore 15 whisky nearing its prime with a complex strucutre. This 15-year-old single malt, which spent the last three years of its life in oloroso sherry barrels, is a wonderful blend of the sherry influence and the fruit and peat characteristics of the distillery, with a touch of tropical fruit that will appeal to fans of Bowmore’s older styles.

A blend of strong fruit and smoke from peat, balanced with notes of black licorice, green leaves, grapefruit, menthol, and linseed oil with a hint of flowers. The water brought out even more sweetness, and as the spiced lebkuchen developed, tropical aromas, blackcurrant, cinnamon sugar, and fruity chews all became apparent.

A warming wave of Islay peat smoke and a touch of citrus zest mingle with dried fruits like raisins and figs to reveal the mature richness of Bowmore 15.

The Bowmore 15 was paired with the aromatic Biryani Kaihari, the Biryani Kaihari is a symphony of flavours and textures. Tender chunks of chicken cradled in the fluffy, fragrant rice, with a hint of tang from the creamy Kaihari sauce. All the components would be woven together by the fragrant warm spices like cardamom, cloves, and saffron, producing a lovely and intricate experience.

Bowmore 15’s dried fruit and citrus notes was a delightful counterpoint to the richness of the Biryani Kaihari. The peat smoke did add complexity, but might overpower some biryani subtleties.

Malts and cigars, which are frequently paired, combine decadent tastes and sensual pleasures. Both are the results of centuries-old workmanship and have grown into elegant hobbies for enthusiasts.

A sophisticated and pleasurable sensory experience that honours the artistry of both goods is created when cigars and malts are paired together, allowing connoisseurs to investigate the interaction of flavours and scents.