RAISING THE BAR
New spirit releases in the region
We salute Rachelle the Rabbit on its fourth anniversary and pioneering the first locally made mead wine. Now its sister brand Compendium has released just 50 bottles of Suuankou Gin to commemorate the occasion, using ingredients that celebrate each year of Rachell the Rabbit’s evolution. The word suuankou comes from Japanese mahjong, but you don’t need to know the game to get the intricacies of the spirit, which includes vintage mead made in 2017, over 30 medicinal herbs infused for a year, and French oak ageing for two months. The result is a highly complex tincture measuring in at 68% ABV, the highest distilled in Singapore.
$188 from compendium.sg
Fair-trade certified Flor de Caña produces one of the most distinctive Nicaraguan rums, and because it has been family owned for five generations since 1890, also holds some of the largest stocks of aged rums in the world. That’s how you can get your hands on the 25 Year Old ($258), which is distinctly luxurious in its butterscotch and toffee palate, finessing layers of cocoa, tobacco and spices. The rum is aged in bourbon barrels sealed with plantain leaves, and distilled with renewable energy as part of their sustainability promise. At a pairing at Michelinstarred Restaurant Jag, the Flor de Caña 18 Year Old ($159) was paired with startling effect with a bitter chocolate dessert, showcasing this bottling’s dark caramel and orange peel character, with spikes of oaky, leathery highlights when sipped neat.
Prices stated from drinksandco.asia
Mount Gay gets a rebrand in 2020, and its for the better with Barbados’ first female master blend Trudiann Branker at the helm. Aside from the shape and labels of the bottles, the liquid inside has also been tweaked, with a new blend for Mount Gay
Black Barrel and enriched complexity in the Mount Gay XO. The Black Barrel is a bold crafting of rums matured three to seven years in U.S. whiskey casks and finished in deeply charred Bourbon casks for six months – it layers on wood and spices, with a fruitiness that belies the dry spirit. The Mount Gay XO receives individual cask attention, and are sourced from rums aged in U.S. whiskey, Bourbon and Cognac for five to 17 years, with the Cognac providing that secret, smooth finish. Rounding out the range is Eclipse, which remains the easy drinking, lightly tropical pick for mixers and cocktails.
Available soon at select bars and retailers including Lime House, 2 Jiak Chuan Road. Tel: 6222 3130
Manhattan bar is the first in Asia to craft its one-of-a-kind Manhattan Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon. The bar and floor team got together to select 10 woodfinishing staves to put their fingerprint on the product, as befits the bar’s famous rickhouse angle. The result was aged for six months with a combination of five Seared French Cuvée, one Maker’s Mark
46, two Roasted French Mocha and two Toasted French Spice staves, and produced 240 bottles which will be put to use in the premium cocktail selection. A small number will be available for retail at $288, for fans of the complex full-bodied whisky with its inviting ripe fruit and honeysuckle palate, finishing with chocolate spice. Regent
Hotel, 2 Cuscaden Road. Tel: 6725 3377
Travel back in time to the Paris World Fair, in the second edition of the Louis XIII Time Collection, aptly titled Tribute to City of Lights – 1900. This limited edition of 2,000 numbered decanters commemorates the city’s arts and crafts achievements from that era, capturing the facets of Paris in 1900 along with two other artisans. Saint-louis has created a decanter following the original bottle, feauring 13 dentelle spikes instead of the current 10, a stopper in the form of an upturned decanter, as well as a central medallion showcasing the bottle’s unique medal. While Monnaie de Paris has minted a full-sized medal engraved with the same unique number as the decanter. Available through direct sales from the House, or Changi Airport DFS at $10,600.