PURE PLEASURE
SAVOUR Rare spirits and delectable dining destinations make for sublime experiences.
In 1961, some longforgotten member of the Bowmore distillery team filled two exbourbon hogshead casks with whisky and stacked them inside one of the world’s oldest scotch maturation warehouses. A halfcentury later, only 200 bottles worth of precious liquid remained. In December 2016, Bowmore
Investment Whisky
released the fourth and final 50-bottle edition of that hallowed 50-year- old expression, one of the rarest single-malt scotches ever brought to market.
Historical significance and scarcity aside, the whisky itself is a thing of sublime complexity and balance. Most remarkable is how not old this expression tastes.
This 50-year- old opens with hints of papaya, pineapple and black truffle that give way to an array of ripe fruit flavours and a gentle peaty smokiness. There are no discordant notes. The crescendolike finish is evocative of warm pecan pie and caramel candy, with just a trace of oatmeal at the last.
BOWMORE 1961 50 YEAR OLD
This Irish whisky is one of the few to have become so rare as to achieve collectible status — and with good reason. Knappogue Castle 1951, unlike most Irish whiskys, was blended with pure pot-still single malts. Distilled in 1951, the spirit was then aged for 36 years in oloroso sherry casks. The result was finally bottled in 1987
Collectible Irish Whisky
as an extremely limited edition named after an Irish fortress. The few remaining bottles of the 1951 vintage are judiciously released each year. This distinctive whisky hugs the palate with firm flavours of licorice, caramel and crusted bread, finishing with notes of thick, honeyed nectar.
KNAPPOGUE CASTLE 1951
White Wine
This now-iconic restaurant has come to define the term ‘power lunch’ in the most understated way. Clad in plush carpeting, antique chandeliers and priceless art pieces from contemporary masters, it retains a sense of grandeur with a light touch.
Founded in 1994 as one of the pioneering fine dining French establishments in Singapore, Les Amis has retained its mantle as one of the city’s finest establishments through consistently warm and unobtrusive service, and excellent, refined French fare.
Busy executives appreciate chef Sebastien Lepinoy’s Le Menu Express, a four- course lunch that can be served in under 45 minutes. The S$85 menu serves the likes of roasted challan duck with turnip, liver jus and pear, and pate en croute with duck foie gras, pistachio and truffle. Lepinoy, a Joel Robuchon alum, also purveys a six- course seasonal tasting menu (S$205) for those with more time on their hands. Expect langoustines from Loctudy with courgette swathed in a velvety extra virgin olive oil emulsion, and cold angel hair pasta kissed with kombu, caviar and white truffle. The food is deftly matched by an impeccable wine list that has won the restaurant countless awards throughout its two decades in service. www. lesamis.com.sg
LES AMIS