Three eclectic bottles from around the world | various ABV

Opening Minds

Travelling, whether it's to a new country or just a different part of your own, is a real privilege. It gives us a break from our daily routines, lets us see new places, meet new people, and try new things. It broadens our perspective and often makes us appreciate our own home even more.

I am one of those privileged enough to do my fair share of travelling. Being based in the Far East, I’ve been to many places in my vicinity, as well as Australia, North America, and many places in Europe. Some of you may be envious of my experiences, and others will tell me that there is still so much I haven’t seen or experienced. 

While I do not frequent exotic places, I would count one of my trips to be extremely exotic: in late 2016, I travelled to North Korea for eight days. The trip was ten years in the making, as I had developed a keen interest in the hermit kingdom during my teenage years, and made it a personal bucket list item to visit the country someday. In 2016, circumstances aligned for me, and it appeared it could finally happen.

Before I talk briefly about the trip, let me set the scene of tourism in North Korea in 2016. At that time, North Korea received thousands of visitors per year, and in early 2016, an American by the name of Otto Warmbier was one of them. Travelling to North Korea was considered safe, as long as you didn’t cross certain red lines, unfortunately for Warmbier, he did cross a red line, by stealing a propaganda poster in a staff-only area at his hotel. 

Tragically, Warmbier was held captive in North Korea for the next 17 months, only to be repatriated to the US in June 2017 in a comatose state. He never regained consciousness and passed away shortly after. When I embarked on the trip, Warmbier’s ordeal hadn’t come to its conclusion yet, but it was under this backdrop that I went, so friends and family were understandably worried, but we weren’t backing out, after a ten year wait, we weren’t going to let this opportunity slip by.

In 2016, there were only direct flights from Beijing, Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur, so my five friends and I decided to stop over at Beijing, and take the morning flight to Pyongyang. The plane was reportedly a retired soviet military aircraft, repurposed for civilian use, but if I didn’t know, I wouldn’t have suspected anything different, the plane just felt contemporary if memory serves.

Soon after we landed and passed through very strict customs (I brought a JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker with me, and the officials were very suspicious of it, maybe it looked like a flash bang or something?), we were greeted by our friendly guides, who would be with us for the next eight days. As friendly as they are though, they were quick to lay down some ground rules: obviously, their great leaders, current and past, would demand absolute respect, including addressing them by the correct titles in conversations, but other rules were not as strict as I had expected. For example, we were told to feel free to take pictures as we pleased, while there will be instances when photography was not allowed, our guides reassured us not to worry too much, they would remind us if a certain something was not to be photographed (for example, we saw a lumber truck on fire during the trip, and were simply “suggested” to point our cameras away from it). 

The language they use to describe North and South Korea is also very deliberate, they never refer to themselves as North Korea, but the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Korea in short, and South Korea is simply the South, a territory that has simply gone rogue and under US control, a situation that will be inevitably resolved by their great leader. There are other examples as well, and the message is obvious, for the duration of our stay, we will conform to their world view. 

I won’t go into more details about my time in North Korea, if you are curious, let me know in the comments and see if there will be an opportunity for me to tell more stories from the trip. But I can say that it was one of the most carefree holidays I’ve had, being escorted by a comfortable bus from one attraction to another, visiting museums, schools, and even amusement parks. We played bowling at our hotel, and I also shot a gun for the first time. 

While I was the person responsible for arousing interest among my friends for this trip, another one of them was the one responsible for actually making it happen. He wishes to be called Iasón here. 

I have known Iasón since before we were teenagers, spending seven years together in secondary school, and remained close friends due to our shared interest in many things. Most importantly, in the context of the North Korea trip, he is an avid traveller, and he is not your average traveller. He frequently travels to the edges of the world, finding the most exotic experiences unthinkable to most, so for him to be the brains behind our trip to North Korea makes total sense.

Instead of telling you what countries he’s been to, I suspect the opposite list would be shorter, definitely when only counting Asia and Europe. For example, the number of Asian countries that have eluded him so far doesn’t reach the teens, as for Europe, they can be counted on one hand.

Iasón used to dabble in whisky as well. In the past, he would usually have a few open bottles in his possession, and it would have been a safe bet that a Lagavulin 16yo would be on his shelf at any moment. Only when he picked up another passion did he completely give up on whisky; in fact, he gave up on alcohol altogether. He has become so determined to become the best long distance runner he can be, that he has shaped his life around it as much as he can, including sleep cycles, training schedules, and of course diet, which included a total self imposed exclusion from alcohol. As you can tell, when Iasón finds a passion, his dedication is second to none.

One habit that even Iasón cannot explain though is his inclination to still pick up a bottle of local whisky at airports before he makes his journey home, so absentmindedly he has amassed a small collection of whiskies from exotic whisky-producing regions. Upon telling him about my adventures with Dramface, he asked if I would like to review some of his whiskies, thus the reviews we have today.

Before we move on to the reviews, let me preface them by admitting that there are a lot of details that I’m learning as I write, so if you spot any inaccuracies, please forgive me and correct me in the comments.

Review 1/3

Wild Fields Original, Silesian Beskids Polish Single Grain Whisky, 44% ABV

I could not find the name of the distillery behind this whisky. Whiskybase lists Toorank B.V. Distilleries as its producers, but that is actually a Dutch based spirits company, which probably owns the distillery, and is not its name. The official website of the whisky carries the name of Mundivie, but similarly they are involved in all sorts of spirits, most of them seem to be Polish spirits and liqueurs, still I don’t see a distillery name. If someone knows more, or has some corrections to the information that I have gathered, please share them in the comments, I am dying to find out.

It is classified as a grain whisky, but upon reading the official website, I found out that the grain is predominantly rye. On the front label, it also states that the whisky has been matured for three and a half years in a first fill polish oak, it wasn’t quickly apparent whether this is what Scotch drinkers understand as “first fill” or whether it actually refers to new oak, but on the back label in small writing it explicitly says that it was aged “in new, medium toasted 225L size Polish oak barrels”, so it is new oak, or virgin oak so to speak.

Does that qualify as an American rye if it was produced in America? Well, there are a lot of other rules that qualify an American rye, such as maximum distillation proof and so on, but I think we can classify this whisky under the same category as what we usually think of as rye whisky.

Nose

Industrial, machine oils, the nose takes me back to a warehouse I used to work at during my younger days as an engineer. Durian on the nose as well, not a particularly pungent durian, but if you’ve had it before it is immediately recognisable. The nose is very funky, definitely not what I would expect from a rye whisky.

Palate

Sweet and herbal arrival, very punchy and spirit-forward, spicy chillies, white sugar, vanilla and honey, the durian is present throughout. Very short event and not much of a finish to speak of.

The Dregs

This is my first encounter with Polish whisky. Whether I enjoy it or not, I applaud its efforts of transparency, with a clear statement on the front label of non chill filtration and a more subtle declaration of natural colour on the back label, distillation and bottling date, as well as the size of the cask, all very commendable, we at Dramface appreciate that.

However, it’s still got a lot of catching up to do in terms of delivering a quality product in the bottle, what I find as funky notes on the nose, I would classify as off notes, and while I don’t understand the technical details of distillation and maturation (I will leave those to Tyree), I think more time in the cask could round off some of the off notes and add a bit of complexity.

This could easily have been a 3/10, but upon reading the scoring system, this whisky is not without redeeming qualities, and I would not say that I’m here to actively “help you avoid” this release, “work required” for sure, so it gets a 4/10, but a low 4.

Score: 4/10

Review 2/3

K5 Himalayan Whisky, (Blended Scotch Whisky), 40% ABV

This whisky is purchased in Bhutan, but is a blended Scotch whisky, no two ways about it. It says on the cardboard box that the whisky is imported from Scotland, and then blended in Bhutan, so it doesn’t even hide that fact. I suspect that this whisky is aimed at the domestic market, where “Scotch” is the buzzword for quality whisky. Full marks for transparency at least, unlike some major whisky producing nations in the Far East…

Nose

Very soft nose probably due to the ABV, and I had to go digging. Green and red apples, pears, lychee, peaches, hints of vanilla, not sure if this is a duplicate, but I’m detecting dried apple crisps.

Palate

An extension from the nose with sweet apples and pears, the vanilla is becoming more prominent here; the finish drops off a cliff, as possibly expected.

The Dregs

If I had to describe a whisky as smooth, this would be it, so smooth that individual flavours are having a hard time expressing themselves.

Since it so clearly states on the label that this is a Scotch whisky assembled and bottled outside of Scottish borders, I’m treating it as a blended Scotch whisky, and on that note, I’m not detecting any grain components, this could well be a malt whisky.

I have no grudges against this whisky bottled outside of Scotland, in fact, if I was told that this was a single malt Scotch, my guess would be Glenfiddich, simply a competent whisky that could do with better presentation.

Score: 4/10

Review 3/3

Taichung Cask Strength, Single Grain ‘Sorghum’ Whisky, Bourbon cask, 57% ABV

Taiwanese whisky is not that uncommon is it? Read on.

A couple of things caught my attention. Firstly, it is rare for Taiwanese whisky to carry an age statement (OK it doesn’t actually carry an age statement, but the vintage information on the label indicates that it is 10 year old whisky), let alone a double-digit one; secondly, Sorghum whisky? Let’s dig a little deeper.

While technically a whisky can be distilled from any grain, it's commonly accepted that whiskies are made from one or more of four main grains: corn, rye, wheat, and barley. This has led to ongoing debate about whether Japanese rice whiskies should be classified as whisky. To my knowledge, this issue remains unresolved and might never be settled. Given its limited global presence, it’s not something that keeps many awake. Similarly, this whisky is not distilled from one of the four traditional grains, rather, it is distilled from sorghum, also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, among other names. This is also the base grain of the traditional Chinese spirit baijiu, Chinese for “white spirit”. 

I have never encountered whisky made in this way before this bottle, so as I’m trying to inform, I’m also learning. In fact, let me link you to the official product page, although I suspect most of you will require a bit of Google Translate.

My understanding is that sorghum has similar properties to corn, which puts this whisky one step closer to a bourbon. However, bourbon by law needs to be matured in new oak, while this sorghum whisky was aged in ex-bourbon casks, which means it’s not going to have to “break in” the new oak, so I expect that it would be less oaky than a typical bourbon. Additionally, it is often said that the sweetness of bourbon works well with new oak; since the sorghum spirit carries a similar sweetness as corn spirit, it may be able to better combat the subtropical climates of Taiwan better, and so it can also stand the challenge of time, thus it is able to withstand 10 years in cask.

Anyway, all of the above is speculation, what’s important is whether the liquid actually tastes good.

Nose

Sandalwood front and centre, caramel, vanilla, toffees, all to the side; leaving it for a while and coming back to it, and that sandalwood is still ever present, expressing itself in a slightly fragrant and herbal way. This may sound a bit one dimensional, but I can smell this whisky all day.

Palate

Herbal, almost like a rye, but without the spices, nicely honey coated palate, again with the caramel and toffees to the side, the honey morphing into a syrup on the development, something like pancakes, very mouth coating, and again, the sandalwood loiters, almost transporting me to an antique furniture shop. The finish is where the spices show up, mostly herbal, and it lingers. Overall this is a sweet whisky, but not sickly sweet, it’s a moreish dessert kind of sweet. The experience is akin to having a bite of a pancake, and raring to go for the second bite.

The Dregs

The Taichung distillery is owned and operated by the state-owned Taiwanese Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL), which also owns the Nantou distillery producing whisky under the brand of Omar. The government producing good whisky? Most of us may find this absurd, but the TTL doesn’t only produce whisky, also part of its portfolio are beer and rice wine, and as the name of the entity suggests, they also produce a brand of cigarettes named “Long Life”. Oh the irony. 

Back to the whisky, there are so many suggestions of transition whiskies for Scotch drinkers dipping their toes into bourbon and vice versa, but I think this is the actual perfect gateway. It’s got the sweet flavours of bourbon and the understated cask influence of Scotch, although some may consider this neither here nor there. And while some categorise Taiwanese whisky as Scotch like, this is an exception. Whether you think sorghum whisky should be classified as whisky is up to you, but for me, this aged spirit is bloody amazing.

In fact if we had decimal places in Dramface scoring, this would be an 8.75, why have I not rounded it to 9? Because I’d rather err on the low side as I don’t want to score something higher than I actually rate it. But unofficially this is now the second highest scoring whisky I’ve reviewed on Dramface, closely behind the recently reviewed Longmorn 16, and it’s distilled from sorghum, my mind is really blown.

Final Dregs

We’ve got three good representations of styles here. 

The Polish rye is admittedly finding its feet, or was, the whisky I have was bottled in 2018 and newer expressions have been released since. What’s interesting to me is that the labelling and language is very Scotch like, possibly due to EU guidelines, such as emphasising its category as a grain whisky, stating that it’s non-chill filtered and natural colour, but the production process subtly points towards the US, such as using rye as its grain of choice, maturing in new oak, etc. Maybe this is part of the growing culture of Polish whisky.

The Bhutanese whisky is simply Scotch whisky, which I think is common for whiskies found in the region, and at least it’s being honest and transparent about its origins. I believe Bhutan actually has at least one distillery, in the name of Samtse distillery, maybe one day I will get to sample some local Bhutanese whisky.

The Taiwanese sorghum whisky is in a category of its own, unique, arguably rules bending, but expertly crafted and delicious to drink. With China and South Korea also crashing the whisky producing scene, I would not be surprised to see more grains local to Asia being used for distillation, and if that happens, I think that we should gradually accept their legitimacies as whiskies.

The category of “world whisky” is really too broad-brushed of a category if we want to use it as a reference to style, even though understandably it is usually used in a Scotch centric context. 

In this case, even as a moderately major whisky producing country like Taiwan, I’ve found a new style of Taiwanese whisky. When Iasón first offered me to review his whiskies, I was expecting some funky stuff, and the Polish rye definitely was, but I certainly didn’t expect to score one of them as high as an 8(.75). 

My point, I guess, is that as whisky drinkers, it never hurts to be open minded.

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. MMc

Other opinions on this:

Wild Fields Whiskybase

K5 Himalayan Whiskybase

Taichung Cask Strength Whiskybase (different cask)

Got a link to a reliable review? Tell us.