A whiskey party, you say?
Well, the whiskey connoisseurs were all invited to a private launch party to present Chivas Regal Extra hosted by Chivas Regal at the resurrected Farquhar Mansion, a former heritage Mission House, and Chapel on Lebuh Farquhar, George Town recently.
They hyped the event up with a 3-D heritage appreciation experience and a sensorial tasting session before the explosive reveal of Chivas Regal Extra.
Chivas Regal Extra Launch | Farquhar Mansion Penang
What’s a Sensorial Tasting Session for Whisky?
Come behind the velvet curtain to a darkened room with the suave Lionel Lau. Profession: Wine and spirits consultant. How cool is that!
They offered us a smorgasbord of edible and non-edible things on a tray. We got touchy-feely with a few pieces of wood. Ahhh… that’s what the internal color of a whiskey cask looks like—deep, dark, rich cherry.
Cloth? Feel the weight and smoothness of the velvets. The heavier velvet piece is like good whiskey. Full-bodied like a woman.
We tasted and smelled the flavors of poached pears, ginger, vanilla, caramel, spicy cinnamon, and nutty almonds used in making Chivas Regal, the ingredients laid out on a small tray for us to explore.
Lionel led us to use our noses to assess the aromas.
Our palate to taste the texture and flavors of the drink in the mouth.
The initial tasting was a sip of neat whiskey in the mouth. It was spicy, but by adding just a dash of cold water to dilute it, its taste turned sweet.
Chivas Regal Extra Launch | Farquhar Mansion Penang
Whiskey Trends
In recent years, whiskey’s richness and versatility have gained popularity, with the current trend of Highland single malt whiskeys dominating the scene.
Whiskeys today are no longer seen as a drink for matured palates but rather trendy with the younger hip and the new drinks for the ladies.
They served three modern cocktails demonstrating the versatility and richest of the newest Chivas Regal blend.
Emmanuel Dokhelar, Marketing Director of Pernod Ricard Malaysia, said the mark of quality lies in using some of Chivas’ rarest whiskeys, built on a rich foundation of malts matured in a higher proportion of sherry casks.
To kick off the evening, guests were treated to highly personalized experiences. Chivas Regal Extra leather passport embossing and Chivas Regal Extra rock glass personalization.
They served the guests hor ‘d oeuvres that were selected to pair with the whiskey and entertained by fabulous sounds from DJ Nikki.
Chivas Regal Extra Launch | Farquhar Mansion Penang
Chivas Regal Extra Launch | Farquhar Mansion Penang
Party hosts, Pernod Ricard Team (L) Emmanuel Dokhelar, Angelyn Gan & Phung Yen Shen
