Just hosted a small single malt tasting here in Laos and wanted to share the setup and results.
Sourcing was half the challenge. Mix of local shops, duty free, and a bottle I brought back in a checked bag. Always a bit of a hunt out here.
Framing:
I built the tasting around “taste levers” instead of regions. Each whisky highlighted a variable that meaningfully impacts flavor. I also skipped peat since this group is mixed and I didn’t want smoke to dominate early.
Lineup and levers:
1. Glenmorangie 10 Year Old Original
Lever: Distillation
Tall stills, high reflux. Clean baseline to calibrate the palate.
2. Waterford Gaia 1.1 Single Malt Whisky
Lever: Grain
Terroir, single farm, single season focus. Great discussion whisky. Probably a factor in their financial struggles, but philosophically really interesting.
3. Westward American Single Malt Whiskey
Lever: Fermentation
Ale yeast, longer fermentation. Big winner of the night. People loved the funk, tobacco, and chocolate finish.
4. Bushmills 12 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Lever: Aging
Sherry cask influence. Crowd-pleasing, balanced, probably my personal favorite.
Bonus: The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Lever: Aging comparison
Similar DNA to Bushmills but different finishing approach. This was the surprise hit in my last tasting and part of why I went single malt this time.
5. Kavalan Concertmaster Port Cask Finish
Lever: Climate
Taiwan aging story resonated, especially living in SE Asia. Surprisingly not the top pick tonight.
Format:
Glenmorangie highball welcome drink, then ~0.5 oz tasting pours, finishing with a 2 oz pour of each person’s favorite. A few generous top-ups may have followed.
Results:
Final pours stats:
4 × Westward
2 × Bushmills 12
Westward was the clear standout, which I didn’t fully expect. Waterford Gaia 1.1 also consistently ranked near the top even if it wasn’t everyone’s final pick.
Group size was 6 (up from 4 last time), and the dynamic was still great. Less guiding, more people jumping in with their own tasting notes.
Overall, really successful night and people engaged deeply with what they were tasting when highlighting these flavor levers.
Next up I’m switching away from whisky and doing a rum tasting built around the daiquiri: “Daiq-curious.”