Dawnery Red Special Reserve

I’ve sample whiskies from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Today I present Dawnery Red Special Reserve, a whisky from Selangor, Malaysia. You know you are in for a treat with a label description that reads “superior blend of our very rarest finest whisky”. Be sure to look for the unicorn rearing up on his hind legs. According to the box this is "our rarest 8 year old Scotch". Making this imported into Malaysia, I'm unsure if any local spirit is added and where it is bottled.

Nose: burnt caramel, alcohol burn

Taste: caramel, smooth, uncomplicated

Finish: very fast finish of artificial sweetener

The label lists as ingredients “whisky and water”, no mention of E150 – but it dominates the palate. It's an easy target to criticize these South East Asian whiskies, but from the mountain of rums masquerading as whisky, this is indeed the finest. I paid not even $2 for a 350ml bottle. Good for mixing in the humidity of the tropical regions and goes down surprisingly easy straight. I'm not going to complain and belly ache about the quality of this dram. Is it fun and easy? Certainly. And for me, that's what whisky is all about.