Those on the lookout for interesting bottlings of whisky will do well to check out this range of scotch whiskies from Eiling Lim, the first independent bottler of scotch whisky in Malaysia.
For most whisky fans, it’s inevitable that they will wind up shopping around for whiskies from independent bottlers. For some like Lim Eiling, they wind up bottling their own.
Currently, the Eiling Lim label is on its fourth release, and while few reviews can be found (see below for links), but they have been positive. Not surprising actually, when you consider that Eiling’s collaborator and spouse is a certain Luc Timmermans, a highly respected whisky collector and enthusiast who for a time, also had his own highly regarded label called Thosop Handwritten. These guys certainly know what they’re doing, and certainly they’re doing it at the right time.
“I hope these bottlings will give Malaysians a better understanding of the uniqueness of single casks and more variety in the Scotch single malt Whisky market,” says Eiling. “Being the first Malaysian independent bottler, I aim in only bringing the best Whisky to my home country because life’s too short to drink bad whisky.”
Thankfully though, these whiskies aren’t exclusive to Malaysia. Life may be short, but the time you have to try these whiskies is even shorter (second, third and fourth releases; the first release is sold out) – these bottlings are extremely limited, ranging from 40 to 70 bottles for each release thus far – so try them sooner rather than later if you are interested. Thankfully, you can get them by the dram here in Singapore at The Auld Alliance, or by the bottle directly from Eiling via her website.
24/07/14 UPDATE: We’ve learnt that the bottles that reached just The Auld Alliance – the same day this post was published – have all been sold (yes, it was that quick). No news as of yet with regards to future availability at The Auld Alliance, but for now you can still get the Ben Nevis and Clynelish directly from Eiling. Better hurry!
25/07/14 UPDATE: Added another review link for the Ben Nevis.
Releases to date
First Release: Littlemill 23YO 1990/2013, 49.8% (68 bottles)
Review by Serge Valentin here; review by Ruben Luyten here
Second Release: Ben Nevis 43YO 1970/2014, 44.8% (60 bottles)
Review by Ruben Luyten here; review by Serge Valentin here
Third Release: Clynelish 16YO 1997/2014, 50.2% (70 bottles)
Fourth Release: Littlemill 22YO 1991/2013, 47.2% (40 bottles)
Photo credit: eilinglim.com
