LeDomduVin: Tasting French Whisky and other beverages at the French May Arts Fest

Tasting French Whisky and other beverages 

At the French May Arts Fest (@frenchmayartsfest) at the Peninsula Hotel of Hong Kong.

Passing by the table of "Vines & Terroirs" (@vinesandterroirs), my attention was drawn to this little black bottle (looking more like a bottle of Port from afar), with "La Sauzaie Single Malt Français" engraved on it. 

*******work in progress******

My eyes also lingered on the bottle next to it, another French whisky from the same distillery at Chateau de La Sauzaie owned by Cognac Godet (@cognacgodet), with a name that sounds more Japanese than French: "Osokyé".

As an occasional whisky drinker, I could not pass up the opportunity to taste them, especially since I had never heard of them before, despite the rapid global interest and rise of French whisky in recent years. 

Alexandre Chatté, award-winning modern mixologist and spirits-ual Guru, who joined the team of Valentin Maurel (@valentinmaurel) and Charles Soulisse Plou (the co-founders of Vines & Terroirs) as Head of Spirits (about three years ago), took the time to talk to me about these two gems. 

It was also a good occasion to meet a few people and catch up with my friend Marco Ma (@marco.ma825). 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #whisky #frenchwhisky #spirits #beverages #frenchmay #frenchmayhk #artsfest #cognacgodet #chateaudelasauzaie #rhum #vinesandterroirs #alexandrechatte #tasting #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #lovewine #lovespirits

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LeDomduVin: Dictador Rum x Richard Orlinski

Dictador Rum x Richard Orlinski 

at Dram Good Stuff HK

The Dictador x Orlinski 5 Decades project is a unique collaboration between the art and the spirits world. It involves a "Gorilla" decanter, which is a sculpture designed by Richard Orlinski, that contains aged rum from 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, and 2006 casks. These casks represent five decades of Richard Orlinski's life and work as a sculptor. This project marks a new beginning for Dictador, as they focus on their innovative positioning as “THE ARTHOUSE SPIRIT”.

Dictador has been producing premium Columbian rum for the past 100 years. It is considered a dynamic, modern and luxury lifestyle brand that embodies heritage and provenance while adapting and moving with the times. 

Dictador even embraces the future, as they have hired a human-lookalike AI-powered robot named Mika as the CEO of their global company. Mika is the first-ever human-like robot to hold such a high position, and she'll be the official face of Dictador. This move marks a significant shift towards incorporating advanced technology in the world of business. 

Even their label's marketing and branding are somewhat "avant-guardiste", yet a bit confusing (I must say), mingling elements of the periodic table (78 [Pt] = Platinium and 79 [Au] = Aurum = Gold) reminiscent of the "Platinium" and "Gold" of Tequila, with age indicators borrowed from Cognac (e.g. Pt = Platinium = XO). Why not? But... still a bit confusing (IMO). 

Dram Good Stuff HK is their official distributor in HK. They have the whole range of their rums, including some replicas of Orlinski's Gorilla decanters and statues in the 5 official colours: Platinium, Gold, Red, Blue and Black. 

Pay them a visit to learn more about Dictador and their rums. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #rum #spirits @the_dictador #dictadorrum #art  @richardorlinski #richardorlinski #rumtasting #artandspirits @dramgoodstuff

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Apero time with some FOK HING GIN & Tonic

Apero time with some 

FOK HING GIN

and some blessings

Fok Hing Gin "5 Blessings" Mandarin flavored

Nothing beats a good Gin and Tonic 😁👍😋😋😋😋

Fok Hing Gin is obviously a gimmick for "F**king Gin", a commercial and marketing stunt to attract consumers, which, like most controversial, tasteless, yet, smart and provocative things in life, seems to work wonders on people, as, although quite young, this brand is already quite successful.    

To expand their selection and offer a different Gin experience to their clients, Fok-Hing created a special edition gin to celebrate Chinese New Year 2021! It was the Year of the Ox, and the festivities inspired them to enhance their original classic London-style gin with mandarin orange flavors. 

Mandarins have always been a big part of the celebrations in Hong Kong (and China in general), with mandarin trees being put everywhere to complement the traditional ornaments of CNY. Mandarins symbolize good fortune, wealth, happiness, appreciation, prosperity, and all kinds of other positive words.    

The resulting Gin called Fok Hing Gin "5 blessings" is a premium Gin (about 5 times the price of their regular Gin) (around HKD588, USD75 or 66 Euros), which is both flavorful and delicious, with hints of mandarin orange (of course), and also floral and herbal scents mingling with hints of spice and white pepper nuances. 

I paired it with "Fever-Tree" Premium Indian Tonic, a company that creates some of the best-tasting mixers (I have tasted) to complement the world's finest spirits. Their Tonic is their benchmark, since 2005, but they also craft some excellent ginger beers, ginger ales, and other lightly flavored sodas as well. Highly recommended. It was delicious.  

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

For more details, go to their website at 

Fok Hing Gin:  https://fokhinggin.com/hk/five-blessings

Fever-Tree Mixers:  https://fever-tree.com/en_GB

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #apero #gin #ginandtonic #tonic #fokhinggin @fokhinggin #fevertree #indiantonic @fevertreefrance #spirits #lesphotosadom 

Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2021 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, drawings, illustrations, visuals, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

HKB - Hong Kong Baijiu
by ©LeDomduVin 2021

HKB - Hong Kong Baijiu 

Trying a new gimmick Baijiu with the team to see if we can do something with it, to drink straight and/or in cocktails 🍸.  

The nose is pretty soft and almost sweet for a Baijiu, not as pungent or alcoholic as I thought it will be. Aromatics of lychee, pears, pineapple, and ripe exotic yellow fruits, mingle with notes of white flowers, chrysanthemum, and hints of fresh almond. The taste is awfully strong for my personal taste, yet, definitely ok for a Baijiu. Displaying similar notes as in the nose. 

HKB - Hong Kong Baijiu
by ©LeDomduVin 2021

Personally, I cannot and would not drink it on its own, the reason why I asked our mixologist if he could use his magic and imagination to ease the taste and make it more palatable (to my palate😁). 

He prepared a lovely cocktail made with pineapple juice, homemade camomile syrup, lemon juice, and HKB Baijiu. The result was light, crisp, fragrant, juicy, easy to drink, and delightful I must say. I'm not so much into pineapple usually, but it paired really well with it. The camomile also added a "je-ne-sais-quoi" making this cocktail very tasty. 

HKB - Hong Kong Baijiu
by ©LeDomduVin 2021

As for HKB Baijiu, I said that it is a "gimmick" as the story behind it started with a French guy (Charles Lanthier), who, while working in China and discovering the traditional Chinese spirits (also known as "Chinese White liquor") decided to create a "Baijiu" to help Westerners to get better acquainted with it, first intended for the American and European markets. 

Produced in small batches in the Sichuan province (China), HKB (Hong Kong Baijiu) is first distilled from a mash of five grains (sorghum, rice, sticky rice, corn, and wheat), prior being blended in Italy by a grappa producer after aging (in large, neutral terra cotta urns) for two years. 

Regarding the origins of its name, as it has nothing to do with the "Fragrant Harbour" (HK's nickname, known as "Port aux Parfums" in french), I guess the "Hong Kong" part was just to make it more appealing to Westerners. 😉😁👍 

Santé! Cheers! 

Dom 

#hkb #baijiu #hongkongbaijiu @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #ledomduvin #spirits #cocktail

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