Single Malts In Bkk?

[Whiskylover]

Hi All

New to the forum and new to BKK.

Are there a group of single malt drinkers around ? or can anyone recommend any decent bars in bangkok where I can enjoy a few drams at a reasonable price ?

I used to belong to a single malt club who meet regularly to enjoy a few drams and would love to replicate something similar.

slainte

[jamhar]

I dont have good news.

i'm sure there's scotch in the higher priced tourists hotels,

but anything reasonable i haven't found yet.

Khaosan Road,

one place had MaCallan , 12 and 18 for bh450 and bh600 respectively

The 18 was a brand new bottle and i was starved for a single malt, so i opted for that.

It tasted so good, that i had another, especially since the first glass was a double pour.

A second place had Livet. it was bh150. and THAT was too much because not only was it watered down, but it wasnt even scotch!!!. Still , i had a couple of glasses. At least it was a relatively cheap ripoff.

Koh Somet

The resort on the west side has fiddich for bh350. Brand new bottle and tasted genuine. They also advertised cuban cigs. I would kill for a siglo VI but i opted not to check out their humidor. Maybe later i'll post a review.

Rayong

I hear the Marriott has single malt in the hotel bar. I cannot verify.

Marko (?)

Marko, if i remember the name right, is the Thai bulk style grocery store. I saw both GlenLivet and Glenfiddich for around bh2000 for the fifth.

__________________________________________

I'm a member of SMWS (single malt whiskey society)

and a member of FOL (friends of Laphroaig)

If you find any sources, I'd appreciate a heads up.

Esp if you find some Laphroaig or Lagavulin

Good luck hunting.

PS i'm trying to get use to the taste of "blend 285"

at bh300 for the bottle , its worth trying to get use too.

I dont have much hope tho.

(with coke, its not horrible, but i try to drink all whiskey neat)

Edited February 7, 2013 by jamhar

[melvinmelvin]

Single malts are few and far between in BKK. At least outside the upscale hotels.

The odd bar around the Sukhumvit and the Silom area may have a bottle.

The food marts at Emporium, Central, Paragon etc probably have a brand or two.

When I ask for not common booze in those places they normally say sorry, no have.

But at the same time they recommend that I visit Villa Market.

They (the shops at Emporium, Paragon etc) say that Villa Market have, by far, the largest selection of imported booze in LoS.

There are several Villa Markets in BKK.

Sukh/soi 11

Sukh/soi 2

Sukhumvit, just across from soi 22 and a wee bit further east

to name a few.

[jamhar]

Two places around Asok come to mind: The Black Swan (directly underneath the BTS) and The Crossbar (small soi north of cowboy between Asok & Soi 23). Black Swan has a few malts, but very pricey. Crossbar used to have Laphroaig at 150 baht, which is an ok price. It's been a couple of years since I was there though, so price may have gone up. There is also a bar on Suk 11 that has single malts, but I forget the name. Crossbar probably has the best atmosphere of those three, and the biggest selection.

I've found the Supermarket on the ground floor of the Paragon to have the best selection. Really expenisve though, as is all good booze in Thailand.

If you are ever over in Cambodia, Laphroaig 10yr is $23 a bottle and Talisker 10yr is about $30. About a third of the price you'll pay here.

D'oh!!!

Now you tell me. I just did a visa run to Cambodia 3 days ago!!!

Thanks for the heads-up tho.

[rak sa_ngop]

One of the cheapest places to buy spirits in Bangkok is Thaniya Spirits on Soi Thaniya next to Sala Daeng BTS, Silom road. Just a few doors away from O'Reillys Irish Pub. Good selection of malts and other spirits.

I haven't been there to compare prices for a while, but used to be significntly cheaper than Tops etc.

Howvever buying duty-free, even at Suvanaphumi, is still the cheapest.

[Whiskylover]

Really appreciate the feedback, thank you all!

Will certainly explore some of these and see if there's any bargains to be had and shall report back.

So far I can't say i've found anything worth noting and prices are extortionate for the quality on offer. I guess the best places are off radar.

Tragically, i wasn't allowed to import my collection of malts (some 30 bottles) and gave most of them away. It still hurts !

On the upside, it sounds like there's some whisky enthusiasts here.

Previously i used to organise monthly get-togethers for malt drinkers, blind tastings, formal and informal tastings etc. There used to be a few cigar aficionados in the group too and was always fun to learn from one an other. Could be a lot of fun if there's sufficient interest here.

slainte

[aehn]

In some of the bars, you can get it, and in most regular food chain stores, such as Villa market, Tops market etc. But it ain´t cheap.

[Thailand Bound]

Here is an article describing US made single malts that beat out Scotish malts

American Single-Malt Whiskeys Serve Notice

http://www.nytimes.c...wanted=all&_r=0

First few lines a very good article about the new single malts.

THE humid streets of Waco, Tex., may not have much in common with the misty glens of Scotland, home to some of the world’s best malt whiskeys. Not much, that is, until last month, when a single-malt whiskey from the Balcones Distillery in Waco bested nine others, including storied Scottish names like the Balvenie and the Macallan, in a blind panel of British spirits experts.

It was the first time an American whiskey won the Best in Glass, a five-year-old competition to find the best whiskey released in a given year.

Edited February 9, 2013 by Thailand Bound

[VinceW]

Whiskylover,

I just arrived in BKK and had a similar question as you, having been part of a club before I moved here. I am now talking to some likeminded people about setting up a new whisky club.

Please let me know if you would be interested--your experience would be a great asset.

Slainte!
Vince

[bangkokburning]

All kinds of great whiskey in Cambodia. Insane prices. Try liquor store next to Lucky Market.

[mark5335]

"Whisgars" whisky bar just opened last week in Sukhumvit Soi 23 (5 min walk from Asoke BTS/MRT). They purport to have one of the largest range of single malts in SE Asia. You can google for their website and facebook pages.

[Vinny1967]

Villa Market has a great selection of whiskeys

[VinceW]

All kinds of great whiskey in Cambodia. Insane prices. Try liquor store next to Lucky Market.

There are indeed good prices to be had for liquor in Phnom Penh....I lived there for 4 years. However, a lot (I would venture to say most) of it is counterfeit--looks like the real thing but produced in China. Beware. As is common in life, what seems too good to be true usually is.

[David48]

Whisky lovers may enjoy this post.

For those whose appreciation of this fine drop has increased, this instructional Video may help.

...and the commentary that appears below that post.

A quote from that post ...

Single malt is another matter, someone mentioned Laphroaig, I enjoyed
Laphroaig back in the late 80's, however it's gone over to being a bit
too medicinal for my taste now. It's possibly my taste buds that have
changed but I do get the impression that the recent releases have been a
little bit poorer than before. Just my opinion though. There are many
issues that affect whisky, including the atmosphere in which it is kept,
there are plenty of examples of whisky being ruined by musky odours or
excessive saltiness in the air on the islands. When that happens it's
only fit for dumping.

Enjoy ...

[lomatopo]

https://www.google.com/search?q=single+malt+site%3Athaivisa.com&oq=single+malt+site%3Athaivisa.com&aqs=chrome.0.57.7384&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/620730-where-to-buy-good-malt-whisky/?p=6134904

All kinds of great whiskey in Cambodia. Insane prices. Try liquor store next to Lucky Market.

There are indeed good prices to be had for liquor in Phnom Penh....I lived there for 4 years. However, a lot (I would venture to say most) of it is counterfeit--looks like the real thing but produced in China. Beware. As is common in life, what seems too good to be true usually is.

Mmmm, Jake Leg.

Edited May 21, 2013 by lomatopo

[EvilDrSomkid]

I still have a little left of my 25year old Caol Ila, single cask. I am very sparing of it.

If I could find some 12yr Caol Ila, that would be fantastic.