27/05/2026 An evening at Cobbler

Just like last time, as soon as we explain to the barman that we like whisky and are keen to discover exclusive bottlings for the local market, he collapses and sends us his manager... who remembers us! She brings us a handful of bottles (amongst which a Ballechin). When JS says smoke is a secondary interest to us, she turns around: "Ah. All of these are smoky" and brings a different selection.

Also, complimentary cobbler on arrival

Mlla b.2025 (53%, Michel Couvreur bottled only for South Korea imported by Splash International, Dry Manzanilla Sherry Butt)

Nose: strongly herbal, like a génépi. Juniper leaves, laurel, fresh rosemary, maybe dried seaweed, though not much salt. Hinoki wood appears at second nosing. It smells like a warm bath in a scented tub.
Mouth: full-bodied, almost syrupy. More herbs (laurel and rosemary again), now complemented with stem ginger and cassia bark. It feels woodier at second sip, though it is still syrupy. Thuja, cypress bark, hinoki.
Finish: big, liqueur-like, this has thuja, hinoki and other scented woods. JS finds grapefruit pips. The second gulp has a lovely pine-tree-bark allure that makes me think of Benrinnes.
Comment: good effort. Matured "over a decade."
Score: 7/10

F b.2025 (53%, Michel Couvreur bottled only for South Korea imported by Splash International, Dry Fino Sherry Butt)

Nose: balsawood, sandalwood, oiled teak furniture and dried rosemary. It has a faint whiff of burnt sugar and torched molasses. The second nose has an earthy perfume from the 1980s, the name of which escapes me.
Mouth: fruitier on the palate, it has prunes and figs soaked in booze, berries liqueur, a gentle lick of wood (distant acacia). drier at second sip, it is very reminiscent of a Fino, mineral with a Sauvignon-Blanc vibe to it.
Finish: dry and robust, it has walnut-shell gratings and crushed fruit stones. Follow flint and slate chippings, bitter and mineral. It is fruity and dry at second gulp, like a good white wine.
Comment: even better. But then, Fino is my favourite type of Sherry.
Score: 7/10

Paired with olives and chocolate

Edradour 11yo 2013/2024 (60%, OB Ibisco Decanter imported by Stirling Korea, Bourbon Barrels, C#413+415+417+418+419+420+421+422+423+424, 1997b)

Nose: spirit-y, medicinal, even. Ether, surgical alcohol -- wait! Peaches appear suddenly and more and more pronounced, as do Turkish delights, then crème brûlée and gentle rubber. The second nose has custard and fruity yoghurt.
Mouth: ester-y and spirit-y again. This might as well be new make, so little character it has. In terms of flavours, that is, because it is otherwise rather fierce, with lashes of surgical alcohol. The second sip is more mineral, with quarry dust peppered over it.
Finish: eau-de-vie-like, here are distilled peach and kaki somewhat hidden behind a generous dash of booze. It is not poorly integrated; it just kicks like a mule. The second gulp is more quaffable, though still powerful. Custard-cream biscuit on acid. Water makes it more biscuit-y and gives it an impression of wet dog (Hardois, si tu nous regardes…)

Comment: the Korean text states Ibisco Decanter as the collection, even if it does not appear in English.
Score: 7/10

Glenlossie 12yo 2013/2025 (60.3%, North Star High Proof Guarantee selected and exclusively bottled for Jens Drewitz imported by Sansibar-Whisky imported by Roehni, 282b)

Nose: the Sherry cask speaks. This is lactic and animal: cow hides, cattle sweat, and it has a hint of alcohol in the back, before oily orange peels appear. The second nose has more and more orange rinds, dried, but still fruity.
Mouth: leathery and animal alright. Cattle breath, raw hides, rancio, and the bitterness of shoe polish. The second sip is more medicinal: ether at first, then plaster glue and muscle straps.
Finish: it kicks too, but citrus comes through more. Oranges, blush oranges, cured tangerines. The second gulp is, again, more medicinal (tuberculin).

Comment: a Korean import of a German import of a Scottish whisky. Ha!
Score: 7/10

Paired with nuts

A few people leave:

tOMoH: "If you want to go scan the shelves, go for it."
JS: "Yeah, now it's clearing up a little."
tOMoH: "Oh! yeah, the other long nose has gone. I'm now the longest nose in the room."
JS: "Let's call you Pinocchio."

We call it a night anyway. Early start tomorrow.

09/11/2023 An evening at Cobbler

An impromptu visit to this charming bar in Seoul. No notepad means no extensive note-taking, just the social experience and overall impressions.

JS, JWB and I arrive well after JWB said we would, yet they retained a table for us, which is pretty helpful, as punters are lining up to get in. As we sit down, we notice nibbles on the table -- yay!

A quick peek over my shoulder reveals a well-stocked bar, though the dim lighting does not make for easy identification. We spot a couple of Wilson & Morgan offerings, as well as a trio of Nectar of the Daily Drams, and some Artist bottlings, a collection by La Maison du Whisky. Most unexpected.

The bartender sends us his colleague, who seems more aware of what is available: no menu, she says, but she will happily recommend something, based on our taste. We point out the bottles whose labels we recognise, and ask for more information. She helpfully brings them to the table so we can peruse at our leisure.

After twenty seconds converting prices in our heads and debating the potential qualities of each bottle, it dawns on me that the most sensible thing to do is to ask for something we cannot try in Europe -- Korea-exclusive bottlings. They have a selection of those -- at least half a dozen of them, in fact.

We start with three of them.

The English 2013/2022 (59.7%, OB Single Cask Release South Korea Exclusive, Sauternes Cask, C#B1/0799, 269b): gotta love the typo in "Sauternes". This is sweet and powerful, and, all in all, super pleasant. The surprise of the night, without a doubt. 8/10

Caol Ila 12yo 2010/2023 (54.8%, Bartels Whisky Highland Laird Korean Exclusive, C#318451, 323b, b#224): simple-ish young Caol Ila. It does what it is expected to do (smoked seaweed, anyone?) very well, yet it is perhaps a bit predictable. 7/10

Macduff 11yo 2011/2023 (63.7%, Bartels Whisky Highland Laird Korean Exclusive, C#900353, 317b, b#122): honey-glazed walnuts, oily precious woods. Despite the fierce strength, it goes down like water. In fact, I reckoned it had to be low 50s. Superb. 8/10

Favourite:

• JS: The English Whisky
• JWB: Caol Ila -- the predictability is exactly what he likes about it
• tOMoH: Macduff

We are offered a delicious whisky-based cocktail. The hell if we can identify it, though. "Rob Roy," I say, showing all my ignorance, when it comes to cocktails. JS reckons it is a Manhattan. She may well be right. JWB obtains the answer. I swiftly forget it. Ahem.

All of a sudden, a strong smell of incense invades the place. JWB calls it a faux pas, and brings the mistake to the attention of the staff. It is not incense, but grilled beef that they grill using some aromatic wood blend. Also, that beef is for us. Ahem.

Second round.

Benrinnes 22yo 1996/2019 (51.4%, Signatory Vintage for La Maison du Whisky Artist Collective #3.1, 3 x Hogsheads): archetypal Benrinnes with pine needles and pine nuts. Excellent. 8/10

Clynelish 26yo 1995/2022 (57%, Signatory Vintage for The Nectar of the Daily Drams imported by the Nectar): powerful, complex, with precious woods, lacquers, and a faint note of burnt rubber. The irony, though, to fly twelve hours then drink a whisky from a Belgian bottler... 9/10

Glen Scotia 5yo 2016/2022 (56.8%, OB Exclusive Cask specially selected for South Korea, First Fill Oloroso Hogshead, C#21/769-5, 246b): sweet, approachable, though JWB finds it a notch of rubber too. 8/10

Favourite:

• JS: Clynelish
• JWB: Benrinnes
• tOMoH: Benrinnes

What a great night out, full of unexpected drams, in this part of the world. Prices reflect the distance, but if one sticks to the exclusives, it is certainly worth a visit. Not to mention all the extras that seem to be included in the price of the whiskies. Will definitely come again, given the opportunity.