I recently joined the SMWS after a long gap from the first taste I had of their whiskies (see previous article). I am actually really happy to have joined and I have to say that our SMWS Canada folks here (Rob and Kelly) are fantastic and do a very good job of pushing the exploration angle with this whisky. We see all sorts of stuff that is from distilleries most people never think to try or might even turn up their nose at. The quality of the casks they bottle always seem to be at a high level (my experience). The best part though, is really the experience in the Society tastings... I have found people to be very friendly and very open to sharing and enjoying the company as well as the whisky.
Anyway, I bought my first green bottle and here is the review. I won't state the distillery here but will tell you that it is one of the Highland Island distilleries and it is unpeated and you can probably very quickly figure out which one. I want to avoid naming the distillery to encourage the spirit the SMWS does - don't prejudge this whisky based on the distillery it comes from.
Colour - 14 kt. gold.
Nose: natural honey with a punch from the alcohol. This thing is 15 years old but its punching its weight for sure. The SMWS tasting note speaks of buttered popcorn and I have to say that feels pretty accurate - I think of buttered kettle corn with that slightly sweet smell. There is a bit of sugary pastry note there as well. Baked goods of some sort and a hint of mint in there.
Palate: first thoughts are very good. It seems maybe younger than 15 years old to me at first but has a lovely sweet hit right off the start. Second sip - sweetness is very nice and it leads into some baking spices - cinnamon especially - and you get the spicy sort of dryness at that back palate but its not overly drying. Third sip, you start getting some chocolate in there as well as the doughy flavour. As you read these notes, the name they gave this cask starts to make sense. There really is a nice balance here - sweet, a pinch of salt, some richness, some doughy-ness, and some spices. The only nit I can pick with this whisky is that it takes a bit to adjust to the alcohol on this one but we are really just talking a couple sips and then you are rewarded with a great and satisfying and balanced dram.
This one needs time as well. As you leave it in the glass, you start to get a bit more fruit notes to accompany things and there is juiciness there that is nice.
Finish: The persistence of the flavour is long with the spices and a bit of dryness that tends to make me salivate rather than just get dry. Good thing. In terms of length, this goes down to the Adam's apple for me so is a shorter, crisper finish. Good for the summer.
Comments: When would I drink this? An evening dram or night cap in the summer. I find that, in the winter, I tend to want a night cap to be a rich, sherry cask-aged whisky with a long finish. That doesn't fit so well in the warm summer months. This offers a lot of the richer, sweeter flavours but is really nicely balanced and doesn't have a finish that is too cloying in the summer heat. Case in point, I drink this on a warm evening after having had a high of 28 degrees Celsius today.
A little further comment: the SMWS tasting notes are highly entertaining and, to be honest, quite helpful. Although I think their language is a little over the top sometimes, I can get to most of the notes they describe in terms of flavour and they do go a long way to helping you get the profile of the whisky before picking up the bottle - much more than can be said for most distillery tasting notes which just leave people wondering "what is really in this bottle?"
I'm really looking forward to regular SMWS bottlings. I am excited!
No comments:
Post a Comment