Whisky : Strathisla 12 Year SMWS 58.32 “Eye of the Fruit Loop”

Country/Region : Speyside

ABV : 57.9%

Cask : 10Y Ex-Bourbon/ 2Y 2nd Fill Chenin Blanc Barrique

Age : 12 Years (Distilled 30 March 2006)

Nose :  Entrance of a classy candy store— white wine infused gummy bears, ice wine cream cookies, and sparkling apple juice.  Loads of concentrated jellied fruits along with syrupy canned peaches.  The nose is all sorts of sugars and fruits.

Palate :  Tussen cough syrup— medicinal and fruity with a medium body.  It is a bit hot, but a few drops of water transform it from tussen to purple drink whose vaguely familiar grape flavor is not a huge improvement.  On the plus side, bits of malty sweetness surface memories of fruity pebbles and the sugar induced ramblings of a five year old.

Finish :  Medium finish with loads of sugar and vague-nondescript fruity notes.

Score : 4

Mental Image : Fruity Pebbles by the handful.

Something Better : Arran 14 Year (similar fruits without candy store/artificial notes)

Something Similar : Kavalan Peaty Oak (similar syrupy peaches, less medicinal/artificial)

Notes : Pretty solid cough syrup— but maybe not an exceptional whisky.  If you are an adult of legal drinking age and love a good sugary cereal like Fruity Pebbles then this dram might be right for you.  The Chenin Blanc wine finish really doused this malty dram with sticky sweetness that comes off more as artificial candy flavoring than real fruit.  That artificial sweetness along with a few lurking medicinal notes carries this straight toward the realm of Tussen flavor notes.  Not a place that a scotch really wants to visit.

The nose was not terrible— I love a good ice wine cream cookie and I have definitely been seduced by the fancy candies at Sugarfina.  The problem is I never actually get around to eating the candy I get at Sugarfina.  The chocolate scotch balls, tequila gummies, and wine infused chocolates just disappear into the back of the fridge saved for a special occasion.  I love a small sugar rich sample but when it comes time to eat them at home I am never in the mood.  I enjoyed the sweet Sugarfina rich nose on this, but I just do not care to go any further than enjoying a whiff of the store and maybe one quick sample.  I would never grab this off my shelf— but if you love sugar as much as a five year old, this might be right up your alley.