Whisky : Glen Ord 9 Year SMWS 77.57 “Down the old wax mines”

Country/Region : Highland

ABV : 59.1%

Cask : Refill Hogshead

Age : 9 Years (Distilled 7 April 2009)

Nose : Opens with the creamy twang of a vanilla greek yogurt.  Waxy paper notes of new comic book balance against the creaminess which turns toward a fruity fragrant body lotion.  Citrusy lemon, lime, tangerine, and orange combine with cherries to smother a scoop of ice cream or blend into a thick creamy yogurt.  Orange oil wood varnish gives a cutting contrast to the cream.

Palate : Gorgeous waxy mouthfeel, this dram is rich and full bodied.  Bits of caramelized creme brûlée provide balance for the load of juicy fruits that tumble out.  A late summer fruit pie— a strawberry rhubarb or blueberry cobbler.  Lovely toasted pastry notes highlight the richness of the fruit.

Finish : A pie that lingers and lingers— strawberry, spices, cream, and flaky pie crust.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Tropical Fruit Greek Yogurt Cup.

Something Similar : Carsebridge 44 Year; Hunter Laing (similar yogurt/cream, more spice, mellower)

Something Similar : Laphroaig Cairdeas 2018 Fino (smokier/peated, similar summer fruits/pie)

Something Worse : Shackleton Blended Malt (faintly similar pie/fruit, no body, little finish)

Notes :  A dram to remember the end of summer— this was astounding.  If there were tours available of the old wax mines, I would happily pay the admittance fee.  This was one of those bottles that was so good everyone immediately took out there phones to see if there were any more in stock (there were not).  It was neck and neck with a gorgeous Glen Scotia to win out as best of the evening at our tasting.  It was in everyone’s top two drams of the night and every single time I have come back it is better than I remember.  Hands down one of the best SMWS I have tried.

The luscious berries, the waxy full bodied mouthfeel, the bold flavors— this was a stellar summer fruit crumble.  The sort of desert you just throw together really quick when you have way too many fruits to eat and some of them are a bit overripe.  This is just bursting with summer sun and energy as a result.  It is the perfect segue from the heat of the summer to the shorter but cooler evenings of the fall.  This was a stellar introduction to Glen Ord, from the slightly funky yogurt of the nose to the delicious cobbler on the palate and the lovely long finish.