Whisky : Glenlossie 8 Year SMWS 46.75 “Saigon cinnamon spiced shortbread”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 58.7%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 22 April 2010)

Nose : Opening a tin of pasties— shortbread cookies, snickerdoodles, and saltine crackers.  At turns a bit more savory with leather and cowhide which moves toward lemon beef salad as citrus notes emerge.  Faint flowers and lemon zest recall a wall plug air-freshener.  Though the nose is a bit hot, those sweet, salty, and citrusy notes play well together.

Palate :  Complex spices roll across the palate; cinnamon, floral peppercorns, coriander, and slightly astringent chamomile tea.  Pastry notes follow shortly after offering a lovely hint of light roasted coffee or a brûléed sugar topping— it is a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven covered in a rich buttercream frosting.  The body is on the thinner side, but still has an oily quality that coats the palate nicely.

Finish : Lovely lingering herbal lemon grass and caramel.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Witch’s Gingerbread House in the Woods

Something Similar : Paul John Peated Select (similar complex spice, more smoke/earth, less pastry)

Something Similar : Arran Bothy Quarter Cask (similar pastry/shortbread, more fruit/vanilla)

Something Worse : Port Charlotte 12Y: Alexander Murray (similar coffee/pastry, more floral, less spice)

Notes : Wow!  This was excellent.  It was one of those stellar bottles that you immediately wonder if you could justify getting a bottle just for yourself.  At only $80 this has to be one of the best value bottles I have ever had from SMWS— it was complex and full of absolutely luscious pastry notes.  It was slightly, but not overly astringent, the body was thin but still coated the palate— it was not perfect, but it seemed pretty close.

The nose on it was a beautifully complex melody of sweet, salty, savory and buttery pastry notes.  The bits of Vietnamese lemon beef salad were refreshing and the citrus cut through a lot of the heat on the nose.  I have never had Glenlossie before and this was an absolutely cracking introduction.