Whisky : Cameronbridge 40 Year SMWS G4.19 “Could solve any problem”

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland (Single Grain)

ABV : 53.6%

Cask : Refill Ex-bourbon Hogshead (37Y), American Oak PX Hogshead (3Y)

Age : 40 Years (Distilled 28 May 1979)

Nose : Fruity, savory, and slightly creamy.  Punch of berry jam, apricot marmalade, strawberry licorice, haw flakes, and cheesecake.  Slightly savory notes of old leather, graham cracker pie crust, and pipe tobacco came through until a tide of vanilla and brown sugar rolled in.

Palate : Syrupy, sweet, and rich with a salty tannic dryness.  Rich tobacco and leather jumped out right away with bursts of salty dried plums: li hing candied lemon peel with white li mui in close pursuit.  Oaky tannins built over time along with rich vanilla and sweet honey.  Mouthwateringly dry salted plums were joined by jam stuffed almond cookies at the end.

Finish : Long with notes of tea, salt, and spice.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Apothecary’s Crackseed Store

Notes : I do not really know how to score this one.  On the one hand, this is not the sort of profile that I really enjoy; on the other, this was popular during a local virtual tasting earlier this year.  I compromised and rated it as slightly above average.

There was a lot to like about this bottle including its concentrated, almost mouth puckering, candy store fruits, as well as its thick body and long finish.  This dram was intense and forty years did little to quiet it down or mellow it out, especially with that finish in a PX hogshead.  However, I am not a huge sherry nerd and I found the intensity of the finish to be more of a tactical nuclear warhead than Vulcan nerve pinch.  It was a little bit like chasing a fly with a shotgun… or a nuke… and therefore overkill.

Overall, this appealed to sherry fanatics and fans of robust fruit flavors during our local tasting, but did not quite hit home for me.  Fans of sherry and really rich syrupy profiles would no doubt find plenty to love.