Whisky : Glenturret Ruadh Maor 9 Year SMWS 16.41 “Cozy contentment”

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 61.4%

Cask : Re-char Hogshead

Age : 9 Years (Distilled 16 Dec. 2009)

Nose : Thick funk, salt, and sweet: seaweed, brine, vanilla, and the elephant exhibit at the zoo.  Dirty barnyard straw, sweet elephant dung, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and burnt brownie edge pieces.  Sweet juicy ripe fruits, orange, melon rind, and lemon skins hide behind the elephants.

Palate : Thick and viscous with candied orange peel, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and creamy nougat.  Lovely rich notes of smoke come through as charred coconut husks, smoldering hay, charcoal, roasted peanuts, and burnt pie crust.  Dirty oven and slightly burnt oatmeal cookies come back near the end.

Finish : Lingering char, chocolate, and oily smoke.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Babar’s Special Chocolate Cookies

Something Similar : Caol Ila 5 Year; The Maltman (similar nougat, cocoa, and smoke, more bbq)

Something Similar : Ardmore 10 Year SMWS 66.154 (similar animal/hay funk, more salt/mineral)

Notes :  The first time I tasted this I could not escape childhood memories of the zoo.  I loved to marvel at at the great elephants and their impressive bowel movements.  The aroma of an exotic barnyard triggered a deep and sweet nostalgia.  Subsequent tastings took me back to my Grandmother’s kitchen where I impatiently waited for her chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to come out of the oven so I could nab a few while they were fresh and gooey.  Combine the elephants and cookies and this dram was a time machine to sweet memories and a childhood where everything looked huge (though elephants are still pretty big).

I really enjoyed this dram.  The smoke and char were deliciously rich especially when paired with a mild maltiness and dark chocolate notes.  The funky barnyard notes made this a wonderful point of comparison to some of my favorite Bruichladdich drams.  The viscous thick mouthfeel on this wonderfully complimented the bold flavors and, while I wish the finish were a bit longer, the overall effect was delicious.