Glenrothes 12 Year SMWS 30.111 “Inferno Toffee Pudding”
Whisky : Glenrothes 12 Year SMWS 30.111 “Inferno Toffee Pudding”
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 64.6%
Cask : First Fill Spanish Oak Sherry Butt
Age : 12 Year (Distilled June 2007)
Nose : Fruit, leather, and meat. Subtle notes of browned butter gave way to waves of toffee, raisins, apricots, and stewed plums. A dense fruitcake washed down with cinnamon liqueur, hot chocolate, and vanilla whipped cream. Sweet notes of oiled leather and cured ham hung behind the fruits.
Palate : Thick and unctuous with strawberries, tobacco, and chocolate. Intense jammy notes of strawberry, apricot, and grapes followed by poached stone fruits with cinnamon, star anise, and a dollop of cream. Spicier notes of tobacco and cured ham arrived with dark chocolate lingering at the end.
Finish : Lingering notes of dark chocolate covered raisins and coffee beans.
Score : 7
Mental Image : Death by Chocolatier
Notes : Thick, intense, and heavy, this had to be a sherry lovers dream. Heavily sherried drams have not typically been my game and this was no exception. While I enjoyed this, especially some of the dark chocolate and tobacco notes, I know for certain that sherry heads will like this even more.
Compared to other recent sherry bombs I have tried more recently, SMWS 63.60 a 7 Year Glentauchers or a 10 year Bunnahabhain by Signatory Vintage, this was a bit spicier, drier with more dark chocolate. I think I scored it a hair over those others, but they were all comparable.
Overall, a lovely, if quite intense, Glenrothes. The pairing of a heavy sherry cask and bold malt worked well as few malts pair quite as well with a heavy dose of sherry than Glenrothes.
