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.