Glenrothes 12 Year SMWS 30.112 “Umami Heaven!”
Whisky : Glenrothes 12 Year SMWS 30.112 “Umami Heaven!”
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 65.4%
Cask : First Fill Spanish Oak Sherry Butt
Age : 12 Years (Distilled 6 June 2007)
Nose : Rich, nutty, and fruity. Burst of roasted almonds and cashews followed by nutty notes of toasted sesame and browned butter. Toasty peanut butter jelly sandwich took shape as fruity notes of Welch’s Grape Juice and dried cherries took hold.
Palate : Thick body with a mild dryness and nutty profile. Waves of nutty salted cashews, almonds, and sweet Thai peanut sauce rolled out. A nice dryness built up along with tobacco leaves and rambutan or lychee pits. Strange notes of brined raspberries, pickled cherries, and oily chocolate arrived near the end.
Finish : Medium length and quite dry with notes of brown sugar and starfruit.
Score : 7
Mental Image : Mr. Peanut’s Beach Holiday
Notes : This was a weird one— a sister cask to SMWS 30.111 with just about the exact same provenance— yet, where 30.111 was dark and fruity with hints of spice and tobacco, this was profoundly nutty with hints of tropical fruit and tobacco. It was wild to think that these were sister casks much less from the same distillery. I have never had a dram quite so nutty— especially not in a way that reminded me of cashews, or even cashew milk.
I really did not know how to score this, on the one hand it was too dry for my taste and the profile was a bit all over. On the other hand, this was somehow wildly and strangely delicious. While this did not check all the boxes for a sherry bomb, it was unique and leaned into the nutty aspects of sherry with some intriguing tropical fruit notes. Overall, not usually my cup of tea, but this was exactly the kind of thing you try once and then find yourself craving three weeks later.
