Whisky: Whisky Sponge 20 Year Blended Malt "Saturnalia Sponge"

Country/Region: Scotland/Blended Malt

ABV: 47.2%

Cask: Refill Butt, Refill Hogshead

Age: 20 Years (Distilled 2000/2001, Bottled 2021)

Nose: Dry baking spices, cigar box, mint and citrus, caramel, Birthday Cake, more subtle fresh-cut grass and ripe berries, mellow medicinal herbs.

Palate: Medium-bodied, oily, dried fruits and baking spices, praline and toffee, subtle nuts and herbal tobacco, more dates and plums toward the end with hints of citrus, graphite, and mineral water, grassiness in the background.

Finish: Medium to long with dried fruits, peppercorn, and cigar box.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Cocktail Hour Cookies by the Pool

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was obviously sherried with plenty of dried fruits, tobacco, and dry baking spices, while interesting diversions came in the form of mojitos with muddled mint, citrus, and blackberry. Sugary sweetness was slow to develop, but caramel and toffee eventually emerged with Birthday Cake and an edge of more subtle fresh-cut grass and medicinal herbs. Medium-bodied and oily on the palate, dates, plums, and a general dried fruit quality took center stage with baking spices, cigar box, and nuts in the background. Praline and caramel developed more quickly with mellow citrus, graphite, and an almost salty mineral water. Toffee and pepper lingered with hints of dried fruits and more grass at the end. The finish was medium to long with subtle dried fruits, peppercorns, and cigar box.

I was of two minds with this whisky— on the one hand, I enjoyed the aroma and thought it had some lovely layers and complexity. On the other, I found the palate relatively pedestrian, well-composed and polite, but a bit simplistic and almost austere at times. The big question seemed to be, what do you want from this whisky— are you planning to sit and sip it or pair it with a cigar? If so, then this might be perfectly well-suited to elevating an evening while mostly fading into the background.

I did not kick back and relax with the whisky— I love sitting and mindfully picking through a whisky and thinking about all the different flavors and impressions. I find that to be a lot of fun, but that is not the same as just relaxing with a whisky and letting the mind wander. Those are two different ways to enjoy a dram, and neither is wrong or right, but sometimes a whisky is a better fit for one or the other. I tend to privilege whiskies that stand out with lots of interesting elements because they are just fun to sit and sort through. I did not find this well-suited to that particular way of experiencing whisky. Still, it was perfectly suited for other purposes and not a bad dram by any measure.