Whisky: Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 11 Year (2007), SMWS 112.47 “Have some Madeira my dear”

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland

ABV: 57.1%

Cask: 2nd Fill Madeira Hogshead

Age: 11 Years (Distilled 21 May 2007)

Nose: Dried berries, white chocolate, pepper, cinnamon, spirited prickle, prunes, leather and earth with a mild funk.

Palate: Medium-bodied, dried fruit, cinnamon spice, finished leather, orange peel, milk chocolate; with water came subtle cream and white chocolate joined.

Finish: Medium to short and slightly drying with dried fruit and spice.

Score: 4-5

Mental Image: Tantrum in a Leather Handbag

Narrative & Notes: Feisty and youthful, the aroma was prickly with spirit between dried berries and white chocolate. Pepper and cinnamon with more subtle anise, rose hip, and orange peel appeared as prunes, slightly funky earth, and leather developed. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile was sweet, with loads of dried fruits and spice mingling with finished leather. Dried berries and dates arrived first with cinnamon, black pepper, orange peel, and hints of anise. Rich notes of finished leather, occasionally a bit funk, linked the fruity opening to milk chocolate at the end. Water brought out more fruit with notions of cream and sweet white chocolate. The finish was medium to short and slightly drying with dried fruit and spice.

The refill madeira hogshead worked well on this whisky; it neither dominated the malt nor got lost along the way. The flavors were well-balanced, though they were shallow and a tad too sweet for my taste. The savory, occasionally funky, finished leather note, which I associate with madeira, paired nicely with some of the fruit and spice from Loch Lomond’s Inchmurrin malt.

I wonder if a bit more age could have tempered some of the youthfulness of the nose and palate— that spirited prickle was hard to ignore, even if though a few drops of water calmed it. Or, perhaps this was bottled for fear that it might become a bit over-oaked, an issue I have had with a couple of prior Inchmurrin. This was one of those instances where I would love to know how and why the warehouse crew at SMWS opted to bottle the malt when they did. Our local whisky club initially included this in a “Christmas to-go” tasting pack back in 2019.

Overall, a feisty youngster who might tickle the fancy of madeira fans more than it did my own.