Whisky: Mannochmore 11 Year (2011), The Single Cask Ltd. Cask 1604A

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 49.4%

Cask: First Fill Fino Sherry Octave

Age: 11 Years (Distilled 9 Feb. 2011, Bottled 10 Feb. 2022)

Nose: Stewed stone fruit, dried berries, cream, pepper, herbal tobacco, sweet creamy coffee, hints of butterscotch with time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, juicy and drying, herbal tobacco, raisins and drying fruit, leathery funk, figs, honey, cream, toffee, coffee, strawberry and balsamic with time.

Finish: Long and lingering, drying and peppery, with cinnamon and dried dates.

Score: 7

Mental Image: Pastry Shop Humidor

Narrative & Notes: The aroma was rich and fruity, with stewed stone fruits and dried berries fronting a peppery spice that ran throughout. Was this jam-making in a humidor? Herbal tobacco spice and oak gradually revealed cream coffee beverages— rich earthy robusta beans and sweetened condensed milk with hints of butterscotch arriving over time. Medium-bodied, juicy, and drying, the flavor profile featured concentrated fruits, cream, and rich caramelized sugars. Tobacco and raisins exploded with an underlying leather funk— as the clouds parted, roasted figs, honey, and clotted cream remained. Dark brown sugar and toffee carried the experience toward sweet coffee desserts, tiramisu roll cake perhaps. Tannic but juicy, strawberry and balsamic were late the develop but carried through to the finish. Long and lingering, the finish was drying and peppery with cinnamon and dried dates.

I am neither a sherry-bomb aficionado nor a Stan heavily cask-driven whiskies— but this was exceptional. Perhaps because the creamy Mannochmore malt still came through and stood up the heady fino cask octave, I thought this was well-balanced and never too aggressive or one-dimensional. The malt and the cask supported one another without overpowering the other— working in tandem rather than struggling for dominance. The flavors were well-structured and integrated, so the whisky moved clearly through distinct layers as the experience slowly changed.

I followed the recommendation of the wonderful folks at the Single Cask Singapore with this malt, which they promised was a bit funky and different. They were absolutely correct, and I was astonished at how much I enjoyed something usually not to my taste. As I explained to a friend, that is either a sign of just how good a sherry-driven malt this was or that it was weird enough to appeal to my palate— or maybe both can be true.