SMWS Codename : 7.219 “Everlasting tropical love sauce”

Distillery : Longmorn

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 50.6%

Cask : Refill Hogshead/Ex-Bourbon

Age : 25 Years (Distilled 4 May 1993)

Nose : Fruity and herbal, the nose on this dram is bursting with lilikoi, li hing mui covered pineapple, and sweet char sui marinade.  Dried plums and passion fruit give was to floral clovers, potpourri, licorice, and beeswax.  The nose is delightfully rich and complex.

Palate : The thick oily tropical love sauce coats the palate.  Creamy cherimoya and soursop hang behind a bowl of shave ice covered in syrupy passionfruit and blue vanilla.  Candied mango and floral vanilla bean round out a perfectly balanced body.

Finish :  Long lingering sweet peppercorn spice and tropical hibiscus flowers.

SMWS Codename : 46.75 “Saigon cinnamon spiced shortbread”

Distillery : Glenlossie

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 58.7%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 22 April 2010)

Nose : Opening a tin of pasties— short bread cookies, snickerdoodles, and saltine crackers.  At turns a bit more savory with leather and cowhide which moves toward lemon beef salad as citrus notes emerge.  Faint flowers and lemon zest recall an air-freshener.  Though the nose is a bit hot the sweet, salty, and citrusy notes play well together.

Palate :  Complex spices roll across the palate; cinnamon, floral peppercorns, coriander, and slightly astringent chamomile tea.  Pastry notes follow shortly offering a lovely hint of lightly roasted coffee or a brûléed sugar topping— it’s a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven covered in a rich buttercream frosting.  The body is on the thinner side, but still has an oily quality that coats the palate nicely.

Finish : Lovely lingering herbal lemon grass and caramel.

SMWS Codename : 5.70 “In the absence of convention”

Distillery : Auchentoshan

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland

ABV : 56.3%

Cask : First Fill Oloroso Hogshead

Age : 18 Years (Distilled 11 October 2000)

Nose : Antiques— a long closed curio cabinet, the nose is mellow and muted with wood lacquer and old dried papers.  The influence of the oloroso is unmistakable: dark chocolate, vanilla extract, and bright cherries.  It’s roasted coffee beans and dried cherries covered in dark bitter chocolate.

Palate : A light and refreshing body this dram is still remarkably full flavored.  Full of sweet fruits— a Shirley Temple with a heavy handed pour of cherry syrup, a fruity gelato, and pomegranate.  Delightfully chocolatey there are notes of rich fudge, old coffee grounds, and sweet milk chocolate. 

Finish : Medium to long, lingering cherry cordial— chocolate, cherry, and coffee all hang through the finish.

SMWS Codename : 96.24 “Sweet, warm and lively”

Distillery : Glendronach

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 57.9%

Cask : Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Age : 12 Years (Distilled 8 June 2006)

Nose :  Opens with the sweet burning aroma of sugar starting to caramelize and give way to rich buttery dulce de leche.  Toasty creme brûlée with a heavy dose of mellow wood spices and the sweet citrus of grapefruit.  It is hard to avoid the buttery characteristic of the nose, it keeps coming back as ghee, a freshly baked butter roll, or a Spanish roll—a sweet and salty Filipino pastry. 

Palate :  The butter comes through on the palate along with a bit of pastry creme, but is quickly run over by a heady bouquet of wood spice.  Wood notes dominate a hot palate— peppercorns, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar, and caramel.  The body is on the thinner side and lacks a whole lot of depth.

Finish :  Medium length sharpe spice and wet wood chips.

SMWS Codename : 52.25 “A morning at the beach” (aka, “Dirty Sea Otter”)

Distillery : Old Pulteney

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 60.3%

Cask : Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead

Age : 11 Years (Distilled 21 March 2007)

Nose : Intensely maritime on the nose— raw oysters or mussels on a grill.  Wet, almost mossy, sand along a funky water logged old pier.  It’s the wet smell of the ocean before a storm— that heady warm salt air mixing with cooler fresh moisture.

Palate :  Brine laden sea water and all the salty treasures of the ocean: sandy clams, drift wood, ‘opihi, and sea asparagus.  Fresh oysters with freshly squeezed lemon and all the weeds in the sea— dried kelp, limu, ogo are slightly herbal and intensely briney.  Lovely oil on the body, almost like fish oil, or the pop of salty oily liquid from ikura (salmon roe).  I cannot verify this last note from experience, but one of the tasters described it as a “dirty sea otter” to which several agreed.

Finish : Long and lingering the finish is all mussels and citrusy lemon with some faint wood spice.

SMWS Codename : 93.107 “Flexing the mussels” (aka, Boiled Chinatown Peanuts)

Distillery : Glen Scotia

Country/Region : Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV : 59.6%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 7 Years (Distilled 21 December 2010)

Nose :  Calm seas— the nose on this opens with sea cotton, salt spray, and sun bleached coral.  There is a refreshing spice that balances against subtle salt: herbaceous pine, citrus, star anise, and five spice blends well with meaty-salty dried or pulehu tako and boiled peanuts.

Palate :  Herbal pine and pine tar lead the way but do not dominate.  Toasted herbs give complexity— thyme, cumin, rosemary, sage— it would be a recipe for a baked chicken if the meaty notes were not faintly salty or fishy creating more the impression of frog legs.

Finish : Lingering herbals notes with citrus and a big of rock sugar.

SMWS Codename : 10.173 “Selkie caviar” (Aka, Orange Dreamsicle”

Distillery : Bunnahabhain

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 60.4%

Cask : Refill Hogshead, Heavy toast/Medium char

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 27 September 2010)

Nose : Sweet honey and herbal notes give the impression of Ricola.  Antiseptic iodine and a bit of sharpe cheddar cheese rind give some salty undertones.  The nose turns gradually more fruity as it opens it; tangerine to orange citrus notes, white wine, and caramel apple.

Palate : Medium bodied and a bit hot the palate of tons of charred herb notes and a bit of bandaid.  The sweeter side gradually shines through— lemon candy or citrus and cream, its an orange or tangerine creamsicle/dreamsicle.  Toward the end some of those creamy notes turned buttery, like butter melting on a pancake.

Finish : Medium length with plenty of heat, warm spice, and a bit of citrusy vanilla cream.

SMWS Codename : 53.287 “Ye olde medisin”  (aka, “Bong Water”)

Distillery : Caol Ila

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 58.5%

Cask : Refill Hogshead/Ex-Bourbon

Age : 12 Years (Distilled 18 July 2006)

Nose : New Year’s Eve in Hawaii; fireworks, gunpowder, and an alkaline smoke hang in the air.  More savory, though still smokey, notes come through as salty rendered beef fat, kiawe smoke, burnt herbs, parsley, and charred lemon peal.  Burning pine comes near the end— not properly dried pine, but fresh cut almost green wood.

Palate : That fresh cut green wood smoke— almost a wet smoke, comes through right away on the palate.  The burning pine of the campfire is joined by a bit of nutmeg, duct tape, and an intensely herbal medicine.  It has a lovely oily quality and recalls the black burning beard of the pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard.

Finish :  Lingering old salty oak with a bit of salty toffee and medicinal notes.

SMWS Codename : 73.113 “Sweet, earthy and amazing” (aka Cody’s Bonus Bottle)

Distillery : Aultmore 

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 67.5%

Cask : Refill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Age : 7 Years (Distilled 6 June 2011)

Nose : Fruity and rich, the nose has coffee and chocolate along with dried apple slices, strawberries, and pluots.  A bit of creamy soft cheese and sweet roasted corn give some malty sweetness and depth. 

Palate : Thick and lovely mouthfeel though there is no mistaking how hot this is— it needs time and a bit of water to really open up.  Tart mountain apples or quince give a unique fruitiness to the dram.  Molasses and espresso give some rich sticky depth.  The richness and spice come together slowly to reveal Mexican chocolate— dark and bitter laced with cinnamon and chili pepper.

Finish : Medium length with sweet fruits.