SMWS Codename : 37.127 “Coconut curry down the Douro Valley”

Distillery : Cragganmore

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 56.4%

Cask : First Fill Madeira Hogshead

Age : 16 Years (Distilled 11 June 2002)

Nose : Opens with waxy notes of dried coconut flesh, cosmetics, and beeswax.  Fruity dried strawberries, tropical passion fruit, and pineapple gives a lovely fruity edge.

Palate : Medium bodied with a syrupy fruity profile.  Passion fruit, gummy bears, citrus zest, all contribute to the sugary fruits.  Herbal astringency lends itself to the image of passion fruit herbal tea (though one with two big scoops of sugar in it).

Finish : Long and lingering, herbal notes and honey.

SMWS Codename : 5.71 “Elbow patches and saucy librarians”

Distillery : Auchentoshan

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowlands

ABV : 56.4%

Cask : First Fill Oloroso Hogshead

Age : 18 Years (Distilled 11 Oct. 2000)

Nose : Roasted coffee, milk chocolate, with Wether’s butterscotch.  The nose is subtle and restrained as prunes and plums come along with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Kiss of salt, tweed, and salted caramel develop in the background.

Palate : Mellow profile with florals and wall paper glue leading the way.  Brown sugar and red fruits give a lovely sweetness.  Rubber pencil erasure, book bindings, and tannic astringency build over time along with a bit of bitterness.

Finish : Lingering cinnamon and coffee. 

SMWS Codename : 26.129 “Pineapple ramen” (aka., Death by Coconut)

Distillery : Clynelish

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 57.8%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 24 Sept. 2010)

Nose : Absolutely bursting with fruits and syrup: peach nectarines, lilikoi-passion fruit, pineapple, honey dew melon.  Flaming bananas foster, blue Hawaii syrup, and coconut rich pina colada promise desert and drinks.  Hints of salt come through with gyoza sauce and dashi.

Palate : Coconut, pineapple, lilikoi and cottage cheese ride forward on a medium waxy body.  Coconuts begin raining down: coconut husks, coconut milk, coconut flavored candies.  Pandan candies, salty broth, vinegar, and cedar notes appear near the end along with a bit of dryness.

Finish : Lingering pina colada with salt.

SMWS Codename : 1.213 “Seduces and invites fantasies” (aka., Marcy Playground “Sex & Candy”)

Distillery : Glenfarclas

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 58.6%

Cask : 2nd Fill Ex-PX Hogshead

Age : 14 Years (Distilled 10 May 2004)

Nose :  Frozen chocolate bananas, red apples, honey, with a thick ribbon of molasses.  Spices come through as mulled spice cider and cinnamon apple sauce while a sweet milk chocolate develops in the background

Palate : Medium bodied with a waxy mouthfeel.  Chocolate covered bananas, red apple slices, and cinnamon candy match the nose very closely.  Edible lotions, sensual oils, and chocolate sunscreen highlight faintly chemical creamy artificial flavor notes which are not altogether unpleasant in combination with the fruit and spice.

Finish : Medium length astringent apple sauce.

SMWS Codename : 115.15 “A solitary sausage”

Distillery : AnCnonc

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 59.4%

Cask : Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel

Age : 9 Years (Distilled 2 Sept. 2009)

Nose : Pears, green apple sour apple, and honey dew rind.  Fruits are followed by black pepper spice, toasted crumpets, and English breakfast tea.  Aquarium brine and fish tank funk hides in the back ground.

Palate : Tart green apples, green Jolly ranchers, and perfume notes come through with a bit of mint.  It is hard to dodge the fact that this is young and hot.

Finish :  Light and shallow with a bit of apple, mint, and cream.

SMWS Codename : 10.180 “Westering Rhone” (aka., Temptation of Eve)

Distillery : Bunnahabhain

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 60.5%

Cask : 2nd Fill Red Wine Barrique

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 27 Sept. 2010)

Nose : Kelp, sweet cream, citrusy lemon meringue, and a graham cracker crust.  Beyond dessert lies fresh lumber at Home Depot and cinnamon bark— or in combination with the graham cracker crust it is more like cinnamon toast crunch.

Palate : Cinnamon apple sauce, cassia bark, and sweet cream.  Lovely earthy complexity— moss, salty stone, churned soil, and saw dust.

Finish : Lingering by red cinnamon candies.

SMWS Codename : 66.160 “Tense mysterious suspense”

Distillery : Ardmore

Country/Region : Scotland/Highlands

ABV : 55.3%

Cask : Virgin Oak, Heavy Char #4 Hogshead

Age : 13 Years (Distilled 6 March 2006)

Nose : Fruit, earth, and grass— an orange creamsicle dropped dried grass and dust.  Old hay, petting zoo pen, and beefy jerky take us through the nutrient cycle and highlight grassy, funky, and meaty notes.  Antiseptic notes of band-aide, salts, and sticky bandage adhesive develop on the nose.

Palate : Bursting ripe lychees, rambutan, and creamy vanilla custard bring back to mind that fruity creamsicle.  Sweet grassy notes hint at freshly mowed lawn along with a kiss of sweet char like the caramelized topping of creme brûlée.  The dram is medium bodied with quite a bit of oak tannins.  Near the end the antiseptic notes of used band-aids appear.

Finish : Lingering funky cinnamon caramel apple.

SMWS Codename : 66.157 “Eternal bliss”

Distillery : Ardmore

Country/Region : Scotland/Highlands

ABV : 59.2%

Cask : Refill Hogshead

Age : 20 Years (Distilled 27 May 1998)

Nose : Ocean brine, antiseptic iodine, turpentine, mineral oil— the nose opens with salt and industrial cleaners.  Beyond lies fruits, smoked toffee, beef jerky, pepper, and tomoe ame rice candy.  Undergirding the profile is a low campfire smoke— almost like a beachside bonfire smoldering the next morning.

Palate : Campfire washing forward with notable medicinal antiseptic and maritime notes.  Medium bodied, there is a lovely complex blend of tropical citrus fruits, pepper, and charred campfire marshmallows.  Sweet, grassy, and smokey the palate builds toward a sugar cane field fire.

Finish :  Lingering cane and char— sweet and sticky.

Whisky : Cutty Sark Blended Scots Whisky (c. 1960’s)

Country/Region : Scotland/Blend

ABV : 43%

Nose : Sherry funk and a bit of smoke hit the senses first.  Rubber slippers, new shoes, and a bit of sulphur along with diesel fumes and sweaty food.  Slightly salty umami comes through as dark shoyu along with a ribbon of caramel.  Roasted plantains highlight starchy creamy notes with caramelizing sugars.

Palate :  Medium bodied with a mellow flavor profile.  The grilled plantain note on the nose comes through first on the palate— my even charcoal pit roasted plantains as bits of ash and soil come through as well.  Hints of citrus and fruits: orange preserves and melon rind.  Cedar wood and potting soil carry the palate through the Home Depot Garden Center.

Finish :  Light and fruity with some dry menthol.