30 May & 6 June 2020 "101 Bottles Down"
SMWS Codename : 63.57 “Fields of Pleasure” (aka, Skinny Pears)
Distillery : Glentauchers
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 55.2%
Cask : 2nd Fill Ex-bourbon Barrel
Age : 17 Years (Distilled 9 May 2002)
Nose : Citrus and cream— key lime pie, jujube, and canned pears. Lovely sugar and malt come through as vanilla frosted cupcakes, peaches, apples, and candied toasted coconuts.
Palate : Medium bodied with a mild astringency and waxiness. Opens with sugary granular fruits like chico (sapodilla/sapota) and waxy pear skins. Pepper spices sweeps across the palate along with unripened fruits, and chilled chardonnay. Besides an initial burst of fruity sugars, the flavor profile is almost bittersweet.
Finish : Dry and astringent candied pear skins.
SMWS Codename : 48.110 “Sooooternes!”
Distillery : Balmenach
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 56.6%
Cask : Ex-Bourbon Hogshead (13Y), First Fill Ex-Sauternes Barrique (2Y)
Age : 15 Years (Distilled 8 March 2004)
Nose : Creamy, malty, and loaded with fruity candies. Creamy vanilla pudding pops, caramel drizzled sponge cake, and a beautifully malty whole wheat toast slice loaded with jelly. Mixed pack of fruity bubble gum sticks come into focus— grape, strawberry, pink watermelon.
Palate : Juicy and almost savory—medium bodied with a pleasant heat. White grape juice and floral chrysanthemum tea come through with Fruit Stripe bubble gum and sharpe tropical lychee lingering in the background. Tobacco and malty sugars develop on the end like a powdered sugar coated fried jelly roll.
Finish : Lovely long finish of overripe fruits, sweet pastry and lingering powdered sugar.
SMWS Codename : 72.81 “Gently, friendly”
Distillery : Miltonduff
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 59.4%
Cask : First Fill Ex-bourbon Barrel
Age : 9 Years (Distilled 24 May 2010)
Nose : Pastry, spice, and bananas— banana bread! Green bananas, banana cream pie, banana’s foster all give different ways of conceiving the mild banana note with the creamy starch, spice, and sugars that also come through. Leather, brown sugar, molasses, and cinnamon cardamon pastries. Sweet apple sauce, candied pecans, unsweetened whipped cream, and a mild sweet grassiness that develops overtime.
Palate : Sweet and spice with a lovely undercurrent of tart grapefruit, tangelo, and lemony citrus. Creamy vanilla custard, pears, meringue, and banana cream pie come through at first. Floral ginger and the grassy quality of dried hay and clovers come on the end.
Finish : Medium length dry oaky spices.
SMWS Codename : 128.8 “Fruity delight” (aka, Tropical Fruit Cup)
Distillery : Penderyn
Country/Region : Wales
ABV : 60.9%
Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Age : 7 Years (Distilled 12 July 2011)
Nose : Absolutely bursting with ripe fruit and syrup. Bramble berries, grapefruit, and a heap of tropical fruits— lychee, rambutans, longan, and dragon fruits. The complex layers of fruits give way to sugary and rich pandan, honey, and caramel along with a glazed fruit salad emerge. Fruity desserts come back with floral vanilla, overripe passionfruit, ʻākala (Hawaiian raspberries), and almond float.
Palate : Thick fruity punch and a platter of ripe tropical fruits. All the friends from the nose are present; rambutan, lychee, lilikoi, longan. Pastry and cream notes give the impression of a lilikoi (passionfruit) creme brûlée with lovely caramelized sugars hiding a tart fruity cream. A mild salt comes in the mid-palate along with a Werther’s Caramel Coffee candy. Creamy mango candies come on the end along with the sweet coffee notes.
Finish : Lingering coffee candies, fruit punch concentrate, and mango Hi-Chews.
SMWS Codename : 66.161 “Chateau du Pork Scratching” (Waka-Mole)
Distillery : Ardmore
Country/Region : Scotland/Highland
ABV : 58.1%
Cask : Ex-bourbon Hogshead (12Y), First Fill Ex-Red Wine Barrique (1Y)
Age : 13 Years (Distilled 6 March 2006)
Nose : Deliciously meaty aroma comes out right away— roasted and charred pork, beef bulgogi, and hickory smoked beef jerky. Beyond the meats lie wet hay, fatty drippings, herbs, and strawberry jelly.
Palate : Thick and meaty with bold hickory wood smoke washing over the palate. Smoked meats, charred fruits, and the salty-umami richness of ramen stock. Oiliness builds over time along with tobacco leaf, dark bitter chocolate, and burnt caramel cream.
Finish : Lingering wood char and dark chocolate.
SMWS Codename : 44.117 “Happiness is a warm bung” (The Real Waka-Mole)
Distillery : Craigellachie
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 68.5%
Cask : Refill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt (6Y), 2nd Fill Spanish Oak PX Butt (2Y)
Age : 8 Years (Distilled 20 April 2011)
Nose : Nutty and woody. Roasted pecans, peanut butter, and the wooden hold of an old oak schooner come through. More subtle notes join in; semi-sweet chocolate, winey light roasted coffee, and dark rich plums, raisins, prunes, and figs.
Palate : Nutty and dry with loads of depth. Medium to thick body presents mixed roasted nuts, dried fruits, and dark chocolate. A few drops of water brings out a complex array of coffee, Turkish delight, and sweet tobacco. Stewed apples come through along with coffee infused dark chocolate, chocolate covered espresso beans, and a lovely warmth.
Finish : Long and lingering chocolate and tobacco.
SMWS Codename : 9.172 “Quantum endramglement”
Distillery : Glen Grant
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 56.8%
Cask : Ex-Bourbon Barrel (14Y), Refill Guyanese Rum Barrel (1Y)
Age : 15 Years (Distilled 2 March 2004)
Nose : Fruity and salty with an oily edge. Lovely malty cereal notes, sea water, and cream all float out of the glass. Fruits abound with citrus, green pears, apricot jam, and dried persimmons.
Palate : Medium bodied the palate is nearly a perfect mirror to the nose with salt, fruit, and cream. Sweet and rich chocolate fig jam, ripe apricots, lime zest, and apple juice. Crisp malty notes develop over time and with the sweetness of the palate come off as Frosted Flakes.
Finish : Lingering margarita salt and juicy lime.
SMWS Codename : 59.59 “Spock’s earwax”
Distillery : Teaninich
Country/Region : Scotland/Highland
ABV : 55.2%
Cask : New Oak Heavy Char #4
Age : 10 Years (Distilled 29 Sept. 2008)
Nose : Waxy and fruity, full of dried mangos, grapefruit, tangerine, cantaloup, and melon. As malty notes come through its become more like Fruit Loops cereal. Further in sits minty double mint gum, new cotton socks, and dried caramel.
Palate : Medium to heavy body with an intriguing chalky and waxy mouthfeel. Dried tangerines, oranges, and apples all come forward right away. Oak tannins build on the backend with a lingering dryness and subtle spice.
Finish : Medium length dried tangerines and white sugar.
SMWS Codename : 54.80 “Banana Mexicana”
Distillery : Aberlour
Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside
ABV : 60.3%
Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Age : 12 Years (Distilled 12 Oct. 2006)
Nose : Sharpe and fruity with cottage cheese hiding blueberries, apples, and grilled green bananas. Grassy sweet comes through as brown sugar and tobacco leaf. Sugary cake frosting and sliced apple bananas take us toward dessert.
Palate : Medium bodied with heavy notes of candy and artificial fruits. Yellow Laffy Taffy, light caramel, and cinnamon sugar coated toast. Apple candies and malty Apple Jacks cereal build slowly on the palate. A sour fruity vinegar comes near the end to cut some of the sweetness.
Finish : Lingering sweet floral honey and rich caramel.
SMWS Codename : 139.6 “Viscimetric funk” (aka, Fruit Punch in a Leather Chalice)
Distillery : Kavalan
Country/Region : Taiwan
ABV : 58.9%
Cask : First Fill Port Barrique
Age : NAS
Nose : Rich melange of fruit and wood. Bubbling pot of stewed prunes, figs, purple plums, and whole tomatoes. Sweet raisins to snack on, slices of crisp pear, and a Werther’s caramel from Grandmother’s purse. Spice licorice vanilla extract, black vinegar, and shined leather shoes provide tons of complexity and depth to the perfumey aroma
Palate : Thick, syrupy, and dry. Loads of wood tannins come through like a strong tea. Spoonful of brown sugar, figs, raisins, leather, and syrupy fruit punch. A kiss of salt comes through along with melon rind and meaty pork.
Finish : Long and lingering demerara sugar, crushed cane juice, and popsicle stick.
SMWS Codename : 137.4 “Ye olde fish mines of Norwich!”
Distillery : English Whisky Co./St. George’s Distillery
Country/Region : England
ABV : 63.4%
Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Age : 9 Years (Distilled 12 Feb. 2010)
Nose : Iodine rich fish oil, sweet dried grassy hay, and a mortar full of rosemary, oregano, and basil. Lit evening gas lamp, sliced lemons, and a roasted leg of lamb— drippings sizzle on a hot pan to make gravy.
Palate : Light body with an earthy complexity. Roasted and charred sweet potatoes are mildly starchy and sweet, Mineral water notes come through with honey roasted almonds and peanuts. Creamy candied yams push to the front along with herbal honey, thyme, and an earthy ashtray.
Finish : Dry and sweet with roasted bergamot and citrus.
SMWS Codename : 137.7 “How to kill your dragon”
Distillery : English Whisky Co./St. George’s Distillery
Country/Region : England
ABV : 65.6%
Cask : 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
Age :7 Years (Distilled 16 Feb. 2012)
Nose : Clean and smokey— smoke off a clean grill with a hint of kerosene and lighter fluid. Sweet apple slices and swimming pool chlorine come through along with sulfur, hard boiled egg, and pipe tobacco.
Palate : Medium bodied with a mildly syrupy mouthfeel. Spicy and nutty with sweet black sugar syrup. Cashews tossed in sweet chili sauce, fruity almond extract, and smoked dried chilis. Sulfurous funk pops up in the mid palate before apple juice, citrus, and light roasted coffee notes come through.
Finish : Lingering lemon citrus and herbs.
