SMWS Cask No. 48.29
Speyside, Spey
61.0% ABV
Distilled September 1999
$??
US Allocation: ??
Valentine’s 2014 Release
What the SMWS Says:
Powerful sweetness hit the nose to start with. It became set honey, vanilla pods and toffee bonbons and then lavender freshness with herbal notes of thyme and cut grass. To taste it was hot and sweet. The herbal notes were there too along wit orange marmalade bitterness, tobacco and cooling menthol eucalyptus. A good length of finish too. With water the aroma becomes sweeter: baking (pastries, cakes & marzipan), sherbet, lemon icing sugar, rhum agricole, but also an earthy note that took us to summer gardens. Water calms down the taste and offers cake mixture dough, sweet tobacco and orange pith in the finish. From the distillery that is the closest to Grantown on Spey.
What Elizabeth Says:
Nose: Vanilla covered cherry blossoms.
Palate: Orange infused wooden casks wrapped around your tongue.
Finish: Lemon tartness.
Comments: Very refreshing!
Rating: Stands Out
What Richard Says:
Nose: Honey and Greek yogurt, vanilla, and herbal notes. Water brings out more of the herbal, grassy notes.
Palate: Chewy and mildly sweet. Lovely flavor and mouth feel even at cask strength. Apricot and citrus fruit salad. Sweeter with more honey and mandarin oranges with water.
Finish: Clean and very short. There is a quick hint that reminds me of Italian Proraso shaving cream.
Comments: This is an absolutely lovely dram. The SMWS calls it “satisfyingly sweet” and it definitely is. This is the perfect balance of sweetness in a single malt.
Rating: Must Try
Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.