SMWS Cask No. 93.61
Campbeltown
58.3% ABV
$?
Date Distilled: June 1999
US Allocation:
January 2015 Outturn Release
What the SMWS Says:
On the nose, the sweet charabanc of sugar puffs, Crunchy-nut cornflakes, fudge cookies, honey and chocolate flapjacks collided into the savoury wall of smoky bacon crisps, barbecued prawns and baked ham. The palate was also a crash site – big, rich and chew, with cinder toffee, spiced sultanas and dark honey on toast scattered in a frightening wreckage of charcoal, ash, liquorice sticks, peat reek and industrial garages. The reduced nose suggested a welder on a Calmac ferry enjoying a Daim Bar. The palate – sweet and (we thought) acceptably dirty with a big spicy finish. From the ‘quiet outsider’ distiller in Campbeltown.
Drinking tip: To aid the visceral enjoyment of a brutal rugby match.
What Richard Says:
Nose: Wow what an interesting dichotomy playing out here. The smoky and savory are close dance partners with the sweeter confectionery notes all while sherry cream plays the chaperone.
Palate: Damn that’s good. The alcohol is there but it is so rich and viscous you hate to add water. That confectionery sweetness from the nose carries into the front of the palate with a rich honey that fades into more of the campfire notes.
Finish: The proof gives it a little heat but after that clears the throat it leaves you with a pleasant sooty woody finish.
Comments: This is a great dram but it drinks at a much higher proof than your typical single malt. Add the water but do it drop by drop until you get it just right. A couple of drops too much and you’ve killed it. It turns bland, uninspired, and the richness is gone.
Rating: Must Try