Review

SMWSA Cask No. 30.68

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWSA Cask No. 30.68
Highlands, Speyside (Rothes)
60.6% ABV
Distilled March 2001
$95
US Allocation: 120 Bottles
Early August 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
Salty, dry and earthy – this really didn’t hide it’s cask influence; we were getting treacle toffee, chestnuts, polished leather, mushrooms, smoked almonds, raisins, sandalwood bark, ink, dark Indonesian soy sauce, and matchboxes. The taste revealed savory meaty notes of Szechuan peppered steak, wild mushrooms and tuna steaks but also the sweet delight of peaches in Sauternes. Water released Pedro Ximenez soaked prunes, more matchboxes, hot sandpaper, root veg (beetroot), electric storms (!), sticky dates and raspberry syrup. Long, hot, tannic to taste with dark chocolate, pine trees and raisins. From the distillery that is vintage bottled by it’s London owners.

Drinking tip: Too big to take lightly

What Richard Says:
Nose: At first it’s all seaweed, brine and salt water swimming pools. Water opens up nutty treacle notes. As the nose continues to develop vanilla, orange blossom honey and salt caramels move forward.
Palate:Creamy and rich but very hot out of the bottle. Water pulls out a savory, salty, and sweet profile with a nice leathery undertone.
Finish: The finish is long and hot. Water mellows it out nicely and leaves you with nutty dark chocolate notes.
Comments: This is a really tasty dram. Glenrothes (I’m guessing) all the way. The only thing better than the whisky are the tasting notes from the SMWSA. It reads like the J. Peterman catalogue of whisky notes. I don’t know that I can taste an “electric storm” but I kind of wish I could.
Rating: Stands Out

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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SMWSA Cask No. 7.69

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWSA Cask No. 7.69
Highlands, Speyside (Lossie)
61.6% ABV
Distilled May 2003
$85
US Allocation: 150 Bottles
Early August 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
The enticing nose – ‘attractive as apple pie’ – offered maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, Danish pastries (with cinnamon and almonds) and hints of tobacco and hay. Even with water, it remained beautifully warm and inviting – ice-cream, toffee apples, fudge and jasmine perfume. The palate was hot but smooth – flavors of honey, apple, and butterscotch, spiked up by a zing of Fentimans Victorian lemonade with ginger; some tobacco and leather tannic dryness lengthened the finish. Water seemed to allow the toffee and syrup sweetness to come through, while retaining the chilli, peppercorn heat. The distillery has links to one Saint and many sinners.

Drinking tip: Would suit early evening – but is very versatile.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Cherry ice cream, apple turnovers, cinnamon, and black peppercorn. Oak, vanilla, and oranges play a minor supporting role.
Palate: The dry chardonnay of single malts? The palate is very clean. Almost too clean. The flavors try to bob and weave away from you. It reminds me of a well aged cigar in a leather furnished men’s club lounge.
Finish: The finish is where the dryness really gets you. It’s been a while since a whisky made me thirsty just drinking it. Hints of Pernod linger before everything fades.
Comments: Another pleasing yet somewhat shy malt. This is a nice aperitif or palate cleanser at the end of a meal. The nose was my favorite part but the rest left me a little wanting. Maybe this one is still needs to grow up a little.
Rating: Average

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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SMWSA Cask No. 24.122

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWSA Cask No. 24.122
Highlands, Speyside
53.0% ABV
Distilled September 1995
$120
US Allocation: 120 Bottles
Early August 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
The satisfyingly fragrant nose offered dried pear, green apple, fruits in syrup, scented soap, light Pernod, vanilla, caramel and dark chocolate gingers; also hints of smoke (from burning paper). The palate conveyed ample sweetness (amaretti biscuits, honey, bourbon creams) but also some quite ‘grown up’ flavours – cinnamon, clove, star anise, chilli, salt, menthol and gunpowder. The nose was much lighter with water – jasmine, daffodil and floral soap, alongside poached pear, creamy dragon fruit, plantains and tree bark. The reduced palate was sweetly fruity, with pleasant lingering Christmassy spices, carrot cake and Rooibos tea. The distillery lies between Aberlour and Craigellachie.

Drinking tip: A perfectly reasonable alternative to afternoon tea.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Dried fruit, vanilla, fennel seed, cherry, oak, cinnamon, and a mild sulfur note.
Palate: It’s orange zest sweet and light. It kind of reminds me of black tea a bit.
Finish: The finish is mildly woody with helpings of dried straw.
Comments: A very nice and pleasant dram but nothing I would call extraordinary. It’s a fine dram to share in mixed whisky company as it won’t offend anyone but they aren’t going to be dying to know what it is either.
Rating: Average

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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SMWSA Cask No. 3.182

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, SMWSA Whiskies /

SMWSA Cask No. 3.182
Islay, Loch Indaal
46.4% ABV
Distilled August 1990
$145
US Allocation: 60 Bottles
Early August 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
We found quite a bit of fruit on the nose – tinned pears, passion fruit and ‘someone peeling tangerines in the a recently painted hospital’ – in addition we enjoyed lavender, orange blossoms, patchouli, burnt paper, smoky bacon and well-kept stables – quite complex all in all. The palate had Elastoplasts and gauze bandages, star anise, walnut fudge, honeysuckle, nutty tobacco and baklava. Water brought freesias and parma violets, creosote and peat fires to the nose, while the palate became sweeter, developing slightly burnt treacle tart, sugar cane and dark chocolate coated marzipan with some coconut to finish. The distillery was built in 1779.

Drinking tip: A good barbeque or camp fire dram.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Ooooh creamy smokey yummy. Smoked bacon and ripe orchard fruits. I don’t like what water does to the nose on this one. It makes it a little too vegetal.
Palate: Sweet and spicy at first. Lots of honey. The spice is driving me nuts. I know I’ve had it before. It’s hot and peppery like some kind of southwestern Mex-fusion. Water makes it much more floral and peaty.
Finish: The finish plays out slow to a medium length. That honey sweetness lingers and slowly fades into the ember smoke of a camp fire the morning after.
Comments: After seeing the depth of notes the SMWSA puts out I’m a little intimidated. Well, we’ll see how it goes. 😉 [cough]Bowmore[cough] Honestly, assuming I’m correct about the distillery, this is one of the best glasses of malt from there that I’ve ever had. Very nice. This is a busy whisky with lots going on but you don’t get lost in the mix. It all plays very nicely together. Easily a must try dram.
Rating: Must Try

Review sample provided courtesy of the SMWSA and is available to society members through their website or 800.990.1991.

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Clement Premiere Canne

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Clement Premiere Canne Rhum Agricole
40% ABV/80 Proof
$30
Website

What the Distillery Says:
Produced using selected varieties of sugarcane from Habitation Clément, Première Canne is unique white rum created from fresh pressed sugarcane juice, which spontaneously ferments into an extremely aromatic and flavorful sugarcane wine; and then softly distilled only once to capture the natural aromas and flavors of the tropical appellation of Habitation Clément, following our time-honored tradition passed down from Homère Clément. Première Canne rests for just over nine months in a stainless steel vat and is slowly reduced over time with distilled volcanic spring water, which results in a well-balanced, smooth, super clean, white Rhum Agricole, loaded with character and flavor unlike any other rum in the world.

Volcanic terroir and Clément’s tropical appellation lend Première Canne its exotic bouquet and a sensational palate entry with flavors of cocoa bean, bittersweet chocolate, black tea, and unrefined sugar. The mid-palate brings elements of fresh grass and beans preceding a graceful finish with subtle notes of caramelized sugar.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Raw pre-appellation. It reminds me of a slightly sweet whiskey mash in the washback mixed with a nice merlot red wine. Very funky but not necessarily off putting.
Palate: Very floral and grassy. Very little sweetness for a white rum.
Finish: Dry and vegetal.
Comments: This is my first experience with a rhum agricole, much less one from Martinique. It’s not what I expected at all. It’s like a cross between corn whiskey, white rum, and artisan vodka.
Rating: Stands Out

I would like to thank Shannon Fischer with Handcrafted PR for sending over a bottle for review.

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