Stands Out

SMWSA Cask No. 29.104
Islay
58.2% ABV
Distilled October 1990
$140
US Allocation: 120 bottles
Winter 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
A big nose with lots going on. Carbolic soap, sticking plasters, treacle, hot smoked salmon, burnt heather and liquorice root added to the the anticipation. Then a youthful woody spiciness together with jerk chicken sauce (rosemary, thyme, cloves, honey). The palate was massive with concentrated flavors and bitter woodiness. Water brought out prunes, raisins, lemon juice and old camp fires. A musky aroma accompanied some lighter floral notes. A brief hint of struck matches to taste gave way to tannins, burnt heather, liquorice sticks and lots of sweetness. It benefited from some water t calm it down. Of the three Kildalton distilleries, this is the one closest to Port Ellen.

Drinking tip: When you aren’t planning on sampling another whisky that evening

What Richard Says:
Nose: Burnt rubber and iodine with hints of peat. There’s also a meaty backbone that’s almost discernible right before the alcohol overwhelms it.
Palate: A quick hit of sweetness from dried fruits that plays at the beginning and end of the palate but plays hide and seek while you’re rolling it around in your mouth. It’s viscous to the point of almost being chewy.
Finish: Refreshingly smoky? A peat smoke breath mint? It sounds crazy but that’s what it’s like. Long after all this fades away it leaves you will light woodiness.
Comments: This is a complex malt that reveals itself in an iterative way. You can’t take one pass at it. Spend time with it. Explore it and you will be rewarded.
Rating: Stands Out

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

SMWSA Cask No. G2.2
Grain
53.6% ABV
Distilled November 1976
$250
US Allocation: 60 bottles
Winter 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
Once the largest grain whisky distillery in Scotland, it was closed and dismantled in 1983. Its make was never bottled by its owner and is very rare in indie bottlings. Jaunty for its age: ‘red patent-leather dancing pumps’ came to mind. A school art-room, with poster paint, Gloy glue, ink, vinyl and coated card – all behind vanilla fudge. Sweet and oaky to taste, with vanilla, coconut and light liquorice. With water it became a newly crafted coffin, wax-polished and resinous. A light texture and a short finish, with a hint of Murraymints and strong, lorry-drivers, tea, and condensed milk.

Drinking tip: While watching a school tap-dancing class

What Richard Says:
Nose: Astringent and antiseptic opening to hayrides and hints of honeysuckle.
Palate: Buttery sweet with light vegetal, herbal, and floral traces. It reminds me a lot of pot still Irish whiskey.
Finish: Dry, clean, and short.
Comments: Nice, light, and pleasant. This reminds me so much of a good Irish whiskey that it’s a little creepy. Very tasty and a good exercise in the aging of grain versus malt. The nose and finish haven’t acquired much over the years but the palate is lovely.
Rating: Stands Out

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

SMWSA Cask No.128.3
Welsh
61.3% ABV
Distilled October 2006
$85
US Allocation: 78 bottles
Holiday 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
The nose was sweet and fruity – macerated raspberries, Kirsch, cherry jam, Dr. Peppers, chocolate-coated cranberries and Haribo mix, but with fudge, toffee, hints of swimming pools and ‘brake pedals in an ambulance’. The palate held something deeply rewarding but hard to describe – sweet woodiness; hot, but also smooth – sumptuous flavours of vanilla slice, banana ice lollies (right to the stick) and milk chews. The reduced nose had evident vanilla, Berwick Cockles, prunes, plums, peaches, chestnut puree and new hiking boots. The palate now delivered exotic fruits (passion fruit, star-fruit) like some long-matured single malts. From the only distillery in Wales.

Drinking tip: A bit of surprise dram – use it to create a stir.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Delicate and coy. Brandy, fruit blossoms, and something that strangely reminds me of Hawaii. Very buttery. Water brings out ripe sweet berries.
Palate: Vanilla milk and a sweet woody flavor. Water leaves you with something like sweet milk drank from a wooden cup.
Finish: Dry and tart. Water juices up the finish leaving it fruity and floral.
Comments: Really nice. I’m not sure why the Welsh can make a fine 5 year old but the Scots can’t.
Rating: Stands Out

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

SMWSA Cask No. 106.18
Highlands, Speyside
52.6% ABV
Distilled November 1984
$175
US Allocation: 78 bottles
Holiday 2012 Outturn Release

What the SMWSA Says:
Our noses found poignant floral perfumes, shrubberies and pine tree freshness. We also detected ripe fruits (apple, mango), candles, cinnamon, clove and honey on buttered toast. The palate was chewy and delicious; fragrant wood, flowers and tropical fruits (lychee, apricot, passion fruit) mingled with sweet toffee flavours to draw sighs of contentment from the panel. The reduced nose, with tutti-fruitti ice-cream, lime sawn wood and aromatherapy oils made us think of warm summer nights. The palate now carried rose and lemon flavoured Turkish Delight with stem ginger spicy warmth in the tail-flick. The distillery houses the spiritual home of Johnnie Walker.

Drinking tip: Perfect dram for the first day of your holiday.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Butterscotch quickly fading to sherry, pine pitch, and cloves. Water brings out more fruity notes.
Palate: Woody and floral with buttery sweetness on the way the out. Watering the palate does the same thing as with the nose. Much lighter and fruitier.
Finish: Heavy handed with the wood. Very warming on the finish. Water just wisps away a light clean finish.
Comments: A really nice comfort dram.
Rating: Stands Out

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