June 2011 Outturn Offerings

Old man of Hoy smoking a pipe

Cask No. 4.146   
Highlands, Orkney

At least we agreed the nose was complex! Some got gentle heathery smoke; others finding brine thought of smoked crab. Some detected dark chocolate and vanilla – others liquorice and blackcurrant, while one panellist got honey-glazed gammon. The palate was surprisingly smoky with coastal elements – muscled and masculine – like a pipe-smoking beachcomber scouring a rocky shore. We also found hints of marmalade. Smoke strengthened on the reduced nose, along with salt-and-vinegar crisps and celery. The palate still had big smoke and some mineral aspects but now with lime (lime peel, chocolate limes). The distillery gathers its heathery peat from Hobbister Moor.

Drinking tip: On the seashore – or – in the bath, especially if needing to relieve stress

Colour: Wedding band gold   
Cask: Refill hogshead    
Age: 19 years    
Date distilled: May 1991
Alcohol: 54.7%

$135

‘What a Magnificent and Handsome Nose’

Cask No. 29.88   
Islay, South Shore

First impressions were smoky barbecued pork, hot shellfish, beach-dried seaweed, expensive balsamic vinegar and rock pools on a hot summer’s day. To taste we found salty char, caramelised sweet-cured bacon and lots more smoke; one Panellist was licking hot stones and charcoal. With the addition of water we found empty lobster pots, lemon wedges and boiled ham, lobster thermidor hot and bubbling from the grill, Jammy Dodgers, old-fashioned cloth bandages and caramel. Creamy Cullen Skink, clam chowder and salty fudge greeted us on the taste as barbecued cod & king prawns mingled with more smoke. You can become a Friend of this distillery.

Drinking tip: Enjoy while preparing for a barbecue in the early evening on a warm summer’s day at the beach

Colour: Copper gold    
Cask: Refill sherry butt    
Age: 9 years    
Date distilled: February 2001
Alcohol: 60.9%

$90

Harmonious and Christmassy

Cask No. 55.20   
Highlands, Speyside (Findhorn Valley)

An interesting nose – toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, liquorice, Bounty bars; honey and marmalade on burnt toast; but also sweet tobacco, nutmeg, cinnamon, woody aftershave and flower petal perfume. The unreduced palate was wonderfully sweet and warming with liquorice toffee, aniseed balls, cinnamon, nutmeg and other Christmassy spices – straightforward but nice. The reduced nose, still sweet and spicy, became creamier and more perfumed – lemon cheesecake, lemon-balm, pepper cream sauce. The reduced palate was an impressively harmonious blend of sweetness and spice – sweet up front, warm in the middle and a definite pick-me-up zing in the after-taste. The distillery enjoys a royal prefix.

Drinking tip: Maybe with espresso – but really any time at all

Colour: Pale honey    
Cask: Second-fill hogshead   
Age: 12 years    
Date distilled: September 1998
Alcohol: 58.8%

$105

Floral perfumes and fruity pleasures

Cask No. 77.23   
Highlands, Northern Highlands

The nose was predominantly a swirling together of toffee and perfume, but we also identified pear, orange, coconut, beeswax, syrupy biscuits, Lady Grey tea and new wood. The palate was lip-nippy and long-lasting – fiery but not aggressive, with lots of fruit flavours (pomegranate, orange zest, blueberries, star-fruit, orange jelly babies) with faint incense smoke in the finish. Water turned the nose to lemon, boiled sweets, cologne and orange blossom. The reduced palate combined floral perfumes (jasmine, bougainvillea) with fruity pleasures, all underpinned by an attractive woody structure – complex, juicy and very tasty. The distillery has a large maltings next door.

Drinking tip: Perfect for a Mediterranean garden at dusk – take it with you on holiday

Colour: Copper gold    
Cask: Second-fill hogshead   
Age: 23 years    
Date distilled: August 1987
Alcohol: 56.8%

$145

You may join the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at www.smwsa.com