Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America February Offerings – Scotch Whisky News
Early February 2013 Outturn Offerings
Sweet versus savoury
Cask No. 33.114 $105
Islay
Bacon, maple syrup and waffles vie with Black Forest Gateaux and sticky toffee pudding, while fried seaweed, spare ribs and black pudding tussle with lint bandages, and smoke. Sweet, rich, smoky, ashy, thick and herbal on the palate lent weight to the meatiness (pork covered in caramel). The addition of water brought forth aromas of smoked goose, salty scallops, toffee, Seville orange marmalade and fresh minty notes. The taste was chewy and rich but this time with scorched heather, burnt citrus, barbecued lamb & mint sauce, violet ice cream and caramelised onions. This distillery’s mascot is Shortie the Jack Russell.
Drinking tip: A definite foodie dram – while spit roasting a suckling pig perhaps?
Colour: Burnished gold Date distilled: August 1999
Cask: Refill ex Sherry butt Alcohol: 56.3%
Age: 11 years USA allocation: 168 bottles
Coconut shy
Cask No. 1.161 $160
Speyside, Spey
Strawberry jam and vanilla brings to mind Victoria sponge dusted with icing sugar, with Cornish ice cream, but soon light bosky notes emerge: dried grasses, high-summer dustiness, gorse flowers. The latter come through strongly in the taste, now as full-blown coconut; sweet to start, and tannic dry in the finish, with a light aftertaste of cottage cheese. It drinks well straight; with a dash of water, the aroma is lightly woody before the coconut returns, with sugared almonds and some Fruit & Nut chocolate. A creamy texture, with more coconut, and a return of the Fruit & Nut in the finish. The distillery is still owned by descendants of its founder.
Drinking tip: To accompany a Jilly Cooper novel
Colour: Pale amber Date distilled: December 1986
Cask: Refill hogshead Alcohol: 49.2%
Age: 24 years USA allocation: 114 bottles
Mon Chérie
Cask No. 7.71 $135
Speyside, Lossie
A profound, very dark chocolate, nose, reminiscent of Mon Chérie cherry-liqueur chocolates, a hint of wild mint and creamy coffee. A creamy mouthfeel at full strength, with the bitter chocolate theme continuing, joined by light coconut and sultanas: lively but pleasant. Water reveals its Speyside origins – acetone and warm vinyl, creamy and buttery; vanilla ice cream with desiccated coconut. A soft and gentle texture; not as sweet to taste as previously, with traces of orange bitters and later, canvas or hessian; a long finish, with dry coconut in the aftertaste. The distillery used to be connected to BenRiach Distillery, which supplied it with malt, by a railway line.
Drinking tip: At dusk with a loved one and a box of hand-made chocolates
Colour: Deep gold towards amber Date distilled: April 1992
Cask: Refill hogshead Alcohol: 53.0%
Age: 19 years USA allocation: 138 bottles
Moselle and nasturtiums
Cask No. 121.52 $90
Highland,Island
Soft and gentle, with vanilla sponge, tart apples (or sour apple chews), hard pears, skins of peaches and nectarines, then a sharper note, like lime, with traces of jasmine. Water sweetens it – ‘poached pears in Moselle’ – and raises estery notes of warm vinyl and ‘leaky BIC biro’, with ladies face powder, developing to warm apple pie. At natural strength the taste is hot and simple, with traces of apple and flour; water makes it sweet and spicy, with a spritzich fizz and a slightly bitter finish, like eating nasturtiums. The island on which this distillery is located is known as ‘Scotland in miniature’.
Drinking tip: A lunchtime aperitif
Colour: 9CT gold, white wine Date distilled: July 2002
Cask: Refill barrel Alcohol: 59.9%
Age: 9 years USA allocation: 60 bottles
Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at http://www.smwsa.com/ for further information on their single cask bottlings.
