Fall Outturn Postcard Offerings 

A big, eye-watering slap 

Cask No. 23.72

Islay, Loch Indaal 

The nose forced shotgun shells and fireworks on us – but also gave barley sugars, custard and chocolate-coated foamy bananas; peppermint tea, liquorice, smoked ham and old bonfires. The palate’s big, eye-watering; sherry slap took our breath away – sweet red liquorice, cinder toffee, crème brûlée, treacle, cooked apples, ash and peat. The reduced nose suggested barbecued lamb chops dripping on embers, singed mint leaf and burnt lemon skin. Water definitely improved the palate – now sweeter (toasted coconut, vanilla, golden syrup, raisins, cherries) – also woody spices, crispy sage, and grilled lobster. The distillery is on the road from Port Charlotte to Bridgend. 

Drinking tip: Let some water open it up and don’t rush it 

Colour: Golden mother hen

Cask: Refill sherry butt

Age: 9 years

Date distilled: July 2002
Alcohol: 66.4% 

$90 

Old-fashioned tea chests and maple candy 

Cask No. 125.48 

Highlands, Northern Highlands 

The nose, initially offering orange liqueur, balsa wood and old-fashioned tea chests, took some time to open; a drop of water helped us to discover the depth and complexity – caramel, Mars bar, fruit tea with honey, a mixed bag of dried fruits and nuts and Dorset Cereals muesli with maple syrup. The palate, at natural strength, had good heat in it, plus flavours of leather, wood, tea leaves and coconut, with cinder toffee, burnt sugar and honeycomb crunch. The reduced palate developed malt and candy sweetness, with pleasant warm spices in the finish. ‘Perfected’ by the sixteen men of Tain. 

Drinking tip: Pretty versatile really, but not one to be rushed 

Colour: Vintage marmalade

Cask: Dechar/rechar hogshead

Age: 12 years

Date distilled: November 1998

Alcohol: 52.1% 

$110 

Black tea in a greenhouse 

Cask No. 2.81 

Highlands, Speyside (Livet) 

Rich and heady aromas of butterscotch, molasses and rum soaked raisins together with crème brulee, orange oil, geraniums and a greenhouse on a warm day. Toffee sweetness was balanced by balsamic and a trace of struck matches. The taste was hot, there was liquorice, black tea tannins, toffee and black pepper. Water improved it offering smooth buttery toffee, tobacco and balsamic. The palate was still tannic (like chewing sticks) with brown sauce bitterness but also sweet with vanilla, butterscotch and caramel. This Speyside distillery is close to the famous pack horse bridge. 

Drinking tip: A pudding dram 

Colour: Mahogany

Cask: First-fill sherry butt

Age: 15 years

Date distilled: April 1996

Alcohol: 59.9% 

$120 

A bag of assorted boiled sweets 

Cask No. G1.8 

Grain 

Lots of fruit on the early nose (pear flan, rhubarb, lemon curd, apricot) growing richer in the glass – soon we found marzipan, fudge, toffee, Bakewell tart, butterscotch, vanilla and straw. The palate was just as fruity but also sweet and nippy (some found it fiery) – like a bag of assorted boiled sweets. In reduction, the nose split between citric components and banana toffee – also some dustiness, like rubbing butter into flour. The palate opened and became cleaner and fresher, but evaporation from the tongue left rich joys of tobacco, liquorice and dark chocolate Bounty bars. From Edinburgh’s only grain distillery.

Drinking tip: A summertime dram – or maybe while making cakes 

Colour: Pale apricot gold

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 21 years

Date distilled: December 1990

Alcohol: 62.9% 

$145

Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at http://www.smwsa.com/ for further information on their single cask bottlings.