Penny for Your Thoughts - SMWS Extravaganza
I received some samples recently from a member of the distinguished Scotch Malt Whisky Society, whose spectacular Kaleidoscope bar we visited in London. SMWS is one of the best independent bottlers around, with loads of cask-strength, well-aged, single-cask releases from distilleries all over Scotland.
SMWS 29.159, "Anyone for cricket?" (51.7% ABV) - Oh my, another cask-strength, well-aged Laphroaig from SMWS. It doesn't get much better than this for a whisky lover. One of 280 bottles, distilled on October 3, 1997 (I'm trying to picture where I was back in the fall of 1997! That's how long this scotch has been readying itself for me). This whisky aged for 17 years, before SMWS bottled it in 2015. Here's the Society description:
"Old apothecary chests and Germolene in the cricket pavilion. Wet, mossy grass. Applewood smoke over tuna steak, wasabi, crispy seaweed and salt and vinegar chips. Earl Grey, Sportsman's leathers like well worn gloves and sweet pipe tobacco. Dark chocolate with mint."
What I got from this sample was a virtual dead ringer for Laphroaig's 2015 Cairdeas expression, a roughly 12-year old scotch delivered at 51.5%, consisting of the distillery's own floor maltings and aged in its No. 1 warehouse on Islay. The sweet and oily nose prominently features Laphroaig's signature smoke, hay, and a bit of chalky medicine tablet dryness (it's akin to the smell of kids' chewable vitamins). This tastes very similar to that glorious Cairdeas expression as well, with a slightly stronger charred wood and spice backbone adding another layer to the peat-and-smoke show. The fruity sweetness of a mature Laphroaig is here, and this time may come closest to mango lassi in flavor. On the drydown, there's a big, ashy smoke note, and I concur with the SMWS's "salt and vinegar" characterization. It's a great scotch but also, at $150+, close to twice the price of that Cairdeas, and its extra five years of maturation haven't added a tremendous amount (perhaps because of the use of a refill hogshead here). In some ways, that price discrepancy shows what a value Laphroaig provides by keeping its limited editions in the double digits, but as a result, I'll knock a half-rating off this SMWS bottling. A-
SMWS 3.270, "Surf 'n' turf in a camel's saddle bag" (55.8%) - SMWS Distillery 3 is another Islay stalwart, and another Beam Suntory distillery: Bowmore. This scotch was distilled in September 25, 1997 (just a few days before my 10th birthday), aged for 18 years in a refill sherry butt, and then bottled in 2016 for Canada's branch of the society. Here's what the Society has to say:
"The nose has odd combinations -- honey-coated kippers, toffee Pavlova, Fisherman's Friends, syrupy campfire waffles, surf and turf and camel saddle bags. The palate has barbecued prawns, treacle toffee, ginger cake, prunes, leather, cigars, dark rum -- and big sherry and smoke."
This scotch reminds me of Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release, although with more barrel influence thanks to the additional years of aging. The aromas of sharp smoke are the first ones to race out of the glass, followed by petrichor, coffee caramel donuts, chocolate croissants (lots of breakfast pastries in here!), syrup, and a heady dose of sharp oak. The palate is sweet and salty at first -- caramel, brine, and walnut -- but then the sherry explodes on the tongue, complemented by a lasting, ashy smoke. The finish also has that ashy smoke, along with apple cider vinegar and Carolina barbecue sauce sweetness. SMWS 3.270 cost a whopping $180 back in the day but, considering the more diluted Bowmore 18 (43%) costs about $125, that strikes me as a fair price. This is definitely my favorite Bowmore that I've tried. A
SMWS 37.82, "Curious complexity" (58.9%) - Tipping the scales at 58.9%, this is the strongest SMWS scotch I've had, and also my first experience with the Cragganmore distillery. This scotch was distilled on October 1, 2002, aged in a refill bourbon cask, and released in October 2016. This scotch has received some stellar marks online, and it's hard to argue with this description:
"The nose is curiously complex -- vanilla ice-cream, toffee, rhubarb rock and Murray Mints, with floral, herbal, hedgerow freshness. The palate is sweet and tart (lemon meringue pie, raspberry jam), with ginger, liquorice, white pepper and coltsfoot rock spicing up the finish."
OK, final review, let's go out with a bang. The nose, particularly after opening up with a little water, features butter, vanilla, crisp apple, and lime. It's a sweet, creamy nose, which isn't as "curiously complex" as the name would suggest but is lovely. The palate is tart and sweet grapefruit, with a creamy or buttery texture, and vanilla. I haven't tried cask-strength Balvenie, but this tastes like what I'd imagine cask-strength Balvenie would be like. This dram concludes with a strong apple and zinfandel note, white chocolate, vanilla, and loads of aromatic ginger. The ginger unbalances the dram at the end, but, overall, I enjoyed this first taste of Cragganmore. B+