Another great expression of Caol Ila to review - always a treat. This is another Scotch Malt Whisky Society bottling, nicknamed "Industrial Chimney Soot," and aged for 11 years in refill ex-bourbon hogsheads. Bottled at 58.1%. Here are the facts (and impressions):
This is easily the weirdest, kookiest, strangest Scotch I've ever had the pleasure of tasting. And it was a pleasure - I actually enjoyed this bottle quite a bit - but I admit, this is definitely not for everyone. This is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) bottling of Chivas blend mainstay Allt-a-Bhainne (alta ven?)... you can tell it's SMWS from the absolutely terrible pun "Nice to Meat You." It's a peated Speyside (lightly peated, I'd say), bottled at a VERY stiff 66.3% ABV, and aged for 7 years in 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrels. Let's explore this wild young little thing:
Another lottery bottle (for Burns Night 2021) from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), this one is from the Inchmurrin imprint of Loch Lomond distillery (as near as I can tell). I know nothing about Loch Lomond or any of its imprints, but I learned when researching this review that they are the only distillery that makes both single malt and grain whisky at the same facility. Inchmurrin-branded bottles seem to review better than the core Loch Lomond bottles.
