Caol Ila 10 Year (SMWS 53.357 "Smoke and Smirr")

 

Yet another ~10-12 year bottle of single cask Caol Ila from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). In the past, I have liked a few of these, and one ("Industrial Chimney Soot") was quite distinctly good indeed. Nicknamed "Smoke and Smirr," which originates in a poem called "The Smokey Smirr O' Rain" by George Campbell Hay: 

A misty mornin’ doon the shore wi a hushed an’ caller air,
an’ ne’er a breath frae East or West tie sway the rashes there,
a sweet, sweet scent frae Laggan’s birks gaed breathin’ on its ane,
their branches hingin beaded in the smoky smirr o rain.

The hills aroond war silent wi the mist alang the braes.
The woods war derk an’ quiet wi dewy, glintin’ sprays.
The thrushes didna raise for me, as I gaed by alane,
but a wee, wae cheep at passin’ in the smoky smirr o rain.

Rock an’ stane lay glisterin’ on aa the heichs abune.
Cool an’ kind an’ whisperin’ it drifted gently doon,
till hill an’ howe war rowed in it, an’ land an’ sea war gane.
Aa was still an’ saft an’ silent in the smoky smirr o rain.

Craigellachie 17 Year (SMWS 44.143 "Good Traditional Fare")

 

Now here is a bottle I am greatly looking forward to: a 17 year single cask Craigellachie from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). I have adored every single Craigellachie SMWS has released, and the last one, a 13 year bottle called "The Fruits of One's Labors" was outstanding: a succulent mixture of apples, pie crust, and meaty sulfur notes. Wonderful stuff. 

Craigellachie means "rocky hill" - I imagine that's where the words "crag" and "craggy" originate - and refers to an outcropping that overlooks the Spey river, across from the Macallan distillery. Craigellachie is owned by Bacardi, and I have to say - based on what I've had, they are doing all the right things. It was built in 1891, and is currently a major part of Dewar's blends; they produce 4,000,000 litres of alcohol a year.  

Inchgower 13 Year (SMWS 18.38 "The Happy Ponderer")

 

Here is a new one to me - Inchgower, a four-still distillery on the outskirts of Buckie in Moray, Scotland. Dating from 1871, it was owned by Bell's for many years, and is currently owned by Diageo. It remains a major component of Bell's blended whisky, which I always liked just fine. I have never, not once in a decade of drinking primarily single malts, seen or even heard of a bottle of Inchgower, anywhere. According to the cask coding that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") uses, this is only the 38th cask they've ever obtained from Inchgower - a real rarity!

Research: Phenols and Esters

Phenols and esters are two volatile molecular compounds that cause many of the flavors in alcoholic drinks, Scotch included. There is actually a considerable body of scientific research into these compounds and exactly how they are created, destroyed, and generally interact. 

If you ever had a glass of Scotch and wondered where that rubber tire aroma came from, or lavender soap, or that *exact* aroma of charred pineapples ... these articles will help explain. 

Naked Grouse Blend

 

An interesting offering from the Grouse family of blended whiskies, this one has been aged in first-fill sherry butts, and consists heavily of (apparently) Macallan and Glenturret and Highland Park. Color me intrigued! Thanks to Rob Martin for the sample! Bottled at 43% ABV, let's just drink the damned stuff!

Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend, Single Marrying Vat

 

First off, thanks to Rob Martin for this sample! I always admire the Compass Box whiskies, and have been curious about this bottle for a while now. 

Compass Box manufactures some really excellent blends, and even the worst bottles I've had from them are pretty damned interesting. This one is, apparently, a love letter to Glasgow; the website opens by saying 

"Aromas of sherry and smoke permeate the streets of Glasgow

In his 1930s book ‘Whisky’, Aeneas MacDonald teaches us that Glaswegians historically preferred fuller bodied and more flavour-packed whiskies than people in other parts of the world. So what better name for a whisky such as this?

Glaswegians are also famed for their sense of humour, which is why the city’s Wellington statue – traditionally dressed down with a traffic cone – is featured on the front label."

Highland Park 20 Year (SMWS 4.277 "A Punch and a Pout")

  

If I'm being completely honest, I only really bought this because it supported a good charity (Fisher House Foundation) on Veteran's Day here in the US, and because it was the least expensive of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") Black Label bottlings - their oldest, most mature offerings. I simply couldn't justify $1000+ for an ancient Mortlach, etc. 

But I do quite like independent bottlings of Highland Park, especially the recent revattings I've had from SMWS - "Dining by the Harbor" and "By the Beautiful Sea" were both amazing bottles. This is a 17 year Highland Park (those 17 years in ex-bourbon) that was revatted and finished another 3 years in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead. Here are the official notes:

David vs Goliath - The Battle of the Single Cask Sherry Bombs

 

I normally don't do posts like this, but I couldn't resist - I got both these bottles about a week apart and they begged for comparison. 

DAVID: A 13 year bottle of Dailuaine (a distillery owned and operated by Diageo, 98% of their production goes into Johnnie Walker), matured for 11 years in an Oloroso butt and another 2 year finish in a Pedro Ximenez butt. Bottled at 57.5% ABV by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). 

GOLIATH: A 12 year bottle Macallan (a renowned distillery owned and operated by The Edrington Group, famous for its high prices and sherry casking), matured for 10 years in an Oloroso butt and then revatted and finished for 2 years in a Pedro Ximenez butt. Bottled at 63.9% ABV by the SMWS.

So we have two massive sherry bombs. Can the smaller distillery keep up? Let's find out...

Dailuaine 13 Year (SMWS 41.142 "Jam-Packed with Darkness")

 

I discovered Dailuaine through the lens of single cask independent bottlings; not the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") as you might think from reading this blog, but actually Signatory. That bottle was fresh, bright, full of lovely candied citrus, and had a very distinct tart/sour watermelon Jolly Rancher flavor that I later found in other bottlings. I was immediately a fan. 

Old Pulteney 7 Year (SMWS 52.40 "Sweet and Zesty Sea Air")

 

Now this is an oxymoron if I've ever seen one - a young Old Pulteney! A single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I was just so curious I couldn't resist - the normally oily, salty Old Pulteney house style at a very young age and filed under the SMWS flavor profile Young and Sprightly?? Yes, please. Someone once said that SMWS Young and Sprightly bottles were "not for the faint of heart." 

Glenturret 11 Year (SMWS 16.52 "Campfire Breakfast on a Damp Morning")

 

I have absolutely loved and respected the three previous peated single cask Glenturrets I've had from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). They were real surprises, richly flavored, with a very distinct rich sweetness paired to a note of fresh pencil shavings (!). This bottle is, of course, also heavily peated, and was a lottery release, chosen at last year's tasting panel experience by US members - it's exclusive to the US SMWS. 

Guyanese rum (SWMS R2.17 "Staggering Bravado")

 

From time to time I explore spirits other than Scotch whisky. It's good to broaden your palate, try new things, see what else is out there - and when you come back, it gives you a renewed appreciation for old favorites, and sometimes a new slant on flavor. 

I recently had a fantastic (and extremely funky) overproof Jamaican rum (Hampden Estates) from Smith and Cross, a London bottler, and decided to try again with a type of rum I've never had - Guyanese rum made on the east bank of Demerara river in the capital of Georgetown.

Macallan 12 Year (SMWS 24.157 "In a Tapas Bar")

 

Another single cask, natural strength Macallan from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS")! I'm delighted. The last bottle (24.147, "The Deepest of Mahogany") was absolutely rich and impressive from every single angle - a rare opportunity to have a full blast sherry bomb from a well-known distillery that prides themselves on full sherry maturation. 

A quick SMWS note: the cask coding is used to protect the identities of the many, many distilleries who sell their casks to the SMWS; this is somewhat common in the independent bottlings scene, as you'll often see bottles from "Unidentified Orkney" or generic "Highland distillery" and so on. In this case, 24.157 indicates the 157th bottling released from distillery 24 (in this case, known to be Macallan). 

This bottle comes from a specific project where they took five 10 year Macallan casks that had been aged in first-fill Oloroso butts, revatted them, and then finished the revatted single malt in three other sherry casks (!). I'm intrigued.