Another SMWS outturn, another one of those sister casks of Ardmore that have been solid gold so far. I don't know when this will run out, but good lord have these been good: sherry finish, red wine finish (this one), all ex-bourbon, you name it, these have been stellar.
I am always curious about newcomers to the independent bottler scene, and as far I as can tell the Uncharted Whisky Company counts - established in 2020 according to the label, it's only been in the game for six years. I assume it was one of the many companies who jumped on the whisky bandwagon during the High and Crazy Covid Years.
My history with Glen Garioch is a weird one: I had never had anything by them, and, in a fit of pique, I bought three 18-year old single cask offerings from three sister casks all distilled on the same day from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
This is the second of the two 23-year Ardmores from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") I've had recently - sister casks, each featuring a different finish. The first bottle, numbered 66.197 and called "Let The World Fall Apart" and was finished in a sherry cask; this bottle, numbered 66.198 is called "Serene Sunset Satisfaction" and was finished in a wine barrique (presumably red wine?).
Fourth (and most popular) sample from the September 2022 outturn of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") at the Jack Rose Saloon here in Washington DC. The moment this stuff was put in front of people and the scenting began, there was a slight hush over the room and a chorus of "ooooh" and "hmmmm" and "ahhhh" - a lovely nose indeed.
Here is a distillery I've never had before - Glenglassaugh, from the Highlands. Owned by beverage giant Brown-Forman (think: Jack Daniel's; Glendronach; BenRiach; et al), it was shuttered for quite some time, 1986-2008, but now is back in action.
I honestly don't know what is going on with casks of Auchroisk over at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), because every single expression I've seen over the last two years has been finished in some kind of wine cask, often a reconditioned one. I am so damned curious as this point what non-finished Auchroisk tastes like!
Nonetheless, I find this strange system of wine finishing to be full of flavor, and this bottle is twice as old as most of the ~7 year releases that come out of the SMWS for Auchroisk (and I am a bit fatigued on bright young brash whiskies), so I am hoping for something mature and mellow while retaining the same complexity of flavor I like in Auchroisk.
I have held onto this bottle for some time, in a secret "emergency scotch" stash, and only remembered tonight that I had yet to review it! So here we go: the Ardbeg Day 2018 release, aged an undisclosed period of years in super heavily charred red wine casks (!). Very interesting - I think scotch and red wine casks go hand-in-glove. This one is bottled at 46%. Thanks to Ardbeg rep Clarke Boyer for hosting the Ardbeg event where I ordered this from Ace Beverage in Wesley Heights in Washington DC.
Something is going on with Auchroisk over at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). This is my third bottle from that distiller, and all three have been re-racked into wine casks at a really young age, and then released after a pretty short finishing period. This bottle, coded 95.46 by the SMWS and nicknamed "Earthy and Mysterious" is the oldest at 8 years (!). Released as part of the annual Speyside Festival, as part of their "spicy and sweet" profile.
