Allt-a-Bhainne 7 Year (SMWS 108.27 "Nice to Meat You")

 

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:

Nose: This is odd - antiseptic, and honey, about equally. There is a very strong industrial medication note here, like the underside of band-aids, like iodine, like ... latex gloves?? But all of it is tempered by a really rich sweetness - the Speyside influence. The honey here is almost intoxicating, if it wasn't counterbalanced by spray-on disinfectant. I have no idea how that note is created at the distillery, but by God I'd like to know. 

Mouthfeel: Extremely thick at the original 66.3%. Thinner as you water it. 

Palate: It gets stranger... HERE is the meat. Pulled pork is what the SMWS says, I would say something closer to undercooked brisket. I also taste... is that gasoline? Hints of diesel fuel, like with Springbank? Tar? Hard to tell, exactly. The honey from the nose follows through into a very sweet sugar cookie note (not kidding. Gasoline and sugar cookies). More antiseptic, strongly. There might even be a fish note here, like fish sauce in Thai cooking. 

Finish: The wood makes a small showing here as the medicinal notes take over completely and leave you with an aftertaste of a medicine cabinet. More latex. More disinfectant. More plastic. Aggressive finish, too, takes over your mouth. Some little smoke remains on your tongue - remnants of the peated nature. 

Verdict: So let's summarize the notes I've written so far: antiseptic, honey, latex, iodine, undercooked meat, gasoline, sugar, fish sauce. If that's not the strangest Scotch you've ever heard of, I don't know what is. But ... it's fun! Funky as hell, and surprisingly sweet. Takes water very well (and it better, at 66.3%). With water, all flavors remain present, but the sweetness diffuses a bit and pervades the palate a little more. Really a weird bottle, one of the very weirdest, but worth exploring. A nose- and palate-tester, to be sure.