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.
Matured for 13 years in 2nd fill Madeira hogsheads, bottled at 53.8%, with the nickname "Sweet and Savoury Excitement" ... let's see how this fares.
Nose: Saturated raisins lead the parade, dripping honeycomb, flambeed bananas. A bit of alcohol. Something chocolatey - cocoa? Something slightly savory - maybe the balsamic glaze that the official tasting notes references? A hint of sweet potato? Some baking spices - cloves, nutmeg. And wood - the hogshead itself comes through on the nose.
Mouthfeel: Thin.
Palate: Fairly rapid and somewhat simple development. Raisins, honey, spices, pepper, wood... the latter two carry into the finish. Sweet, spicy, pleasant, but a little quick across the tongue. Still - it might be a little basic, but it delivers what the nose promised.
Finish: Wood and pepper, Medium. A simple, but satisfying finish.
Verdict: This is one of the non-curious bottlings from SMWS. It promises Madeira maturation, it delivers Madeira maturation: spicy, sweet, in appropriate amounts. It tastes like a core bottling might, which is appreciated when other bottles I've had lately had included notes of Pledge, dust/putty, and soy sauce. Very straightforward. For this, recommended.
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