Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.189 "A Doric Takeaway")

 

Of all the unknown or little-known distilleries out there, Ardmore is my favorite. I have had some really incredible bottles from Ardmore, both official (the old Ardmore Traditional Cask) and single cask independent bottlings from various places. This bottle is a lightly peated expression from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), called A Doric Takeaway (your guess is as good as mine - more at the end of the review) and aged for 7 years in first fill bourbon barrels, bottled a very robust 61.4%. Part of the 2021 Highland Festival. 

Croftongea 9 Year (SMWS 122.37 "Doctor Blowtorch")

 

First of all: what a name! Of all the wacky/descriptive/imaginative names to come out of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), Doctor Blowtorch is easily my favorite. This single cask bottling is from one of the Loch Lomond distillery imprints, this one being Croftongea; this is apparently one of the peated varieties used in their blending, along with two other imprints Craiglodge and Glen Douglas. 

Highland Park 9 Year (SMWS 4.274 "Rock Solid Dramming Pleasure")

 

This bottle is a peated single cask expression from Highland Park, it is bottled at a very very strong 63.0% ABV, and has a rather unusual casking story. Nicknamed "Rock Solid Dramming Pleasure." I'll let the official SMWS tasting notes explain:

Inchmurrin 12 Year (SMWS 112.75 "Queen of Tarts")

 

I think it's fair to say, at this point, that the recent independent bottlings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society present the best possible face of the Loch Lomond distillery and all their various imprints. Virtually every bottle I've had has been a riot of flavor, full of intriguing aspects, rich, tasty, and occasionally even sublime. 

Glen Garioch 12 Year

I recently had a sampling of Glen Garioch 12 Year from a Suntory rep here in Washington DC. Bottled at a nice, round, robust 48%, and aged for 12 years in a mix of sherry and bourbon barrels. This is a distillery that has escaped me until now - it was founded in 1797 (!), making it one of the oldest - so I was quite curious to try something new. Let's see how it did! 

Glengarry 12 Year

 

Yet *another* imprint from Loch Lomond! This one is particularly interesting to me - and thank you so much to Meghan Burns for this lovely housewarming gift - as it's aged 12 years in bourbon, refill bourbon, and re-charred casks, and bottled at a very respectable 46% (thank you Loch Lomond!). No word on chill filtration or coloring, though - I assume both are present.  

Glenturret 10 Year (SMWS 16.51 "A Bit of a Beast")

 

I absolutely adored my last heavily peated Glenturret - another single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") that was called "Confessions of a Barbecue" and absolutely reeked from bottom to top of scorched wood - pencil shavings, roasted splinters, ash, cinder, you name it. It was phenomenal. One of the single smokiest whiskies I've ever had, maybe the most. So when this bottle became available, I jumped all over it. 

Craigellachie 14 Year (SMWS 44.140 "The Fruits of One's Labor")

 

I have a particular fondness for Craigellachie - home of the most distinct apple-and-light-sulfur flavor in the business. It's always delicious, and the previous single cask offerings (as well as the very solid official bottling) I've had have all been excellent. 

Glen Deveron 11 Year (SMWS 6.44 "Summer Garden Adventures")

 

Glen Deveron (aka Macduff - the name seems to vacillate back and forth) is a distillery I have never encountered before. Currently owned by Bacardi, it was used for years in the William Lawsons Blend, and apparently 90% of their production is used in blends like Dewar's. 

This is a single cask release from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), part of their Juicy, Oak & Vanilla flavor profile. It's cask 6.44, nicknamed "Summer Garden Adventures" - aged 11 years in second fill bourbon barrels, and bottled at a healthy 56.8%. I have no reference points for Glen Deveron, but here are the official tasting notes:

The nose led us through summer gardens and orchards – apple, peach and pear, tinned fruit salad, Turkish delight, honey and vanilla – merest hints of ginger and wasabi. The palate delivered more definite spice (but still gentle and refined) – ginger, clove, cinnamon and chilli; otherwise tinned mandarins, cherries and peaches (in syrup), runny honey and custard trifle. The reduced nose picked up cola cubes, pineapple chunks, rhubarb and some herbs (mint, bramble bushes, bouquet garni). The palate still had a lively mixture of watermelon, gooseberry, and white currant with caramel and vanilla fudge sweetness and a finish of dry oak and warm spice.

It sounds like a good time - fruit, honey, a little spice. Let's dig in: 

Nose: Green apple and honey, off the top. Ginger, too. I don't know about wasabi, but something spicy is present. Simple, but pleasant. The green apple reads almost as a sour scent. Some spiced pear. 

With water, there is a decided "cola" aspect here, and some tropical fruit - coconut and pineapple and lychee, along with the previously mentioned green apple, ginger, honey, and spice. Rich with fruit. 

Mouthfeel: Medium, right in the middle of the road. 

Palate: Bolder than you would think! This has some body to it. Spices come first and foremost - cinnamon, cloves, allspice, chili powder. Then, peach and pear, with drops of honey everywhere. I can see the "custard trifle" flavor from the official note - there is a bright vanilla sweetness here. I don't get any mint or bramble, though. 

With a little water, this opens up a bit. Same spices, but the fruit becomes melon, watermelon, berries, and an oak note emerges. Better with water, I think, but it's close. Very rich, bold whisky. A dram with real character. 

Finish: Not much wood influence to speak of, but the pear and apple and honey and pepper notes all fade gently into a short/medium finish. 

Verdict: Well, if this is how Glen Deveron/Macduff presents itself, then I'm a fan. This is very solid stuff. Nestled right on the Highland/Speyside line, this is, indeed, juicy, oaky, and with some vanilla overtones. The juicy aspect is the strongest - berries, honey, apples, pears, all are bold and rich. It's sweet without being cloying. It's spicy without drying out the mouth. It's powerful too - the cask strength really does it some big favors here. It's both young at 11 years, but also somewhat mature. Worth exploring. 

Inchmoan 9 Year (SMWS 135.32 "Bowling Green Libations")

 

The distiller Loch Lomond has a lot of imprints; I've mentioned them all before, but it stands repeating - there are at least six or seven that I can tell, with no clear demarcation between them. This is a bottle of Inchmoan, which I thought was the peated variety of Loch Lomond. However, this bottle - a single cask offering from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), cask 135.32, nicknamed "Bowling Green Libations" - doesn't seem to be peated at all, released under the Sweet, Fruity & Mellow flavor profile. 

Glenrothes 7 Year (SMWS 30.114 "The Nutcracker")

 

Of all the twelve flavor profiles in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), I have had Spicy & Dry the least. Which is a shame, because I do tend to like spice bombs - big explosions of allspice, cinnamon, sometimes coriander or pepper, perhaps nutmeg or even pumpkin spice.