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.

On top of that, I have never had a bottle of Glenrothes in all my years of reviewing Scotch whisky, so I am quite curious about a spicy and dry single cask variant of it. I have only heard good things. 

So this bottle, a 7 year Glenrothes (cask 30.114), was a natural fit for me and I greatly look forward to it. The official tasting notes seem telling: 

We collected shiny chestnuts from beneath a blanket of lovely, coloured autumn leaves, with some of them still in their cracked green shells then back home we made some conker crafts as we sipped steaming hot chocolate. Less serene on the palate as we found ourselves in a street in Manhattan – two vendors vying for our attention, one selling spicy hot dogs the other heavily roasted chestnuts. With water it turned into burnt caramelised chestnut jam with a hint of cocoa powder and camphor as well as eucalyptus, while to taste salty caramel macaroons and tonka bean panna cotta with roasted rhubarb. After five years in an ex-oloroso butt, we transferred this whisky into a refill toasted oak butt.

5 years in an Oloroso butt, 2 years in a refill toasted butt - interesting! Bottled at a very very strong 66.9% (!), which - I think - is the hottest Scotch I've ever had. Let's see how this goes: 

Nose: Heady stuff, lots of hot young sherry wafts out of the glass: definitely chestnuts, milk chocolate (like you get at Easter), cinnamon, cloves, some earthy mossy notes, young cracked leather, white raisins cooked in a pan of olive oil (!), and the official notes' camphor and eucalyptus. Quite spicy indeed. 

With water - and this really needs a bit of water, at 66.9% - it becomes a little more traditionally sherried - the Oloroso comes forward, the earthiness recedes, the spices stay about the same. A decidedly rich sugary sweetness emerges with water as well, like half-melted chocolate bars freshly unwrapped. Chocolate is a dominant note here. 

With quite a bit of water, this becomes exceedingly nutty and oily: tons of hazelnuts, almonds, cashews. There remains a considerable waft of ethanol on the nose no matter how much water is added. 

Mouthfeel: Thin but exceedingly silky. 

Palate: Good golly is this hot without water: MASSIVE alcohol burn, more even than Aberlour Abunadh, which is saying something. The official note says "Less serene," which I now realize is heavy sarcasm. I get caramel, fiery raisins, more chestnuts fresh from the fire, golden raisin syrup, more cinnamon and cloves. I lose the camphor and I never get the spicy hot dogs. I do, however, taste a little bit of hot peppers on the back end. 

With water and and time in the glass, it gets a little more complicated: it actually reminds me quite a bit of the single cask Macallan I recently had from SMWS, "The Deepest of Mahoganies." Strong brown sherry flavors mix with tons and tons of spices: black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, maybe allspice, maybe even anise or mace. Still some caramel in there, and some toasted wood as well. Basically requires water if you don't want to be swept away in a brutal alcohol tidal wave. 

As with the nose, adding even more water to soften this brings out a ton of nuts and oils, but the peppery heat never goes away completely. Very rich. 

Finish: Medium length. Caramel slices, toasted wood, pepper, and sweet raisins all combine on the finish, which is balanced and attractive. 

Verdict: Well, if this is Glenrothes, I like it. It has a delicious core to it, a chocolate-and-sweet-fruit note that carries through from start to finish. For a "spicy and dry" whisky, this is also very sugary. And good lord does it pack a punch without some water! Rarely have I been so walloped by a dram, both on the nose and the palate. Because of the high alcohol content and the avalanche of spices, this isn't exactly an easy sipper ... and yet, because of the sweetness and the savory chestnuts and the interesting earthiness to it, I find myself wanting a little bit more. Which is perhaps the real mark of a good whisky. Recommended.