Glen Moray 8 Year (SMWS 35.286 "Xanthous Symphony")

 

For anyone wondering, "xanthous" is an adjective referring to something yellow in color, usually a particular mustardy golden/red/auburn/brownish shade of yellow. Video game fans will recognize the term from the Dark Souls games, where there is a set of clothing that is xanthous-colored (and is so named). 

I haven't had a bottle of Glen Moray in a while, and decided it was time to come back and revisit this excellent distillery whose bottles I have so enjoyed in the past.

Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Very rarely do I review a non-Scotch spirit on this blog - after all, it's called Let's Drink Scotch - but once in a blue moon I find something so outstanding and noteworthy, I have to discuss it. The last time, I think, was Yellow Spot Irish whisky (and god, that was good). This time, it's Smith and Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum. It's the best rum I've ever had. 

One Year in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society: A Review

 

I don't think my journey to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is all that unique. 

Like most single malt Scotch drinkers, I started with your basic blends as a teen or early twentysomething (I distinctly remember that it was Cutty Sark at a bonfire in my hometown of Damascus, Maryland, around 2001 or so).

Then I moved up to the entry level single malts (Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, and so on), then began experimenting more and more, partaking in liquor store tastings, meeting the reps, gradually expanding my palate and growing more and more curious about different styles, caskings, ages, regions, all of it. 

Ardmore 7 Year (SMWS 66.192 "The Dalai Farmer")

 

I am such an aficionado of Ardmore - a Highland distillery owned by Japanese beverage giant Suntory - that I love basically every bottle I've come across. Originally built by William Teacher's son Adam, to supply blend fodder for Teacher's Highland Cream, they did have a small core selection of single malts for some time. 

Unfortunately, my delightful original experience with their official distillery bottling, the Traditional Cask (no age statement), was short-lived - Ardmore pulled it from the market, and whatever they've replaced it with has taken years to come out, and doesn't seem to be widely available in the American market. At least, I can't find it anywhere. Which leaves independent bottlers. 

Laphroaig 10 Year (SMWS 29.281 "Driftwood Barbecue")

 

I took a bit of a gamble on this single cask bottling of Laphroaig from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), since the last bottle of Laphroaig I tasted from them was absolutely awash with a pungent "Lemon pledge cleaning solution" aftertaste that I couldn't shake and found unfortunately unpalatable, despite many other interesting notes. 

Bottles of Laphroaig come through the SMWS so rarely, there is always a temptation to assume that they are reject casks in some fashion, or at least significantly off-profile for Laphroaig. But they are also sought after extremely highly by the large quantity of Islay maniacs who belong to SMWS, and all ~165 bottles of this single cask were sold out in about ten minutes (!). 

Glencadam 9 Year (SMWS 82.33 "Frolicking Flavors")

In all my years of drinking Scotch whisky, I've never had Glencadam until now; and instead of one of their official distillery bottlings, this is an independent single cask bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). 

Glencadam is owned by Angus Dundee (who also owns Tomintoul!), and has a wide range of official bottlings, from 10- to 25-years old. Here are the official tasting notes:

Glenallachie 9 Year (SMWS 107.23 "Aromatic and Substantial")

 

I am super intrigued by this single cask bottling of Glenallachie from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Released with the nickname "Aromatic and Substantial" in the September outturn, it's the second Glenallachie bottle I've had from SMWS. The first was a young, brash, characterful 8 year that had a really great umami/meaty overtone and was totally matured in a sherry butt. 

Glen Spey 8 Year (SMWS 80.20 "Easy, Peasy,...")

 

A new distillery to me, Glen Spey is located, predictably, on the banks of the River Spey, in the town of Rothes in the Moray area. If those sound familiar to you, you may recall distilleries named Glenrothes and Glen Moray - clearly we're in the heart of Speyside territory. Neighbor distilleries include Macallan, Craigellachie, and Glen Grant. Dating to 1878, Glen Spey was originally called "The Mill of Rothes," and was actually an oatmeal mill before it was a distillery (!). 

Currently owned by Diageo, basically the entirety of their output is funneled into blends, specifically J&B. Wikipedia's entry for the distillery notes that they use purifiers, which return some of the alcohol back into the pot for distillation, and results in a lighter textured spirit. This is an independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"), nicknamed "Easy, Peasy,..." - the end of that phrase is Lemon Squeezy, which is definitely encouraging. 

Linkwood 8 Year (SWMS 39.208 "Summer Gardens and Funfairs")

 

I have a strange fondness for Linkwood, even though I've only ever had one bottle of their whisky, and that was an independent bottling from Signatory. Still, that one bottle made a big impression on me - it was a light, delicate, textured dram with lots of flavor even at 46%. So imagine my delight when the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") had a big sale this week in honor of the Highland Games, and one of their bottles was from Linkwood!