Inchmurrin 18 Year (SMWS 112.99 "Feels Like a Caress")

 

The second bottle sampled at the March 2023 outturn of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington Dc. This is an older Inchmurrin (imprint of Loch Lomond distillery), and was a very popular sample among the people at the table. 

Here are the official notes:

This had us all fantasizing right from the start as we dug into a dessert combining layers of stewed apples, cardamom-flavoured rye breadcrumbs and plenty of whipped cream. To drink we had walnut wine, late harvest orange muscat, hibiscus tea as well as a kiwi and lime flavoured cider. With a drop of water, we “awakened the serpent” as we created visible eddies and ribbons and the aroma was that of toffee popcorn and caramelised pear slices. Smooth with a fabulous texture, grapey-sweet with a biscuit kick like a glass of Pineau des Charentes. Following fifteen years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a 1st fill Sauternes barrique.

Another great description - caramom-flavored rye breadcrumbs? Walnut wine? Lime cider?? Yes please. 18 years old (the final 3 in an ex-Sauternes cask), bottled at 51.4% ABV. Let's see what my impressions were:

Nose: Oddly, my first impression is a subtle meatiness (!). Followed by baking spices, white grapes, and various nuts but especially raw almonds. The almonds and meat would imply a traditional sherry but the white grapes betray the Sauternes. My sample was too small to draw any other conclusions.

Mouthfeel: On the thicker side. 

Palate: Butyric acid, white fruit, meat, a drying spice. The acid note, I think, is what I was scenting vaguely as "meat." Fascinating it doesn't turn up anywhere in the official notes. Butyric acid is often called "baby sick" or "baby vomit" in whisky circles, but it's too faint here to be really offensive. Instead it simply comes across as an acidic dimension, and I'm quite sure it's a relic of the Sauternes cask in some way. 

Finish: Surprisingly dry finish, heavy on the white wine elements. 

Verdict: I enjoyed this, but perhaps not for $190. It was interesting and full of cool angles, and I wish I had a lot more time to savor it, but in a tasting environment it came across a little one-note (white wine), and that note wasn't necessarily splendid. Still - it was fascinating, and given all the other Inchmurrin bottles I've had I'm sure it would reward further exploration.