Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 54.2%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Red Wine First Fill
Chillfiltered: No
Additional coloring: No
Owner: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Average price: € 52.00
Official website: www.smws.com
Voto: 72/100
I return to last August’s releases of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (I know, I’m slow: too many whiskies to drink!), almost all focusing on a single distillery, this time corresponding to code 112 with bottling 54, distilled in March 2001.
The “Uncle Monty” who goes around stealing should refer (the conditional is a must) to the eponymous character of the Lemony Snicket saga: a series of unfortunate events.
As always, a single cask (red wine barrique of unspecified origin) and cask strength, in a particular version of a bottling already part of those from the distillery, which takes its name from an island in the area, Inchmurrin.
And here is the usual and convenient guide to untangle the codes of SMWS.
Tasting notes
Amber in the glass.
Figs and mature dates flow in the nose, chased by a charge of almonds and nutmeg. The spiciness of the wood becomes very intense, affecting the aromas of orange, dried apricot and honey with an acidulous and metallic vein between shoe polish and trielin, which over time tends to prevail.
A note of not too pronounced ginger enters the palate, in a sweet but not excessive profile, which combines tones of jam (bitter oranges), licorice, nutmeg, almonds and plums. Slight bitter and metallic base note.
Finish quite long, dry and metallic, with almonds, orange, wood.
A disordered sense of smell corresponds to a more homogeneous body, but all in all anonymous, little incisive and rather boring. The metal note, always present, is a fairly annoying constant.