Origin: Campbeltown (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Official website: www.smws.com
Second one-two punch from SMWS. This time we pour into the glass two whiskies from Glen Scotia, the neglected distillery in Campbeltown, with rather different ageing lengths.
SMWS Drambletown Loch
Strength: 55.3%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refill hogshead
Average price: € 105.00
15 years of ageing for this whisky distilled on 7 February 2003, matured in a single hogshead ex-Bourbon not-first-fill and bottled in 2018 at 55.3% in 274 bottles.
Tasting Notes
The colour is golden.
On the nose, the first impression is of wax, so intense that we think for a moment of Clynelish. Fruity notes of yellow apple and peach, with spicy accents of nutmeg and clove, are accompanied by hints of husk, pastry and an algae-like vagueness. A hint of cereal and one of apricot in syrup open the doors to vanilla, which, like a prima donna of irresistible beauty, draws all attention to itself. After a few hours, a smoke mirage emerges from the empty glass.
On the palate, fruit (apricot, peach, yellow apple, unripe pear, with a citrus touch of orange peel) and cream (zabaglione, milk chocolate, custard and a vanilla that is more shy than on the nose) compete in an indomitable battle. The waxy sensation is still there, but much more subtle. Above all, a generous sprinkling of pepper.
The finish is long, with peach and apricot on one side and pastry and custard on the other.
An excellent Glen Scotia from a cask that is anything but spent, and which balances the fruity and creamy notes with impeccable precision to create a truly inviting aromatic score.
Vote: 88/100
SMWS Blackadder’s Cosmic Tardis
Strength: 55.9%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refill hogshead
Average price: € 240.00
Another ex-Bourbon refill cask, but smaller, filled on 1 October 1991 and bottled after 28 years at 55.9% in 179 bottles.
Tasting Notes
The colour is always a brilliant gold.
On the nose, it is immediately clear that this is a complex and multifaceted whisky that requires extra effort from the discerning drinker. Alongside the wax, yellow apple, pear and a hint of vanilla act as a trait d’union with the previous 15yo. The rest is a different ballgame altogether, with notes of nougat, butter biscuits, white chocolate and a hint of cooked meat reminiscent of Mortlach, while the spicy side has garnishes of thyme and marjoram. Rucola and exhausted teabag are not necessarily (or at least not for us) pleasant descriptors. Peach blossom is definitely better. In the background, an inescapable hint of polished light wood.
On the palate, apricot and yellow apple flank rum baba, almond and wafer, with yellow orange peel in the background. The spiciness is generous with pepper and chilli, and the wood comes in many guises: wet and dark polished.
Vanilla, butter biscuits, yellow apple juice and a reminder of dark polished wood remain in the not too long finish.
Difficult and uncomfortable, a whisky with a unique and precious profile, to the eye, bottled just before the wood takes over, which, if you really want to give it a hard time, only sins in the slightly lower than expected finish. Not a daily dram and not ideal for a raucous evening, but we could do with such rich and surprising drinks.
Vote: 89/100