Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Official website: www.smws.com
The third and final SMWS one-two punch, with two Highland single casks of significant ageing.
SMWS Fragrance Clings to the Hand that Gives Flowers
Strength: 47.3%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refill barrel
Average price: € 480.00
A Clynelish 26yo doesn’t happen every day. This was distilled on 22 October 1993 and was offered at 47.3%ABV in 164 bottles.
Tasting Notes
The colour is gold.
The nose is tropical, with ripe pineapple and papaya, but soon the creamy dimension takes over, with custard, vanilla and milk chocolate. Nutmeg spice adds a lively touch, while the typical Clynelish waxy note is somewhat muted. There is still plenty of cream, especially vanilla, which increases in intensity as the whisky progresses. Vov, not in the wow sense, but in the popular egg liqueur sense.
On the palate, apart from a hint of Spadona pear, it is a triumph of cream, even more so than on the nose, with orange cream, custard, zabaglione and meringue. A hint of wood and a hint of pastry complete the confectionery aromas, which are enhanced on the palate by a softness that is ideal for achieving an ecstasy of the senses.
The finish is lightly spiced, creamy and satisfying with cream, milk chocolate and vanilla.
A Clynelish that is only inadequate in the 2cl sample, in the sense that we would have liked a more generous dose for such a pleasure. Apart from the absence of the waxy note, it seems to us that the cask has worked very well to bring out the deepest essence of the whisky, which is returned to the drinker at a point of absolute brilliance.
Vote: 89/100
SMWS Smoke, Mirrors and Honey Traps
Strength: 50.8%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-Bourbon refill hogshead
Average price: € 260.00
The second whisky of the day is a Tomatin, distilled on 16 March 1989, which spent 31 years in a non-first-fill ex-bourbon hogshead and was bottled at 50.8%ABV in 251 bottles. The oddity is that the barley was accidentally peated.
Tasting Notes
The colour is pale gold.
We don’t know the degree of peatiness of the barley, but certainly, for such a long time in the cask, the smoke is still awake on the nose: a vegetal smoke, from burnt wood, accompanied by a balsamic note of liquorice and a mirage of aniseed. There are hints of grilled pork, black olives in brine and tanned leather on a firm custard base. Caramel, shells and roasted chestnuts complete a truly distinctive range of aromas.
On the palate, salt and pepper generously season a fruit salad of apricots, peaches (also in syrup), apples and pears, over which hangs a veil of smoke. We don’t know if the custard can be smoked, but if so, it would be as we hear it here. Peanuts and almonds enhance the nuts, while a hint of cappuccino opens the door to a savoury, slightly fruity finish, with a hint of pepper and a smoky vagueness.
The most original aspect of this drink is the intensity of the peat note after 31 years. It may have been a mistake, but the result is truly unique: a sweet and savoury combination that resembles a journey in which the panorama outside the window is constantly changing, in a sensory merry-go-round of remarkable variety.
Vote: 89/100