thewhiskatorium

Put together a nice Canadian / Caribbean inspired split for a whisky group in London. Was fortunate to get some ryes to include on a recent trip back to Canada.

Made the pilgrimage to Campbeltown to visit

Got a sample of 31 year old today. Looking forward to this one.

Really enjoyed this single cask

On a trip home to Canada, I got to visit where I did a tasting and of course bought a few bottles to take home to London

I’m hosting a tasting at SMWS Greville Street on the 27th of August. One of the drams will be a special one from the Old and Dignified flavour profile.

I will be visiting the tasting room to construct the flight next week - if there are any drams you want me to consider, let me know!

Link in my profile, or see the SMWS events page.

Inchmurrin 9 yr Old Distillery Bottling - The Whisky Exchange Exclusive (1/7)
55.3%

This is the first in a series of seven samples I recently bought from the whisky exchange. I’ll taste a few tomorrow and post those too.

This is a 9 year Inchmurrin, bottled at cask strength. There isn’t much more information than that. It says “single malt” which implies it isn’t a single cask, but it also says distillery bottling which I would normally expect to be a single cask.

I am going to assume it spent its entire time in a bourbon barrel of some sort as that is typical of the distillery and there isn’t any obvious indication to the contrary.

Nose: waxed lemons, gauze from a first aid kit. It is light and refreshing but not weak at all.

Palate: There is a lot going on. Several flavours hit at once and it is taking several sips to tease them out (poor me). Lemons, broken brambles, tart berry pie. Marshmallows.

Finish: bitterness of underripe banana peel, umami, dark chocolate. This lingers and changes rapidly. The best way to describe it is a shimmer. Imagine a rainbow effect oil slick on a shallow puddle of water on a hot day. As the water evaporates, the oil thickness changes and the rainbow colours shift and cycle rapidly. It feels like that is what is happening on my tongue.

Verdict: I really like Inchmurrin and this is another reason why. During my first sip I decided to just go buy a cask from them and bottle it myself. I then talked myself out of it because I can get great single bottles whenever I want so there isn’t a point in getting a cask for me.

But this was a typical Inchmurrin for me. It has some citrus, some juice, the underripe fruit peel / broken green bramble that I like so much, and a few other flavours tossed in for variety. For the £5.25 I paid for the sample, it’s hard to beat at the price.

July virtual tasting pack. Featuring bourbon casks, a red wine barrique, a sherry butt, and a Madeira cask, this is an interesting one. @ London, United Kingdom

10.187 - Elemental My Dear Flotsam!
9 year Bunnahabhain
Refill hogshead, 2nd fill ex-Madeira hogshead
61.3%

An Islay in an ex-Madeira hogshead? I’m in. I’m expecting Islay peatiness, maybe some medicinal notes, and then some sweetness from the cask. The sweetness should be pretty mellow as this is a second fill. Let’s see.

Nose: brine, red wine, dark chocolate, burnt honey

Palate: driftwood, red wine, mushrooms. It has some fruity acidity but also some umami earthiness too. Truffles.

Finish: this really lingers. The finish is dark, almost like rum. Red fruit soaked in brandy, like candied fruit soaking before going into a fruit cake

This tastes like sautéed mushrooms deglazed with red wine. The Madeira cask really does come through here and in a way that is more acidic than sweet.

Mackmyra - Svensk Rök
Swedish single malt whisky
46.1%

The malt is smoked over juniper twigs, to give it the flavor of food traditionally smoked to preserve it.

Nose: A bit of acidity; the juniper smoke reminds me of gin

Palate: campfire, the charred bits of roasted marshmallows

Finish: the finish is subtle, round, and clings to the mouth. pork belly burnt ends, wet lumber, forest floor

My first Swedish whisky. I tried this in the shop next to the Svensk Ek and opted for this one. This has more of a forest smoke flavour as opposed to the peat smoke you get in most Scottish whiskies. Being a single malt as opposed to a single cask, this is round and full, more reminiscent of a Canadian whisky or a Bourbon in mouthfeel, but with a smoky juniper flavour of gin.

A five dram tasting in the garden! Which one is your favourite? @ London, United Kingdom

10.190 - Make Moine A Devil!
6 year Bunnahabhain
2nd fill ex-oloroso
61.1%

Nose: peated smoke is the main note on this heavily prayed dram. There is a bit of charred citrus oil that comes in. Charred hotdogs at a beach barbecue.

Palate: thick, sweet and oily, charred fruit, fish oil. This one is heavy.

Finish: there’s a battle between the syrupy sweetness and peat that goes on for a while. When the dust settles, the sweetness wins, but its ranks are decimated to a subtle wisp of strawberries and pomegranate

This one I really liked. I doubt any bottles are left for sale, but I’d be interested in picking one up.

33.139 - You Would Not Believe!
12 year Ardbeg
2nd fill ex-oloroso
61.3%

Sherry casked This one sold out instantly when bottles went for sale online. Interestingly enough 33.138 is also a 12 year sherry cask Ardbeg with the same distillation date, and I happen to have an unopened bottle here. That will be for another day though.

Nose: Peat, smoking meat over rock salt by the lake

Palate: paper, iodine, ripe red fruits, plums

Finish: iodine, sherry, salted caramel corn, cinnamon

This one is beautiful. It is intense enough to satisfy with a single dram. Think of a heavy rich dessert that fills your mouth and makes you not want anything after.

35.254 - Pure Decadence
11 year Glen Moray
Ex-oloroso, new oak puncheon
63.9%

Nose: the nose is very light, not much comes through, but with some time there are dried dark fruits and raisins from the sherry cask. Toast for breakfast.

Palate: sweetness from the sherry but not overpowering, the new oak balances the oloroso out well

Finish: soapiness, more dried fruit

Didn’t get a lot of interesting things from this one. The sherry cask flavors came through, muted by the new oak. There wasn’t a lot more to it though.

52.32 - Highly Entertaining
12 year Old Pulteney
1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
58.2%

Nose: Lemon rind, warm butter

Palate: Strawberries and cream on the palate

Finish: A nice warm comforting finish to this one. Buttered bread, vanilla custard.

This one was a casual meander through lemons, strawberries, and vanilla custard. At the start and end there was a salty creaminess like warm melted butter. Think cream tea.

93.129 - For Sharing With Good Company
10 year Glen Scotia
1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
57.9%

Nose: watermelon, apples, mint, saltiness of cured meat

Palate: mint, honey, a bit of the Campbeltown peat comes through but it is subtle

Finish: soy, saltiness comes through again, warm strawberry pie

I liked this one. It had a nice sweetness to it that I don’t normally expect from a Glen Scotia. I enjoyed the dram but don’t feel the need to go for a bottle.

It’s a nice day for a tasting in the garden!

128.9 - Electrochemystery
9 year Penderyn
2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel
59.8%

A Welsh whisky! This is an underrated gem and I think more people would really love it if they knew to try it. This is one of the nice things about SMWS tasting rooms - you get to try a lot of new things you otherwise might not discover.

Nose: Honey, pine, lemon zest, a tomato garden

Palate: After an initial hit of simple syrup, this one has the smell of a fresh picked tomato from the garden

Finish: A refreshing blast of watermelon and cucumber

This is a great summer dram. The fresh scent of tomato, the finish of watermelon and cucumber, it reminds me of sitting in a garden with a gin and tonic on a late summer evening.

Bottle 265/289 of this single cask release arrived today with a nice note from the Bladnoch team. I am looking forward to this one!

112.41 - Tart fruit crumble
10 year Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin)
2nd fill barrel, heavy toast
59.6%

This is one of my favourite distilleries and I almost always pick up the 112 when SMWS releases one. I find the spirit always has interesting floral notes that are best showcased without peat or strong cask finishes. Let’s see what this one brings.

Nose: lemon preserves on slightly blackened toast. After some time I get a bit of umami. This is where the cask imparts it’s influence for me.

Palate: more umami, honey. Anise that then turns into red licorice.

Finish: A long and enjoyable meander through several contrasting flavors. Has the classic fuzzy feeling you get from underripe fruit that I enjoy so much from this distillery. The red licorice melts into cherries and raspberries. Towards then end I get dubbel zout liquorice, which gets its unique flavor from ammonium chloride salt. The candies are very strong and this is not - it’s more like there is something in here that triggers the memory of eating them more than anything else.

Verdict: Every 112 is different yet they are remarkably consistent at the same time. They are always enjoyable, well balanced, and have plenty of interesting things going on to make a bottle worth while.

I’d be interested to try some of Loch Lomond’s own bottles whisky to see if what I associate them with via SMWS carries through.

Hazelburn 11 - Springbank Society Bottling
4 recharred bourbon hogsheads
54.2%

I joined the Springbank Society a few months back and this was the first society bottling that I was able to get. Because of covid, it is also the only one so far as they have temporarily suspended bottle sales.

Nose: Fresh, lemon zest, a bit of ammonia, meadow flowers

Palate: honey, light oak, mild Campbeltown funk

Finish: juicy fruit chewing gum, sweet tea

Verdict: Wonderful. I’m happy I got this and wish I could get another. The lemon zest and Juicy Fruit are the dominant flavours; the other notes take a bit more attention to pull out.

41.127
Mind that big ginger fae’ moffat!
13 year Speyside aged in an ex-oloroso butt and finished in a new oak puncheon
Nose: surprisingly light and fresh, like ice water in a steel cup
Palate: honey, oranges
Finish: spiced raisins, cherries, lemon zest

112.49 Blackberries, bubble-gum and bougainvillea

Another from and one of my favourite distilleries. 112 for me always contains a lot of fruit, juiciness, and forest flavors and this is no exception.

It starts off almost fuzzy like a green banana which leads to a strawberry bubblegum sweetness. The finish has anise and cloves as a bit of a welcome surprise.

One from while on lockdown back home.

122.26 - It’s peat Jim, but not as we know it

Butterscotch and peat. Smoky sweet.
Palate has some mushroomy funk. Honey thyme.
Finish: Blackberries. Rhubarb and cream.

Verdict: definitely glad to have a bottle.

Got the “Old and Dignified” flavour profile on the first try :)

It’s a snowy evening in this part of the world but thankfully I’ve got good company.

“Animalistic, meaty, coastal, and other worldly.”

It isn’t quite whisky, but this tea is aged in a whisky barrel

The dram of 2019 for me. 97.22 from the now closed Littlemill distillery and part of the

Honey, apples, and peaches start this one off. Then werther’s originals while walking through a winter forest. The finish has lemon salt. A truly fantastic dram and to be tasted if you have the chance.

I am a big fan of the bottling from distillery 112 and this dram shares similar characteristics. Except this tastes like 3 drams of 112 in one.

53.308 from the from

Sherried Islays are always a welcome treat and this is a great example.

In addition to peat, I get a lot of fresh dark fruits - blackberries, currants, figs, and dark cherries.

Preview night has become a regular part of my whisky life and last night was no exception.

A trip to Greville Street to spend some time with the new Vaults Collection is a special treat.

Welsh whisky! This is a 7yr old first fill barrel from Wales, 128.7

Very fresh and raw in a pleasant way. Fresh mint, eucalyptus, and honey dominate the entire experience from start to finish.

I’d love another bottle.

Finished this bottle off after putting the turkey on. One of my all time favourites.

Day 25/25: 139.6
1st fill barrique/port from Taiwan

Nose: red grapes, plums,

Palate: prunes, raisins, chocolate mint,

Finish: cherries, melon, liquorice

This one picked up a lot of fruit from the cask, both fresh and dried. The palate has chocolate mint, which transitions into black liquorice on the finish.

Day 24/25: Beachcomber
7 yr blend

Nose: pine forest, pineapple

Palate: juicy fruit chewing gum, strawberry smoothie

Finish: honeycomb, walnut oil

The nose and finish are somewhat subdued, neither offering a whole lot to go on. The palate hits with a big burst of sweetness, reminding me of the first few chews of Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

Day 23/25: 10.179
12 yr Islay 1st fill barrique ex-red wine

Nose: Cherries, strawberries

Palate: peat, to***co, lemon

Finish: dark chocolate

The pink-orange colour is gorgeous and reminds me of an Armagnac. The nose is full of red berries - one would be forgiven for thinking this was a red wine on a blind nosing. Sipping brings out peat and to***co with some acidity not unlike lemon. There is dark chocolate and toasted cocoa in the finish.

A wonderful whisky - one to pick up for sure.

Day 22/25: 53.303
7yr new oak heavy char Islay

Nose: barbecue pork over hickory smoke

Palate: apple cider vinegar, apricot chutney

Finish: candied salmon

A nice peaty Islay that has light colored fruit notes. The sweetness sticks to the palate like a barbecue sauce on slow smoked pork.

Day 21/25: 39.183
18 yr second fill hogshead Speyside

Nose: black currant, lemon zest

Palate: Christmas mince pies, ye**ty beer

Finish: mulled cider, black pepper

This is a festive one. Reminds me of Christmas treats, full of fruit and spices.

Day 20/25: 93.119
11yr old Campbelltown first fill

Nose: paper, linen, straw

Palate: light peat, dry grass, golden syrup

Finish: chocolate, honey

Overall quite light. The peat is light and let’s the subtle flavors through.

Day 19/25: 77.56
10 yr old refill highland

Nose: honey, orange juice

Palate: herbal. Mint. Eucalyptus.

Finish: menthol, creamsicle popsicle sticks

Mint an eucalyptus accent the base flavor of finishing the last bits of an orange creamsicle from a popsicle stick.

A nice memory of the summer.