SMWS 35.219 Glen Moray 2003 ex-Chardonnay Barrique 14 y.o., 57,2%

This is a Germany-exclusive release, also titled and described in German – nice. And it is a winner that was chosen by a jury of German connoisseurs. A very „mortlachy“ Glen Moray, I must say because it has quite some smoke, a dry meaty and sulphury edge and metallic undertones. Old wood notes meet grapes, mango, Peach, orange zest, muesli box, ginger and chili, coal, pine needles and Aperol Sprizz. Funny and interesting nose on the dry and malty side of things. On the palate it Shows greatness, very round and flawless. Malt and spice-combo leads to honey sweetness, fruits and wine – like a watercolor painting that hints at things in a subtle way. It finishes long and metallic with all the aroma’s reminiscences glowing up shortly. Water makes it sweeter and sends the chilis to the fore. Quite a ride, like on Autobahn A3 in heavy traffic

Score: 88

SMWS 35.194 Glen Moray 2001 ex-Oloroso 1st-fill, 16 y.o., 59,8%

I am sure this release will find little common ground. I find it fungi-flawed like many of these casks that only display sulphury raisins, blue cheese and grapey sweetness – no distillery character and complexity. However, some love it exactly for this profile.

The nose is intact: rich and malty nose, dark honey, oak, pistachio, mash, hints of fruit (apricots and gooseberries), sulphury raisins, Spanish vinegar, ginger, chili and ginger, coal, eucalypt, chocolate Lebkuchen, not too bad. However, on the palate it displays the described flaw. Raisins, blue cheese, flinty sulphur. the spices save it a bit from being too monodimensional. Water also helps. I declare the discussion on this one as open…

Score 83

SMWS 35.204 Glen Moray 2001 ex-Bourbon/new oak, 16 y.o., 58,9%

This one is much less debatable. It has quite some wine character on the one side and wood spice on the other, almost bordering on Bourbon territory (yet smoother). Nuts, vanilla, cloves, maple syrup, salted caramel, honey, figs, dates, sulphury raisins, oranges and sweet tobacco big time. On the palate the sherry starts to speak more, with hints of the fungi-problem, but also juicy aromas. No water needed.

Score: 87

This was an interesting head-to-head comparison. Now I am glad to also try other releases as well.

SMWS 5.60 Auchentoshan 2000 ex-Bourbon/Oloroso, 16 y.o., 56,5%

The most surprising one in this set, it is beguiling. What a great cask! Very much like an older Glen Keith in moments. So creamy and full of Bourbon cask goodness, aaah! Mango on creme brûlée, coconut and pineapple meet Werthers Originals toffee, gooseberries, linden blossom honey, ripe pear, roses, orange zest, cinnamon hazelnut, amoroso sherry, calvados, vin santo, Bailoni Apricot liqueur sweetness, full on! All he way to the end this is powerful, complex and well-balanced. A clear buy!

Score: 89-90

SMWS 68.11 Blair Athol 2009 ex-Bourbon 7 y.o., 57,9% 

Forest Floor in late autumn, aromatic and fresh, then it becomes a sweet pasty like a cinnamon sticky bun with nuts, Marzipan fruitcake, honey-glaze and dessert wine. Water makes it even sweeter, one for afternoon tea parties.

Score: 87

SMWS 66.104 Ardmore 2008 ex-Bourbon 8 y.o., 60,1%

I love Ardmore at all ages. The younger ones don’t dissappoint but are a bit greener and sweeter than predecessors from the direct firing period of distillation. This one reminds me of a Bunnahabhain Moine in the nose. Like having a green tea on a frehsly tarred road near to an Islay distillery. Ashtray smokiness and aromatic peat, herbs, Aloe, juniper, metal, BBQ-sauce, mustard seed, ginger, apples, black pepper and chili – a powerhouse. On the palate it is way sweeter and more comlex as one would think. Everything tightly woven together like a Tsunami of peaty whisky goodness plus some iodine. So balanced and refined, you want another glass. Wow. Another recommendation!

Score: 88-89

SMWS 50.54 – 88 points (well made, nice sherry influence and fruitiness)

SMWS 59.50 – 88 points (acidity and big fruit in good balance)

SMWS 76.117 – 89+ points (reminds me of a 1970ies Laddie in moments, banana, tropical fruits, wine gum, berries, really nice but atypical for the distillery)

SMWS 123.8 – 83 points (young, garden fruit in an orchard, sherry aromas)

SMWS 127.39 – 89 points (deep, spicy, amazing, a big dram, yet mild)

SMWS 3.208 – 84 points (fwp in here, a flowery and ferny Bowmore with lilac perfume, you have to like this profile)

SWMS 3. 225 – 88 points (a bit sharp, spicy, but nice plums, sherry, typical, green elements)

SMWS 9.84 – 77 points (Mezcal, anyone? youngish and slightly off)

SMWS 4.186 – 89 points (mature and nice Highland Park)

SMWS 53.207 – 85 points (typical, but not special)

SMWS 7.85 – 85 points

SMWS 73.62 – 88 points (a great and dry Speyside Malt from a sherry cask)

SMWS 73.64 – 89 points (intense, brine, nice sherry influence, dates, figs, plums, maraschino, spices)

SMWS 35.101 – 89 points (mature, orchard, blue cheese, good dram, some wood is there but kept at bay, this has lots to tell)

SMWS 35.108 – 87 points (raisiny and modern sherry influence, gorse, a bit closed at first, tea, cigarette tobacco, smoke, fresh and better on palate)

SMWS 121.70 – 88 points (pistacio, honey, peaches, fresh and round, sweet and modern whisky)

SMWS 29.153 – 84 points (after so many great Laphs, this is too tame and a bit thin, not very complex, but good overall)

SMWS 29.157 – 89+ points (sherried, fresh and maritime, pine needle, sulphur, well balanced)

SMWS 48. 35 – 90 points (grapes, quince, peaches, vanilla, mature dram)

SMWS 2.89 – 88 points

SMWS 118.3 – 91 points (my favourite, an old Irish with amazing complexity, fruit intensity, cassis, berries, tea, spices,herbs, wine gum, all unusual but great … expensive though)

SMWS 66.51 – 90 points (deep, maritime, leather, spice, moss, nori, peat, iodine – nice)

SMWS 72.38 – 89 points (modern, peaches, toffee, oak, vanilla, tinned pears, citrus fruits, spices)

SMWS 93.59 – 91 points (mature, spicy, salty, discrete peat and smoke, iodine, gorse, beach BBQ, super)

Ardmore 66.34: Nutty Sherry quite dominating in the foreground and loads of spice and leather (Gerbleder), traces of coffee, grapes, raisins. Becomes big in mouth, long finish with some peat showing, nice bit not yet complex enough. 85 points.

Springbank 27.97: Salty spice and air-dried jamon meet rubber-like Sherry aromas. Condensed milk, big toffee and vanilla, small strawberries. Unusual for sure, esp. in taste, where the Sherry aromas seem a bit off due to fungi. 77 points.

Bowmore 3.187: Very balanced and medium-smoky with that lovely maritime freshness, no overwhelming aromas anywhere. Ferns, green tea, camphor, bandages, peat, clean and mineral overall, lemon drops on oysters and so much more. It tastes milder than expected, no edges in this one, although a spiciness and a green theme rule the dram. Could leave a bigger impression. 88 points.

Laphroaig 29.115: Unusually big on toffee, behind that the typical Laphroaig features. On the palate, a certain soapiness develops , which puts me off, personally, plus that unusual toffee and some green herbs. Late soot and peat reveal this one as a Laphroaig, but altogether, it is a weird one – which surprises me after so many great releases before. 80 points.

Glenfarclas 1.164: Powerful, mainly on vanilla, fruit and dough with a hint of aniseed. Without water the spicy ethanol comes on a tad too strong and sharp. This also seems true for the taste, so let’s add water: still some heat going on, so more water: now, we’re talking, a nice old Bourbon Cask dram on the spicy side. 84 points.

Tormore 105.17: Unusually sweet with quite some sherry influence. Ginger bread with chocolate wrap and red jam-filling, all that Christmas cake jazz … . Maraschino cherries come on strong in the taste. Well-balanced and in a quite sherried style that still is inobtrusive somehow. 88 points.

Glen Elgin 85.23: I like this one right away, great freshness, fudge, coffee, asparagus, cannes apricots, ginger bread (Magenbrot). Unusually nice and quite mature for its age. A well-balanced palate that needs a little water, then it is really a treat. Nice surprise. 89+ points.

Mortlach 76.85: Spicy, some acidity, softly smoky, pears, gooseberries, green grapes, lemon zest, coffee cream. No water necessary, a wonderful Mortlach. 88 points.

Glen Scotia 93.52: Fresh, maritime, herbal and metallic, somehow Bowmore-esque.  Good balance and powerful yet not being rough despite its age. Mango and peaches join in, really a complex dram, some peat and earth as well, and salt, of course, as a good Campbeltown whisky should have. Also mossy elements. 88 points.

Rosebank 25.60: A textbook Rosebank, incense, vanilla, caramel, apricots and grass, very much to my liking. The palate shows some cassis and wine gums along the already mentioned aromas. 89+ points.

Clynelish 26.85: It is almost boring to see the consistency of Clynelish at work, this is classic with the  aromas of candle wax, apples, soft peat smoke and an Atlantic depression rolling in, plus some diesel minerality. Nothing more or less.  89 points.

Bladnoch 21 y.o. The Whiskyman & The Bonding Dram 1991 – 2012, Bourbon barrel, 118 btl., 52,9%

Comment: Vanilla and white peach lead the way, pretty expressive right from the start with some freshly cut grass  and lemon zest lurking in the background plus the white oak being there in medium intensity. I also get white pepper and spinach. Well balanced in the nose and on the palate, which displays a typical Bourbon wood-maturation profile with loads of toffee, peaches, pear drops and vanilla again, all that rather unrestrained. Water sends the dram in a bitter and greener direction, I prefer it straight. The finish is oakier than expected but clearly within limits. A fun Lowlander, no doubt (and thanks, Jeroen).

Score: 87

Springbank 17 y.o. The Maltman (Meadowside Blending), Sherry cask, 46%

Comment: Unusual first whiffs that remind me of a pile of wood in the forest on a summer day. Pine needles, fir trees, and really dark chocolate, strange but in a good and different way. Cured ham, salt and mustard seed join the winey traces of the sherry cask in this dram. This one really needs time to unfold: after 10 minutes, I can detect peaches, maritime freshness and some spices but all that behind the forest motif. Does the walk in the woods continue on the palate? Yes and no, this is quite earthy (a slight peatiness surpised me) and noble on dark mahogani wood notes, mushrooms, excellent sherry, Culatello ham and discrete hints of various fruits in the background, really old-fashioned and lovely! The finish is long and shows the same balance and aromas mentioned but adds burnt wood. This is not your common dram, it brings back memories of a trip to the woods with your grandfather, probably a real gentleman of his time. Not for everyone, but for those who love to explore whisky variation. It grows on you, great pick!

Score: 89+

Ardbeg 12 y.o. SMWS 33.114 (Scotch Malt Whisky Society – Sweet versus Savoury) 1999 – 2011, refill sherry butt, 630 btl., 56,3%

Comment: A very spicy start with quite some eucalypt/agave/menthol aromas going on alongside the peat, brine, roots, herbs and some chalky oak. In second row I find the more typical notes of cocoa dust, tire store, Arabica beans and very discrete sherry. The taste is more typical of a classic Ardbeg than the nose would suggest, simply good. No water needed, but it swims well. Great iodine and matchstick sulphur in the very long finish. Daddy like !

Score: 88

Port Charlotte 9 y.o. SMWS 127.18 (Scotch Malt Whisky Society) 2002 – 2012, refill Bourbon barrel, 66,1%

Comment: Rhum agricole with peat, what a start! Like a lovely flower bouquet handed to you inside a peat-smoked kiln. Without water it plays it close to the chest. Menthol, camomile, iodine, charcoal, that’s about it in the nose and on the palate. Let’s add water: It unfolds now on smoke, barley sugar, roots, heather, apple skin, salt, sea spray, nettles, resin, chalk and oak. A wild ride around the ash tray altogether, I’d say. The whisky seems younger than other PCs from that era somehow.

Score: 87

Laphroaig 10 y.o. SMWS 29.108 (Scotch Malt Whisky Society – An Angel in a Sauna wearing Wellies) 2001 – 2011, refill Bourbon Hogshead, 28z btl., 56,8%

Comment: Although the angel and the sauna part in the titleof this bottling is bull – I can really smell the wellies (accompanied by peat and green stuff like herbs and celp). A great Laphroaig with loads of personality. Nothing fancy, just a great Southcoast Islay dram that needs no explanation. An ideal ‚for-the-road‘ whisky at the end of your tasting session that puts a smile on everybody’s face and guides them home with the warmth of a peat fire. No water necessary. Kudos!

Score: 90

Port Charlotte 9 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society SMWS 127.15 ‚A jostling jingle-bag‘ 21.06.2002 – 2011, refill barrel, 256 btl., 65,9%

Comment: The ashtray itself, really, that is what it reminds me of at the first whiff. Ash and burnt tobacco rise from the glass with some sweet maltiness and peat embers in the back. Kippers, oysters, you name it. Very coastal, but a bit closed without water. It also tastes ashtray-like, way to hot, it has enormous teeth! Let’s tame it with H2O, lots of: Now we’re talking. Hints of caramel, mossy earth, lemon zest, Grand Marnier, heather, iron powder (like a nail), green banana skin and glue widen the range of aromas in this PC after dilution. It also tastes much better now and the finish is longer and more complex, it shifts into an Ardbeg-like direction (iodine, chocolate, etc.), the finish becomes quite amazing ind seductive, surprisingly. Still more on the brutal side and less refined though. Water is essential here, the key to unlock it. I would have called this dram ’nail in the ashtray‘. Not bad but there are much better versions out there.

Score: 86

Ardbeg 5 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society SMWS 33.112 ‚Powerful, elegant and atmospheric‘ 20.12.2005 – 2011, 2nd-fill sherry butt, 252 btl., 60,8%

Comment: It doesn’t smell that young, quite a surpise. A rather typical Ardbeg on the mineral, green and farmyardy side again with nice citrus and Granny Smith apple notes. The peat, resin, smoke, burnt tires on hot tar, sulphur, iodine, discrete chalky oak from those refilled sherry casks (that go perfect with Ardbeg i.m.h.o.), mustard seed, chocolate, spinach and jet fuel aromas have some acidity to them. I am also getting sandy pebbles on the beach. Rather complex for such a youngster, not at all an alcohol-driven nose. The palate is a powerhouse, really punchy without being spicy or unpolished, no offnote here! What an Ardbeg! A monster without being rough. Long finish with big iodine, tires and soot! I used to say that Ardbeg takes some time to unfold, but this dram seems to be an exception. Impressive and very South Coast Islay. Water is not necessary but makes it more accessible to some fainter hearted natures.

Score: 90+

Ardbeg 11 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society SMWS 33.115 ‚Man, that’s braw!‘ 31.08.1999 – 09.2011, refill sherry butt, 578 btl., 55,4%

Comment: This is less powerful and dryer than the 5 y.o. contender because the refill sherry cask has done a good  ‚rounding-off the edges-job‘ without being very obvious or sweet (unobtrusive in background) – a rather inactive cask like the one above has been used, but over 100% more time of ageing took place. There are nice white pepper and chili notes, eucalypt, nettles, pu-erh tea, plums, prunes, apples, peat, chalky oak, iodine, aromatic smoke and sulphur. Asian spices and chocolate join in on the palate with sherry traces and green tea – later plums and the peat-sulphur-iodine-combo. If the 112 is the mineral and fresh Riesling from Rheinhessen, this one is your typical Barossa Shiraz (in wine analogy terms speaking). I prefer the Riesling this time.

Score: 89

Littlemill 22 y.o. The Whisky Agency ‚Sea Life‘ 1990 – 2012, refill sherry butt, 719 btl., 52,2%

New Whisky Agency Bottlings (Sea Life and more)

Comment: Cookie-like (sweet malt) and very complex. All kinds of fruit (also maraschino cherry), green elements (fresh grass, herbs), huge vanilla notes, natural caramel, almonds, quite some coconut, cinnamon, white oak, dry earth and a little peat, all well mixed. The palate is just as fine as the nose with impeccable balance. Sour fruitiness with some berries (cassis), coconut, apple crumble with vanilla sauce, ginger, lemon zest in medium weight show up as well. The fruits get bigger in the finish (hello pineapple), wrapped in gentle peat and oak. It makes you want another glass. Adorable, just like a cookie-coconut dessert!

Score: 89+

Littlemill 21 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society SMWS 97.21 ‚Laurel, meadowsweet and honeysuckle‘, 07.03.1990 – 2011, first-fill barrel, 217 btl., 54,7%

Comment: Fruity (pears, cherry, plum, passion fruit) and oaky at first with this amazingly sweet malt note like Macallan (sorry for repeating this, the maltiness is just very similar). There also is vanilla, cookie and caramel, but less intense than in the Sea Life release due to louder wood. In addition I am getting cocnut and hazelnut, cinnamon, grass and peat, so the two Lowlanders are not far from each other. On the palate it reveals the Littlemill fruit and grass charm with slightly more wood than usual, somehow it is sweet n‘ sour and oozes beautiful Indian spices. It finishes just like that with the oak in domination. That is its weakness, but on a high level.

Score: 86+

Where the FUCK are my cookies?

Highland Park 11 y.o. The Maltman (Meadowside Blending), released 2012, 46%

sorry, not photo of bottle

Comment: Malty and fruity start, some leather, quite some vanilla and toffee, a nice spice-combo, coffee beans, apples, raspberry, candyfloss, good intensity yet very accessible. One for every kind of taste, I’d say. In the mouth this one performs like the great allrounder it promises to be with fruity glycerins and the maritime freshness. A classic Highland Park as it should be that finishes with traces of peat, heather and leather. Very typical too. Great stuff that screams for another pour.

Score: 89

Highland Park 11 y.o. Whisky-Doris 6.2000 – 01.2012, Bourbon Cask, 53,3%

Comment: Spicier and more leather than its predecessor at first. This requires more time to open up but then has more to tell. It becomes fruitier with each minute. Lead aromas are moss, hints of peat, apples, raspberries, ozone in seaspray and a beautiful American oak influence. Doris’s version has some extra depth to it, which I like. The spicy heat also translates into the palate and unfortunately shows less complexity there. Water broadens the profile by 100%. Good and satisfying finish with the peaty and spicy grip (but no king of balance). If you are into spice though, this is your choice. All these drams are on a high level.

Score: 88

Highland Park 11 y.o. Archives 2000, Bourbon Hogshead 800005, 129 btl., 50,9%

Comment: Not very different from the Whisky-Doris release, but it has more vanilla and reveals its secrets of fruit (raspberries and banana, mainly), spice and leather a bit earlier. There also are some pears, coal, white chocolate and milk coffee. By the way, white chocolate (maybe even with raspberries) goes very well with Highland Park whisky in general as a food pairing. The Archive babe tastes and finishes like it noses, all the way high class and very well balanced. No water needed. Adorable and very quaffable. Recommendation. I don’t know why some other tasters weren’t so fond of it.

Score: 90

Highland Park 11 y.o. Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.1999, SMWS 4.155, first-fill Bourbon Barrel, 58,6%

Comment: This is the aromatic smoky one in the bunch – plus the American oak weighs in more intensely. A tad bit simpler and less complex than the others altogether. Moss, peppery spice, pear and leather are to be found right away again but the whole dram is a bit sharp and more zesty overall. Water helps this one a lot. On the palate, the herb brigade rides in, accompanied by captain peach (sorry for that!). A bit unusual. Smoky and spicy finish with some toffee and green apples.

Score: 87+

Highland Park 17 y.o. C&S Dram Collection 1994 – 2012, Hogshead 22046, 55,7%

Comment: Let’s see how the older brother behaves. Oh, he’s from the farm, or he smells like that at least. Completely different from the others, very leathery and full of  stable-smells, also very coastal. Old Ardbeg-like antiseptic moments with sulphur, smoke, peat and dirty tires. Some lemony fruit, pepper, salt and dried hay as well. What an edge this has to it, wow!  No water here! I wouldn’t have guessed this as HP-Sauce in a blind tasting, that is for sure. The palate also screams old style South Coast Islay with that magnificent peat, iodine and salt. Kenny, it isn’t funny to bottle an older Ardbeg as a Highland Park ! Seriously, this is definitely not typical for HP, but extremly good if you are into discrete and complex Islay drams with some phenols – plus you can fool your friends in a blind tasting. I score its quality, not its typicality, so the score is high. Mmmmh.

Score: 91

Longmorn 23 y.o. ‚First Cask‘ (Whisky Import Netherlands) 13.10.1988 – 9.1.2012, Refill Sherry Hogshead 14379, 259 btl., 52,6%

Comment: From a quite unfamiliar label so far (Jan Kok and Marcel Bol are behind the project), of which I just bought a 1963 Lochside (not open yet). I am curious. A sweet nose with very obvious sherry and its effects (dark cooked fruit, raisins, morello cherries), but also some typical white oak aroma with toffee, glue and vanilla. Later, it becomes very intersting and more typical: ripe autumnal fruit, redcurrant, white chocolate-glazed banana and some spice to counter (pepper, resin). On the palate the sherry is dominant, but doesn’t overwhelm the other notes and doesn’t become too dry – it is way too sweet for that, a real Christmas cake plus spice, maltiness and some fruit. The finish goes down with dark and ripe autumn fruits, quite some maltiness and the sherry that covers all like a blanket. A rather sweet warm-up, but doable.

Score: 87

Caol Ila 30 y.o. Malts of Scotland 5.1981 – 8.2011, Bourbon Hogshead MoS 11009, 59,2%

Comment: What a sooty nose with peaty iodine, nice! The whole dram is rather sweet, has discrete sulphur and one can’t believe its high abv.-strength. I get apple juice and a trace of blue cheese as well, but in a good way, this is not spoiled or funky at all. In the mouth there is a great balance between spicy elements (pepper, chili, juniper) and some sweeter notes (from the Bourbon cask) that lead into the joyful finish. A great pick of a mature sooty Caol Ila that has grown softer and more complex with the years.

Score: 90

Caol Ila 10 y.o. Single Cask Collection, 2000, Bourbon Hogshead, 58,5%

Comment: Roland Hinterreiter has done a good job in sourcing casks as Austria’s first independent bottler so far. And this Caol Ila makes no difference. It is very classic without any off-note and possesses a great balance – a real quaffer that somehow reminds me of the smell when a low pressure area with rain and thunder is rolling in from the sea. Lead aromas are juicy Granny Smith apples, green olives, lemon, hay, coal smoke, sulphur, pepper, pine resin and medium-level peat. The Bourbon cask left traces of chalk and vanilla. Plain good and clean Southcoast Islay Single Malt. P.S.: We are at the Austrian Whisky and Spirits Festival in Linz in April (www.ssms.at) with a stand and some great bottlings to try, visit us. Roland is the host/organizer.

Score: 89

Caol Ila 17 y.o. SMWS 53.150, 7.1993, Refill Sherry Butt, 556 btl., 61,1%

Comment: Not bad, but a bit weird and atypical due to a herbal side that doesn’t fit the dram. Not my cup of Caol Ila tea/whisky… it is also not very expressive in my eyes. But remember, taste is personal, this is no fail at all. Sorry for the brevity, I had this one for the road.

Score: 84

Ardbeg 13 y.o. SMWS 33.102, 10.1997 – 2011, 2nd-fill Bourbon Barrel, 223 btl., 55,2%

Comment: A bit more on the spicy side than the others (white pepper, chili), also more citrus aromas (orange, lemon, lime) coming through. Oysters, chalk, rope, pine resin, camphor, big peat smoke and bonfire, later even latte macchiato coffee and minty menthol join in. It is very hot and spicy on the palate, begging for dilution. Water makes it a classic fine Ardbeg with great balance and brings out the leather.

Score: 89

Ardbeg 11 y.o. SMWS 33.104, 31.8.1999 – 2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 538 btl., 55,7%

Comment: A round and voluptous version with quite some toffee, raisins and a store full of new tires. The discrete sherry takes away the edge and some peatiness as well. Somehow winey. On the palate it is more peppery than expected, but soon the sherry’s sweet notes soften the catch a bit. It keeps jumping between these two worlds until the hot spice wins.

Score: 85

Ardbeg 11 y.o.SMWS 33.109, 8.1998 – 2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 468 btl., 55,6%

Comment: Very close to 33.104, also a load of new tires, but more herbs and camphor and a bit less toffee. Discrete sherry influence in the nose causing that rounding effect again, but this is peatier than 104 – sulphur and iodine make this one more interesting. It has a good balance in the mouth without losing character and ooommpphh. Later raisins and resin show up. I love the flinty and spicy finish. Not bad at all, I must say.

Score: 89

Bowmore 15 y.o. SMWS 3.180, 1996, 61,2%

Comment: Vegetal and flowery like a young Rhum Agricole at first, also leather in the beginning, but don’t be fooled. It soon becomes a true South Coast Ileach! Great balance – the leathery aroma builds a bridge between the two elements mentioned. The downside: altogether a bit subdued, also on the palate with a leather-spice-finish. Start talking to me, sweetheart… . Here is some water to open up: still no change, but more drinkable. One for patient guys, the silent type.

Score: 84

Bowmore 14 y.o. Whisky-Fässle ‚Duck Edition‘ 6.1997 – 2.2012, Bourbon Hogshead, 51,8%

Comment: Maritime and fresh at first (salt), also big notes of white wine (a mix of barrel-fermented Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand with the fruitiness and berries coming along with those) and creamy vanilla. Then herbs and ferns come into focus. The Islay character is there but more in the background. The complexity translates into the palate with berries, fruit, herbs, tea, spice and peat. Not only ducks will love this.

Score: 88+

Bowmore 12 y.o. Malts of Scotland (MoS) 22.09.1999 – 10.2011, Cask MoS 110014, Bourbon Hogshead, 61,2%

Comment: Farmyardy at first, then it becomes more South Coast Islay on coal, smoke, pepper and peat. Also dark wet wood and the typical ferns emerge. Later short bread, honey, orange jam and liqueur make a nice afternoon dram – on a farm, that is. It finishes on sulphur, flints and peat.

Score: 85+

Port Ellen 28 y.o.  Silver Seal / whiskybase.com, 1983 – 2011,  Cask S1462, 55,5%

Comment: Big intense spice nose that has everything that makes Port Ellen such a gem nowadays. This one is right in the middle of all possible PE profiles. Some maritime dirtiness, sea spray and brine, herbs, oil, ropes, peppery and chili-esque spice, leather, the wonderful crispy maltiness (like salted crisps), camphor, discrete mint, peat smoke, but also fruit (apricots and green bananas) and vanilla provide for immense complexity that dances on a tightrope between the poles of balance und untamed roughness. Hooorraayy, it delivers on the palate as well and becomes more peaty! A crazy Port Ellen that adds iodine, coal smoke, hay and matchstick sulphur to the mindboggling mix from above and never really finishes. Yet it is very quaffable and screams for a second glass – which I just poured. Awesome!

Score: 92+

The following five Single Malts range in the ‚pale category‘. Let’s see if they lack character:

Benriach 15 y.o. Single Cask Collection 1996, Bourbon Hogshead, 54,3%

Comment: This dram comes from the first Austrian independent bottler. Our friend Roland Hinterreiter, who also organizes the Austrian Whisky Fair in Linz this year, is the man behind the project. I am going to write more on his bottlings soon.

His Benriach is very typical. A plate of mature garden fruit in autumn (apple, pear, plumcake), licorice and slightly greenish malt are in the leading roles. More restrained there are flowers, coal, banana skin, grapefruit and orange zest. And of course, leather! In terms of taste it seems more mature and sweet: vanilla, fruitiness, Bourbon wood, leather, natural caramel and dried flowers caress the mid-palate with medium weight  – no water needed. The finish is quite long and mainly on apple and sweet malt. Gimme a second glass…

Score: 85

Highland Park 30 y.o. The Whisky Agency ‚Fungi‘, 1981 – 2011, ex-Bourbon Wood, 198 btl., 52,2%

Comment: What a beautiful fresh nose, it reminds me of the HP-versions called ‚Old Man of Hoy‘ by Blackadder, perfectly round and encapsulating everything great about highlands and coast. Wonderful fruitiness (tangerines, grapefruit, lime), berries (cassis), whiffs of mossy peat smoke, heather, almonds  (marzipan-like) and coconut traces, latte macchiato and fudge. And all that is in place. It tastes like it noses, but adds some hay and turkish delight. It is clean, Riesling-like and has amazing cassis notes reminding me of old 1960ies Bowmore at times. No edges, just great, austere and very drinkable. Sorry Carsten that I couldn’t taste this earlier. I promise to be better – in my own interest to get a bottle.

Score: 92

Bowmore 22 y.o. Liquid Sun, 1989 – 2011, ex-Bourbon Wood, 50,7%

Comment: Bowmore, but on the peaty and herbal side altogether. Tea, ferns, seaweed and nori, sweet iodine and sulphur. A Sushi dram because it smells like a Maki roll! Great balance on the palate, where it becomes more typical in a good way. A great dram with a medium-length finish which also shows some flintiness. Sensitive Islay.

Score: 90

Caol Ila 10 y.o. Archives 11. 2000, – 08.2011, Bourbon Barrel 3309899, 220 btl., 59,1%

Comment: Whiskybase.com now also bottles whisky – and they started very well. This out-of-the-ordinary Caol Ila is powerful yet clean on peat, juniper, green olives, lemon juice, sulphur, some seaweed, oysters, pipe tobacco, chalk and herbs (nettles). Despite high abv. it should be savoured without water, but it also can swim well. Great smoke like a put-out bonfire with peat on the beach, the flinty sulphur and iodine-combo leads into a finish that was invented for Islay devotees – long and satisfying. This perfect finish is worth 93 points but the rest is ‚only‘ jolly good. Altogether: one great pick! I want a bottle of this.

Score: 89

Port Charlotte 9 y.o. SMWS 127.16, 2002 – 2011, refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 242 btl., 65,4%

Comment: Closed somehow, menthol at first, followed by pebbles on the beach, loads of salt, minerality, peat, lavender, roots, chalk, lemon juice, leather, ashes and bonfire smoke. I recommend water for this one. In the mouth it displays a lot of resin and peat smoke, then the phenoly peat-sulphur-flint finish has its say. Not bad at all, we are talking about a 9 year-old dram, but it lacks the finesse and complexity some other PCs already have at that age. Anyway, if you are into full-on peat power and salt, this one is not to miss.

Score: 87

Aultmore 13 y.o. SMWS 73.41, 1997, 2nd-fill Bourbon Hogshead, 286 btl., 58,8%

Comment: Autumn fruits, many peaches, apricots, like homemade jam. Then I am getting hay, hints of  ginger, white pepper and vanilla. Seems more mature as its age would suggest. It tastes a bit more spicy (ginger, pepper again) with a bite and needs some water, but overall it renders the same profile like the nose and adds a nice maltiness, dried flowers and a licoricy touch. Almost creamy with more water, long finish. Aultmore keeps surprising me.

Score: 84

Mortlach 14 y.o. SMWS 76.79, 1995, first-fill Sherry Butt,  551 btl., 56,3%

Comment: Sherry, smoke and spice at first. The wine’s sweetness and the malt’s dry character battle in the nose. Some dried fruits, tea and white pepper are watching in the background. The typical raisins and sherry cream show up on the palate along with some spice, smoke and figs. Some water helps the balance.

Score: 83

Tullibardine 21 y.o. SMWS 28.23, 1989, Refill Sherry Butt, 57,7%

Comment: Unusual (plants, herbs), mature, fruity, malty, slightly dry with discrete spice. Big tea notes, toffee, pears, peaches, grass, flowers, earthy traces, altogether like a green house in the nose. It tastes more fruity than expected with a lot of natural caramel and vanilla, quite nice but not overly complex. One for gardeners and botanists

Score: 83

Caperdonich 16 y.o. SMWS 38.20, 1994, Refill Hogshead, 57,4%

Comment: Wow, I like this from the start. Very pleasant, deep and fresh. A bit from everything (citrus fruit, dextrose, moss, herbs and peat, minerality, honey, candyfloss, maritime freshness, etc.), which makes this a true allrounder. It delivers all this on the palate in beautiful balance! No water needed, this is simply great. Recommendation!

Score: 90

Glen Scotia 12 y.o. SMWS 93.46, 1999, Refill Sherry Gorda, 59,8%

Comment: Blue Cheese Dressing, leather, pepper and chili, sherry, grapes with noble rot, Kahlua, mint and leafs. The sherry is not really integrated and seems a bit too raisiny-rotten and cheesy, but the whisky is mild, sweet and creamy on the other hand. I know some people who like this profile but for me it is too much on primary notes of the sherry cask.

Score: 77

Auchentoshan 11y.o. SMWS 5.27, 1999, second-fill Bourbon Hoshead, 58,3%

Comment: Malt, lemon zest, hay, heather, licorice, vanilla, altogether not a very convincing dram.

Score: 77

Glen Moray 39 y.o. SMWS 35.55, 1971, Refill Hogshead, 50,3%

Comment: A whole lotta Bourbon wood influence, which is ok for an old whisky of this kind. All I miss is originality.

Score: 89+

Macallan 20 y.o. SMWS 24.117, 1990, first-fill Sherry Hogshead, 55,4%

Comment: This is a great Christmas Dram (yes, these notes are late ) and quite typical of a Macallan. Wonderful cigar smoke, orange peel, sweet malt, sherry, apple, raisins and cinnamon are its key elements.

Score: 89-

Scotch Grain Whisky 21 y.o. SMWS G-8.1, 1989, 51,2%

Comment: Very rum-like (which is not a bad thing) and loaded with vanilla, citrus aromas and marshmallows. I couldn’t find the exact grain distillery – soon to be revealed.

Score: 86

(Isle of) Jura 21 y.o. SMWS 31.22, 1988, second-fill Bourbon Hogshead, 56,5%

Comment: A very complex and creamy dram with beautiful spice-combo. It also offers sweet malt, ginger bread, licorice and Bourbon-Cask oak  character.

Score: 89+

Laphroaig 10 y.o. SMWS 29.101, 2000, refill-Sherry Butt, 587 btl., 52,8%

Comment: A weird Laph somehow, you have to like it extremely herbal (weeds) and dirty. Aside from the typical notes of peat, seaweed, rusty fishing-boats in the harbour and all that stuff you get sour and lemony aromas, quite some acidity, sherry and flinty sulphur in the nice finish. However, it lacks power in the middle. Not bad, but there are better ones out there.

Score: 86

Ardbeg 7 y,o, SMWS 33.101, 2003, first-fill Bourbon Cask, 245 btl., 59,6%

Comment: Typical Ardbeg, but not as interesting as other releases. A nice whisky anyway.

Score: 88+

Port Charlotte 8 y.o. SMWS 127.12, 2002, Bourbon Barrel, 160 btl., 66,3%

Comment: Funny, this one also heads towards ‚Ardbeginess‘ in some moments but it is saltier and more on camphor, rooty peat, flints and iodine. A great whisky at a young age – again. Look out for Port Charlotte.

Score: 89

Bowmore 25 y.o. Signatory Vintage 1975 – 2000, Cask 1924, 49,5%

Comment: This is a classic, and exactly in the middle of the old 1960ies style and the later lilac-type Bowmores, but without the perfume. One could say old 1960ies-Bowmore minus the extreme dextrose-fruitiness. Great wood of the dark kind and a maritime freshness with a lot of depth. Noble it is!

Score: 90

Glen Elgin 10 y.o. SMWS 85.20, 1999-2009, Refill Sherry Butt, 650 btl., 60,2%

Comment: Raisins, earth, not bad, but rather simple.

Score: 86

Dailuaine 23 y.o. SMWS 41.42, 1986 – 2010, Refill Hogshead, 220 btl., 57,3%

Comment: On the sweet side, good Bourbon woodiness, but a bit hot altogether, seems a bit younger.

Score: 87

Auchentoshan 11 y.o. SMWS 5.27, 1999-2011, 2nd-fill Bourbon Hogshead, 262 btl., 58,3%

Comment: As a friend of Auchentoshan (oh boy, they made some great whiskies, and the Three Wood is one of the great standard bottlings out there) I was a bit disappointed in this release. It displays lemon zest, malt, hay, heather, honey, licorice and vanilla, altogether nice but not very impressive. And another minus, it is not very smooth for a triple-distilled Lowland Malt. Look for better Auchies, they are not hard to find.

Score: 79

Glen Grant 1972 – 2011 The Whisky Agency ‚Private Stock‘, Sherry Hogshead, 87 btl., 51,4%

Comment: Very mature and fruity at first (ripe regional of all kind as well as tropical), vanilla, honey and toffee, also a complex spicy counterpart (Asian spices, ginger and white pepper) to avoid boredom, wonderful oak wood, ashes, all is well-balanced. Later, milk coffee, marshmallows, apricot jam, lemon zest and hazelnuts join the mix. The Sherry is really unobtrusive and perectly integrated. On the palate, the ‚dried fruit brigade‘ takes no prisoners with a slightly dry and intense attack with a lot of tannic wood and honey, but the other aromas are in the background. High class all the way, especially when the long finish starts to hum its fruity tune accompanied by neat white oak.

Score: 91-

Springbank 10 y.o. SMWS 27.87, 2000 – 2011, Sherry Hogshead, 54,4%

Comment: Surprise! Really much better than expected. I am getting a salty and nutty coastal aroma with well-integrated Sherry, that isn’t hiding at all. Hence we got pleasant dark fruits of all kind and a peppery spiciness from the wood with tiny bitterness. There also are peaty tones, ham, coconut, cookies and coffee detectable. High class and complexity like in the old days. No joke! Where did they find this cask? On the palate and in the finish, the intensity and joy continues in the same way and takes up a little farmyardiness too, but the creaminess of the old style is not fully there – but that would be a task too hard for any malt these days. This is a stunner not to be missed. Forget the numbers, which might not convince you to buy a bottle, go for the taste of this big malt. I hope there will come more Springers like that in the future.

Score: 90+

Tomorrow the German chapter of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society will present their new releases for Christmas time. Our friend Ralf Dänzer and I don’t want you to find any bad drams underneath the X-mas tree – that’s why he sent me some samples via the reindeer express yesterday. Blitzen looked kind of hammered, maybe it tried from the Port Charlotte .

As the most-wanted-distillery bottlings sell out quickly, I tasted them right away to give you a notion. Good luck in filling your stockings with these releases. I couldn’t find a bad one yet.

Highland Park 26 y.o. SMWS 4.151, 1984, Refill Sherry Butt, 53%

Comment: Quite spicy in the nose at first, the Sherry is talking loud and clearly,  then it smoothens out with maritime freshness and gets much rounder. Soft smoke, honey, Turkish delight, apples and cider, peaches, Werthers Original toffee, café au lait, nice dark wood and a spicy backbone of white pepper and chili. Nice but incomparable to the amazing palate. It drinks beautifully and is a dream of balance that still has power, the Sherry is well-integrated, heavy and light at the same time. Water makes it creamier and more accessible. Long finish.

Score: 90

Clynelish 25 y.o. SMWS 26.71, 1984 – 2010, Refill Sherry Butt, 57,3%

Comment: Very typical Clynelish (apples, candlewax, tropical fruit, quince, maritime air with a hint of peat smoke and all that jazz) in the nose. A fine balance with the fruit as spearhead hits the palate, also vanilla now. A soft and fruity Clynelish with a medium finish. Water is not necessary but makes it a bit more spicy and interesting.

Score: 89

Laphroaig 20 y.o. SMWS 29.97, 10.1990 – 2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 608 btl., 59,1%

Comment: Tyrolian bacon and a red Passito, that’s what I would call it. Rooty peat, camphor, herbs, juniper, Stilton cheese, sulphur, dirty machine oil, and other unusual notes for a Laphroaig. The Sherry really changed the spirit to a great extent – into a profile not everybody likes (lost identity, lots of personality). The palate also is Sherry- and sulphur-dominated, gunpowder, roots, camphor, blue cheese again, not bad but different. It reminds me a bit of the 1974 Singatory Sherry bottling, but without the old Laphroaig characterstics. Really hard to judge…some will love this, some might call it flawed. I would have liked more Laphroaig in my glass but enjoyed the dram anyway.

Score 90+

Ardbeg 12 y.o. SMWS 33.97, 09.10.1997, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 55,5%

Comment: Recent Ardbegs from the Society were convincing and this is not an exception. It is a textbook example of an Ardbeg of that particular time, a really well-balanced one again. More old than new style in the nose but on the palate you discover, among typical Ardbeg characteristics, the newer notes of eucalypt, methol and cactus that came into the distillate after 1996 in general. Green Ardbeg so to speak – with a great finish.

Score: 90+

Caol Ila 10y.o. SMWS 53.147, 11.1999, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 66,6%

Comment: Very intense and herbal, big Islay power, flints, but it needs some drops of water to be tamed. No offnotes, simply great Caol Ila with depth. I recommend this for anyone who loves young South Coasters that do their job well.

Score: 91-

Port Charlotte 7 y.o. SMWS 127.11, 8.2003 – 2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 67,1%

Comment: Smells a bit like one of those PCs out of a Sherry Bloodtub, broodingly intense on rooty peat, camphor, herbs, tar, ox tail soup and Sherry. Blue cheese, dried flowers, moss, toffee, pepper and coffee complete the bouquet. You might not believe this, but it is drinkable at 67,1% without needing water. Anyway, it can swim too. The power on the mid-palate and the endless finish are ridiculous. Another stunner PC – how excellent will these monsters be with more maturity?

Score: 91+

Balmenach 22 y.o. / 1988 SMWS 48.24, Refill Bourbon Hogshead, 49,3%

Comment: Very fruity (green apples, pineapple, lemon zest) and mature in the nose, kept at bay by some spice (white pepper) and wonderful white oak influences (vanilla, caramel, wood, charcoal). On the palate it bursts even more with  fruits (local and tropical) and displays a honey-infused sweetness, herbs and roses in addition – this has really been stored in a good Bourbon cask (refill?). No water needed, but this is a swimmer indeed.

Score: 89+

Glenturret 22 y.o. / 1988 SMWS 16.30, 2nd-fill Bourbon Hogshead, 51,6%

Comment: Highly unusual, not to say weird in the nose, but not at all unpleasant. Cheese roll with pickle, berry liqueur, Amarena cherry sauce from Italy (Maraschino and Morello), heather, dandelions, moss, creme brulee, honey, white dessert wine (Riesling Auslese or Passito), wet socks after a walk in the woods. The palate is a tightly-knit mix of the notes above, concentrating on moss, berries and wine, but also wonderfully mineral. Awesome, seems older than 22 years. What a cristalline fruitiness that resembles dextrose! No water, please! The finish juggles with all these aromas at great length. This ranks among the best Glenturrets I had. It has a unique character, perfect maturity and a satisfying taste that makes you beg for another glass. STUNNER!

Score: 91

Glenrothes 20 y.o. / 1990 SMWS 30.63, Refill Sherry Butt, 55,8%

Comment: Sweet and christmas-cakey (or the German ‚Christstollen mit Marzipan‘). Tea, peat and Sherry, lots of raisins (too dominating), plums, maraschino cherries, orange zest, rubber, sugared nuts and marzipan complete the nose – this is perfect for the advent or X-mas coffee table. Later some tobacco and figs emerge from the glass. The sweetness in the mouth is overwhelming and a bit monodimensional (raisins again), but we have a long finish on the same notes and noble rot on dark grapes. Unfortunately, the palate couldn’t hold the promises of the nose. Not bad, but you have to like the rubber-raisiny Sherry profile mainly on primary notes, which can be really persistent.

Score: 86

Glen Albyn 31 y.o. / 1979 SMWS 69.14, Refill Sherry Butt, 56,3%

Comment: Herbal at first, licorice and honey, loads of flowers, lemons, orange peel, plums, kraut salad with black cumin, Sushi roll in Nori, whiffs of peat, old gardening earth, Chinese roasted duck and kola nut. A little water helps opening the complex elixir. Slightly dry arrival on the palate, rather light, oak, flowers, gentle peat, honey and herbs lead into an earthy finish with echoes of the nose and some ginger. The nose was better than the rest. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable dram in the classic light but complex style without lots of ‚in-your-face‘ wood influence.

Score: 88+

Auchentoshan 11 y.o. / 1999 SMWS 5.29, 60,6%

Kommentar:
Apfel und Birne, Holzkohle, Heu und Trockenblumen, grünes Malz, Vanille; im Geschmack recht scharf, auch viel Wasser hilft da nicht.

Bewertung: 77

Glenmorangie 18 y.o. / 1992 SMWS 125.39, 55,7%

Kommentar:
Voll, süß, tropisch reif, sehr deutliches Bourbon Cask, dezenter Rauch, Vanille, Toffee, Nelke, Pfirsich; im Geschmack ein Grenzgang zwischen reifem Single Malt und Bourbon, aber man muss schon ein Bourbon-Freak sein, in dieser Richtung extrem: dennoch klasse.

Bewertung: 90

Mortlach 20 y.o. / 1989 SMWS 76.75, first-fill Sherry, 58,8%

Kommentar:
Überraschend maritim und rau, recht torfig für einen Mortlach, Leder, Pflaumen und Datteln, Spur Schwefel; die Rosinen treten im Geschmack wieder in den Vordergrund, dennoch eine gelungene Abwechslung zu den sonstigen eindimensionalen Rosinenbombern, dazu gute Würze, Moos.

Bewertung: 88

Bowmore 16 y.o. / 1994 SMWS 3.169, Refill Sherry Butt, 56,6%

Kommentar:
Bowmore auf dem Bauernhof: starke Noten von Heu und Mist, Harnsäure, Torf, Schwefel, dazu Zitronen-Aromen und Cappuccino – was für ein wilder Mix! Im Geschmack kommen Noten einer Dampflok auf, Jod, Trafobrand, Farn, Schwefel, viel deutlicher Islay als Bowmore früher war. Was für Leute, die klare Islay-Power mögen, die klassische Bowmore-Mitte mit Balance fehlt hier.

Bewertung: 89

Ardbeg 8 y.o. / 2001 SMWS 33.92, 57,5%

Kommentar:
Ardbeg, wie ich ihn mag: sehr klassisch im Stil, keine Offnote, richtig gelungen. Tipp!

Bewertung: 90

Aultmore 28 y.o. / 1982 SMWS 73.39, Refill Sherry Butt, 55,4%

Kommentar:
Obstig, reif, braucht Wasser zur Öffnung; Pfirsich; Geschmacklich sehr ausgewogen und reif, komplexe Frucht und feine Bourbon-Weißeiche, florale Noten, Vanille. Tipp!

Bewertung: 90

Glen Moray 10 y.o. / 2000 SMWS 35.48, 59,3%

Kommentar:
Apfel, Birne, Rauch, Vanille, Passionsfrucht, Brennnessel, Bärlauch und weitere Anteile an Kräuterlikör (jedoch erst nach Wasserzugabe); im Geschmack tropische Frucht in schwermütigem Charakter (Dose), Eiche und Vanille.

Bewertung: 89

Linkwood 27 y.o. / 1982 SMWS 39.78, 55,1%

Kommentar:
Heu, Rauch, Holundersirup, Beeren, Heidehonig, viel Komplexität, die im Geschmack mit voller Kraft auftritt: wow! Beeren und Frucht ohne zu viel Holzeinfluss bringen den Trinker in Verzückung. Tipp!

Bewertung: 91

Benrinnes 13 y.o. / 1996 SMWS 36.51, 61,9%

Kommentar:
Kräuter, heimisches Obst, Mandarine und deren Schale, Kondensmilch, Spur Kaffee, Honig; Im Geschmack dominiert das trockene Milieu mit Heu und Trockenblumen, Lakritz und Vanille – ein typischer Speysider.

Bewertung: 87

Port Charlotte 6 y.o / 2003 SMWS 127.6, 65,2%

Kommentar:
Es übermannt einen sofort der typische Kräuter-Torf-Jod-Mix dieses Destillats. Auch Kreide, Pflaume und Zitronensäure sind riechbar. Im Geschmack setzen sich der moosige Torf, Schwefel und Jod durch, im Hintergrund verweilen Sattelfett, Wurzeln und Cola. Trotz der Fassstärke keine Verdünnung notwendig. Tipp!

Bewertung: 92

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) disguises their bottlings by giving each distillery a number – by that they avoid legal trouble when a certain distillery name was not allowed to be used by them. So the first number tells you the distillery, the second number enumerates the bottlings: e.g. 33.4 would mean Ardbeg, fourth bottling by SMWS … and if you knew all about this, use the lists as reference. We also linked each name with a link that gives basic information about the distillery (sourced from  ‚Whisky-Portal‘).

SMWS Distillery-Codes (first by number, then by distillery):

(NEW ONES INCL. RUM, ARMAGNAC, COGNAC, GRAIN, ETC. BELOW)

129 Kilchoman
130 Chichibu
131 Hanyu
132 Karuizawa
133 Westland Distillery
134 Paul John, Goa Indien
135 Loch Lomond distillery (Inchmoan)
136 = ?
137 St George’s Distillery

SMWS Code Grain Distillery
G1 North British Distillery
G2 Carsebridge Distillery
G3 Caledonian Distillery
G4 Cameronbridge Distillery
G5 Invergordon Distillery
G6 Port Dundas Distillery
G7 Girvan Distillery
G8 Cambus Distillery
G9 Loch Lomond
G10 Strathclyde
G11 Nikka Distillery Coffey Grain
G12 Nikka Distillery Coffey Malt
G13 Chita – Suntory’s grain distillery in Aichi
G14 Dumbarton
G15 Rhosdhu Distillery – Loch Lomond

SMWS Code USA Destillen
B1 Heaven Hill Distillery
B2 Bernheim Distillery
B3 Rock Town Distillery
B4 Few Spirits Distillery
B5 George Dickel (Tennessee)

SMWS Code für Rum
R1 Port Morant Distillery (Jamaica)
R2 Demerara Distillery (El Dorado) (Guyana)
R3 Mount Gay Distillery (Barbados)
R4 Angostura Distillery (Trinidad)
R5 Appleton Distillery (Jamaica)
R6 Foursquare (Barbados)
R7 Hampden (Jamaica)
R8 Compañia Licorera de Nicaragua, or Flor de Caña (Nicaragua)
R9 Varela-Hermanos, Ron Abuelo (Panama)
R10 Trinidad Distillers (Trinidad)
R11 Worthy Park (Jamaica)
R12 Belize (Distillery Unknown as of 2018)

SMWS Code für Armagnac Destillery
A1 Chateau de Lacaze (Frankreich)
A2 ??? (Bas Amagnac/Frankreich)

SMWS Code für Cognac Destillery
C1 Camus (Frankreich)
C2 Cognac Petite Champagne
C3 Cognac Grande Champagne
C4 Cognac Petite Champagne
C5 Cognac Grande Champagne

SMWS Code für Gin Destillery
GN1 The Glasgow Distillery (Makar Gin)

SMWS Code für Retirees Liquer
RL1 Berts Bärchen Likör (bei Berlin)

Since the Scotch Malt Whisky Society has been taken over, I was in the lucky position to try most of their releases. Our partner Ralf Dänzer (www.smws-süd.de) does a wonderful job in selecting and promoting the whiskies. In general, they are above average, and some are top class. Make sure you are fast to get hold of a bottle. The SMWS lowered the member fees a lot. I really recommend to become a member nowadays. It is worth it. Another recommendation: Ralf offers samples of recent bottlings to try before you buy!

If you are interested in previous reviews (German), click here:

http://www.smws-süd.de/downloads/201104smwsverkostungfruehlingsliste.pdf

In this series, I would like to review some recent bottlings (only the first one in German, tomorrow, the ratings will be in English). My highlight of the ‚Summer Series“ was an Ardbeg (and I am not a comlete nut for post-1997-Ardbegs), a real stunner:

Ardbeg SMWS 33.93 ‚Tarry peppermint tea‘ 10 y.o., 8.1998 – 6.2011, Refill Sherry Butt, 626 bottles, 55,9%

More reviews in English all the way from tomorrow on…

same outfit, but 33.93

Nose:

Mächtig Gummireifen, Torf und Jod beim ersten Riechen; dahinter Kräuter, Pfeffer, gegerbtes Leder, Holzkohle, Harz, Teer, Moor, Zitronenschale, Salzlake, Nelken, ein Hauch Schwefel  und Spuren der ab 1997 auftretenden ätherischen Minze. Wahrlich komplex!

Geschmack:

Trotz großer Kraft recht ausgewogen, obige Aromen und Pfefferminzteenoten erscheinen in dichter Verbindung, ohne jede Offnote. Ein klasse Ardbeg!

Abgang:

Lang, jodig-torfig, wärmend wie Holzkohleglut, die dezente Sherrynote ist hier deutlicher, sie verbindet die vielen obigen Elemente optimal im Abgang; gegen

Ende setzt sich eine herrliche Knallpistolenschwefelnote durch: einer der Besten seit der Glenmorangie-Übernahme, genau mein Ding!

Punkte: 92/100

Summary: A real iodine-sulphur-peat-beast that reminds me of earlier bottlings. Very well balanced yet powerful. We put this one into our line-up of the Regensburger Whisky Walk 2011 because it rocked our world!