06/05/2025 Industry Giants: Sukhinder Singh at the SWMS

Here we are again, for a tasting led by The Whisky Exchange's founder. With me are PS, DW, GT, YM, JMcC, JS and many others I do not know.

SS: "I became a member of the SMWS in 1989 (or 1990?) I loved it. This was heaven. I have amassed a huuuuuge collection of SMWS bottling, including most of the .1 [releases]. I think I am missing maybe twenty. By the way, if you can help me find them..."

Dram #1

Nose: lights, fresh, it has a whiff of pine-scented paste, not far from Gocce Pino, if less intense. There is also a fruity custard in there, or fruity yoghurt, and a dusting of confectionary sugar. Lemon-scented hand soap grows in intensity, soon followed by ripe-citrus segments covered in dust. Mouth: it is warm and pine-y, and it has a good dose of boozy cereals. That, in turn, is augmented with dried apple slices. The second sip is fruitier with little of the grassy-metallic profile I associate with the distillery (we have been told, by now). Finish: we are told the ABV, but, if the number is modest, this kicks booteille. It has ether and a vaguely medicinal note, closer to surgical alcohol than gauze or tincture of iodine. Perhaps we find dry Bourbon-cask staves, which is to say white-wood shavings, and a whiff of blond-tobacco smoke via retro-nasal olfaction.

Glencadam 11yo 2011/2022 Parcel No.10 (48%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland Reserve Casks) 7/10

Dram #2

Nose: ooft! This smells creamy. Caramel-flavoured whipped cream, melted chocolate, an emulsion of sorts, and crumbs from a crushed pine cone. It turns more pine-y with each sniff, then adds crystallised tangerine segments. We spot dried mushrooms and nuts upon second nosing. Mouth: extremely fruity, here, it has maracuja, mango -- phwoar! It dabbles with spices too, and the second sip comes with a pinch of chopped green chilli. Mostly, it keeps shouting cut maracuja and runny persimmon and peach, however. Finish: an explosion of tropical fruits in the finish. It kicks like a young'un, but mostly, it is wave after wave of tropical goodness. In the long run, those fruits are presented in a plastic container, which is an original take. Wow.

Tormore 23yo 1999/2023 (54.5%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Barrel, C#5173, 197b) 9/10

YM [about the Tormore]: "It is the poor man's 117.3."

Dram #3

Nose: are the drams related, or do I have a one-track nose? (I have a nasty cold, so do not answer). This one is drier, with cocoa-bean shavings and tree bark, yet also a touch of pine scents, just like its predecessors. It turns woodier with time, and something else happens: Dextro Energy tablets emerge, fruity and chalky. Strangely, adding water increases that chalky impression, and adds a whisper of soft-boiled eggs. Mouth: a little syrupy and chocolate-y. In truth, it is a cascade of melted chocolate. Rich, coating without being cloying, it has oily nuts too. The second sip is dripping with chocolate. Water does not change it dramatically -- perhaps it gains even more chocolate, in a sauce form, now, then as a coulis, which is less thick -- at least in my mind. Finish: more chocolate coulis, melted chocolate ice cream, chocolate spread on plain crackers... Oh yeah! The ABV is quite impossible to guess. Good integration. Sukhinder declares it very fruity. I heroically guess the distillery (with a subtle hint).

71.106 11yo d.2012 Bellinis and bouquets (60.6%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 242b) 8/10

PJ: "We will have a short recession before the second half."
Punter: "Recession?"
PS: "Thank you, Donald Trump!"

Dram #4

Nose: this is flowery as a scented shampoo, yet it does not have the soapy bitterness that usually comes along. Forsythia and kerria, both kept in a plastic vase. Indeed, there is a lot of plastic action, as well as hot beverages. It also has a lick of fruit-tree wood. Mouth: waxy, polished. Here are physalis, greengages and Mirabelle plums, none too ripe, and even a drop of lemon juice, given time. Much later on, we have sawdust mixed with dried citrus zest. Finish: pepper and marmalade, squashed yellow fruit not quite ripe. It is long, loud, fruity, with a shy-but-clear bitterness. It lacks personality for my liking, perhaps. Later on, we find a fruity heat that is quite staggering.

Linkwood 14yo 2008/2022 (53.2%, Elixir Distillers The Single Malts of Scotland, Hogshead, C#804632, 153b) 8/10

SS: "Here is a clue: it is a Diageo distillery."
punter: "Does it have a visitor centre?"

Dram #5

Nose: expensive leather, faded suede, game bags, rancio, perhaps roast beef, and a whiff of soft smoke. Repeated nosing brings shards of glass, a woodworm-eaten wardrobe and ground wood spices (cinnamon and dried ginger, naturally). It then turns towards drinks cabinets, before welcoming touches of lychee, much later on. Mouth: wow! It is a lot smokier on the palate, with a whisp of mint and crushed pine cones. The mint morphs into a minty paste, fresh and lively. Oh! and this burns too, to be sure. Finish: big, it has a spoonful of honey, the smoke of a dried-herb fire, and a certain fruitiness -- roasted apples and quinces. The smoke persists, yet it is but a component, at this stage.

4.387 14yo d.2009 Sweet smoky dreams (62.4%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogsheads + 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel Finish, 228b) 8/10

Dram #6

Nose: ah! It is a rum. Full of glue, the kind that works less well for me. Despite trying really hard, I struggle to find anything past that glue. Melted plastic tubes and oilskins -- heaps of oilskins. Mouth: oilskins to the brim, with a fistful of dried pineapple cubes thrown in for shits and giggles. It becomes drier and more drying in subsequent sips, sucking moisture from the gob like hot shrink wrap. Finish: more plastic, its bitterness somewhat balanced by caramelised sugar and darkened burnt apple tart, until that turns into torched molasses. This really does not do it for me.

Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve b.2023 (54.5%, Elixir Distillers) 5/10

Sukhinder is very excited by that rum. He explains how old sailors contacted him in waves (see what I did?) to sell him their Navy rum (the one they received a ration of when on a ship), how that was the best rum he had ever tasted, and how Black Tot is the brand under which he sold that Navy rum. The current batches aim to replicate the profile, since the original stock is depleted or close enough, and rotate between the production of various countries (Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Granada). It is an excellent story; I simply do not enjoy the rum very much. Others do, much to my relief. I will not have to force it down.

GT: "The ration was a quart a day..."
tOMoH: "Which quantity did you say?"
GT: "A quart a day."
tOMoH: "You're telling me the sailors were given a litre [of rum] a day!?"
GT: "And a gallon of beer."
PS: "Two pints a day. We conquered the world with it. We just don't remember how."

The tasting ends. Some people leave, some stay for a chat. At some point, I need the loo. PS exits as I head in.

tOMoH: "Fuck you!"
PS: "Later. The invoice will be enormous."
tOMoH: "Unlike your dick."

(Yes, it is late.)

We talk about concerts. Kiss, Queen and others.

YM: "I wasn't cool enough, back then, to go to those shows."
PS: "Back then?"
tOMoH: "Hate to burst your bubble, but..."

On the way out, we spot MJ and IR downstairs, which prompts warm greetings, and delays the walk home. Fortunately, I know better than to share another dram with them. ZzzZzz. :-)