20/10/2018 A few drams at the SMWS

Before anything, we try these three, that a customer left for us to try in a shop we stop by...



JL joins JS, Psycho and me for a few drams. The place is a construction site, with the main room ripped apart for refurbishment, and the temporary bar on the top deck. Ah, well.

50.83 25yo d.1990 Stimulating and uplifting (61%, SMWS Society Single Cask for Japan, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 144b): I wanted 50.104, but there is none left. Nose: soft, floral and pastry-laden, it has marzipan, éclairs, forsythia and ginger buns, Cherry Coke (Psycho) and perfume (JL). Mouth: hot and comforting, it unleashes ginger biscuits and cinnamon buns, as well as hot custard with a dollop of melted chocolate. Finish: long, spicy, but soft (as in: it does not bit the tongue off with chilli), it has lots of pastry, cinnamon and a little incense, but also roasted mangoes. Beautiful. 9/10

JL: "That thing has balls, too!"
tOMoH: "Yeah, they teabag the casks."

38.22 25yo 1992/2018 Love letter on linen paper (51%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 270b): nose: very fruity, with added honeysuckle, tinned pineapple and juicy grapes. Mouth: super soft, juicy, buttery in texture, with mango purée and apple compote, peach pulp and a pinch of chilli. Finish: extremely fruity, with melted milk chocolate and fruity yoghurt. This one was allocated via a draw, and it is a pity none of us was picked, because it is a beauty. Dram of the night, except for JL, who hates it. The fool. 9/10

96.16 11yo d.2006 The merchant of Alsace (55.2%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 198b): Psycho was looking for the latest 1.xxx, but it is finished too. Nose: more traditional, it has barley, golden fields, faded leather and hints of earth. Mouth: soft, quaffable, custard- and apple-driven with a yoghurt-y texture. French apple tart it is, then, even though it is hilariously called an English tart, in French. Finish: full of pastry, with lots of custard and melted milk chocolate -- lots of that, in fact! A recurring note, tonight, eh? 7/10

We are pressed to order before last pour. We all try something dear.

9.150 30yo 1988/2018 Thyme well spent (54.7%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Oloroso Sherry/1st Fill PX Sherry Butt, 370b): impossible not to try something with that untastic name! Nose: hints of rancio and lots of dark fruits (elderberry, blackcurrant, bramble). Mouth: soft and fruity, with more dark berries (blackberry, blackcurrant, elderberry again) and a pinch of spices. Finish: squashed fruit, crushed berries -- lots of them; a proper dark-fruit jam, with bees on the jar and all. The wood influence grows, before swiftly coming back to the berries. Excellent. I reckon my favourite SMWS Glen Grant. 9/10

7.200 25yo d.1992 Sassy lassie in a leather skirt (54.8%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 222b): nose: sappy, green plants and aloe vera, dried oranges. Mouth: pear shavings and peach skins. Finish: fruity, green and fairly underwhelming. I do not get to spend much time with this one, but I find it the weakest SMWS Longmorn in a long while. 7/10

29.254 9yo d.2008 A match made in heaven (60.3%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 234b): nose: muddy farm paths, tractor tyres and drying mud. This one does not smell medicinal, but farm-y. Mouth: soft and farm-y, with muddy tracks aplenty. Finish: farmyards with a coastal touch. Psycho says it makes him fall in love with that distillery again. We are now being kicked out, hence the poor notes. 7/10

We overstay our welcome by a few minutes. Time for food; we are starving. Kolossi it is, and the spot it hits.

JS's moussaka

Psycho's chicken kebab

JL's salmon fillet

tOMoH's mixed grill

Good times.