04/05/2019 May outturn at the SMWS

They roll like bowls in a bowling alley. bottlings coming out. A boom if I know one!
JS and I meet at the SMWS to try the new outturn. CD, GK, BA, HT and others are there, of course. No PS, who left a couple of hours before I arrive.

38.24 26yo d.1992 Princes Street Gardens in summer (51.2%, SMWS Society Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 270b): nose: perfume-y and loaded with boozy pastry. It feels strong in alcohol, with almond skins, curd, walnut oil and strong perfume (as in strong, scented alcohol). Lime joins the dance, sparkling pomelo juice, then back to walnut, and... smoke!? Mouth: vanilla pudding, here. On steroids, though -- it is rather strong, as hinted at by the nose. Poached pears, poached peaches, oregano, rosemary, nutmeg. Finish: meow! Moreish lemon curd, vanilla shortbread, buttered scone, apricot jam and hints of rosemary. Beau-ti-ful. Caperdonich can be hit or miss, especially these later vintages; the ones the SMWS has been releasing recently are all top notch, however. Just as well, because they are not cheap. 9/10

54.75 16yo d.2002 Refined, refreshing and redolent (58.8%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill Toasted Hogshead, 187b): nose: a strange combination of polished dashboards, a toolbox and an auld sweet shoppe. The second sniff brings forth mercurochrome. After the first sip, it smells like a grain, with coconut and lemon juice. Later on, it wafts through scents of a musty warehouse and Demerara sugar. Mouth: the combination carries on, with metallic tools and copper coins, polished walnut tree and some distinct power, with lots of spices, whilst the fruit is toned down. Finish: green and spicy at first, it soon explodes into a myriad of flavours covering pastry, metals, fruit (cut peaches) and herbs. Very original. It reminds of the wonderful 23yo by Cadenhead for its whacky profile, complex and unexpected. 8/10

The following are not in the outturn. They were part of an unanounced mid-month release. We feel compelled to try them before they run out; check the number of bottles for each!

50.107 26yo d.1990 Full of surprises! (54.7%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 64b): nose: dusty and fruity, it has wood, juicy butter and rotting peaches -- it works! Mouth: soft, even more interesting than the nose, complex, it has ashes, alongside peaches and orange peels. Finish: citrus, mandarins, to be precise, tangerines, squashed apricots, apricot turnovers and squashed strawberries. Nice! 8/10

50.108 26yo d.1990 Darkness of the edge of brown (56.5%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 95b): nose: this one is more perfume-y, with fragrant-if-shy jasmine and Virginia tobacco and crushed, overripe peach. There is also more pronounced wood, on the nose of this one. Mouth: soft, fruity (yellow peach, white peach, plum), balanced and well pleasant. Finish: baking aplenty, with vanilla sugar, baked choux dough, vanilla custard and coconut shavings. This is excellent. Would probably score one more point in a more relaxed setting (the clock is ticking and we have one more to try). 8/10

50.106 28yo d.1990 Smashed with an antique melon mallet (55%, SMWS Society Cask, 2nd Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 61b): this one is not available to buy any longer, but since we just had 107 and 108, it would be silly not to try it while we can (last bottle at the bar). We are told it has turned mustier than when the bottle was opened. Nose: lemon-y, it also shows a high strength that clears the nostrils. Fruit-scented, acidic cleaning agent -- and none of that washing-up liquid: something much more radical. Super-acidic grapefruit. Nice, but challenging, this one. Water brings up leather and hay!? Yup, upholstery, which is most unexpected. Mouth: better behaved, here, it has lemon curd, grapefruit peel, grapefruit segments, acidic and sharp, stripping, almost drying. Water makes it more balanced, with peach juice, a dash of grapefruit juice too, then assertive spice, green-chilli style. Finish: an onslaught of acidic grapefruit and sharp lemon. This is impressively intense. With water, it remains very acidic, with added green chilli. It feels slightly less spicy than on the nose and mouth, but it is still strong. What a treat to try three of those sister casks back to back, though! 8/10

Incidentally, I am warming up to this new livery. I still think
that having different labels for the high-end defeats the idea
of the SMWS (look past the presentation), but the black
labels are very stylish!

Well, the prices, they keep climbing, yet the quality, it stays high. The place is becoming a bit stingy with the cheeses and crackers, on the other hand. Four crackers and four minuscule pieces of cheese. Well, we did see more than one who did not finish their portion, all the same. QED, I suppose.