18/06/2021 The Munro's Part 4

Beinn Ime Blended Scotch (40%, Lambert Brothers): nose: it is funny: I had imagined (and feared) that these would all contain the same whisky, but they are all so different from one another, in perception, at least. Bottle variation, perhaps? This one has old, yellow-fruit jams and encaustic. The second sniff does bring some brine and rancio; after more than thirty years in glass, that is hardly surprising. In fact, it is even sawdust on a clay floor. Plum liqueur appears, overshadowing faint bandages and antiseptic. That is right: this one has a gentle medicinal side. I told you they were different! Smoked pineapple shows up upon second nosing, which is as welcome as it is unexpected. Mouth: lush and mellow, it has warm custard, topped with a caramel liqueur of sorts. That changes into butterscotch and toffee starting to melt in the heat. Old wood purrs in the background, old bookshelves and faded newspaper cut-outs. The second sip is juicier, harking back to the smoked pineapple from the nose, although this also has an earthier, bitterer note, faint, but tenacious. Might it be roasted fennel seeds? Finish: toffee, toffee, toffee. Another sweet number. Beyond that are toasted flavours: milk coffee, aniseed, caraway seeds. The second sip transforms it, turning this into something as close to a marmalade as can be: acidic, bitter and sweet all at once, harmoniously balanced. It is a medium-long finish that leaves the tongue a little numb, as if under the spell of grated ginger. I have a new favourite! 8/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)