21/06/2021 The Munro's Part 5

Beinn a' Chreachain Blended Scotch (40%, Lambert Brothers): nose: OME in full effect! This has heady brine and wood varnish, as well as walnut oil and some nutty vinegar. Next up is an unexpected whiff of warm metal, either a domestic boiler, or a kettle that has just boiled. Still, the brine manages to somehow apply a chokehold on everything else. Later on, linseed oil and freshly-laundered linen appear, dry leaves on an October afternoon, devoid of any humidity, walnut fruit flesh... This is turning into quite the autumnal nose! The second nose has a perfume-y note -- and by that, I mean that it makes me think of perfume for some bizarre reason, namely Yves Rocher's Magnolia. Is it memory playing tricks on me? Mouth: woody and briny on the tongue, it displays all sorts of bitter nuts (walnut, hazelnut, almond, all with skin on) and seeds (linseed, pumpernickel, sunflower seed). It retains a bit of brine too. The second sip is much oilier, both in terms of texture and terms of taste. I now find olive oil and hazelnut oil to complement the bitterness of nuts. There is a twist of the peppermill too, which adds a balanced spiciness. It lacks a bit of freshness to drink more than the one dram at a time, probably. Finish: as the other expressions in the Munro's collection, this is really rather sweet. Unlike the others, however, whatever caramel was added to the blend does not overpower an assertive bitterness. It is not an unpleasant bitterness, mind. It is that of nuts again. Walnuts, almonds and grape pips, with the associated oils and a drop of unidentified vinegar (my guess is raspberry). The sweetness at play makes me think of corn syrup, but really, it is perfectly tolerable. 7/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)