SMWS Bowmore 15/17 2004 Sister Cask Side by Side: 3.314 “Loungecore stave exoticism” & 3.324 “Split personality”

 

Continuing the trend of a sister cask side by side to mark a 25th review. This is one I’ve been looking forward to for a while. At least one of these has had fantastic reviews both on reddit and elsewhere. The other is just a bit older. Plus the Islay festival release this year was made up of casks from the same distillation and was excellent, though was a bit too expensive to warrant a bottle. Enough of that, let’s get to the whisky.

Bowmore 15, 2004 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 3.314, Islay Single Malt, 56.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 16, 2004, matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 14 years and finished in a 1st-fill STR barrique for a total 15 years aging yielding 246 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “Loungecore stave exoticism” and was released for the Islay festival in 2020. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 3.324.

Color: Auburn, polished mahogany; 1.5.

Nose: Fruit, toffee, carfamel, fruity, musty, all under an earthy, smoky “cloud.”

Taste: The nose sells it well. More emphasis on the fruit and must.

Finish: Charred wood, citrus peeks in a bit. Medium-long.

Superb.

Score: 90

Musical Evocation: Volbeat – “I Only Wanna Be With You”

Bowmore 17, 2004 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 3.324, Islay Single Malt, 56% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 16, 2004, matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 14 years and finished in a 1st-fill STR barrique for a total 17 years aging yielding 251 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “Split personality”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 3.314.

Color: Mahogany, henna notes; 1.6.

Nose: Similar to the other. It’s a bit punchier like vinegar (not in a bad way at all, just a slight nostril sting that you get from it), and it’s a bit industrial akin to Longrow.

Taste: Again much like what the nose promises, but adding some heat.

Finish: It drops off right away before working its way back. Chocolate-ish, salty (slight), musty and ashy. Medium-short.

Wow.

Score: 91

Musical Evocation: Tragedy – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”

I decided my post-review commentary for each would just be the single word I wrote describing my overall impression and let that stand on its own. These are excellent. Very similar, yet different. 3.314 made me upset I waited this long to open it. 3.324 made me upset I passed on other sister casks. These are right up my ally, and are prime examples of the high regard people have for Bowmore IBs. With the blind Advent calendar starting tomorrow, it made me think about it a bit, and the 3.324, blind, I’d guess Longrow or Springbank. It’s hard to imagine a better pair to send me off into the Advent calendar full of hype and love for whisky.

SMWS Glen Scotia 17 2002 Sister Cask Side by Side: 93.128 “Smoke and smugglers” & 93.144 "Sea salt on chestnuts”/“Not Just Coastal" (Skotchtoberfest #s 1A & 1B)

Nearly all of my experience with Glen Scotia has been through the SMWS, and they’ve yet to disappoint. I bought one at a tasting a few months ago that I simply couldn’t believe was a Glen Scotia it was so unbelievably dirty. The first of these I grabbed one they released it for the festival season, and the other was just a delicious sounding whisky that happened to be a sister cask so it got paired with that for review. Here we go.

Glen Scotia 17, 2002 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 93.128, Campbeltown Single Malt, 54.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on May 6, 2002 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 17 years yielding 213 bottles. This is part of the Oily & Coastal flavor profile named “Smoke and smugglers” released for the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2020. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 93.144.

Color: Amontillado Sherry; 0.9.

Nose: Smoky, malt and vanilla try to peek through. Industrial, brine, wood.

Taste: Sweet, spicy fruits, medicinal smoke. Orange.

Finish: Wood and smoke.

The flavor caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting a sweetness as intense as it was, particularly after the nose. This all comes together really nicely and is definitely a bottle worthy of a festival label.

Score: 88

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Glen Scotia 17, 2002 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 93.144, Campbeltown Single Malt, 56.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on May 6, 2002 and matured in a 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel for 17 years yielding 199 bottles. This is part of the Lightly Peated flavor profile named “Not Just Coastal/Sea salt on chestnuts” the former title being the name given in the US due to labeling restrictions. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn with its sister cask 93.128.

Color: Deep copper; 1.0.

Nose: Different; lighter but somehow heavier. Behind a light fruit lie rich tobacco and leather that draw you in. Very enticing.

Taste: Spicy, cereals, smoke, compote.

Finish: Very rich smoke, tobacco, leather, musty fruit. What a showstopper. Long.

Holy smokes, what a crazy finish. It’s just stellar and keeps on going. This reminds me of my favorite parts of some absolutely excellent whiskies that command a higher price for much less aging. 

Score: 89

Musical Evocation: Linkin Park – “Given Up”

I’m very glad to be caught up with my typing and embarking on the “Skotchtoberfest” reviews, and what a kickoff. I think I may be tasting the finish from 93.144 throughout the season.

SMWS Ledaig 9/12/13 2008 Sister Cask Side by Side: 42.43 “Smoky spicy red rye ale”, 42.44 “Winter warmer”, 42.53 “Mull me(n)tal”, 42.60 “Sensationally sensual”, & 42.63 “Thirst aid kit”

 

The SMWS has recently had a fair amount of casks from Ledaig coming out recently, and I happened to have a couple others from years ago from the same distillation, so I decided to do the five of them side by side.

Ledaig 9, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.43, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 59.7% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 21, 2008 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 9 years and finished in a 1st-fill wine barrique charred and refitted with heavily toasted lids yielding 302 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Smoky spicy red rye ale”. Enjoyed side by side with its sister casks 42.44, 42.53, 42.60, & 42.63.

Color: Tawny; 1.4.8

Nose: Burnty, musty, meat.

Taste: Smoky bacon, spiced fruit.

Finish: Smoky, a fruity wave of flavor right after swallowing, smoky toffee. Long.

Really awesome finish, very long. Overall a great dram.

Score: 92

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Ledaig 9, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.44, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 58.5% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 21, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 9 years yielding 232 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Winter warmer”. Enjoyed side by side with its sister casks 42.43, 42.53, 42.60, & 42.63.

Color: Deep gold; 0.8.

Nose: Salty smoke, seafood. Industrial.

Taste: Custard, industrial and earthy.

Finish: Smoke, toffee (very crispy/almost burnt), burnt. Long.

A very interesting and fun dram. I did not expect something as light as custard to come in here, but it did.

Score: 87

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Ledaig 12, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.53, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 60.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 21, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 12 years yielding 303 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Mull me(n)tal”. Enjoyed side by side with its sister casks 42.43, 42.44, 42.60, & 42.63.

Color: Jonquil, ripe corn; 0.4.

Nose: Salty smoked meat.

Taste: Some sweet; bitter vegetation; burny.

Finish: Salt, smoked meat. Long.

A solid dram with a very powerful finish.

Score: 86

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Ledaig 12, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.60, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 59.4% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 21, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 12 years yielding 162 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Sensationally sensual”. Enjoyed side by side with its sister casks 42.43, 42.44, 42.53, & 42.63.

Color: Pale gold; 0.3.

Nose: It took a while to figure out what it was, and it was tough to do without consider what it was like relative to the changes in the nose. It went from grilled seafood to beachy tar to light smoked fruit. Really interesting.

Taste: Light fruit. Peppery malt. Spice.

Finish: Light smoke and malt after a peppery start. Long.

For something like a Ledaig, this was surprisingly delicate, and a fun dram to have.

Score: 87

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Ledaig 13, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.63, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 58.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on February 21, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon hogshead for 13 years yielding 164 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Thirst aid kit”. Enjoyed side by side with its sister casks 42.43, 42.44, 42.53, & 42.60.

Color: Pale straw; 0.2.

Nose: Seaside factory, petrichor.

Taste: Green wood, smoked cream (?), a beachy factory.

Finish: Funky, rice pudding, salty.

A really nice one, with a very interesting rice pudding kind of note early in the finish that’s hard to find again.

Score: 90

This was a really fun sister cask side by side. They are all squarely there own thing, but collectively can be accurately described as just really dirty. If you like that profile, any of these will not disappoint. Really interesting how the color got lighter as the age went up, and the ABV wasn’t going slightly downward, either.

SMWS Tobermory 9/10 2008 Side by Side: 42.34 “Slytherin potion flask”, 42.46 “Seahorse to air missile”, & 42.47 “Oblivious to genius”

A personally “meaningful” set of reviews for a milestone review. After the first side by side I did, I decided to do it for all milestone reviews that don’t occur during ‘events’ such as my Advent calendar. Number 300 just so happened to (read: was contrived to) fall right after the Advent calendar for this year. As soon as I heard of it, “Slytherin potion flask” became a unicorn whisky for me. The names shouldn’t matter, but I’m a big Harry Potter fan and a Slytherin at heart and Ledaig is my favorite distillery, and I also really like 42 as 7 is my favorite number and it’s a multiple of that and I also really enjoyed Hitchhiker’s Guide, so it almost felt made for me (or at least marketed directly toward me). Unfortunately it was bottled before I got into whisky and the society, and it wasn’t even released in what would have been my chapter, so it went onto the wishlist and life went on. 

A while later I was bidding in an auction and saw 42.46 and bid and ended up winning it. I wanted to try a society bottling of my favorite distillery. Turns out, since the SMWS doesn’t differentiate Tobermory and Ledaig, different sites have different standards for listing those bottles. Whiskybase has every 42 as a Tobermory, peated or not, and evidently Scotch Whisky Auctions has every 42 listed as a Ledaig. Unfortunately peated whisky can easily fall into the Oily & Coastal flavor profile, so you can’t even rely on that cue. Anyway, I was mildly disappointed, but it’s not like Tobermory makes garbage when they’re not using peat. I put it on the shelf for another time, and life went on.

Then I joined the society and a 42 came up (42.47). I called in to order it, and Tom made sure to point out which type of 42 it was without me having to ask (stick tap to Tom for that), but I figured “What the hell, I’m already on the phone, plus I really want another bottle to group with my held order to ease the shipping.” That got delivered, I put it on the shelf for another time, and life went on. 

Months later with a stroke of luck only Harry Potter himself and his plot armor could hope for, 42.34 popped up in an auction and I made sure to get it. I finally got the bottle I had resigned myself never to have, and my unicorn list was empty (other than the bunch of others that went on it between this going on and coming off, of course). But the bottle was too special to just open, so it went on the shelf for another time, and life…you get it.

Then I ended up with enough SMWS bottles that I decided to track details (like the rest of you I ended up with a lot more spare time than I had ante-covid, and my OCD ran out of amok) and I discovered these were sister casks. Since I had decided to do sister cask reviews these got penciled in for the next available slot of significance. And now, here we are, with the text you actually clicked on this post for:

Tobermory 9, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.34, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 61.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on June 25, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 9 years yielding 221 bottles. This is part of the Oily & Coastal flavor profile named “Slytherin potion flask”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with its sister casks, 42.46 & 42.47, with water added later.

Color: Old gold; 0.6.

Nose: Sweet malt, salty. Floral, a little honey. With water, softer, gains an almost smoky note.

Taste: Leather, spice/salt intensity. A bit of salty sweet malt. With water: amplified spice & salt.

Finish: Coffee beans, cacao. Salty. Medium-long. With water: loses the non-salt note.

Very nice for an unpeated malt for my tastes. I’d have liked some smoke, if course, but as my appreciation for unpeated malt has grown, it’s nice that this whisky which appealed to me was enjoyable and not a stinker.

Score: 84

Musical Evocation: Muggle Death Camp – “Love Song for a Serpent”

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Tobermory 10, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.46, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 61.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on June 25, 2008 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 10 years yielding 207 bottles. This is part of the Oily & Coastal flavor profile named “Seahorse to air missile”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with its sister casks, 42.34 & 42.47, with water added later.

Color: Amber; 0.7.

Nose: Dark, hidden aromas to start, lemon after. Gets coastal. With water: sharper, some malt.

Taste: Sweet into very salty/briny. Hot. With water: earthy and briny. Still hot not not quite so much.

Finish: Hot. A berry note late. Settles into chocolate after that berry flourish. With water: not quite as hot but still potent. Chocolate and malt notes dance in and out with each other.

It’s quite hot, which makes it a bit harder for me to enjoy, otherwise it’s quite good. I’m looking forward to spending more time with it as it feels like a lot is masked by that heat.

Score: 81

Musical Evocation: Muggle Death Camp – “Salazar’s Treasure”

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Tobermory 10, 2008 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 42.47, Island (Mull) Single Malt, 60.1% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on June 25, 2008 and matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel for 10 years yielding 184 bottles. This is part of the Oily & Coastal flavor profile named “Oblivious to genius”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn side by side with its sister casks, 42.34 & 42.46, with water added later.

Color: Old gold amber; 0.6.5.

Nose: Subtle. Apple, and more pear, they step aside to reveal the malt. With water: easier to find the fruit, with a bit of vanilla sweeping through.

Taste: Salt into spicy. A savory note tries to peek through. With water: it stays softer, and a light nutty flavor is there.

Finish: Heat at the top. Fades to salt. Some chocolate late. Medium. With water: A light heat gives way to chocolatey malt with a kick. Cereal later.

Another dram that’s decent if unastounding. The finish improved a good deal with the water. It’s another one I’m looking to spend more time with as it seems like a dram that rewards it with subtle notes that won’t jump out at you every time. It’s not as hot as the other one, so it doesn’t feel like that’s masking the other notes in the same way, more that you really need to tease and coax them out here.

Score: 83

Musical Evocation: Muggle Death Camp – “The Crown of the Grey Lady”

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A fun side by side to mark review #300. I’m glad I made it here and I’m glad I’ve finally opened this bottle. Far too many bottles in the “I have it but haven’t opened it yet, category” and with some restructuring to my process, I think I’ll be able to speed that up (in a way that doesn’t entail endangering my body more than I already am). Three is a lot for a side by side, I think I prefer two, but I’ll be back in 25 reviews with 5 of this distillery’s peated brother. Of course, if between now and when I get to them (I’m guess sometime around April) I end up with one or more other sister casks, I might just split them like I did with the ten Bunnahabhains, TBD.

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.HBR “A horcrux in fiendfyre”

Since I did the 10 sister cask reviews, I thought it would be fun to throw about a dram’s worth of each into a bottle, let it sit for a bit, and review it as a single malt of 10 casks.

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.HBR, Islay Single Malt, ~60% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on Octover 17, 2013 and matured in the variety of casks mentioned in reviews #241-250 for 6 or 7 years, blended together by me, and I put it in the Heavily Peated flavor profile and named it “A horcrux in fiendfyre”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Deep copper; 1.0.

Nose: Dough, spice, char, must. Slight fruit.

Taste: Hot, woody, honey.

Finish: Charred meat, salt, burnt nuts. Long.

This worked out better than expected, but not as well as I’d hoped. Despite being all peated Bunnahabhain, there were times where I felt “This is like quintessential ___.” That blank was filled in with Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg at separate times. I’ve not yet decided if I’ll drink it now and again, or let it sit a while longer, or maybe use it as the base for a solera bottle, but I’ll be happy enough with any of those realities.

Score: 80

Bunnahabhain 7 2013 SMWS 10.213 "A slice of peat-heaven"

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 7, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.213, Islay Single Malt, 60.5% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured a 2nd fill Oloroso Sherry butt for 7 years yielding 577 bottles. This is part of the Heavily Peated flavor profile named “A slice of peat-heaven”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Old gold amber, 0.6.5.

Nose: Ashy smoke/charcoal.

Taste: Embers, grill char. Something sweet hiding there.

Finish: Smoke, hint of salt. A used pipe. Medium-long.

Really quite nice. It’s not complex, but it is focused on what it offers and does it well.

Score: 87

Musical Evocation: Iron Maiden – “Heaven Can Wait”

Bunnahabhain 7 2013 SMWS 10.211 "War and peat"

 

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 7, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.211, Islay Single Malt, 59.9% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 years and then a 2nd fill Oloroso hogshead yielding 269 bottles. This is part of the Heavily Peated flavor profile named “War and peat”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Amber, 0.7.

Nose: Smoke with some punch to it (like what vinegar has).

Taste: Salt/beach smoke. Thick, briny.

Finish: Salty broth. Chocolate wafer.

This is ok. There are some really interesting elements in there and I’d love to have seen more.

Score: 82

Musical Evocation: Burzum – “War”

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.202 "Flirting with the devil"

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently. 

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.202, Islay Single Malt, 60.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 years and then a HTMC refill hogshead yielding 268 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Flirting with the devil”. Neat in a glencairn.

Color: Amber, 0.7.

Nose: Smoke, sweet something (it’s very much like ice cream after a while), light citrus.

Taste: Smoky, salty, savory, hot.

Finish: Big smoke. Fade to woody smoke. Long.

Really interesting, at first the nose felt like it would carry the dram, but it quickly came down to earth. But then on the finish it blasted off even higher. A nice experience of a dram.

Score: 88

Musical Evocation: Cobra Strike – “The 13th Scroll”

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.201 "Panel-punch of peat-smoke"

 

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.201, Islay Single Malt, 60.2% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 years and then a 2nd-fill Moscatel hogshead for the duration yielding 304 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Panel-punch of peat-smoke”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Pale gold, 0.3.

Nose: Cookie, spicy mustard, smoke, meat, char.

Taste: Really sweet and easy. Gets slightly spiced. Salty.

Finish: A sweet tone to the smoke. Like a sweet wood burning.

This was very nice, but I wish it stayed meatier like on the nose. Had it, and easy home run.

Score: 90

Musical Evocation: Die Apokalyptischen Reiter – “Iron Fist”

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.200 "Tuscan drunken chestnuts"/"The storm-tossed sea"

 

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.200, Islay Single Malt, 60.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 years and then a 2nd-fill charred red wine barrique for the duration yielding 285 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “The storm-tossed sea”. It was renamed due to TTB nonsense, and that is the name of the 750ml bottle released for the United States which I have. The name of the whisky for 700ml markets is “Tuscan drunken chestnuts.” Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnished, 1.1.

Nose: Meaty smoke, some leather and citrus in there, perhaps leather oiled with a citrus-based product.

Taste: Thick, sweet, some spice.

Finish: Tobacco, wood, smoke.

This is really very nice. I love the meaty notes and the tobacco that comes in there.

Score: 91

Musical Evocation: I – “The Storm I Ride”

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.198 "Peat fire in a storm"

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.198, Islay Single Malt, 61% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 4 years and then a 2nd-fill ex-Moscatel hogshead for the duration yielding 301 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Peat fire in a storm”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Deep gold, 0.8.

Nose: Spicy mustard, smoky kielbasa. Some maritime-ness.

Taste: Spicy and sweet over the smoke, plus some beach.

Finish: Nothing new, medium-long.

Quite nice, though it slightly failed to live up to what for me were high expectations set with the nose.

Score: 86

Musical Evocation: Wolfchant – “A Pagan Storm”

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.196 "Smoky harbour fish supper"

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.196, Islay Single Malt, 61.3% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 5 years and then a 2nd-fill French oak barrique for the duration yielding 302 bottles. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Smoky harbour fish supper”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Amber, 0.7.

Nose: Fish, salt, barbecue sauce, grilled corn tortilla.

Taste: Much like the nose, smoky fish. Spices/heat, too, a bit.

Finish: Similar to the taste, add in some oak. Long.

This was ok but left me wanting a little bit. I wonder if I’d have liked it more as a fan of seafood. It’s not like it tasted fishy and put me off, I just wonder if I could have liked it more.

Score: 80

Musical Evocation: Cthulhus Scorn - “Chapter III The Harbor”

Bunnahabhain 6 2013 SMWS 10.195 " Shiver me timbers"

 

Here and forthcoming are each of my reviews of the Bunnahabhains I have acquired from the same distillation conducted independently.

Bunnahabhain 6, 2013 Vintage, Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.195, Islay Single Malt, 59.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled on October 17, 2013 and matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 4 years and then in a heavy toast medium char refill hogshead for the duration yielding 288 bottles exclusive to the French market for The Gathering. This is part of the Peated flavor profile named “Shiver me timbers”. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Amontillado Sherry, 0.9.

Nose: There’s a sweetness to the smoke, but it’s still big smoke. Some salt, too. Tobacco, leather.

Taste: Spicy, prickly, leather, meat.

Finish: Smoke that goes salty. Long.

It’s strong in your mouth, but still nice. Particularly the nose keeps the interest going.

Score: 86

Musical Evocation: Alestorm – “Wolves of the Sea”