Thanks to my friend Tim for putting these one out to try at a recent tasting!
So I haven’t had too many bottlings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in my history of reviewing. The only one I recall was a young Auchentoshan that tasted like one of the sweetest drams I’d ever had, but even then it was unique and I wanted to try more. So today I’m going through some SMWS bottlings my good friend Tim let me try at a recent tasting at his house!
For those of you who don't know what SMWS is, they're essentially a private membership club for whisky enthusiasts that also act as an independent bottler in some ways as they basically act like a local whisky club buying private casks to sell to their members. However, unlike some independent bottlers and despite SMWS launching in 1983 in Edinburgh, SMWS have been putting out hundreds of new whiskies since they started out in Edinburgh and sell their whiskies to members spanning over a dozen countries from Australia to Switzerland. In fact, they've released over 3600 single casks of whisky to members in their 35 years of operation.
So for the future I hope to do some more batch reviews of SMWS bottlings since there are so many in existence already. Let’s dive in!
Bunnahabhain 10 Year Old SMWS 10.106
This edition of SMWS is dubbed Salted Lemon Sherbert and it comes from Bunnahabhain distillery. This whisky is a 10 year old aged in refill ex-bourbon barrels bottled at 60.1% ABV.
* Colour: Light gold
* Nose: Lemon, Strong brine, sulphur, Strong Vanilla, oak, red fruits, allspice
* Palate: Lemoncello, Vanilla, Rich toffee, cocoa, allspice, light apple, treenuts
* Finish: Medium to long with spiced oak, almond butter and apple
Very complex and well put together. If I didn’t have an excuse to try more SMWS bottlings I have one now! Just goes to show how well Bunnahabhain does even at such a young age.
88 pts
Highland Park 12 Year Old SMWS 4.231
Next up is a nice 12 year old single cask from Highland Park. I’ve never had a single cask from them so I’m happy to finally try one! This one is called "Harbour-side Takeaway" and was aged in refill ex bourbon casks and bottled at 58.6% ABV.
* Colour: Clear Gold
* Nose: Very Briney, apple, grass, vanilla, oaky, sulphur, seaweed
* Palate: Vanilla, barley sugar, apple, caramel, treenuts, allspice, cereal
* Finish: Medium with salty and sweet apple and nuts
Very much a classic Highland Park profile pushed forward by some potent barley sugar and nutty qualities. Definitely worth a try and possibly a buy depending on how much you can get one for.
86 pts
Glen Ord 14 Year Old SMWS 77.42
This next single cask, named “Portuguese Custard Tarts,” is a 14 year old Glen Ord aged in an ex bourbon hogshead and finished in 2nd fill Sauternes cask. I’ve never had a Glen Ord before and it’s named after one of my favourite deserts so this one is a double treat for me! Its bottled at 58.4% ABV.
* Colour: Clear Gold
* Nose: Lemon, creamy vanilla, light caramel, apple, cocoa, orange marmalade, allspice
* Palate: Chocolate raisins, mandarin oranges, red fruits, nuts, creme brûlée, sweet oak, cereal
* Finish: Medium to long with cream and lemon-vanilla custard
A very refined desert whisky with lots of depth from the Sauternes but still a good blend of both casks used. Definitely worth a try and possibly a buy.
87 pts
Royal Brackla 15 Year Old SMWS 55.38
This next one is a 15 years old from Royal Brackla that’s aged in refill ex bourbon hogshead and finished in 2nd fill Sauternes cask. It’s dubbed “Flaming Red Wine Punch” and is bottled at 58.1% ABV.
* Colour: Straw Gold
* Nose: Red fruits, vanilla, rye bread, marshmallow, sulphur, sea salt
* Palate: Vanilla, sea salt, sulphur, brine, apple, baked bread, cocoa, red fruits
* Finish: Medium with wildberries and woodspice
Not as solid as the other two I tried before but it’s still well composed and bold. Definitely worth a try.
83 pts
Thanks again to Tim for letting me try a couple of goodies from his collection and hopefully I’ll accumulate some interesting stuff for him when we meet next!
Current Review Scoring System:
0-49: Horrible
50-59: Bad
60-69: Mediocre to Average
70-74: Average to Good
75-79: Good to Great
80-84: Great to Excellent
85-89: Excellent
90-94: Superb
95+: Masterpiece
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