4th Quarter Bottling List
Spoilt for choice
the latest whiskies, including our first Welsh offering
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...find your whis
Cask No Name
ky here...
Age Cask
Price
Page
Lowland
25.56 The solo violinist
19 Refill hogshead
$264
1
Highland
26.71 The great outdoors
25 Refill sherry butt
$319
1
Highland
125.35 Amontillado and Aubergine
16 Sherry butt
$234
2
Highland
125.42 After-sun lotion
18 1st fill bourbon hogshead $261
2
Speyside
71.33 Chutney on hot wood
20 Refill sherry butt
$274
3
Speyside
84.13 Summer picnics
12 Refill hogshead
$193
3
Speyside
76.78 Foamy bananas dipped in cayenne pepper 15 Sherry butt
$224
4
Speyside
35.41 Sweet and savoury in a double oven
35 Refill hogshead
$432
4
Speyside
105.13 Pouring treacle on cut grass
26 1st fill sherry hogshead
$336
5
Island
4.146 Old man of Hoy smoking a pipe
19 Refill hogshead
$265
5
Island
121.42 A baker’s delight
14 Refill hogshead
$211
6
Campbeltown
27.83 Time warp
10 1st fill Sherry hogshead
$179
6
Campbeltown
27.84 Clint Eastwood in the saddle
12 Refill hogshead
Islay
53.142 Sweet innocence sacrificed on bonfires
20 Refill hogshead
Speyside
76.77 Hansel and Gretel
16 1st fill sherry butt
Islay
33.92 Earth daughter
8
Islay
33.96 Chocolate caviar
Islay
Set of 3
bottles
$845
7
7
7
$170
9
10 Refill sherry butt
$190
9
Islay
3.155 Speed bonnie boat
3.169 Pagoda reek drifting over Loch Indaal
21 Refill hogshead
16 Refill sherry butt
$283
$235
10
10
Islay
53.143 Sea breezes over the Machair at night
16 Refill sherry butt
$242
11
Islay
29.88 What a magnificent and handsome nose
9
Refill butt
$180
11
Wales
128.1 A string quartet of flavours
6
Port Barrique
$156
12
Wales
128.2 Caribbean breeze
7
Madeira hogshead
$164
12
1st fill bourbon barrel
Noses at the ready – chop chop!
The tale of the Tasting Notes
The cask
identifier.
The first number is
the distillery code.
The second is the
number of casks
the Society has
bottled from that
distillery to date.
Local Panel
Comments. The
curious nature of
single malt whisky
means that it doesn’t
necessarily typify
the region or even
the distillery that it
comes from. This
makes the flavours,
characteristics
and idiosyncracies
described in the
Tasting Note all the
more important.
The price in $AUD
Islay
Mossy mohito
33.87
Cask No.
NOSE:
PALATE:
FINISH:
COMMENTS:
$181
compare notes
The burning of compost grass clippings...
Deliciously sweet malt...
The smoke and peat reduce to ash...
A delicious combination of malt and smoke...
UK Tasting Panel: The nose was balanced, multi-layered &
full of flavour collisions: soot with fresh peach & elderflower;
damp moss, grilled trout and lemon; pine needles...
Colour: Saturn gold Cask: 1st fill barrel
Alcohol: 57.6
Outturn: 255 bottles
Age: 10
Allocation:
You are warmly
encouraged to record
your own notes here.
24 bottles
UK Tasting Panel
Comments. Further
tantilising details to
help you make your
choice.
Outturn. The number
of bottles produced
from an individual
cask. These bottles
are exclusively for
purchase by Members
of the Society around
the world.
The cask’s region.
Useful as a starting
point – but remember
single casks aren’t
always characteristic
of their region, so
be prepared to have
your assumptions
challenged!
The Allocation is
especially noteworthy
– that’s how many
bottles have been
brought into Australia
from each unique
cask. Once they’re
gone, they’re gone
forever.
How to use Outturn
Our local tasting panel receives numerous samples from Scotland each month and we
carefully assess and score them to determine which whiskies merit inclusion on our
Bottling List. The panel assesses each sample “blind” so that personal bias or distillery
reputations don’t cloud our judgment. The individual scores of each panelist are tallied
and – generally speaking – only the highest scoring whiskies make it on to our shipment.
However, occasionally we’ll bring in other whiskies if they offer something different
or unusual, or if they have other redeeming features such as rarity or to represent
an under-featured region.
The whisky with the highest aggregate score from the panel is awarded the badge
and the favourite whiskies of the two directors on our
panel are noted
Should there be another whisky that
scored extremely highly and just missed out on one of the above badges by a tenth
of a mark or so, this will be acknowledged as
top scoring dram
director’s choice.
highly recommended.
The first set of Tasting Notes listed are prepared by our Australian Tasting Panel,
presented in the traditional format of Nose, Palate, Finish and Comments. The
second set is provided by the Society’s main Tasting Panel in Scotland. We
trust you’ll find both helpful.
Slainte!
Lowland & Highland
The solo violinist
25.56
Cask No.
$264
NOSE:
Typically Lowland in style, the nose is delicate and light, but the years in oak also
contribute to the picture. There’s lemon barley sugar, stone dust, florals, honey, dry
wood and citrus oil (lemon or grapefruit?).
PALATE:
Nicely sweet, like a good honey, and yet the oak contributes lemon bitters, providing nice
contrast. Water opens things up a bit, drawing out apricots, honey, and melon.
FINISH:
The finish is clean and fresh, possibly leaning towards bitters (Angostura) in the tail.
COMMENTS: This distillery closed for good in 1993, meaning that future casks and bottlings will become
older, rarer and increasingly dominated by wood. This particular cask still maintains its
Lowland’s freshness and “zing”, yet has enough oak to offer depth and spice. It’s fullflavoured and has a slick texture and mouthfeel. Would work as either an aperitif or a
digestive!
UK Tasting Panel: The elegant fresh and fruity nose reminded us of elderflower wine and lime cordial
with sweet grapes and melon. The Master Blender was on a Carousel in summertime, with wooden
floors and crisp paint, enjoying a bag full of lime jellies, strawberry laces and campinos. The neat palate
was tangy and hot – lime juice and butter with the sweetness of icing sugar and meringue. The reduced
nose had lime marmalade and lemon curd with yellow grapefruit and clean linen. Wild flowers came
next with meadowsweet daisies and daffodils. The reduced palate was refreshing and balanced with
icing sugar and hints of lemon and lime sherbet.
Colour: Lime jelly
Alcohol: 57.7
Cask: Refill hogshead
Outturn: 195
Age: 19
Allocation:
12 bottles
The great outdoors
26.71
Cask No.
$319
NOSE:
Fresh! There’s lemon citrus, a nice touch of zest, some sherbert, cut grass, and lemonscented tea. Grows with time in the glass. Water brings out pear drops and some
pineapple. One panellist felt water brought out “jelly baby fruitiness” !
PALATE:
Lively and biting on the initial taste, it’s still refreshing and very juicy. The fruit really
comes through now, with pineapple, candied apricot, and more citrus. A splash of water
takes away the alcohol sting and leaves you with beautiful malt, grassiness, and fruit.
FINISH:
Lots of lemon zest in the finish, with a fruit tingle thrown in at the end for good measure. With water, the finish displays far more vanilla oak, and it’s delightfully mellow and
smooth.
COMMENTS: Despite the whisky’s age, it is more aperitif in style, offering a lighter interpretation of an
aged Highlander. It’s actually more Speyside-like in style, and water opens up a basket of
fruit that is refreshing, lively and tasty. Perfect for summer, and from a favourite distillery
making a welcome return.
UK Tasting Panel: The fresh nose brought us outdoors – wet sand, chalky cliffs and rock pools with
fishing nets catching shellfish and crabs. We then enjoy starfruit, bananas and nectarines, interwoven
with fresh sea breeze and cooling mentholic air. There’s clean linen on the line with seaspray. The taste
revealed saltiness, like eating shellfish on the beach or swimming with your mouth open! There was a
waxiness too, like citronella candles and seaweed. Bacon and old reels of button thread also made an
appearance. The reduced nose became soapier and savoury; linen and lux flakes, starch washing and
woollen jumpers; pork and baked ham and brown scallops. The reduced palate was soft, clean and
sappy - marshmallows on a stick, lemongrass and cumin, and spicy scallops. Spring water from the
Clynemilton burn is used to produce this fruity, slightly smoky Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Colour: Honey blonde
Alcohol: 57.3
1
Cask: Refill sherry butt
Outturn: 464 bottles
Age: 25
Allocation:
18 bottles
compare notes
Highland
Amontillado and aubergine
$234
125.35
Cask No.
NOSE:
The sherry is upfront, with a mouthwatering grapiness to it. Oak is also quite evident,
and we smelled roasted almonds, seleriac and possibly just the tiniest hint of sulphur. Unusually, water actually heightened the sherry.
PALATE:
The palate is more drying than sweet, indicating some good oak influence. The oak and
sherry do battle, with malt observing on the sidelines. Things really open up with time
and the sherry wine-iness becomes more prevalent. There’s even a hint of smoke in the
mix. Our wine buff thought it quite palo cortado in style. Some burnt caramel comes into
play, and it’s all just hugely tasty and enjoyable.
FINISH:
Drying again, but medium in length.
COMMENTS: This one needs time to develop in the glass, so give it a good swirl and let it breathe. The sherry / savoury interplay is both enjoyable and rewarding and we found ourselves
becoming more and more impressed with this over the 20-25 minutes we spent
evaluating it. A rare sherry cask from this distillery, which greatly favours 100% bourbon
in its regular releases. UK Tasting Panel: This dram prompted much discussion. The complex nose began with Jamaican rum
and dried raisins, cherries and plums; then syrup of figs, liquorice, honey & apricots. The neat palate
was big and satisfying with plum jam, orange peel, pastry & dark chocolate, followed by a nut feast:
roast chestnuts, Brazil and macadamia nuts, honey nut cornflakes. With water the nose became deeper;
fruit cake, leather, chocolate & salted aubergine. The reduced taste was chewy and salty, reminiscent
of Amontillado sherry and chocolate coated Brazil nuts. This distillery is near the site of the Hilton of
Cadboll Pictish stone.
Colour: Polished chestnut Alcohol: 52.1 Cask: Sherry butt
Outturn: 367
Age: 16
Allocation:
last few
After-sun lotion
125.42
Cask No.
NOSE:
$261
This is a massively complex nose that ventures into wide and vast territories: First we
found raspberry coulis, cherries and passionfruit. Then came pralines & marzipan,
together with a touch of Ouzo and/or Pernod. And to round it off, we got dried apricots,
almond skins, caraway seeds, oak, lavender, pecans, and root beer. Amazing! Water
made the dram a little fresher, with some grass and eucalyptus now in the mix.
PALATE:
A delicious and enjoyable sweet versus bitter interplay takes place, swinging between
the various flavours. On the bitter side, we found orange peel, dark chocolate and coffee
granules; on the sweet side we found sweet fruit & citrus, sweet rum, beef stock, & vanilla
oak. Water made the dram more refreshing, as though we were sipping on a mint julep. FINISH:
The heat builds to a crescendo, then trails off to a wonderfully strong & sweet finish
where we found marshmallows, rose water, and crème caramel. With water, the finish
had sweet honey.
compare notes
SPECIAL
BONUS
OFFER
- purchase
both 125.35
and 125.42
and receive
$50 whisky
dollars
towards
your next
purchase!
While
stocks last.
COMMENTS: This distillery’s attention to using quality casks has yielded some amazing malts - this
one being a great example. Even though we’ve seen a few casks from this distillery on
recent Bottling Lists, this one was too good to ignore.
UK Tasting Panel: A mellow, rounded nose with, first, lightly baked apples, then an exotic fruit salad
with mango, lychees, guava and pineapple, all topped with thick cream. ‘Densely sweet’, said one
– reminiscent of a hot summer’s day, with whin flowers (i.e. coconut) and herbal focaccia. These
aromas hold up well when water is added, although slightly lighter: a fresh, invigorating nose. The taste,
unreduced, is smooth and rounded, with coconut, peaches and mixed Italian herbs; with water it is even
more creamy – a fresh sweetness, with a hint of spice and zest like licking a lime. A cheerful, rounded
and warming malt from Tain.
Colour: Deep gold
Alcohol: 55.2 Cask: 1st fill bourbon hogshead
Outturn: 229 bottles
Age: 18
Allocation:
30 bottles
2
Speyside
Chutney on hot wood
highly recommended
71.33
Cask No.
$274
NOSE:
The first nose is a little dank, reminding us of fungi and cordite or old musty books. This burns off with time and is replaced with lemon barley water, mild beef stock,
caramel fudge, and some mild aniseed. Water lifts things a little and makes the dram
more spritely.
PALATE:
Wow!! It’s very vibrant and juicy and far more lively than the nose prepared us for. There’s some cigar box tobacco leaf, creamy jersey caramels, a touch of sherbert,
resulting in a nicely balanced woodiness. Some faint marmalade on dry toast was also
detected. Water made things sweeter, adding toffee and butterscotch to the equation.
FINISH:
“Sweet, strong, and syruppy!” “Warm and comforting” “Medium in length and quite
pleasant”. Yep, we liked it.
COMMENTS: Pleasant and assertive, the malt has been softly influenced by sherry without succumbing
to it. It’s merely one small component in a multi-faceted dram. If you have a sweet tooth,
be sure to add water as it turns this into a dessert whisky. This is from a very seldom seen
distillery (in any bottling or format), so snap this up quickly if you like drinking rare stuff. UK Tasting Panel: An intriguing mix of savoury and sweet. We found French onion soup, salad leaves
and drizzled with balsamic dressing, sprinkled with paprika. Next came onion rings & chutney, followed
by Christmas cake & cheese. Dried fruits, nuts and ginger dominated alongside banana bread and hot
wood. The neat palate continued savoury-sweet with chutney, pickled walnuts and red onions. The
reduced nose opened to reveal steak with horseradish sauce; vine tomatoes and corn relish; walnuts
in a wooden box. The reduced palate was now savoury with steak in a cream sauce, shallots & spring
onions. This distillery had Lomond stills for a brief period when the spirit was known as Glen Craig.
Colour: Olive gold
Alcohol: 57.4 Cask: Refill sherry butt
Outturn: 501 bottles Age: 20
Allocation:
30 bottles
Summer picnics
84.13
Cask No.
$193
NOSE:
Radox and bath salts sprung to mind, followed quickly by various references to flowers. There’s a good dose of cereal, and connoisseurs of Kellogs will instantly recognise the
smell of Special K wafting out of the glass. Citrus also enters the picture in the form of
diluted lemon cordial, together with cranberry juice. Water made things very malty and
dough-like. Multi-faceted and incredibly complex, you could get lost in this one.
PALATE:
The first taste is surprisingly hot, but OMG it’s gloriously rich and sweet. The sweet
cereal taste of Anzac Biscuits was unanimously identified, and there’s also a hint of
orange tea cake and sweet lime. Water heightened the citrus, although the balance
was lost and we felt adding water was a mistake. FINISH:
Spicy, salivating, (dijon mustard?), becoming dry. Medium in length.
COMMENTS: An incredibly complex dram that is subtle and beguiling. You could spend hours going
down each path, like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book and yet never find the end. Or,
you could just sit back and sip on a full and tasty Speyside delight. This distillery is a major
contributor to the Johnnie Walker blends and is very rarely seen as a single malt.
UK Tasting Panel: The multi-layered nose had desiccated coconut, pop tarts and toffee, tequila and
grapefruit juice contrasted by rolling tobacco, leather and pipe smoke. There was a savoury element
too with crispy charred roast beef, peppercorns and bayleaf. The neat palate was sweet and sour with
fudge, sour cherries and pineapple cubes. There was a dustiness too, reminiscent of a forest floor or
a cellar. With water, the nose transformed to become creamy, sweet and clean: pineapple and pears
with cream, cotton and linen sheets and liquorice whirls. The reduced palate was creamy, smooth and
supersweet with strawberries and pouring cream and a sprinkling of pepper. The whisky from this
distillery was reportedly the favourite of King Edward VII.
Colour: Sparkling silver gold
Alcohol: 59.2 3
3
Cask: Refill Hogshead
Outturn: 291 bottles
Age: 12
Allocation:
30 bottles
compare notes
Speyside
Foamy bananas dipped in cayenne pepper
76.78
Cask No.
$224
NOSE:
Quite fruity, e.g. apricots, peaches, and tinned pears. Cereal and malt is also very
evident, and the oak kicks in with some burnt wood. Very appealing!
PALATE:
It’s a thick and unctuous mouthfeel (as you’d expect), and the apricots on the nose can
now be tasted. More cereal again (weetbix and muesli). With water, there’s now burnt
fruit, dried apricots, bitter lemon, barley sugar, and citrus pith!
FINISH:
Long, drying, and teasingly spicy!
compare notes
COMMENTS: This distillery is famed for producing big, meaty whiskies, and this is no exception - it’s
certainly big and bold, and the sherry cask has injected wonderful spice and richness. However, this cask really scored points for its delicious fruitiness - it adds quite a dimension
to what was already a pretty complex and tasty dram. It’s hard to find commercial
expressions of this distillery in bottleshops in Oz, so it’s always good when the Society finds
a top notch cask!
UK Tasting Panel: The panel enthused about the nose – rum fudge, vanilla, French toast, brown
sugar, toffee apples and polished red leather Chesterfields were identified. Water seemed to emphasise
the sherry character; dried banana chips, egg custard tarts, Murray Mints and hints of lemongrass.
The unreduced palate had sweetness and spice combinations; cinnamon and raisin bagels, chilli
and Demerara, apple and wasabi, or “foamy bananas dipped in cayenne pepper!” The reduced palate
seemed fresher and sweeter, with brown buttered toast, suggestions of mint and a long tail of tingling
pleasure at the end. The distillery is near a church associated with Saint Moluag.
Colour: Varnished oak
Alcohol: 55.8 Cask: Sherry butt
Outturn: 625 bottles
Age: 15
Allocation:
18 bottles
Sweet and savoury in a double oven
35.41
Cask No.
$432
NOSE:
The age is immediately evident, with polished oak, cigar box, beeswax, carnuba wax and a
thin coat of varnish. There’s some deliciously fragrant tart fruit that’s also very obvious - we
particularly found pink grapefruit, quince, and marmalade. Marzipan and Seville oranges
rounded out the experience. So complex, it’s like the nose of three diverse and different
whiskies were distilled into a single bottle.
PALATE:
Velvety texture with big oak and ample alcohol. The fruits on the nose are still evident on
the palate, but they’re nicely framed by the oak. There’s a malty sweetness that was likened
to drinking toasted marshmallows. Absolutely a joy to sip. FINISH:
Like most whiskies at this age, the finish is drying, but it still has the oily texture of a liqueur. It’s a very long finish and is seductively more-ish.
COMMENTS: Rarely do oak and fruit combine in such a balanced and integrated fashion, and to such
delicious effect. This rewards on every level and is the perfect end to a trying day. “It’s got
the lot” said one panellist. “All class” said another. This was our Top Scoring Dram on our
second quarter Bottling List.
UK Tasting Panel: The nose was of warm baking; lemon juice and baking soda before toasted vanilla
pods and honey were added to the mix. Syrup sponge pudding melded with orange blossom and
maple syrup. Spices were added to oriental spare ribs coated with allspice. The palate was syrupy
with a spicy kick. A few drops of water revealed sugared almonds, maple syrup and honeycomb fudge;
poached pears with vanilla ice cream and a dusting of cinnamon. The reduced palate was nutty and
creamy; Brazil nut brittle and walnut whip with a honey nut cereal bar. This distillery in Elgin was
formerly a brewery, converted to a distillery in 1897.
Colour: Burnt amber
Alcohol: 56.1 Cask: Refill hogshead
Outturn: 179 bottles
Age: 35
Allocation:
last few
4
Speyside & Island
Pouring treacle on cut grass
Cask No. 105.13
$336
NOSE:
Distinctive sherry that is warming and alluring. Roast beef, cough mixture (pleasant!),
Kopico lollies, spare ribs and bbq sauce; beef stock; and also a tantalising hint of
smokiness.
PALATE:
Perfectly balanced sherry. Werthers Originals, toffee, caramel, all encased in a smooth
and voluptuous mouthfeel. The alcohol is also beautifully balanced, and we felt no need or
inclination to add water.
FINISH:
Stunningly sustained. Not a trace of bitterness to be found, and it’s long and warming to
boot.
COMMENTS: We’ll simply quote our three panellists: “Hard to think of another whisky where the sherry
and malt sing in such perfect harmony.” “Don’t spend all night nosing this, because you’ll
deprive yourself of the joy that the palate holds and the finish commands.” “Relish the
nose on Monday, taste it on Tuesday, and enjoy the finish all the way to Sunday.” UK Tasting Notes: The neat nose was powerful with naphtha and hot treacle on cut grass; Dr
Pepper, Cherry cola and cough syrup; milk chocolate coated Brazil nuts and leather saddles. The neat palate was flavoursome with rhubarb and treacle pudding, red cherries and chocolate
coated Brazil nuts. With water, the nose became multi-faceted; smooth with toffee popcorn and
macadamia nuts; savoury with gammon steak and baked pineapple. The reduced palate was of
chewy pecan tart and juicy peaches. One panellist commented “it tastes as good as the distillery
looks”. The distillery was constructed in the 1950s and has a distinctive Art Deco design.
Colour: Colheita tawny
Alcohol: 56.0 Cask: 1st fill Sherry hogshead
Outturn: 318 bottles
Old man of Hoy smoking a pipe
4.146
Cask No.
Age: 26
Allocation:
director’s choice
last few
$265
NOSE:
The nose betrayed this distillery’s credentials immediately, revealing gun powder, wet
sand, and hints of heather. Very soft peat lines the sides. We all found coastal traits,
yet without any overbearing brininess. With time the nose really opens up, and you can
keep returning to it for continual satisfaction. Adding water made no change at all.
PALATE:
Sweet confectionery meets some peat. Some ham & bacon notes emerge, and the
taste is nothing short of adorable. The peatsmoke is mild but influential; there’s some
nutmeg to add further spice. The heather on the nose is also evident on the palate. We
also found a hint of apple & pear. Combine this with the ham and it’s a Christmas meal!
FINISH:
Slightly briney, like having just swalled seafood bisque or similar. It lingers happily and
won’t go away until you pour another dram!
COMMENTS: Not at all aggressive, this is a truly delightful whisky that hits the peat-lovers nose and the
Highlander’s fragrance! The peat plays a good role, and the dram delivers sweetness,
spice, malt, smoke - the whole shebang. The late Michael Jackson used to refer to this
distillery as the greatest all-rounder, and this cask is a perfect example of why.
UK Tasting Panel: At least we agreed the nose was complex! Some got gentle heathery smoke; others
finding brine thought of smoked crab. Some detected dark chocolate and vanilla – others liquorice
and blackcurrant. The palate was surprisingly smoky with coastal elements, like a pipe-smoking
beachcomber scouring a rocky shore. We also found hints of marmalade. Smoke strengthened on the
reduced nose, along with salt-and-vinegar crisps and celery. The palate still had big smoke and some
mineral aspects but now with lime. The distillery gathers its heathery peat from Hobbister Moor.
Colour: Wedding band gold
Alcohol: 54.7 5
5
Cask: Refill hogshead
Outturn: 261 bottles
Age: 19
Allocation:
42 bottles
compare notes
Island & Campbeltown
A baker’s delight
121.42
Cask No.
$211
NOSE:
Barber shop smells, hair tonic, leather, Edinburgh rock (Christmas candy canes), and
signature honey. Toffee starts to emerge, very reminiscent of Werthers Originals. Delightfully soft, with absolutely no alcohol prickle.
PALATE:
Gorgeously soft and silky sweet. Syrrupy in texture, like butterscotch sauce. Cream,
honey, and nougat, perhaps even some citrus zing. It’s all wondefully complex and
intriguing. Water brought out florals, honey ice cream, cream biscuits, bitter melon,
and vanilla tablet. What’s not to like?
FINISH:
Primarily sweet, yet at the very end of the experience, some cereal notes emerge.
compare notes
COMMENTS: Without peat for charm, or sherry as cosmetic make-up, this dram has to appeal on its own
good looks. Happily, it’s an absolute stunner!! It’s the perfect dram for those who want to
sit back and relax with something sweet and sexy. Dangerously drinkable. “Stands and
delivers” said one. UK Tasting Panel: The lively nose brought lemon hard boiled sweets, peach flan and barley sugar.
Then, a multitude of layers unfolded with fudge, strawberry tarts and banana bread. There was a
freshness too with clean linen and lavender scent. The neat palate was hot and spicy, reminiscent
of a Bakewell tart with spices. Grapefruit, lemon peel and almonds brought more delights to the
bakery. The reduced nose revealed strawberries and cream (double thick Jersey cream), with a
squeeze of lemon. Pastry notes followed with icing sugar and cream tarts. The reduced palate became
paradoxically thicker with water – chewy lemon meringue pie with whipped cream. This distillery, on
the most southerly Scottish island, celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2010.
Colour: Sandstone
Alcohol: 52.8 Cask: Refill hogshead
Outturn: 362 bottles
Age: 14
Allocation:
30 bottles
Time warp
27.83
Cask No.
$179
NOSE:
A typically Campbeltown nose, displaying diverse elements of the sea, dirty industrial
notes, peat, and some sherry influence as well. We found salty crackling, vinegar,
pineapple water, balsamic, herrings, boot leather, nutmeg, cheddar cheese, and
rum’n’raisin. Sounds eclectic, but it’s surprisingly well integrated and balanced.
PALATE:
The palate is as diverse as the nose. On one side, we found chocolate-coated coffee
beans, burnt butterscotch, nutella, and raisins. On the other side, we found oil, crisp
raw green vegetables, parma violets, and salt. Overall, the experience is sweet & malty.
FINISH:
The long finish starts of sweet, then happily fades off to a vegetal-like “greeness” that
rounds out the experience and encourages you to go back in again for another sip.
COMMENTS: The nose is truly incredible, and any members with a good sense of smell should buy
this purely for the olfactory experience alone! The palate isn’t shy, demonstrating why
Campbeltown whiskies offer that something else that other Highland malts miss. The exsherry cask adds another dimension again. This is an all-round tasty malt to quaff & enjoy.
UK Tasting Panel: A dense, meaty/cheesy nose – one said “anejo tequila” – with char and steam
engines in the background. The meat is mutton fat and traces of sheep dip, which becomes minerallike and chalky. Nose drying overall. The taste is grubby - biltong, blood sausage, hessian sacks, coal
dust (especially in the aftertaste – the texture chewy. Water raises more fat and lanolin, then treacle
toffee and machine oil, but behind this dried fruits, cedar-wood and teak oil. Now the texture is smooth
and oily; the taste sweet, and lightly herbal, with coal smoke and hessian in the long finish. A whisky of
the old days, and a classic example of the make from Campbeltown’s oldest distillery.
Colour: Polished mahogany
Alcohol: 51.5 Cask: 1st fill sherry hogshead
Outturn: 267 bottles
Age: 10
Allocation:
18 bottles
6
Buy these Far Flung Flavours for just $845 for the set of 3
Only Pioneering Spirits need apply!
LIM
RELEITED
ASE
1. Clint Eastwood in the saddle
27.84
Cask No.
UK Tasting Panel: The nose was meaty (lamb with lemon and herbs) and medicinal, with tar, treacle,
tobacco pouches and ropes on a boat. We also got some chocolate, heather and vanilla. The palate
was fantastic – big, sweet, salty, citric, spicy and smoky, “like chewing a lit cigarette”, with pleasant
brown sugar after-tastes. The reduced nose evoked figs, green grape, machair, honey, lanolin, leather
– we imagined a meerschaum-smoking fisherman’s woollen jumper, after one inadequate wash. The
reduced palate had enough masculine weight (leather, tobacco, wool) to guarantee interest; “Clint
Eastwood in the saddle” someone said. This 1828 distillery is still in private hands.
Colour: Deep honey gold
Alcohol: 58.0
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 12
Region: Campbeltown
of the three
Pioneering
2. Sweet innocence sacrificed on bonfires
Sprits
Cask No.
53.142
UK Tasting Panel: The complex nose suggested seashores, smoked fish, bacon, space hoppers,
mouthwash, Elastoplasts, pine-resin, lemon, herbs, barley sugar and toffee. The palate drew
particularly positive comments; “A class act!” and “Scotland in a glass – the bottom line!” The balance,
between nutty toffee sweetness and smoke, tar, ash and soot, was impressive, with touches of mint
and spice rounding it off. The reduced nose was salty, lemony, floral and waxy (one panellist imagined
a girl wearing a PVC coat, smoking in a bar). The reduced palate – honey, vanilla and ashes – sweet
innocence sacrificed on bonfires. The distillery was built by Hector Henderson.
Colour: August sunset on cornfields
Alcohol: 55.9
Cask: Refill hogshead
Age: 20
Region: Islay
3. Hansel and Gretel
Cask No. 76.77
UK Tasting Panel: The panel enthused about autumn scents on the nose: an oak forest with wet
leaves and mushrooms; yet there was sweetness throughout – orange marmalade and candy,
Oddfellows dipped in butterscotch, spiced Madeira cake and dark chocolate. The neat palate was
rich with sweet and spicy combinations; Terry’s chocolate orange and clove oil, Nepalese tea and
cinnamon, gingerbread and Demerara. The reduced nose was of dried fruit (raisin and sultana), and
there was a toasted aroma, perhaps cinnamon toast, a chocolate pop tart and burnt caramel. The
reduced taste reminded the Malt-meister of Mon Cherie chocolates (dark cherries dipped in chocolate).
Cherry blossom brought a floral and elegant finish to the taste. The distillery was the first to be
licensed in Dufftown in 1823, and was completely rebuilt in 1963.
Colour: Amber jewel
Alcohol: 58.6 7
7
Cask: 1st fill sherry butt
Age: 16
ONLY
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Region: Speyside
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8
Islay
Earth daughter
$170
33.92
Cask No.
NOSE:
Earthy peat - likened to walking through the nursery section at Bunnings! Soil, humus,
bracken, nettles, dandelions. With time, more typical aromas start to emerge as it
becomes more industrial: Band-aids, machine oil, sea breeze, and a touch of diesel. PALATE:
As though sweet peat was blended in with a malted vanilla milkshake! The peat
is subtle, yet effective, making things dry and smoky. We wrote down words like
campfires, compost, gauze, lavendar, dry, dusty, and peaty. A splash of water lifts the
palate considerably, adding spice and more dimension.
FINISH:
The garden peat returns. Salty and drying, it finishes with a hint of iodine.
COMMENTS: A fascinating and delicious dram that widens the spectrum of Islay whiskies. The peat
is less pungent (particularly for this distillery), allowing other characteristics from the
spirit and the oak to have more say. This distillery regularly peats to 50ppm phenols - this
particular batch was peated to 20ppm, and is a rare expression indeed. UK Tasting Panel: Behind the first impression of dried peat, singed heather and bog myrtle, are
fresh citric notes and mineral bath salts, becoming smoky after a while. In the mouth, the phenols are
more earthy than smoky, after a sweet, acidic and salty start – warming. Water freshens it even more,
introducing lemon and lychee notes; behind this “a damp boathouse on a lake surrounded by woods”
– but vital overall, not flat. Sweetness and lemony acidity now dance across the tongue with lightly
smoked green tea, and jasmine tea in the finish. This is a lightly peated expression of a usually heavily
peated malt from Islay’s cult distillery.
Colour: Pinot grigio
Alcohol: 57.5
Chocolate caviar
33.96
Cask No.
Cask: 1st fill bourbon barrel
Outturn: 234 bottles
Age: 8
Allocation:
top scoring dram
24 bottles
$190
NOSE:
Peat and confectionery get into bed and produce the perfect love child: Smoky Violet
Crumble !! It’s an incredibly delightful and tantalising nose. Gauze, tar, a hint of
iodine, burnt apple crumble, smoky danish pastry, and we all agreed on rhubarb pie. Oh, if only Violet Crumble really did taste and smell like this!
PALATE:
The mouthfeel is terrific - it’s oily, mouthgripping, and bursting with flavour. There’s
smoky bacon, honey-glazed ham, salt, beef jerky, and even licorice. We saw no need or
point in adding water and no one could bring themselves to do it.
FINISH:
Long, satisfying, and incredibly smoky. Above all else, it’s beautifully rounded and
balanced.
COMMENTS: A gorgeous marriage of sherry and smoke. The two clasp hand in hand and dance a
two-step on your tastebuds before embarking on a waltz down to the depths of your chest. Yeah, we know it sounds corny, but this whisky REALLY impressed us - particularly for being
hugely smoky without the accompanying earthy peat. UK Tasting Panel: We were instantly transported to a maltings on Islay – peat reek and fresh
saltiness; chocolate roasted malt fondue and gingercake – warming, friendly and intensely mellow
peat. Earth and warm soil brought thoughts of dunnage warehouses at dusk after a hot day. The
unreduced palate was pure peatiness, both sweet and salty with a chalky texture, sugared almonds
and Manzanilla sherry. The reduced nose held our interest, with salted toffee, dark chocolate and
liquorice whirls with smoked almonds. The palate was now exceedingly smooth with velvety peat
encased in rippling chocolate. The distillery, at the end of the Kildalton Road, has three pagoda roofs.
Colour: Jamaican ginger gold
Alcohol: 56.9 9
9
Cask: Refill sherry butt
Outturn: 668 bottles
Age: 10
Allocation:
60 bottles
compare notes
SPECIAL
BONUS
OFFER
- purchase
both 33.92
and 33.96
and receive
$25 whisky
dollars
twoards
your next
purchase!
While
stocks last.
Islay
Speed bonnie boat
3.155
Cask No.
$283
NOSE:
The peat is evident, but sits nicely in the background. The foreground is filled with
coastal and salt spray aromas, violets, pot pourri, dried twigs and stems. There’s a hint
of confectionery (chewy liquorice?) and something reminiscent of squid ink. Wonderfully
detailed, complex, and diverse.
PALATE:
The peat and smoke now push into the foreground, and some assertive oak steps in from
stage right to share the scene. It’s on the dry side, yet without being tannic. Perfect for
that winter’s evening in front of the fire!
FINISH:
Drying and austere, becoming increasingly cooling as it fades away.
compare notes
COMMENTS: Of all the Islay distilleries, this one is probably the master at maturing its whiskies to old
age, and this dram showcases its breeding. The peat is refined and sophisticated, and the
oak plays a strong hand yet without ever dominating. A must for fans of this distillery, and
also for anyone wanting to try an Islay malt with a few more years under its belt. UK Tasting Notes: We collectively constructed an aromatic landscape – on the machair, a boathouse, wicker baskets, a blanket, a peat fire – smoked mackerel, smoked almonds, perfumed red
apples and pears – a beach banquet! The palate was sweet and juicy, with plentiful tar, charred
stir-fry, aromatic duck – violet perfumed soap; “excellent balance” and “quite delectable”. The reduced
nose freshened and softened – more perfumed – lemon and lime sharpness against barbecue chilli
crisps. The reduced palate had honey fondant sweetness, with sea-spray and citric, floral perfume
– we imagined a rowing boat leaving the machair at dusk – “Speed bonnie boat...” The distillery is the
oldest on Islay.
Colour: Narcissus gold
Alcohol: 49.1
Cask: Refill Hogshead
Outturn: 214 bottles
Pagoda reek drifting over Loch Indaal
3.169
Cask No.
NOSE:
Age: 21
Allocation:
director’s choice!
last few
$235
The first nose is one of unusually fragrant peat, perhaps immediately betraying this
distillery’s identity. It’s soft and subtle; complex without being loud or obvious. We
found honey, ozone, a touch of Betadine ointment, bbq pineapple, pine oil, and bbq hot
plate. There’s also a hint of oak and cereal, manifested by way of biscuits and pencil
shavings. Water makes the nose even more fragrant, drawing out floral notes.
PALATE:
Wonderfully soft and refined, the delivery is silky. Lots of cereal malt, but all stamped
with a great whack of creosote, turf, and peat. The honey on the nose is again evident
on the palate, as well as tar, citrus, ashes, and lingering smoke.
FINISH:
Tremendously long and super peaty. Yet still that softness pervades. Not too many
finishes last for five minutes, but this one’s got it! SPECIAL
BONUS
OFFER
- purchase
both 3.155
and 3.169
and receive
$25 whisky
dollars
twoards
your next
purchase!
While
stocks last.
COMMENTS: A transvestite of a whisky! The peat is strong and masculine, but it appears in a soft,
feminine dram that is super subtle. Drinking whisky should be this easy!
UK Tasting Panel: The nose was unexpectedly peaty, with bonfire smoke and moor-burn – nobody
complained. It also had fresh bread, cooked peaches and traces of sherry vinegar and fabric cleaner.
With water, the nose seemed cleaner, with maple candy, bandages and Germolene, but still with that
ever-present smoke, like pagoda reek drifting over Loch Indaal. At natural strength, the palate was
huge, with tar, embers, coal and brine, dried heather, caramel and fudge; then lavender perfuming the
finish. The reduced palate had mildly drying spices, barbeque succulence and a wonderful sweet and
smoky integration – everything you might hope for from Islay’s oldest distillery.
Colour: Barley gold
Alcohol: 56.6
Cask: Refill sherry butt
Outturn: 589 bottles
Age: 16
Allocation:
24 bottles
10
Islay
Sea breezes over the Machair at night
53.143
Cask No.
$242
NOSE:
A satisfying Islay nose! There’s cold, dry peat; gypsum; heathery smoke; salty sea
spray; kelp; incense sticks; lead pencils; gauze; and rice paper. Our fisherman also
found cunjevoi, aka Sea Squirt.
PALATE:
Richly flavoured, pungent, and sweet. We wrote down descriptors like bonfires, iodine,
whitebait, smoky chocolate, fine brandy, maritime spray, and sweet pork. “Great Islay
sippin’ whisky” said one.
FINISH:
Long, warming and sweet; it also adds cloves, compost, diesel engines, salt, and fruit
gums to the experience.
COMMENTS: “A great whisky that delivers in all parts. A belter!” wrote our fisherman. “The spirit
pushes it to every corner of the palate and satisfies on every level” wrote our younger Scot. “Deliciously sweet. Just a great, all-round experience that any Islay fan will adore” wrote the
Cellarmaster.
UK Tasting Panel: The nose had ever-present smoke – peat fires, smoked ham and “sparks from a
grinder”. It also had salty, medicinal elements, nicely balanced by toffee, cherry, vanilla, parma violets
and Cadbury’s Whole Nut. The unreduced palate was “a wake-up call”, with coal, putty, salt, cinder
toffee, lemon, lime, and kippers on toast – actually very agreeable. The reduced nose was more tender,
inviting and velvety, like gentle sea breezes over the machair at night. The reduced palate had chocolate
limes, candied orange, rainbow drops and liquorice – very aristocratic – a true Lord of the Isles. The
distillery looks across the narrows to Jura.
Colour: Hay bales in the moonlight
Alcohol: 60.5
Cask: Refill sherry butt
Outturn: 621 bottles
Age: 16
Allocation:
18 bottles
What a magnificent and handsome nose!
29.88
Cask No.
$180
NOSE:
Bandage and gauze; a shoe repair shop (leather, wax, and glues); pork crackling; braking
tyres and skid marks on the tarmac; heather; tobacco leaf; old rope and hemp; gun metal;
and mountains of peat! In short... it’s got the lot!
PALATE:
Honey glazed ham. Sweet malt and spice. Rich smoke, perhaps reminiscent of a cigar. Honey and charcoal, birch, and more pork crackling. Unbelievably delicious, with the
sherry cask melding gorgeously with the peat. The mouthfeel is rich and oily, and - to be
honest - we just sat astounded as to how good this was. FINISH:
Warming, deep, and satisfying, like the perfect cup of tea. Insanely long.
COMMENTS: The aggregate scores for this whisky make it the fourth-highest scoring dram since our
current panel format started in late 2005. An exceptional malt for something so relatively
young. This won’t last long, so get in fast....
This was our Top Scoring Dram on our 3rd quarter Bottling List. It was SO popular, that it
sold out within weeks with ever-growing backorders. Happily we have managed to secure
some more bottles from Scotland... If you would like to order a bottle, dont ruminate over
it for too long or you will be too late!! UK Tasting Panel: First impressions were smoky barbecued pork, hot shellfish, beach-dried seaweed,
expensive balsamic vinegar and rock pools on a hot summer’s day. To taste we found salty char,
caramelised sweet-cured bacon and lots more smoke; one Panellist was licking hot stones and
charcoal. With the addition of water we found empty lobster pots, lemon wedges and boiled ham,
lobster thermidor hot and bubbling from the grill, Jammy Dodgers, old-fashioned cloth bandages and
caramel. Creamy Cullin Skink, clam chowder and salty fudge greeted us on the taste as barbecued cod
& king prawns mingled with more smoke. You can become a Friend of this distillery.
Colour: Copper gold
Alcohol: 60.9 11
11
Cask: Refill butt
Outturn: 653 bottles
Age: 9
Allocation:
60 bottles
compare notes
Wales
A string quartet of flavours
$156
128.1
Cask No.
compare notes
COMMENTS: Not tasted locally but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring some Welsh whisky into
Australia - and from such a reputable distillery that is ‘turning heads’ in the whisky world.
This is the first cask we have bottled from this relatively new kid on the block.
UK Tasting Panel: The evocative nose delivered blood orange, strawberry, sangria, cola cubes, Calpol
syrup and Covonia cough medicine; ‘pink’ Chartreuse, ‘After Shock’ and wine gums. Slightly different
aromas appeared with water – furniture polish, shoe polish, bubble gum and freshly valeted cars. The
unreduced palate had layers of flavours in harmony, like a string quartet – scented wood and spice
in the middle, strawberry syrup, redcurrant and cranberry on top, with bass notes of smoke, embers
and struck matches. The texture was deliciously thick and the finish long. The reduced palate had lipsmacking red fruits and Haribo sweets. The distillery is in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons.
Colour: Deep Zinfandel blush
Alcohol: 55.6 Cask: Port barrique
Outturn: 220 bottles
Age: 6
Allocation:
12 bottles
Caribbean breeze
$164
128.2
Cask No.
COMMENTS: See comments above. This is the second cask we have bottled from this distillery.
UK Tasting Panel: The relaxing nose brought cherry lips, rhubarb tart and redcurrants; ginger cake
and Pledge furniture polish. The unreduced palate was multilayered and mouth-filling with fruitcake,
marzipan and icing sugar, fresh root ginger and redcurrants. Water brought out softer antique-like
aromas with leather, beeswax and resin; Battenburg and sponge cake. The reduced palate became
“oh so creamy” with almond and cherry cake, palm trees and green ginger – the sweetest parts of the
oak. The finish was surprisingly dry. The distillery was established in 2000.
Colour: Burnt ochre
Alcohol: 60.5
Cask: Madeira hogshead
Outturn: 220 bottles
Age: 7
Allocation:
12 bottles
12
How to order
Go online
Call
www.smws.com.au
02 9974 3046
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST
Email
Form
[email protected]
Post to:
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
PO Box 1113 • Newport NSW 2106
Remember: every bottle is unique so their numbers get shorter by the day.
Once you’ve picked, go like the clappers and get ordering!
If you’re not sure which style to go for, or if you have any questions just pick up the
phone or email us and we’ll find something to suit.