Month: October 2021

Whisky #586: SMWS 82.32 Boozy Cherry Cake

1 Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 82.32 Boozy Cherry Cake. 8 year old cask strength, single cask bottling from Glencadam Distillery. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 63.0%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $190 (bottle).

Colour: Deep golden honey.

Nose: A gentle nose prickle, then soft strawberry jam, stewed cherries and oak notes with a faint whiff of a cigar box (it’s been empty for a long time).

Palate: Juicy sultanas, blackcurrant pastilles and white pepper on the front palate. Glacé cherries and fruit cake flavours, but with a drying mouthfeel. It’s more panettone than moist Christmas cake.

Finish: Spicy and dry. A lingering warming buzz coats the mouth. Honey and chilli heat, nicely balanced though.

Comments: Christmas cake and spicy dry cigars…now that’s a combo I can get behind as we head into the festive season.

Whisky #585: Westward Whiskey Single Malt Rum Cask

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Westward Whiskey Single Malt Rum Cask. Oregon, USA. ABV: 62.5%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $135 (bottle).

Colour: Deep copper.

Nose: Fresh pine needles and juicy sweet raspberry chewy lollies. A hint of camphor and old timber boxes stuffed with blankets that you discover as a kid at your grandparents’ house.

Palate: Oak-forward but creamy sweetness. Like sucking a touch too long on an ice cream stick that’s still got a few remnants of sweet salted caramel ice cream on it. Bold alcohol-wise, but it’s not quite as big as you might expect a 62.5% ABV drop to be.

Finish: Like your first teenage rum hangover, this one hangs around for a long time. That delicious salty sweet balance keeps dancing across the tongue, with some caramelised pineapple rings cooked on the bbq to top off proceedings.

Comments: Fruity, creamy, salty and sweet…the flavours here pack a punch to back up the cask strength ABV hit. There’s nothing worse than a high strength drop that is all heat and doesn’t have the flavours to back it up. The Westward Whiskey Single Malt Rum Cask is a little bold and brash, but as an American single malt that’s probably quite fitting! A very decent drop.

Whisky #584: Rest & Be Thankful Fettercairn 2007 12 Year Old Single Malt

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

Rest & Be Thankful Fettercairn 2007 12 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 57.2%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $215 (bottle).

A perfect daytime dram!

Colour: Pale midday sun.

Nose: Crisp. A gentle nose drying effect. Straw and soft earthy notes.

Palate: Cooked mash, sea salt flakes and crunchy toasted barley grains that you hoover down at most distillery tours.

Finish: Light but long, with a salty warming kick. Slightly sour wheat beer notes.

Comments: Refreshing to have a whisky that’s so malt-driven, rather than one that’s had the effort of the mashing and distillation completely overpowered by the influence of a dominant cask. Matured in an ex bourbon cask (which had surely been refilled before I’d guess) and bottled at cask strength, this is a delightful daytime sipper.

Whisky #583: SMWS 7.234 Appealing Apricot Jamboree

Leave a Comment
FacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

SMWS 7.234 Appealing Apricot Jamboree. 8 year old cask strength single cask release from Longmorn Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 57.5%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $149 (bottle).

Colour: Glistening pale gold.

Nose: Gentle but layered. Lemon cream tarts, strawberry fairy floss and tropical fruit salad.

Palate: Creamy honeycomb cake, banana bread and smooshed slightly overripe bananas.

Finish: Pineapple jubes with a salty fade.

Comments: It’s not often that you get to drink a whisky with your photo on the bottle, but here we are. A special release for the Australian SMWS branch to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championships, with the photo in question being from the last edition of the champs. Whisky a Day was front & centre, but alas did not take home the chocolates.

Exceedingly easy to drink, the first bottle of this managed to mysteriously evaporate before it had been reviewed! Fresh, zesty and uplifting, this is a perfect springtime whisky.