by 
SMWS Exotic Cargo 10 Year Old Blended Malt. Scotland. ABV: 50.0%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $155 (bottle).
When you’ve been busier than a one-legged man at an ass-kicking contest, it’s time for a kick-ass whisky.
Colour: A hearty toffee, mesmerising as the glass rolls around and the whisky catches glimmers of light.
Nose: Jersey caramels and treacle dripping off a spoon onto hot buttered toast. A slight nose prickle tugs your nostrils further into the glass to soak up the blueberries, soft oak and creme brûlée notes.
Palate: A mysterious cocktail; blueberries and tart fruit salad with a hint of oakiness and caramel. A Turkish belly dancer who performs the dance of the seven veils across your tastebuds.
Finish: Rich oak, burnt brown sugar, and the subtle heat of sweet smoked paprika to finish. My trusted whisky tasting lieutenant Kiwi got a touch of liquorice at the end.
Comments: A first for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), who traditionally focus on single cask, cask strength whiskies. This blended malt comprises a number of single malts all distilled in 2006, which were then matured in first fill ex-sherry Spanish oak hogsheads. Cut back slightly to a strength of 50% ABV, it still has an intensity of flavour, complexity and nuances befitting a SMWS whisky.
An exceptional drop and the perfect end of week dram when you just want to slink down into the lounge and let the worries of the week drift away.