Springbank 21 Year
$429.99
The 2019 Edition of Springbank 21 Year was bottled at 46%, after maturin in 45% Port and 55% Rum casks.
Andrew's Tasting Note
Nose: fudge-y, doughy and leathery with rum and raisin pudding; salted caramel ice cream; Caramilk, milk chocolate and dried dark fruits; jammy, Strawberry Twizzlers and Big Turk candy bars; leaning towards more tropical fruit notes; clean smoke and some tin-y metallic notes.
Palate: thick, coating, oily and rich; earthy and leathery with fruity tobacco and both dark and milk chocolates; the oily peats peak through, with some maritime edges and a more over salted caramel; firm smoke, cloves and fennel; dried dark fruits: dates, figs and Glosset raisins; more Strawberry Twizzlers and Big Turk; so salty and savoury. Finish: long, coating and creamy; more oily peat, salted caramel and jammy fruits; so juicy and thick.
Finish: loads of salted caramel, briny maritime smoke and firm oily peat smoke; still jammy and fruity; long and coating.
Comment: I wish I had some of the 2018 edition at hand to sample beside this; both were at least partly matured in ex-Rum casks; if my memory is correct this edition is nowhere near as subtle or delicate as the 2018, but it makes up for that in richness; fine stuff.
89pts Angus @ Whisky Fun
"Apparently this one was matured in a mix of 45% port and 55% rum. Not sure if that was full term maturations or re-rackings. Colour: amber. Nose: a nice mix of gentle, leafy earthiness, soft tarry notes, embrocations, tobaccos and red fruit jams. Things like raspberry liquorice, jasmine tea and various kinds of glazed, crystallised and dark fruits. Dates, sultanas, quince and plums to be more precise. In time it gets a little more towards mint and eucalyptus. Really harmonious and characterful nose. Mouth: here the different cask types jar a little more I think. Various overripe citrus peels, cornflakes, muesli, caraway and a more pronounced rum note. Golden syrups, brown sugar, dried herbs, cocktail bitters and some slightly farmy/coastal Springbanky goodness underneath. Finish: good length, back to tobacco, tea tree oils, herbal resins, dried dark fruits and red jams. Comments: a tough one to score. There are parts which really work well with this elegance and gentle complexity. On the other hand it can also feel a tad dissonant at times, especially on the palate. Still, perhaps we’re being a tad too picky... "
Limit 1 Per Person - 92pts Angus @WhiskyFun
Unfortunately the allocations on whiskies like this aren’t getting any better, and frustratingly this is one of the best releases in recent years... Only 3700 bottles have been released globally. That may sound like a lot, but the reality is that is just a drop in the bucket. KWM is set to receive just 18 bottles of the 2018 Edition of Springbank 21 Year. We likely won’t see another release until mid-2019. This year’s edition is a curiosity, 70% of the whisky was sourced from Ex-Rum Barrels... we can’t wait to give it a try. Fortunately we’re expecting a visit from Springbank in October, and I have a feeling a bottle just might get opened! It is limited to 1 per customer.
Distiller’s Tasting Note
Nose: A burst of heather and freshly mowed grass followed by honey, pear skin and wood shavings. Hints of butter; cheesecake, fresh cream and digestive biscuit.
Taste: Elegant and gentle. Butterscotch and vanilla, sugar cane and molasses develop as the influence from the rum casks engulfs the palate with apricots, peaches and paprika.
Finish: A soft smokiness is present in the background. Toffee apples, raisins and oat biscuits emerge. In the foreground; peppercorn, almonds and apricot jam are prominent.”
92pts Angus @ WhiskyFun
"This year’s release of the 21yo was composed of 30% bourbon casks and 70% ex-rum casks. Colour: light gold. Nose: if there’s a rum component then so far it’s rather shy. What comes through first is this pretty typical mixture of waxes, beach pebbles, minerals, sheep wool, hessian, bath salts and light medicines. Pretty pure modern-era Springbank and extremely good. There’s some clay, flinty smoke, chalk, lime zest, carbolic soap and a prickle of mustard powder. Also a wisp of peat and wood smoke as well. That distant beach bonfire character that seems to inveigle its way into all contemporary Springbanks. Mouth: lots of soft but emphatic oils. Light peat, black pepper, olive oil, preserved lemons, mineral oil, hessian, soot, seashore minerals and a tiny allusion of dunder funk which may well be the rum, or possibly my imagination. A beautifully supple, textured, oily and characterful Campbeltown malt. Finish: long, some brittle minerals, spry wood spices, a touch of engine grease, lemon rind, wax and some rather fat phenolics. Comments: This combination of characterful distillate, gentle casks, a supportive nudge of peat and plenty maturation time make for a proper malt whisky. Still plenty lessons to be learned from those Karaoke-coveting distillers in Campbeltown it seems... SGP: 472 - 92 points."
Glenglassaugh Rare Cask Series 3 Pack
$449.99
Glenglassaugh the Chosen Few 1976
$417.59
Nose: date squares, figs, and mango-papaya tropical fruit notes; there are hints of spice, coconut cream, and watermelon; there is soft toasty oak and coffee cake with underlying vanillas; Palate: spice bomb goes off right off the bat, with brown sugar and toasty oak; the fruits emerge slowly from the spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and anise) and oak: first dried (apricots and apples) then mango/papaya and mandarin/blood orange; multi-layered with lots of depth there is plenty of complexity; Finish: tropical fruits really shine on the finish with drying oak, faint tingling spice and creamy vanillans; the finish is long, coating and moderately drying!
Benromach Cask Strength
$72.89
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 123.06
$104.39
SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM!
RHUBARAB AND CUSTARD
Matured 10 years in a Refill Port Pipe and bottled at 59.5%.
Panel's Tasting Note: "Creamy vanilla custard/crème brulée on the nose to start with, with the brulée bit increasing to crystalline sugar in espresso coffee and then the custard being joined by raspberry, plum and rhubarb crumble. Behind all this is a light winey note. At unreduced strength, the taste is sweet and tannic – Assam tea leaves and red fruits (plums?) with some tobacco in the aftertaste. Water suggests European oak: gunpowder, scorched fruitcake, over-caramelised buttery sugar. Now it has an oily texture; sweet then tannic, spicy and acceptably bitter (burnt sugar again). The distillery, on Loch Lomondside, has enjoyed a considerable revival since being acquired by Ian Macleod & Co."
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 30.68
$109.79
SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM!
LONG, HOT SWEET DELIGHTS
60.6% after 10 years in a Refill Ex-Sherry Gorda cask.
Panel's Tasting Note: "Salty, dry and earthy - this really didn't hide its cask influence; we were getting treacle toffee, chestnuts, polished leather, mushrooms, smoked almonds, raisins, sandalwood bark, ink, dark Indonesian soy sauce, and matchboxes. The taste revealed savoury meaty notes of Szechuan peppered steak, wild mushrooms and tuna steaks but also the sweet delight of peaches in Sauternes. Water released Pedro Ximenez soaked prunes, more matchboxes, hot sandpaper, root veg (beetroot), electric storms (!), sticky dates and raspberry syrup. Long, hot, tannic to taste with dark chocolate, pine trees and raisins. From the distillery that is vintage bottled by its London owners."
Drinking Tip: "Too big to take lightly."
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 29.109
$157.49
SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM!
OAK, SMOKE AND INTENSITY
Matured 20 years in a Refill Butt and bottled at 59.2%.
Panel's Tasting Note: "Most of us found this outstanding, but not all! The nose suggested a mechanic's hands (oil, swarfega) and new cars in a freshly-painted showroom. We also found prunes, dates, figs in syrup, walnut oil and TCP. The unreduced palate had oak and smoke intensity – treacle, syrup and worn leather ('a liontamer's whip'). The reduced nose was aromatic, savoury and mechanical – blackened chicken, cinder toffee, mushrooms in a basket, cloves, molasses and 'diesel-soaked cherries'. The reduced palate had ferns, sugar-coated fennel seeds, turmeric, liquorice and onion bhajis – sweet and smoky but with deep swirling undercurrents. The distillery has a Royal Warrant."
Drinking Tip: "A late evening dram, perhaps while watching 'Pimp My Ride."
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 35.53
$164.69
SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM!
OLD JAZZ BAR
This 26 year old Speyside is from a Refill Butt bottled at 40.6%.
Panel's Tasting Note: "A mellow nose with Calvados, baked banana and apple crumble with caramel, almonds and ground nutmeg on top, consumed in an old jazz bar with polished brass and leather straps. The taste was rich, smooth and velvety with liquorice root, juicy sultanas, ginger biscuits and fruitcake. On reduction, the nose became richer with burnt raisins, rum, chocolate and Victoria plums, alongside linseed oil polish and new cricket bats. The reduced palate had banana skins, pastry and walnut slice with traces of Calvados. This distillery is situated under the shadows of Gallow Hill where executions were carried out until the end of the 17th century."
Drinking Tip: "When relaxing, chilling out and listening to jazz. Drink neat - or take care with water!"
Scotch Malt Whisky Society 23.72
$105.29
SOLD OUT! - Not expected to return to KWM!
A BIG EYE-WATERING SLAP
This 9 Year Islay is a massive 66.4% from a Refill Sherry Butt.
Panel's Tasting Note: "The nose forced shotgun shells and fireworks on us – but also gave barley sugars, custard and chocolate-coated foamy bananas; peppermint tea, liquorice, smoked ham and old bonfires. The palate's big, eye-watering, sherry slap took our breath away – sweet red liquorice, cinder toffee, crème brulée, treacle, cooked apples, ash and peat. The reduced nose suggested barbecued lamb chops dripping on embers, singed mint leaf and burnt lemon skin. Water definitely improved the palate – now sweeter (toasted coconut, vanilla, golden syrup, raisins, cherries) – calso woody spices, crispy sage, and grilled lobster. The distillery is on the road from Port Charlotte to Bridgend."
Drinking Tip: "Let some water open it up and don't rush it."