Scotch Malt Whisky Society 44.117

$125.99

HAPPINESS IS A WARM BUNG

This 8 year old Speysider spent 6 years in an ex-American oak Oloroso butt before being transferred to a 2nd fill Spanish oak PX butt for the remainder of its maturation and comes in at 68.5%.

Flavour profile:  Deep, rich & dried fruits.

Outturn:  590 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "A big and sumptuous nose of treacle pudding, dried figs, fresh pear cake, ginger biscuits, old wine cellars, leaf mulch, chocolate sauce, strawberry-scented tobacco and aged Madeira drizzled over fresh lychees. Water gives us café latte, roast chestnuts, milk chocolate, carnations, toasted almond flakes, chocolate spread, pencil shavings, sheep wool, soft earthiness, unlit cigars lost in a new handbag and game meats.

The palate is alive with spiced honey cake, aged sweet wines, rosewater, jasmine tea, cherry marmalade, wood spice, black pepper, wax and methylated oils. A little water brings out coffee tequila liqueur, rosehips, mint leaf, wood extracts, cocoa powder, pink peppercorns, dried thyme, Bovril and old workshops. Matured for 6 years in an Oloroso butt before transfer to a 2nd fill Spanish oak PX butt."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 53.317

$179.99

BURIAL AT SEA

This 10 year old from Islay comes in at 58% after maturing in a refill hogshead.

Flavour profile:  Peated.

Outturn:  279 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "50/50 lime juice and brine at first nosing. Then bright, shining peat smoke and clean, crisp, freshly kilned malt. Sooty cereals, cured meats, burlap, bonfire and newspaper ash. Add to this some squid ink, BBQ charred calamari with lemon juice and mercurochrome-drenched wellies. Reduction reveals pure farmyard smokiness. Bonfires on the seashore, old rope, tar liqueur, stir fried oysters with soy sauce, liquid seasoning and vinegar-soaked chip wrapping paper.

The palate neat is like a hot injection of lighter fluid and antiseptic. Salt baked cod, iodine drops, lemon flavoured cough syrup, pine air freshener, mouthwash and fiery salami. With water it all melts into hot plastic, lemon infused green tea, kippers in kedgeree, petrol doused oatmeal, green olives bobbing in seawater and dried seaweed in ramen broth."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 10.190

$164.99

MAKE MOINE A DEVIL - Email the store to be entered in a draw for a chance to purchase this bottle! $164.99+gst.

This 6 year old from Islay was matured in a 2nd fill Oloroso butt and comes in at 61.1%.

Flavour profile:  Heavily peated.

Outturn:  616 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "There's mountains of silage, freshly poured bitumen, boilers belching smoke, molten tar erupts from a gnarled peat bog and winged demons season the land with black pepper and slices of spicy salami while noshing down smouldering jeroboams of pickled onion Space Raiders! With water comes a tidal surge of briny disinfectant, peat bricks are bobbing about the inside of your car while the engine bursts into flames and molten putty oozes from the dashboard. The sky opens and down comes an apocalyptic rain of petrol and kippers. The Devil's sherry bodega is open for business! 

As you drown, your mouth floods with kipper eau de vie, burnt pencils, oozing mechanical oils, a stray bicycle inner tube and globules of iodine-laced paraffin wax. Some water dilutes things to reveal an ocean of soot, molten tractor fumes, olive tapenade cut with malt vinegar and flaming farmyard peat embers. The finish is long and tinged with the end of the world!"

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 68.38

$121.99

BUTCHER SHOP QUARTET

This 9 year old Highland was matured in a re-charred hogshead and is 57.9%.

Flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

Distilled on:  11 June 2010

Outturn:  273 bottles

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 85.64

$152.99

BAKED BANANAS AND BURNT BACON - Charity Bottle

This 13 year old Speysider was matured in a refill hogshead and comes in at 57.8%. SMWS Canada's profit from sales of this bottle go to charity.

Flavour profile:  Spicy & sweet.

Outturn:  224 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "A massively fruity nose introduced fresh strawberries, pear drops and wooden crates packed with apples and lemons. Earthy notes of rain on warm flowerbeds and tree bark emerged through juicy fruit before deepening to ground coffee beans and stout beer. A spicy mouthfeel unveiled cinnamon, ginger and turmeric with stewed apples and burnt fruitcake that evolved into singed sugar and the charcoal from a grill tray.

Bacon notes developed with water and joined ripe bananas with creamy elements that touched on butter and fruit yoghurt. The velvety feel turned to cream soda and beeswax on the tongue as burnt toffee covered apples, nutmeg and sultanas on a charred finish."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 93.138

$161.99

SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF

This 11 year old from Campbeltown comes in at 54.9% after maturing in a 1st fill barrel.

Flavour profile:  Sweet, fruity & mellow.

Outturn:  237 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "The first statement was “this has something for everyone” – how true; cola cubes, salty caramel, red liquorice laces and assorted fruit flavoured candy pebbles next to a clean floral perfumed handkerchief. The taste dangerously delicious, sweet and salty popcorn as well as tropical fruit salad with a chili, star anise, cinnamon and lime dressing.

Water released a sweet smoke like that from a thurible being used in a religious procession along the waterfront. When we took a sip we started singing ‘Campbeltown Loch, I wish you were whisky’. The beauty of a single cask as the ‘Wee Toon’ had truly delivered a surprise – suspend your disbelief."

Hepburn's Choice Tullibardine

$99.99

A single red wine cask finished Tullibardine distilled in 2008 and bottled after 12 years at 46%.

Andrew's Quick 2 Cents

Malty, honeyed and very approchable. Honey buches of oats, winegums, oranges and chocolate.

Glenfiddich 14 Yr Bourbon Barrel Reserve

$60.79

Many whisky drinkers may have cut their teeth on the ever-popular Glenfiddich 12 Year Old. Those looking to delve further into the distillery's offerings usually jump to the Glenfiddich 15 Solera or this: the 14 Year Bourbon Barrel Reserve. What sets this apart from the 15 Year Old Solera is the ex-Bourbon cask focus. The whisky spends most of its life maturing in ex-Bourbon casks before being finished charred virgin American oak barrels and then bottled at 43%.

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: "Deep vibrant vanilla notes with hints of citrus, caramalised brown sugar and cinnamon. Baked apple and ripe summer fruits and balanced with the rich oaky aromas."

Palate: "Beautifully rich and sweet with layers of creamy toffee, woody spices, candied orange peel and fresh toasted oak."

Finish: "Long lasting with lingering sweetness."

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 7.244

$188.99

WITCHCRAFT

This 15 year old Speysider is 59.4%; after 13 years, two 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrels, filled on the same day, were combined into a 1st fill ex-PX butt for extra maturation.

Flavour profile:  Deep, rich & dried fruit.

Outturn:  360 bottles.

Panel's tasting note:  "With the heavenly aroma we found ourselves in an old fashioned dunnage warehouse in Scotland smelling a very rare old vintage (añada) Amontillado sherry – celestial! On the palate dry and full-bodied (one panellist called it ‘massaging your tongue'), with walnut and toasted hazelnut husk and hints of butterscotch. Water brought out fresh oranges and bergamot oil before raisins and shaved toasted almonds took centre stage.

To taste, like a ‘rye witch’ cocktail using rye whiskey, Palo Cortado sherry, orange bitters, demerara sugar and Italian Strega (meaning witch) herbal liqueur. At thirteen years of age we combined two 2nd fill bourbon barrels, originally filled on the same day, into a 1st fill Pedro Ximenez butt."