The Scotch Malt Whisky Society – February Outturn, Tastings and Reviews. (Part Two)
Following on from my SMWS February Outturn Tastings and Review part one, I am now going to taste my next 2 drams from the SMWS February 2021 Outturn.
First up is:
4.266 – The Dark Lord Of Stromness
58.1% ~ 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel ~ 20yo ~ Highland
Priced at £150.00
Let’s open the bottle and have a sip or two of this Orcadian dram.
Colour…Rolled gold
Nose…Walking into a coastal cottage, old cinders in the fire grate, first aid boxes, in comes some sweet notes, honey, singed oats.
Taste…Seashore flavours in abundance, full on the palate, thick and oily peat, chewing a Bourbon stave, rich honey on a Victoria sponge cake, tempura prawns, liquorice and aniseed, a dusting of white pepper, motorcycle workshop.
Finish…Long finish, sweet but still retaining threads of peat and smoke, a delightful and very complex dram.
Loved it, just loved it. Complex and just the right amount of peat and smoke from this very northern distillery.
Up next we have a special dram from one of my favourite Islay distilleries. Let’s dive straight in:
53.360 – Blade Scunner
59.8% ~ Re-Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead ~ 9yo ~ Islay
Priced at £63.00
Let’s open the second bottle of tonight’s outturn tastings.
Colour…It is a WOW on the nose, coal tar soap, beach bonfire barbecue, seafood shack at the harbour, elegant and majestic,
Taste…Sweet, salty and smoky, traces of seaweed, the best seafood barbecue in the world, liquorice allsorts, mixed roasted nuts, fishing trawler arriving in the harbour fully laden with a mighty catch.
Finish…This dram is full on, Islay peat and smoke, very comforting.
Out of the four drams from the SMWS February 2021 Outturn, this one wins hands down. It has everything I enjoy about an Islay Single Malt. Priced just right and has for me the big WOW factor.
