June 2021 sees the release of the SMWS Shake Up Your Summer – Mix It Up Outturn. Have a look at what SMWS has to offer from the different regions of Scotland. On 17th June 2021, the SMWS releases a further 7 bottlings for June 2021.
The SMWS Whisky Festival Bottlings follows on from their previous SMWS Speyside Whisky, SMWS Hauf ‘N’ Hauf, SMWS Whiskies That Sparkle Selection and the previous months special releases of SMWS The Vaults Collection, SMWS Solstice Selection of whiskies and SMWS A Wee Cheeky Selection released in 2021/2020.
SMWS Whisky Festival Bottlings are below:
TIF.1 – 70s Chart Topper
53.0% ~ Cognac Barrel ~ Cognac Petite Champagne
The colour carried a remarkable hue, the distilled remnants of marmalade and golden syrup. Drawing closer the aromas began to excite the senses, a heady hybrid of fruit and wood. A strong scent of linseed oil recalled memories of polished leather ricocheting off cricket bats in the hot sun of a summers day. Subtly spiced apple chutney and tarte Tatin meandered with pears poached in….read more
£125.00
Batch 12 – Clementine Confit
50.0% ~ New Caucasian & American Oak Barriques ~ 10yo ~ Blended Malt
This latest small batch expression utilises two distinct types of custom cask from Seguin Moreau cooperage in France. For type one, the staves were coopered from new American oak. Each stave was specially selected for a higher than average content of lactones and aromatic compounds. A heavy toast was applied contributing coconut sweetness and a rounded texture to the finished blend. For type two, the staves were coopered from new Caucasian oak…read more
£49.50
149.2 – Peaty Peninsula
60.7% ~ 1st Fill American Oak Ex-Oloroso Butt ~ 5yo ~ Highland
We were instantly transported to a remote church on the west coast of Scotland as guests at a wedding. The scent of ancient wooden pews, flower arrangements, and perfumes mingled perfectly with sweet peat smoke from the nearby houses and maritime aromas. The initial flavour was a sweet peat explosion soon followed by a creamy chocolatey texture and a never-ending finish of aromatic herbs…read more
£65.00
95.39 – Indian Summer In A Japanese Garden
53.0% ~ Re-Fill Ex-Sherry Butt ~ 38yo ~ Speyside
Imagine an early afternoon walk during a beautiful ‘Indian summer’ through a forest collecting mushrooms as well as searching for, with the help of your best friend the truffle-hunting dog, this highly prized fungus. On the palate neat we found a Waldorf salad made with fruits and nuts all served on a bed of lettuce and this time perfectly dressed in vinaigrette made from Pedro Ximénez grapes that have been aged for many years in an oak Solera system….read more
£435.00
52.33 – The Sweetest Hours That Eer I Spend
54.1% ~ Re-Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel ~ 31yo ~ Highland
The nose veritably quivered with exotic fruit jellies, tropical syrups, exotic fruit teas with pomegranate molasses and rum-soaked mint julep cocktails. Then dried wildflowers, herbal waxes, aged ointments, old fruit liqueurs, lemon curd, passionflower and rosewater. With a little reduction came notes of orange liqueur, mango syrup, passionfruit tea, star fruits, heather honey, caramelising muscovado sugar and warming vapour rubs. The arrival in the mouth was dense and thrillingly spicy….read more
£350.00
R2.15 – Charismatic Funk
58.3% ~ 2nd Fill Toasted and Charred Barrel ~ 17yo ~ Guyana
The epitome of charismatic rum agreed the Panel. A nose bristling with fermenting pineapple and Elastoplast bobbing in a swimming pool. Leathery funk, bike grease and a Pisco sour with abundant lime juice. A lick of caramelised brown sugar smeared on a bicycle inner tube. Washed down with pure WD40. Water gave us seawater, squid ink, langoustine shells and green olives in their pickling juices. All washed down with a dirty martini….read more
£83.00
108.32 – In A Rabelo On The Spey
59.2% ~ 2nd Fill Charred Ex-Red Wine Barrique ~ 13yo ~ Speyside
We imagined that after having picked the grapes in the steep sloping vineyards of the Douro valley, we poured them into a large stone tank (lagares) and then, synchronised to the rhythm of a local musician, we squashed them and squeezed the liquid out from the skin. The taste was opulent and sweet with an abundance of earthy, spicy notes and an elegant fine chewy tannin finish. Diluted we took a traditional rabelo boat down river sipping a glass of young vintage port….read more
£61.20
135.30 – Big Fruit And Short Bread
56.3% ~ 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel ~ 20yo ~ Highland
A big nose of sweet buttery biscuits and shortbread merged with apples, peaches and pears while delicate floral aromas suggested lilacs and honeysuckle. Syrup textures and melted white chocolate coated the palate as pears poached in rum brought a spicy warmth and hints of molasses on marshmallows, vanilla ice cream and oak. A dash of water released a torrent of intense orange and strawberry essence. The chocolate hard darkened and joined tobacco leaves dusted with….read more
£86.00
78.47 – Citric Firecracker
63.5% ~ 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel ~ 11yo ~ Highland
The nose got one panellist imagining he was enjoying banana bread, jammy dodgers and lemonade, after applying Danish oil to his oak front door. The palate was a citric firecracker; orange oil, lemon zest and mandarin cheesecake, which then flooded with spice heat; white pepper, cinnamon, clove, pickled ginger and wasabi. On the reduced nose we got more sweet citrus, lemon drizzle cake, lemon barley water and orange blossom….read more
£58.00
10.217 – Munich Beer Radish
60.6% ~ Re-Fill Heavy Toast Medium Char Hogshead ~ 13yo ~ Islay
We sat down to enjoy a ploughman’s lunch – crumbly, mature cloth-bound cheddar, strong pickles and pumpernickel bread spread with salted butter. The palate neat was like a horseradish roast beef roll-up with cream cheese and Dijon-style mustard which made it a zesty appetizer. After the addition of water, the sweet aroma of treacle tart, flapjacks and salted caramel appeared, while on the taste like a Radi served at the Oktoberfest in Munich….read more
£77.00
35.288 – Caribbean Cruise
52.8% ~ 1st Fill Ex-Sauternes ~ 25yo ~ Speyside
First, we noticed the gorgeous colour which was followed by the slow-moving think oily legs when swirling the glass a little. We baked banana bread muffins, Caribbean coconut tart and sweet potato pudding. On the palate, a fruit trifle made with pineapple, papaya, mango, coconut and plenty of spiced rum. Water added the scent of Curacao bitter orange peel, candied kumquats and quince jelly while to taste like a bar of white chocolate filled with a delicate passion fruit cream….read more
£152.00
53.364 – Port Askaig Meets Sanlucar
57.9% ~ Re-Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead ~ 10yo ~ Islay
A typical tropical day on Islay sitting on the beach late afternoon blowing up a beach ball with a peat fired barbeque roasting pineapple slices, peaches and marshmallows. Sharp, clean and clear, that typical gun-flint taste as we uncorked and poured a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc wine called Pouilly-Fumé. After a splash of water we needed, due to a small accident, the first aid kit for some disinfectant….read more