SMWS 2023 Tasting Panel - DC
Background
Doubling down at Jack Rose SMWS events this month, and this time was the Tasting Panel Experience. SMWS is on a traveling tour through Chicago, DC, New York, Seattle and then LA to taste through current casks and decide what should be bottled and what should continue to age. Tasting Panel Chairman Robin Laing and Society Director Tom Smith led us through the proceedings, with Robin occasionally breaking out in song. The goal is to taste through six offerings, score them, and I believe the collective top 3 will be bottled for the US market. Below are my thoughts on each of the pours!
Caperdonich (25 Years, 102.8 Proof)
Nose: Tropical fruits, vanilla, mangos, bananas. Definitely tropical!
Palate: Grilled pineapple, honey, green apples, light cinnamon and vanilla
Finish: Applewood, barrel spices, honey and apples
Very Good (6/10)
Overall: We were asked to try to assign a SMWS flavor profile to each of these, and this for me was a split between Juicy, Oak & Vanilla or Sweet, Fruity and Mellow. Interestingly, Robin suggested “Old & Dignified”, which I get given the age. But this tastes much more playful and open then a dignified dram.
Clynelish (9 Years, 119.2 Proof)
Nose: Diced canned pears, bananas foster, caramel
Palate: Vanilla custard, more juicy pear, waxy fruits and then a wave of fun spices. Chilies, crushed red pepper.
Finish: Those spices co mingle with some toasted coconut, caramel corn, and a waxy finish.
Very Good to Great (6.5/10)
Overall: At first blush, the vanilla and fruit notes steered me again towards Juicy, Oak & Vanilla. As those spices hit though I ended up going with Spicy & Sweet. That waxy note came out a bit more with a few drops of water as well.
Glen Deveron (15 Years, 112.6 Proof)
Nose: Strawberries and cream, wildflower honey, crystalized ginger
Palate: Cinnamon sugar, more fresh strawberries, root beer
Finish: Floral notes, cinnamon sugar and ginger
Good to Very Good (5.5/10)
Overall: I’m going to be honest, I couldnt totally figure this one out. After each pour, tasting notes are openly discussed with the room and it seemed like I was completely off from the general consensus which was much more “Juicy Oak and Vanilla”. I kept getting florals and strawberries and tagged this with Sweet Fruity & Mellow, but this was a tough nut to crack and my least favorite sip of the night.
Dailuaine (15 Years, 118.6 Proof)
Nose: Maple syrup, toasted marshmallow, s’mores, brown sugar.
Palate: Toffee, cinnamon toast crunch, leather bound books and rich mahogany 🙂
Finish: More of that cinnamon sugar, caramel, leather and hints of nuttiness.
Great to Excellent (7.5/10)
Overall: This was 13 years in ex-bourbon followed by 2 years in a 1st fill Chinkapin oak and I can only imagine that Chinkapin oak is heavily influencing the flavor profile here. This pour was much darker than the rest, and the big rich notes were a lot of fun. I went with Deep, Rich and Dried Fruits for the profile. I guess I didnt pick up a ton of fruits, but deep and rich- check and check.
Fettercairn (13 Years, 108.6 Proof)
Nose: Banana pudding with vanilla wafers, maple syrup again, ripe cherries
Palate: Maple bars, black forest cake, sticky toffee pudding, nutella- some hazelnuttiness!
Finish: Hazelnut, vanilla, pecan pie
Excellent (8/10)
Overall: I attended this tasting with a few friends, and when asked to suggest a name for this bottling my one friend proposed “Why Isnt Everything This?” If you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ll be shocked I also tagged this with “Deep, Rich and Dried Fruits.”
Caol Ila (13 Years, 116,4 Proof)
Nose: Saltwater taffy… a particularly fruity piece, though I can't totally isolate what fruit. Caramel chews, hints of lightly smoked meats.
Palate: Salted caramel, seaweed, again saltwater taffy, venison, and some light berries.
Finish: Dried salted seaweed, it’s a little oily, wisps of smoke and again that mysterious fruity undercurrent.
Great to Excellent (7.5/10)
Overall: This was 10 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead followed by the next 3 in refill Spanish oak Sherry hogshead. That Sherry influence is delicate throughout, giving it a fun, fleeting fruit effect when paired with the peat. I have to guess this is in the lightly peated category, but I’ll be candid that I don’t yet have the best gauge of what an average peat level is on the sip.
All in all, an excellent event filled with a great group of people, some hilarious tunes and off color jokes from Robin, and delicious whiskey. Tough to beat on a Tuesday night!
