SMWS Outturn 266 - Emerald Gems

SMWS 64.100 - An old wine cellar by candle-lightThe return of Bushmills to the Society! And a new distillery! Truly, we're spoiled...

Top technical scores go to the well aged and complex Mannochmore, the superb younger Bushmills and the Inchmoan for a fruit so delightful I didn't want to add water...

The older Bushmills bottling was a lovely, sweet and fruity delight. I also very much enjoyed the Loch Lomond Rosdhu grain, where the real surprise for many will be that it's a mere eight years old. In a market full of aged grain, this shows that you don't need years - just good wood. And speaking of good wood, the reracking of the Glen Grant really worked, bringing big flavours that were also well integrated. Then there's the Laphroaig - another finished whisky, but again it works very well - albeit a bit ashen. Finally, how about an unpeated Bunnahabhain that was matured in an ex-port Barrique? It's a sweet treat! All these whiskies have well deserved scores of 4.5.

Scoring 4 was the Aberlour, another light and sweet dram. For heavier notes, try the superb Benrinnes - I may not like the somewhat heavy father's day marketing, but the whisky is a good one. It also demonstrated that a score of 4 isn't the end of the world - I'd like multiple bottles!

I'm really looking forward to trying the rest of the list - the port finished Bunnahabhain sounds intriguing, and the word is that the Laphroaig is very good. I'll find out later today, and will hopefully have full tasting notes up on Sunday...