SMWS Outturn 277 - Embrace the Extraordinary

SMWS 35.224 - Fata MorganaIt’s April, so we should all have a spring in our step! As we start to come out of hibernation we need to smile and spread joy. And the SMWS has just the bottles to help you do this...

Let’s start with the magnificent Glen Moray, which is practically flawless in the delivery of its many superb flavours. That’s why it scored 5, and I want a bottle.

Now let’s go to the extraordinary - the Longmorn from an IPA cask. Lime and hops are the dominant flavours. The joyless will say that you should just have a beer, and the rest of us will enjoy the experience. It scored 4.5, but I don’t think I want a bottle. Certainly one to try, and perhaps a good candidate for bottle share schemes?

Up next is the fruit, brine and salted caramel of the Ledaig. It’s joined by the redcurrants, raspberries, lavender and ash of the Glen Scotia. Both are superb, both scored 4.5, and I want bottles of both.

And now two honourable mentions. The Glen Grant has tropical fruits, rye - and white pepper. It’s beautifully balanced and scores 4.5, but I’m happy with just a dram. It’s a personal preference. You should definitely check it out though! For contrast, there’s the Glenlossie. It has a plethora of flavours, and delivers them superbly. But it’s quiet. As though the volume knob is stuck on a low setting. As a dram by itself it’s great, but if you’re drinking anything else you’re going to want to have this first. It scored 4 but I’d happily have another dram.

That’s it for the highlights, at least until I finish the list sometime next week.

One word of warning - there might be a lot coming out later this month. I turned up and did tasting notes for fifteen whiskies, but it turned out that only five of those are in this initial release. So if you were thinking your wallet is finally seeing a nice quiet month, you may be wrong...

As always, further reviews are available at The Dramble, so do check them out...