SMWS Cask 123.18 10yo...

SMWS Cask 123.18 10yo (57.4%): Most of us have a few special whiskies we tasted before and will never forget... Not because they were worth thousands of dollars a bottle or not because they were incredibly rare just because they tasted so freaking good..! Glengoyne 11yo "Oslo Whisky Festival" Single Cask bottling from 2008 was one of those bottles... I still remember the night when Chris Maile poured me that dram in Underbar, Oslo and how we geeked out almost an hour about one single bottle sharing and scribbling tasting notes. Anyway, when I saw this 10yo Glengoyne Single Cask bottling from SMWS I was like: Wait a minute, what if..? And ordered it right away... It is distilled in 2005, spent 10 years in a single ex-bourbon barrel which yielded only 192 bottles. Let's see...

Color: Yellow gold, oaked Chardonnay.

Nose: Light, sweet, citrusy and refreshing. Like a nice cool breeze on a sunny afternoon... Lemon sorbet, banana cream pie and thin honey syrup. Ripe baby bananas, vanilla and lemon jello. Fresh mint leaves, mandarin peel and kumquat. Water opens it up with floral notes: Jonquils, hyacinths and some perfume drops. Quite creamy now... Custard tarts and creme caramel. Fresh Concorde pear slices, salted caramel bites, milk chocolate and pineapple juice.

Palate: Nice entry even at full abv. Fruit salad with strawberries and slices of melons and honeydews. Mint and vanilla... Woolen blankets and thick sweaters. Quite warming. Water works good on the palate as well: Eucalyptus drops, crystallized ginger candy and wood shavings. Bamboo straws and hemp ropes.

Finish: Long with white pepper, toasted oak and ginger.

Overall: Well, not even close to what I was looking for... But don't get me wrong, it is still a decent cask. Not very layered neither complex nor the most memorable but a solid ex-bourbon cask with all the right amounts of spiciness, citrus and fruit notes. I also liked how good it handled the water. Pretty good summer dram.

Price: $105

84/100