It's chilly outside but we've got another SMWS outturn review for you. The February release features 28 new casks, with a few distilleries we've not seen in a while.
We think we tried all of this months releases, but if there are any mid month surprises we'll attempt to review those as we get further into February. Check out our social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to get updates on the mid-month bottles and heads up on our other reviews.
The scores below are based on our initial impressions. For full disclosure, we won't spend as much time with a dram as we usually do for a full review, but we hope you'll find the scores useful.
- 10 - Perfection. One in a million
- 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
- 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
- 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
- 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
- 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
- 4 - Below average. Passable.
- 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
- 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
- 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.
Onto the bottles...
9.313 - Glen Grant Distillery
Name: Honey, I am Home!
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Sauternes Barrique
ABV: 55.6%
Age: 17
Price: £95.00
The nose opens with dates, golden syrup porridge, a little lemon curd, and a Danish red berry pudding which we can’t quite pronounce - Rødgrød med fløde. The palate has a nice texture, and is very berry forward, lots of red and black fruits, currants and dates, alongside brioche and caramelised brown sugar. The alcohol is in good balance.. it’s nice, it’s like a nice sweet porridge with fruit.
Score: 7/10
Value: This feels quite good value given the age and cask type.
10.295 - Bunnahabhain Distillery
Name: The Spring-Summer Collection
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 55.7%
Age: 12
Price: £92.00
The nose opens with Irn Bru, eucalyptus, caramel, fudge and pencil erasers. There’s a rubberiness behind this, like gym soles, with a touch of ladies perfume, more on the floral side. The palate has a great syrupy texture, with rich dark chocolate, coffee beans, sweet meats, barbecued venison crusted in cocoa, and beetroot juice. There’s some char/spice here, and it does kick you in the face a bit, but it’s quite a solid unpeated Bunnah.
Score: 7/10
Value: A few quid more than the official 12CS.
11.71 - Tomatin Distillery
Name: Kissed By Cherry Lips
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-Oloroso Butt
ABV: 48.0%
Age: 10
Price: £48.00
The nose opens with sour cherry, watery strawberries, musty meaty funk, leather, and pickled walnuts. You can tell it’s fully matured in oloroso, it’s very sherried and those fruitier Tomatin notes we love are nowhere to be found. The palate has a thin, watery texture - we’re not loving the 48% here, it feels like fruit juice. There’s strawberries, walnuts, ginger sponge cake, more leather and raisins. Simple, underwhelming, although some of those fresher fruits appear on the finish. Stop reducing drams to one set percentage, we'd prefer the reduction to be tailored to the whisky in question - this is too weak and has lost a lot of character.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: Good value mainly due to the ABV reduction.
28.114 - Tullibardine Distillery
Name: Thrills Up the Ochils
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Butt
ABV: 60.9%
Age: 10
Price: £70.00
The nose opens with cherry haribo, raw spinach (ironiness), and a general industrial/metallic sort of aroma coming out for us. There’s a bit of background sweetness, not really leaning into the oloroso cask though. The palate has a decent texture and is very raspberry/cherry forward, alongside some plums, then moving into those industrial notes that linger into the finish. We quite liked the initial palate, but the movement into more of those metallic notes on the finish ruined it for us.
Score: 6/10
Value: This feels quite pricey for Tullibardine.
36.229 - Benrinnes Distillery
Name: Date Shake
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-bourbon Hogshead
ABV: 58.4%
Age: 13
Price: £69.00
The nose opens with simple sugars, sour grapefruit, lime, rolling papers and a little bit of vodka-spiritiness. It’s quite flat, the bourbon cask, even though first fill, hasn’t really done too much here. The palate has a decent texture, and there’s a lot of citrus up front, lime and grapefruit, maybe a bit of orange, sweetened iced tea too. It’s trying to be fruity, but we just don’t get too much from it. It’s too spicy though, it gives a lingering burn that feel like you’ve just inhaled cold air. Not a great showing.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: A few quid cheaper would be nice.
39.309 - Linkwood Distillery
Name: Simply Classic
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 58.2%
Age: 12
Price: £69.00
The nose opens with a little nail varnish remover, apple slices, coconut, peppermint and bergamot candles, and white bread. It’s quite hot, our eyes are watering a bit after getting too far into the glass. The palate has a decent texture, with lots of freshly squeezed lemon, coconut bars, a little white chocolate, and a whole bunch of Thai chili heat. There’s a marzipan/pastry sort of thing going on too, but there’s a lot of raw alcohol spirit behind this that’s ruining it for us. Not great in our opinion.
Score: 5/10
Value: Again, a little pricey.
41.188 - Dailuaine Distillery
Name: Jambon-Beurre
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: Two to One: Ex-Bourbon Hogsheads & 1st fill European Ex-PX Butt
ABV: 55.1%
Age: 13
Price: £75.00
The nose opens with sherry.. lots of sherry. There’s an initial bit of peach but then it moves into a charcuterie board, lots of cured meats, and then some real vanilla ice cream - proper vanilla pods. There’s also some cotton pads and beef bisto gravy granules. The palate has an initial sweetness, some red berries, moving quickly into savoury, meaty, oakiness. There’s a thick creaminess that overtakes, think brandy butter or brandy cream sauce. Meat, sweet, that’s pretty much what the name says.. a little brioche in the background too. It’s very well balanced for the ABV, it tastes more like 50%. Solid, if you like the meatier sherry casks then you’ll enjoy this.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: We'd expect this to be a few years older for this price.
46.163 - Glenlossie Distillery
Name: The Good Old Days
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 50.9%
Age: 17
Price: £97.50
The nose opens with cherry clafoutis, sour beer, green apple skin, a little leather, old book covers and marzipan. There’s also a touch of raw banana here too. The alcohol feels soft, it’s a pleasant nose. The palate has a decent texture, and jumps out with lots of red berries initially, moving into chocolate sponge cake, Danish pastries, almond skins and strawberry jam. It’s really got a sour beer thing going on, slightly yoghurty in the background. Not bad at all.
Score: 7/10
Value: Pretty good calue for a sherried 17yo.
48.180 - Balmenach Distillery
Name: Delicate Tounge Dance
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 59.4%
Age: 12
Price: £69.00
The nose opens with a bit of pickle brine, honey nut cheerios, and fresh baked vanilla cookies - not necessarily a combination that goes well together. There’s a sour undertone that really underpins the nose. The palate opens with a nice texture, a little toffee, lots of lime zest, caramel shortcakes, petrichor, and cookie dough. It’s very cookie-like, but Maryland cookies vs. a posh artisanal kind. The finish has a bit of green apple too. The palate is better than the nose, but it’s a bit one dimensional.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: This feels about £10 too expensive.
52.51 - Old Pulteney Distillery
Name: A Grand Day In
Flavour Profile: Coastal & Maritime
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 55.1%
Age: 12
Price: £79.00
The nose opens with porcelain, white rum, and a little butyric acid, it’s not baby vomit yet but it’s getting there. There’s also cereals, think rice crispies without the sugar, instead with a sprinkling of salt on top. Fairly dry, with some more sawn wood as we go back for another nose. The palate has a fair bit of salt upfront, lemon water, slightly sour yoghurt, mild fudge and a bit of cold unsmoked bacon fat. Pretty classical Old Pulteney, salty, sour, slight sweetness, if you like that then you’ll really enjoy this. For us it’s just a solid dram.
Score: 7/10
Value: Reasonable for this distillery.
53.515 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Ointment on Roasted Nuts
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: Two to One: Ex-Bourbon Hogsheads & 1st fill Ex-Bodega Oloroso Butt
ABV: 56.5%
Age: 14
Price: £104.00
The nose is quite meaty, smoked ham, honey, Arbroath smokies, wet pebbles, salt crystals and even a little rose harissa in the background. Very savoury, the sherry has imparted quite a lot of those meatier aromas to an already saline dram. The palate has a good texture, sponge cake with jam, well cooked streaky bacon, chili jam, crushed black pepper and salted caramel. There’s also a bit of smoked tuna too. It’s actually quite good - it’s fiery, punchy, but brings enough flavour and aroma to balance that.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: In line with sherried Caol Ilas from other IBs.
53.524 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Fair Winds And Following Seas
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st Fill Spanish Oak Ex-PX Butt
ABV: 56.0%
Age: 12
Price: £92.00
The nose opens with sour, meaty.. it’s so reminiscent of something.. beef monster much. We don’t really need to write anything else, it’s the perfect note. The palate has sour plum, ginger beer, fish coated in maple syrup, quorn, and button mushrooms. There also a cheesy, quaver-like note in the background. The texture is decent and it’s very expressive, but perhaps too expressive. If you like your fishy, meaty, sweet, sour and a bit of everything-Caol Ila’s, this might be for you.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Again, in line with other sherried Caol Ilas.
59.97 - Teaninich Distillery
Name: Highland Modernity
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-bourbon Hogshead
ABV: 52.8%
Age: 18
Price: £93.00
The nose opens with vanilla bean paste, chambord, toasted peanuts and lots of powdered sugar on top of a freshly fried doughnut. It’s very confectionery led with a bit of nuttiness in the background. The palate has more upfront sweetness, lots of lemon sherbet, candied almonds, bakewell tart pastry cases and a little cherry juice. It’s well integrated, a little peppery in places but it works. We like it.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Really solid value here.
60.53 - Aberfeldy Distillery
Name: Crema Catalana Cookies
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
ABV: 59.1%
Age: 12
Price: £68.50
The nose opens with pineapple juice, orange zest, melon liqueur, and aloe vera. It’s like a fruit cocktail on the beach just after you’ve just applied your sunscreen. The palate has a good texture, more of that pineapple appears, a little apple, orange segments, and even a bit of coconut in the background. We’re still on this tropical island in the sun. There’s some custardy sweetness here that appears more on the latter palate. It’s a solid bourbon cask, not the best we’ve ever had but really pretty good.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: This should be closer to £60.
68.142 - Blair Athol Distillery
Name: Frangipane And Apple Granny
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Rivesaltes Barrique
ABV: 56.5%
Age: 11
Price: £65.00
The nose opens with... vomit, it’s taken us back to our uni years. There’s a lot of salt crystals, malt extract, and processed ham. There’s also latex gloves and cold margerine. The palate has a bit of brown sugar, honey roast ham, more vomit, black berries, and old cinnamon.. maybe even some soggy mushrooms too. We don’t often say this but the panel shouldn’t have passed this in our opinion, it’s off.
Score: 3/10
Value: The price is fine given the cask type.
78.94 - Ben Nevis Distillery
Name: Picnic On A Log Cabin Porch
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill HTMC Hogshead
ABV: 60.0%
Age: 12
Price: £75.00
The nose opens with sweet berries, red and black, lots of brown sugar, charred oak, dried apple and mango slices, and currants. It’s very… not Ben Nevis - it’s got sweet, artificial, sherry-like aromas for us, with no funk in sight. The palate has a mediocre texture, and a little gingery spice upfront, moving into lots of fresh vanilla, sugar paper, butterscotch and toffee. The spice is a bit too much for us, and the other flavours don’t seem to do enough to combat this. Not a typical Ben Nevis, but also not a great one.
Score: 6/10
Value: Ben Nevis seems to attract a premium, this is in line with other IBs.
79.14 - Deanston Distillery
Name: Pearceptive Perusal
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 61.4%
Age: 8
Price: £62.00
The nose opens with something a little biscuity but sweet, think shortbread fingers dusted in sugar, alongside melon balls, buttercream and some sweetened yoghurt pots. It’s quite pleasant, soft, lots of vanilla sweetness coming through. The palate has an initial burst of apple, red and green, moving into some cocoa nibs, and a little toffee too. It’s got a good balance, decent mouthfeel and is quite rich and decadent as the palate develops. There’s a bit of crushed black pepper spice but it’s really quite nice. A good showing for a returning distillery.
Score: 7/10
Value: Pricey for an 8yo, but we don't see Deanston often.
80.64 - Glen Spey Distillery
Name: Jams And Hams
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 58.1%
Age: 13
Price: £75.00
The nose opens with cacao, rum and raisin ice cream, old library books, chili sauce without the chili extract - think slightly sour chili peppers. There’s a certain raw spirit characteristic, not like new make, but more like a vodka. The palate has a decent texture, some raspberry ripple ice cream, cured ham, a little plastic, and a little butterscotch in the background. It’s a real mixture of sweet vanilla and berries, alongside meaty, processed pork flavours. It’s fine, some interesting notes but we’re not really fans.
Score: 6/10
Value: It's expensive for a 13yo Glen Spey.
94.54 - Fettercairn Distillery
Name: Into The Satchel
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill HTMC Barrel
ABV: 60.6%
Age: 12
Price: £74.00
The nose opens with pleather, ginger juice, salted pretzels, toffee, and red fruits - think currants. There’s a background of rosewater and bung cloth too. The palate has a decent texture, with orange juice, caramel, pink peppercorns, and a dry, papery finish. It’s a little spicy, a little dry, and would probably fall under that infamous profile if it still existed. Saying that, there’s a bit of pineapple and peach right at the end. Not our favourite, it’s fine.
Score: 6/10
Value: Also a little expensive for a 12yo Fettercairn.
95.111 - Auchroisk Distillery
Name: Picasso's Apprentice
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 55.0%
Age: 18
Price: £104.00
The nose opens with a bit of raw alcohol, cherry jam, dried paint, grape must and sandpaper. It’s fairly dry, there’s something that feels very papery and oaky, with a layer of sherry that hasn’t fully integrated. The palate has lots of sweet almond, low quality chocolate, toast and marmalade, vegetable oil, dried cherries and mild toffee.. more on the slightly burnt side. This just feels a bit disjointed for us, the sherry hadn’t quite married well.
Score: 6/10
Value: Good price for an 18yo malt.
112.145 - Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin) Distillery
Name: Flex The Glove
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 56.5%
Age: 20
Price: £145.00
The nose opens with a little meatiness, vinyl wood flooring, black cherry, blackcurrant cough sweets, and ginger biscuits. Quite rich, but also a little one dimensional. It took a bit of air to start opening up. The palate has quite a watery texture, and the dram feels a bit disjointed. The sherry notes on top, the bourbon maturation on the bottom. We got wood shavings, smouldering fireplaces, unscented candle wax, and sour cherry. It’s flat, disjoined, and really quite a disappointment - we love Inchmurrin and this hasn’t worked at all.
Score: 5/10
Value: This feels expensive for Inchmurrin - but reasonable for a 20yo malt.
115.40 - Knockdhu (AnCnoc) Distillery
Name: Mysterious Refill Thrills
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 61.0%
Age: 10
Price: £70.00
The nose opens with cured meats, grapefruit, Manuka honey and a little foostiness, the sherry cask has had more of an impact than we would have expected. There’s a few red fruits sitting in the background too. The palate is a little fizzy to start, think raspberry lemonade, moving into old books, more cured meat, black peppercorns and a little bit of a metallic, iron flavour. It’s a little funky, the palate is preferable to the nose for us - overall it’s fine.
Score: 6/10
Value: Should be £10 cheaper.
121.117 - Isle of Arran Distillery
Name: Cerebral Mind Potion
Flavour Profile: Spicy & Sweet
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 62.8%
Age: 10
Price: £64.50
The nose opens with lots of vanilla, buttercream, fizzy lemon, butterscotch, angel delight and something slightly perfumed, slighty floral jasmine tea, alongside some freshly baked banana bread. There’s some heft to the nose, it feels weighty. The palate has some menthol up front, like sweet polos, butterscotch, rye spice, ginger, clove, everything bagel seasoning, with some perfumed/floral flavours too. The texture is good, it’s got heft and depth to it, and is a solid bourbon cask. There’s a little peach coming through too. The spice is a tad too much but we’re almost at an 8.. but 7.5/10 for us right now.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: In line with other Arrans.
122.84 - Loch Lomond (Croftengea) Distillery
Name: Mango Tango
Flavour Profile: Sweet, fruity & Mellow
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 58.8%
Age: 9
Price: £55.00
The nose opens with tomato juice, bread, green grapes, leafy greens, it’s really fresh, and quite herbal. We’re taken to the Italian countryside. It’s soft too, not too spicy, just very savoury. The palate opens with more of a sweetened peach note, more of those green leaves, gentle spice, boiled carrots and some pressed apple juice. This has a really good balance, the texture isn’t super viscous but it’s a solid dram.
Score: 7/10
Value: Solid value here.
128.34 - Penderyn Distillery
Name: Dragon Fruit Soup
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Wales
Cask Type: 1st fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 60.0%
Age: 10
Price: £85.00
The nose opens with that classic cream soda note, alongside new car smell, red fruits, white pepper, lychee and buttercream frosting. It’s.. fairly stereotypical Penderyn with a hint of red fruit on top, the oloroso hasn’t made it too dry or meaty/nutty. The palate has a good texture, lots of sourness up front, think sour cherry and sour plum, moving into lots of fresh vanilla, cream filled pastries, almond paste and copper coins. There’s also red apple skins and a little gingery spice. It’s a solid Penderyn, not too funky, only a little oloroso layered on top of the spirit. It’s almost an 8, but it’s a 7.5/10 for us.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: In line with most cask strength Penderyns.
135.77 - Loch Lomond (Inchmoan) Distillery
Name: Restored To Mint Condition
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 61.0%
Age: 9
Price: £59.00
The nose opens with smoked bacon covered in honey, candied almonds, wheel rubber, tarmac, sweet sheepskin leather, and wet pebbles. There’s a shortbreadiness too, and some flaked sea salt appearing too. The palate has some apple cider, vanilla sponge, leather, and something a little metallic too. There’s a brown sugar note that starts appearing into the finish, along with some candied apples and pears. We haven’t really mentioned the peat - it’s soft and gentle, and suits the new Smoky & Fruity flavour profile. Pretty good, no complaints.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Like the Croftengea, solid value here.
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