SMWS 120.7 Sweet, fragrant and satisfying

SMWS 120.7 Sweet, fragrant and satisfying, 14 YO, 55.5 %

This independent bottling from Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) is a Hakushu single malt. It was distilled in September 1999, matured in a single 1st fill Spanish oak Bota Corta butt, and bottled in 2014. The total outturn was 517 bottles.

I do not normally comment on the colour of a whisky, but this one is an amazingly dark and mesmerizing mahogany colour!

Nose: Dark, heavy, sugary sweetness. Figs and plums. Rich, earthy cinnamon and creamy vanilla. Hints of oak, green herbs and peppery smoke in the background. Rich PX sherry, leather armchair and cigar box.

Taste: Very sweet, very aromatic and very rich. All dials are turned up to 11 here. Figs and plums again. Raisins. PX like sweetness. Beneath all the heavy sweetness there is a base of sweet ashes and fruity soot.

Finish: long finish. Remains dark, deep, creamy and rich. Much the same aromatic notes all the way, and I’m enjoying the hell out of it. Drying in the end.

Comment: Darn it! I should have bought 10 cases of this back in 2014! Just gorgeous!

Score 93/100

Sláinte!
-Thomas