SMWS 121.61 Pulled pork with chocolate mousse
SMWS 121.61 Pulled pork with chocolate mousse, 10 YO, 61,1 %
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) frequently release single cask, cask strength whiskies to it's members. If you want to get your hands on one of these bottles you have to sign up for membership, or visit one of their venues. They do show up at quite a few festivals also.
All their whiskies have labels with no mention of the distillery, it's just a numbered code. First the number for the distillery, then the number cask released by SMWS from that distillery. Today I am presenting 121.61 Pulled pork with chocolate mousse. Distillery 121 happens to be Arran, and this is the 61. cask from Arran at SMWS. The whisky is 10 years old, and has been matured in a refill sherry butt. It was distilled on 2002-07-15, and bottled in 2013.
All SMWS whiskies now come with a rather good "tasting note" on the label. These are very often a lot better, and hits closer to the target, than more commercial tasting notes you will find elsewhere. Here is the SMWS description for 121.61:
The nose neat figs, dates muscovado sugar and dark chocolate. The taste rich, syrupy and slightly bitter. With water fruitier and sweeter like the Greek dessert baklava. The taste is of raisins, orange truffles with powdery cocoa and a glass of Madeira Malmsey.
Nose (23/25): Wow! Chocolate mousse, indeed! That is very obvious, the instant I put my nose to this whisky. Accompanying the mousse is a rich sherry and caramel sauce, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream. This is a rather complex whisky, and the nose keeps developing. After a while I get something that reminds me of Sweet Pork Barbacoa, a fabulous Mexican dish.
Taste (23/25): An explosion of taste on this whisky. Sweet fruits and dark chocolate. Rich and complex! It's a veritable fireworks of sparkling, dancing, fruity notes.
Finish (22/25): On the finish the chocolate picks up a few bits of chili, and there is some syrupy, sticky orange marmalade here as well. Medium long.
Balance (23/25): What a perfect, young Arran this is!
Score (91/100)
Sláinte! - Thomas
