Tasting Notes
The subtle scent of a nutty sponge cake moistened in a light lemony syrup, topped with pastry cream, walnuts and cinnamon combined with a glass of orange muscat, wafted through the air to mesmerising effect. The taste was that of a Waldorf salad made with rocket for a peppery bite and topped with toasted walnuts and juicy grapes enveloped in a creamy lemony dressing. Following reduction, we found Christmas spices, stem ginger, walnut cake and a sweet espresso on the nose. On the palate, marzipan and apple tart with caramel sauce. Following 27 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a second fill oloroso hogshead.
Euan Campbell, Head of Whisky Creation
A cask can have more than one life, and that’s something that we are always thinking about at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, because for every great bottling that we produce there is always an opportunity for the cask that helped to create it to go on to nurture something else exceptional.
This bottling of Cask No. 35.381: Meticulously Mesmerising is a perfect case in point. It has matured for a total of 31 years, initially in an ex-bourbon hogshead, and then we transferred it to an ex-oloroso sherry hogshead that had previously matured our Cask No. 73.107: Cherry chocolate and chutney for the final two years of that whisky’s 20-year life. So, the cask has seen a lot of lovely old whisky, and given that its first fill was only for two years, it’s still very active – you can see that in terms of the colour and fruitiness it has imparted in this second incarnation with Cask No. 35.381: Meticulously Mesmerising. The wood still has so much to give that we’ll likely use it another time and benefit from its first two maturations.
We also know that distillery 35 is a firm favourite of many SMWS members and we’re also incredibly fond of it – it’s just one of those whiskies that’s fantastic from the age of 7 to here with 35.381: Meticulously Mesmerising at the ripe old age of 31. This is a cask to experience in a one-off form, and appreciate the journey of spirit and wood over time.
About The Vaults Collection
The Vaults Collection is a selection of the finest and rarest single cask, single malt whisky, set aside from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s most remarkable stocks over the years. They have been released from the depths of our treasure trove of casks, after decades of slow maturation and careful nurturing. The Vaults Collection represents the whisky lover’s dream: A chance to journey back into whisky history, including the opportunity to experience styles or distilleries that no longer exist. The Collection takes its name from the Society’s historical home at The Vaults in Leith, Scotland’s oldest commercial building in continuous use whose connection with the drinks world dates back to the 12th century. Each bottle has a specially designed label and is offered in a beautiful wooden box.