33.137 - Campfire marshmallows on singed sticks

10 years old, distilled 27th November 2008, 59.9% abv, First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, 231 bottles, dram price F

This whisky was released just for The Gathering events in September 2019, and is only available at SMWS venues and associated events.

SMWS 33.137 - Campfire marshmallows on singed sticksThe nose has lemon and lime chew sweets in a perfect balance, with a hint of smoke. The mouthfeel is thin with no cling. The body leads with lemon, has less lime, then toffee and finally the smoke appears towards the end of the dram. The finish has lemon and soft smoke that builds as your tongue dries.

Water brings out thin, rapidly expanding whorling that settles into lingering mottling. The nose gains toffee but loses the lime. The body gains lemon and loses the lime, also gaining burnt cardboard towards the finish. The finish has more smoke and loses a little of the lemon, gaining ash.

I wish I hadn’t added water. It didn’t ruin it - it was still perfectly acceptable - but it was so much better before water.

One for summer evenings.

Technical score: 4.5/5

Personal preference: I’d like more than one bottle.

This whisky was provided by the SMWS in a preview session - thanks to them for that. Full editorial control has been retained in the tasting process.