Day 20 of the the Advent Calendar is upon us. And these past weeks – while the number of advent days grew – the age statements on these drams from the SMWS grew along with it. Tonight, we get to enjoy a 19-year-old dram from Glentauchers. And if the whisky is half as good as its nick name, I’m in for a treat. As I’m comtemplating what notes I’ll be finding in this dram, I find myself knowing one thing for sure… I’m very much in the mood for a glass Brimming with Fruity Booty.
Tasting Notes: Society Cask 63.95 “Brimming with Fruity Booty”
ABV: 50.5% (101 proof)
Age: 19 years old
Distillery: Glentauchers
Bottled by: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Category: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
SMWS Flavour Profile: Sweet, Fruity & Mellow
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose:
Aah yes, rum raisins. There you are again my love. And this time you don’t come from a px-cask. Might it be that I will see you again on the palate? One can surely hope. Okay, all kidding aside. Yes, there are some rum raisins in the nose of this dram, but it holds so much more than that. There’s also plums, dates, and figs. The latter coated in a thin layer of powdered sugar. There are little mandarins, soaked in thick syrup. And there’s some gummy bears too. A water brings for a lemonade note, like the glass waiting for you after a football game on a hot summer day. Water beads trickling down the side of the glass. Yes, this is a very pleasant nose indeed.
Palate:
That sweet syrup you’ll find canned fruit salads in, comes forth in great plenty on the palate of this dram. It’s thick and slighty oily, with a gorgeous dash of honey. There’s some lychee, and the mandarins of the nose make a reappearance here as well. The gummy bears turn into a hard candy. But it’s not just sweetness that hits the palate, it also holds a nice amount of spice. The spice comes from a little bit of tannins, mixed with a sprinkling of spicy cinnamon. And then suddenly I get a popsicle note, a rocket popsicle (or “Raketje” in Dutch) to be precise. Water turns up the spice a little bit, but it also brings forth even more sweetness. I’m suddenly getting apple beignets and crystal sugar topped shortbread cookies. You can pour this for me all day long.
Finish:
On the finish the popsicle note remains together with a stick of cinnamon (without the spiciness). At a relatively low ABV – compared to what we’ve seen thus far – it’s no surprise that the finish isn’t the longest of the bunch by far. It’s a medium length, but it lingers in a very nice way. Near the end some tannins do start to appear, making it ever so slightly less pleasant. But I won’t take too many points of for it, seeing how much I’m still enjoying it despite that bitter note. On the finish the water doesn’t seem to work for the better, it didn’t bring much extra layers like on the nose and palate. Instead, it turned it a bit more watery and slightly more oak forward. Rather a shame when you come off a nose and palate that amazing.
Verdict:
Gorgeous, or dare I say, glorious even. There’s a slight let down on the finish, but other than that this is a stellar dram. There are so many childhood sweets in this dram, that can make a man reminisce. But it’s as if it has been adjusted to our grown-up palates, never becoming the overly sweetness I used to love as a kid. It’s like a stroll through Willy Wonka’s factory, where the Oompa Loompa’s have been replaced with ballet dancers. This is refined and delicate. Yet it still consists of all the good stuff that can give a man flashbacks to the happier parts of his days of yore. Santa, I’ve been good all year… please put a bottle of Brimming with Fruity Booty in my stockings and I shall want for nothing more!
Rating:
91/100
How did I know this was a Glentauchers? Just look at the code and find it in my SMWS bottle codes list!
