SMWS 18.59 – Snuggle Up

To all of those frequently reading my blog, I’m sorry for the amount of time that has passed between this and my last blog. I’m still very much looking forward to sharing frequent articles filled with tasting notes, interviews, etc. With all of you. But lately I’ve been absolutely swamped. With my father’s passing, my new job, my education and my own company I’ve simply been swamped. There was no time to Snuggle Up and enjoy this SMWS 18.59 release….

I received this lovely Inchgower for helping out at the SMWS stand during The International Whisky Festival in The Hague and today I’m finally ready to take a load off and snuggle up with this dram. So, without further ado, let’s dig into the tasting notes!

Tasting Notes SMWS 18.59 – Snuggle Up

Stats:

ABV: 57,9%
Age: 15 years old
Distillery: Inchgower
Bottled by: SMWS
Chill Filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes

Nose:

A lovely full-bodied nose is waiting for you in the glass, heavy with molasses, caramel and dried dark fruits. I’m immediately picking out freshly picked black cherries, dried prunes and just a hint of apricot. Molasses and caramel make me suspect a cloying sweet mouthfeel, but a hint of tannins in the nose tells me it might just be balanced out very well by that counterpart. There’s some nuttiness in there as well, with manly walnuts and pecans coming to mind.

Palate:

There are the cherries and then some! It’s a lovely pairing of black and maraschino cherries (which just happens to be my favourite fruit). As suspected from the nose there’s plenty of sweetness on the palate with especially (rinse) apple syrup coming to mind. But indeed it is also balanced out by some tannic notes that remind me of liquorice root, tree bark, and oak shavings. Aside from the cherries there’s also plenty of dried fruits with raisins, plums, and dates sticking out the most.

Finish:

The finish is long and that cloyingly sweet mouthfeel definitely helps with that. It’s almost like drinking syrup straight up. Something that might sound awfull to some, but like I mentioned before it’s balanced out nicely and because of it it never becomes overly sweet. Some of the nuttiness returns here, but this time around I’m picking up almonds above all. Dark chocolate covered almonds to be precise. And there some dried cranberries added to the mix as well.

Verdict:

Good stuff!! That basically sums it up. I love how this dram balances out it’s sweetness and the fruits that I’m finding are the ones I’d pick up anytime I’ll see them in a supermarket. A perfect dram to Snuggle Up with and relax. Which is exactly what I’m going to do now! Cheers everyone!