Getting back on track with my whisky reviews a bit, I could never be too long before two of my great whisky loves would pass the revue again. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and peated whisky from Islay! Today we’ll be having a look at the Menage a Mesquite, a distillery 53 release (a.k.a. Caol Ila). Or actually I should be writing Ménage à Mesquite, but for convenience sake I’ll leave the accents and instead look for them in my tasting notes.
This society cask 53.441 is a 12 year old Caol Ila aged in a first fill ex-Oloroso cask. Which tends to be my favourite kind of sherry maturation for it’s dryer (far less sweet than a PX for example) notes. This review is based on a sample I got in the 2023 Advent Calendar. Of which I was gifted a second set by a very dear friend, giving me the chance to try this dram once more!
Tasting Notes: SMWS 53.441 “Menage a Mesquite”
Stats:
Age: 12 years old
ABV: 56,4% (112,8 proof)
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose:
Burnt molasses, new rubber tires, charred pork belly and the smoldering embers of a peat fire. This nose has everything you want from a peated dram. It’s a little bit dirty, it’s bold, outspoken and above all it packs a punch. Aged leather, fresh tobacco leaves and just a hint of red fruit from the Oloroso casks are some other notes I’m picking out here. And that’s very much my cup of tea!
Palet:
Heaps of ash swirling around a forrest of liquorice root. A generously peppered roast beef sandwich. Shiitake mushrooms and wild boar stew on a cold winters eve. These are the images that come to mind while sipping this dram. And when the notes start coming out as images, instead of single descriptors… you know the liquid is good!
Finish:
The finish is long a rather ashy. But that’s not a bad thing for a heavily peated dram. Charred bacon fat, a steaming cup of liquorice root tea and burnt vanilla pods come to mind as the flavours linger beautifully for at least half an hour.
Food Pairing:
The perfect pairing for this Menage a Mesquite would be either some slowly roasted brisket, bbq grilled leeks or, for those with a sweet tooth, extra dark chocolate.
Verdict:
Though I must admit to not knowing what Mesquite smells (or tastes for that matter) like, if it’s anything like this dram I should get my hands on some… I tend to like most of the SMWS distillery 53 releases and this Oloroso aged dram is no exception. It’s definitely an outspoken and powerfull dram (not for the faint-peat-hearted shall we say) but for peatheads amongst us it hits the bullseye!
