During the Hielander Festival in Alkmaar Monique ten Kortenaar dropped by my stand with a bag filled with goodies. Including a bottle of her very own (and absolutely stunning) Otenba. A sorta gin, kinda genever! But there were also more than a few samples in the bag, including this SMWS 68.100
Looking at the SMWS bottle codes list, you’ll find out that this is the 100th SMWS release from the Blair Athol distillery. A distillery close to my heart after an amazing visit there earlier this spring. As always the SMWS has added a catchy name for this dram based on the tasting notes. In this case they decided on “The Beat of a Cinnamon Drumstick”.
Which leaves me wondering… do they mean this will taste like cinnamon and chicken? Or are the drumstick notes those of the wooden variety? Let’s quickly dive into the review to find out!
Tasting Notes – SMWS 68.100 “The Beat of a Cinnamon Drumstick”
ABV: 56,9% (113,8 proof)
Age: 14 years old
Distillery: Blair Athol
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose:
Mountains of vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, and indeed cinnamon, come pouring off the glass as soon as you approach. These notes are so ramped up that it reminds me a little of an older bourbon expression. Orange peel, honey, and a hint of Old Amsterdam rounds off the nose.
Palate:
Plenty of cinnamon spice paired with warm baked banana bread, oolong tea, dried cranberries and fresh dates. Figs, molasses, liquorice root and maraschino cherries pop up as well. There is plenty of complexity here and the mouthfeel is buttery soft.
Finish:
The finish is very long with notes of coffee, mocha beans, molasses and burnt caramel. After a while it turns a slight tad more bitter, though that bitter note never becomes unpleasant. There’s some cinnamon here as well and seeing as I’m finding that note throughout the experience I see why SMWS thought to include that spice in the name.
Verdict:
The drumstick was definitely not of the chicken variety, or at least I didn’t find that particular tasting note. But what I did find was plenty of Cinnamon! Either way this was a lovely whisky that I thoroughly enjoyed. Cheers for the dram Monique!
