Single Cask Nation 70cl – Release # 1 Spring, 2020
SCN Release # 1 -- 70cl Range
Caol Ila 12yo, 2nd Fill Bourbon Hogshead
This cask bottling, distilled in January 2007, spent 12 years maturing in a 2nd fill bourbon hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in May 2019 at 59.3% ABV. Cask # 510 yielded 294 bottles.
Color: White tea
Nose: Pleasantly fresh and floral with lavender, turkish delights, and rose hips before richer notes of browned ghee, almond shortbread, marzipan, and dandelion jam appear, note the combination of peat smoke and lemon fizz candies
Palate: Bright and lively on the palate with notes of cherry cola, lemon-lime candy powder, and fresh celery stalks, Lemonheads, and Fortune Bubble bubble gum with a coal smoke backbone
Finish: Crystallized ginger and a lasting seaside campfire note
On the label: Delicate and floral with abundant smoke (more so than peat) and coastal sea breeze on the nose before unleashing coal smoke and cherry cola on the palate. A very long finish delivers salt, beach campfire, and burnt driftwood
SCN Release # 1 -- 70cl Range
Craigellachie 13yo, 2nd Fill Bourbon Hogshead
This cask bottling, distilled in December 2005, spent 13 years maturing in a 2nd fill bourbon hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in August 2019 at 58.1% ABV. Cask # 314984 yielded 294 bottles.
Color: Sauvignon Blanc
Nose: Oxtail soup, salted meats, and Dijon vinaigrette to the fore but dig deeper to discover notes of guava paste, Mandarin slices in heavy syrup, and even hints of crab cakes and oysters! Nose this long enough and you’ll uncover a lovely mezcal-like smoky and earthy undertone
Palate: Citrusy, bright, and fruity upfront with returning notes of damp earth and umami-based foods: tonkotsu ramen, chicken noodle soup, mushroom broth, and toasted nori. The mouthfeel is velvety with a pronounced oiliness
Finish: Lingering umami with smoked salt over grilled Mandarin slices
On the label: Earthy, meaty, savory, and dank; it’s another funky monkey from the worm tubs at Craigellachie. If this is your style then this is your distillery. However, it’s ok to really hate it.
SCN Release # 1 -- 70cl Range
Blended Malt 9yo, 1st Fill Sherry Butt
This cask bottling, distilled in July 2009, spent 9 years maturing in a 1st fill oloroso sherry butt. It was bottled at cask strength in May 2019 at 65.4% ABV. Cask # 417 yielded 654 bottles.
Color: Reflective gold
Nose: Pungent and juicy with fermenting tropical fruits (think papaya, guanabana, and salted guava paste), spiced apple sauce with smoked salt, warm sourdough boule, a pleasant diesel-like note which reminded us of an auto-mechanic garage
Palate: Warm and drying with pronounced sherry, bursts of dark chocolate, toasted salted almonds, roasted walnuts, anise seed, sweet vermouth, a delicate bitter quality, black plum-skin tartness
Finish: Black plums remain but give way to a warming baked apple note
On the label: Rich and unctuous with pronounced dark fruits, dark chocolate, toasted walnuts, and sourdough bread before finishing on baked apples and warm oak spice
SCN Release # 1 -- 70cl Range
Tomatin 12yo, 2nd Fill Bourbon Barrel
This cask bottling, distilled in September 2006, spent 12 years maturing in a 2nd fill bourbon barrel. It was bottled at cask strength in August 2019 at 58.1% ABV. Cask # 800230 yielded 219 bottles.
Color: Dry hay
Nose: Fruity with heavy malt upfront, which we’ll get back to, but the note of being in a field of wild flowers on a hot summer day really grabs our attention. Lots of yellow notes: sunshine streaming through a forest canopy; fresh, crisp, golden apples; tart, yellow mulberries; and yellow wine gums. Hints of ginger and almond milk, too
Palate: Pronounced, heavy malt, with a dark chocolate bitterness, buckwheat honey drizzled over stone fruits, crushed almonds, and steel cut dried oats. The oils in this whisky can not be ignored. As we near the finish a lovely lemon presence comes to the fore as well as the return of fresh wild flowers
Finish: Lasting with notes of Mexican vanilla extract and chamomile tea
On the label: Offering notes of bright summer fruits and wild flowers with a rich, heavy maltiness that frames buckwheat honey and a warming nuttiness. Enjoy this dram outdoors with friends on a late summer evening
SCN Release # 1 -- 70cl Range
Teaninich 13yo, 2nd Fill Bourbon Hogshead
This cask bottling, distilled in September 2005, spent 13 years maturing in a 2nd fill bourbon hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in May 2019 at 56.2% ABV. Cask # 487 yielded 277 bottles.
Color: Straw
Nose: Fresh mown grass, newly filled hay barn, damp malted barley, fresh rain in a spring meadow, porridge, Golden Delicious apple skins, stretched canvas, warm oak spice, after a couple minutes garam marsala appears around the edges
Palate: Rich fruits supported by an incredibly oily texture, apple orchard compote, freshly ground nutmeg, hints of cinnamon, lemon sorbet, a spiciness builds toward the finish
Finish: Lasting finish with a building saltiness and hints of Garibaldi biscuits
On the label: Soft and gentle on the nose with fresh mown grass and damp malted barley, the mouth bursts with rich fruits and freshly ground nutmeg before closing on cracked salt and oatcakes
SCN Release # 1 -- 70cl Range
Trinidadian Rum 16yo, Refill Sherry Hogshead
This cask bottling, distilled in April 2003, spent 16 years maturing in a refill oloroso sherry hogshead. It was bottled at cask strength in August 2019 at 55.4% ABV. Cask # 3 yielded 309 bottles.
Color: Burnished brass
Nose: An onslaught of tropical fruits, fruit cake, and candied citrus fruit peels. There’s both a bright sweetness and warm, richly dense fruity character that can not be ignored. Hints of ginger snap cookies and sugared baked pear round this one out
Palate: Wonderfully oily in texture and while we first expected tinned fruits, which did, in fact, come, the sherry cask maturation offers us notes of candied prunes, warm dates, and, yes, fig paste to boot! Notes of ginger-laced orange oil, upside down pineapple cake and angel food cake make themselves known, too
Finish: Medium to long with lasting notes of bruised pineapple and date bread
On the label: Syrupy in texture and rich in flavor, this Trinidadian rum offers up loads of tropical fruit notes both on the nose and palate but the sherry cask influence present unmistakable notes of candied prunes, dates, and fresh figs. A decadent treat, to be sure!