Another whisky from Smögen Distillery today. It was only last week I shared my tasting notes on the latest single cask from Smögen – released last Thursday (read about it here). Today, 7 June 2018, the next whisky in the series Sherry Project will be released!
Todays whisky is Sherry Quarters Sherry Project 2:2. The first one was Sherry Octaves Sherry Project 2:1 (read about it here). So, the main difference is probably obvious? The first one was matured in Octaves = 50 litre casks. The second was matured in Quarters = 120 litre casks. Another difference is the age; Octaves is 4 YO and Quarters is 5 YO.
Sherry Quarters was distilled in May 2013 and then matured in American oak first-fill sherry casks before bottled in May 2018 at 61 ABV. The outturn was 1725 bottles. As always from Smögen Distillery the malted barley is heavily peated.
Rich and complex on the nose. Sherry notes like prunes, dates and plums. Peach as well. Rich and dark chocolate. Soft. The peat is not prominent at all at first, but joins in after I tasted the whisky. A bit spicy and oaky. White pepper and nutmeg. Mmm… So rich on the palate. Dark chocolate and dark fudge. The peat certainly says ‘hi’ when it hits the palate. Spicy! Pepper, ginger, cardamom and chili. Maybe some licorice or ammonia. The finish is soft and sweet. A bit dry and oaky at first, but then I get sugar syrup and fruits – and peat. Ripe peaches and plums. Pepper, ginger and cinnamon.
My score: nose 22 / taste 23 / finish 22 / balance 22 = 89
– Tone
Leave a Reply