Distillery No.1

I got lost on the nose

The SMWS is celebrating 40 years of whisky. 40 years of casks. And to celebrate that, they are bringing out some very nice editions. Like this one. "Signed" by the SMWS founder Pip Hills.
I call it Distillery no.1, like it says on the label, but the SMWS always gives their editions fun names. In this case, the back of the bottle mentions it: Swede Nutmeg Cake.

I bought this edition as a bundle with the book " Maverick - the founder's tale".
written by the same Pip Hills whose name is on the label of this bottle.
More distilleries should do that, pair whisky with a book, an album or a movie. Let the flavor of the whisky enrich the experience of the story, the music or the scenes.

But back to this bottle: Distillery no.1 makes a reference to the first distillery where the SMWS bought a barrel: Glenfarclas. (As you might know, the SMWS never mentions the distilleries, but uses codes. Check it here.)

This whisky, single cask, with a whopping 64% vol., was bottled at cask strength. No coloration added. And what a lovely natural color it is!
Now, here comes a little deviation from my normal routine. Because when I sniffed the glass, tears sprang into my eyes. I got way too much alcohol on the nose and had to wait 15 minutes before I could continue. So, I decided to put some water ready as well.

On the nose: (after blinding myself with sticking my nose in too deep too soon) Coffee, dried figs, sal ammoniac, raisins, caramels, molasses, some cinnamon, some cake and dark chocolate. Insane. Truly a full nose with many layers!

On the palate I got more of the "heavier" notes: Coffee, dark chocolate and dried fruits. And some little note of something salty.
I added some water to take away some of the sharpness from the alcohol, and after that I got some spices like cardamom, nutmeg and cloves. Paierd with some more sweeter notes like honey and applesauce.

The finish is medium long and gives me the pleasent linger notes of the chocolate and dried fruits.

PS, the book is also a great read

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